From the late '90s into the early '00s, the import scene witnessed many trends that have come and gone, with some so ridiculous we can only now look back and laugh at how stupid they must have seemed. Ever wonder why domestic car owners coined the term "rice?" Take a gander at a few of the most popular trends and ask yourself if you can really blame them for calling us out.
Senior Editor
Scott Tsuneishi
scott@importtuner.com
Identity Crisis
In the early '00s, headlight and taillight conversions were the hottest trends to follow, as Integras and CRXs were commonly outfitted with Nissan S14 or Supra JZA80 lights.
Fond Memories of Nothingness
This image was pulled from the Super Street website . . . yeah, go figure. This bi-winged Accord with GT-R taillights pretty much epitomized the scene a long time ago, one we would all like to forget.
Blind Man's Vision
The neon light scene never seemed to really catch on in Cali, but on the East Coast I've witnessed plenty of cars including "Donks," cruising the streets with these obnoxious attention grabbers. Note: I had to throw this car in just for the fact that the owner is apparently a proud supporter of the Formula 1 McLaren team yet rocks a Mugen sticker. Huh?
Battle Ready
Combat kits or unpainted kits unfortunately continue to plague our industry, as many import owners refuse to paint their body kits. Perhaps they ran out of money after their purchase and decided to embarrass themselves by driving with an unpainted kit rather than leave it off until they could afford a paintjob.
Color Blind
Pastel pink and baby blue paintjobs with two-tone velour interiors were the hot ticket to winning car shows back in 1999.
Lambo Style
Who doesn't want to emulate exotic cars like Ferrari or Lamborghini? But wait. There's a small problem: Your car is an import from another eastern region and turns heads for all the wrong reasons.
Racing Stripes
Taking a page straight out of the domestic scene, racing stripes were popular and an inexpensive way to make your car look faster than it really was. Take this tin-foil-wrapped Civic for example.
WTF?
I'll let this photo speak for itself.