All Grown Up: Ginash George’s Imola Orange NSX

One of the most fascinating aspects of our slice of automotive culture has been to watch the maturation of the “import tuner”. While acknowledging that there are those who have been modifying imports since the cars first arrived in the states, our scene was largely defined in the first half of the 1990′s by magazines like Sport Compact Car and Super Street. Cars such as the 5th generation Honda Civic and the 2nd generation DSM twins were kings, as most of the iconic 90′s Japanese sports cars heralded today were out of the price range of the average import enthusiast.  These humble starting points, however, created opportunities for truly epic builds. These first generations of our scene built like they had something to prove; because frankly, they did. They were building the economy cars of the time and lacked the acceptance of the mainstream American performance community. Japanese cars were simply rice burners; most true Japanese performance was still out of reach, either economically or geographically. While the Japanese had established performance pedigrees decades prior, those series mostly took place in European or Asian venues.  Our Nascar Nation was not ready to accept that a Honda was anything but an economical way to get from point A to point B.

Stemming from this doubt, most builds were extreme attempts to take the car as far away from it’s original purpose as possible. Thus, the 90′s brought the outlandish body kits, the insanely complex and near ridiculous audio set-ups, and monstrous power builds. There wasn’t a big push for OEM+ because there generally wasn’t an American respect for these cars in their stock form.  Even looking at the JDM movement, which has been a part of the scene since the beginning, there was still a push for the car to be transformed into something different than its showroom presentation (even if this look was imperceptible by the average onlooker). These trends were shoved into the American mainstream through The Fast and the Furious in 2001 and the “ricer” connotation was cemented into our national mindset. The import scene gained the reputation as the problem child of the American automotive scene, a hive of adrenaline-driven teenagers determined to be scumbag motorists.

Fast forward 10 years and those same “ricers” are fully-functioning adults in American society. The angst is gone, but for many, the passion is still there. Additionally, there is a GT-R sold on American soil, Lexus sells a $375,000 sports car, and there are multiple imports that can be bought for $15k that could easily embarrass the exotics of twenty years ago. The scene has matured, and likewise, so have the builds. Many of today’s owners, having grown up with a deep respect for these brands, have finally been able to purchase the import halo cars, something that was only a dream a decade before. But with age comes maturity, and tastes change. The same person that may have been eager to build a car that could decimate all, is now happy to own a car for what is, focusing more on enhancements rather than overhauls. NSX owner Ginash George admits,

I remember in the old days when performance was valued much more then it is today. Not that it doesn’t have any value, but people now are more realistic with their goals. Back then, it seemed like everyone was aiming for some crazy HP benchmark. I don’t think people care that much like they used to.

For Ginash, this project is about keeping the car clean within the natural lines and styling of the car. There obviously exists a deep appreciation for what this car is, not what it has the potential to be.  All of the modifications, with respect to the rarity of the car, are reversible. While it might be a stretch to assert that this mindset mimics the concours mentality of classic car owners, it certainly is a measurement of health for this scene. Our cars aren’t disposable body kit holders, but rather things to be preserved and maintained for future generations. And while it is admittedly easy for one to make that claim about the first modern Japanese supercar, the same mentality should (and does to some extent) apply to every car down the line. How many of us would willingly pay way too much for an unmolested Electron Blue Pearl 2000 Civic Si?  Or a twin-turbo Supra? Or a low mile Rx-7? Our community has reached the point where we realize the cars of our youth aren’t immortal. While there is and always be a place for huge, game-changing builds, there is an additional need for both appreciation and preservation of the cars that originally drew us in and continue keep our interest piqued.  We will never stop modifying our cars; ever. But don’t be afraid to grow up.

Our scene needs people like Ginash George to provide balance and inspiration. Balance allows for longevity. Without balance, we’d all just lose interest and move on, burned out by the constant one-up-manship and our own inability to maintain relevance in a scene fueled by radical change. If we, as enthusiasts, want our cars to be the next generation of classics, (just as our fathers’ muscle cars are now), there needs to be a healthy respect, from all of us, for the OEM+ build.  If we are still here, we’re all still ricers. The passion is still there, just all grown up.

Ginash George’s Imola Orange NSX