As children, we're often told the best way to find happiness in life is by turning our passion into a profession. Finding a job for which our talents and prowess come as a corollary to a genuine interest in what we do is the best way to make use of our full potential. While many of us eventually settle into professions that arise from circumstance or convenience, the brave few who pursue their dreams are often met with something they weren't warned about as children: disillusionment, in the realization that passion only exists in pastime, that once you rely on them for a paycheck, your passions in life can quickly become a burden.
As automotive enthusiasts, we're all too aware of this principle as it relates to our endeavors. Those of us who've had the opportunity to build a show or race car know exactly what I'm yammering about. All too often, enthusiasts leave our scene burnt out from a project that started off as recreational, but quickly progressed into something necessitating full-time attention, leaving little or no opportunity for enjoyment. If you're working a full-time job to pay for tools, parts, and transportation costs to and from events, where you spend your weekends sleeping in roach motels, dining on dollar-menu items, prepping your car and tracking down sponsors in hopes of your big break, chances are you're struggling to do it and sacrificing more than you ever had expected. While some welcome this challenge, knowing it's all part of the game, the majority of us who came to the scene looking for a constructive and rewarding pastime, free from the responsibilities and dedication of a full-time job, may be tempted to walk off the field for good after such an undertaking.
Geoffrey Chen's fascination with cars began like a lot of ours: at an early age, before he really knew anything about them. As a child, Chen admired the styling and performance of high-end exotics, but by the time he was old enough to actually start driving, he had grown to appreciate the subtleties and hidden potential of what his peers and people around him were driving on a daily basis: the Japanese sport compacts. While high entry prices kept his favorites among these out of reach, in 1999, Chen purchased the first car he would ever modify; one that marked his entry into the sport compact lifestyle, and nearly his retirement from it at once-a '99 Honda Accord. "My friends really influenced me to start modifying," he explains. "A lot of them were into modifying their Hondas." Living in SoCal, they saw cars of all types modified on a regular basis. "I was after the higher-end imports from the beginning, but decided the Accord was a good place to start."