First-Ever Super Street After Dark Event Rocked L.A.
This inaugural celebration of car culture combined music, art, and awesome cars in one incredible event.
Almost 30 years ago, Super Street put a lens on what has grown to be one of the most diverse and inclusive automotive subcultures in the world. It started with Japanese compact cars and Asian-American culture in Southern California, but it’s expanded to include influences from hip hop, skater culture, gaming culture, and more.
0:00 / 0:00
On September 7 at Kaiser Kars in Southern California, not far from where the roots of the scene began, Super Street held its first ever “After Dark” event. It brought together music, art, and some of the best builds in the country all in one place. It was an all-new way for people to experience what Super Street has always represented.
Presenting sponsor Honda brought a row of clean examples from past to present, including the original Super Street Civic Si project car that has become a legend. Chances are you’ve seen it in Hot Wheels form or in several racing games from the early 2000s.
Honda also brought an original Integra Type R, a 2024 Acura Integra Type S, and a Civic Type R. If that wasn’t enough Honda goodness, just next to that was RJ de Vera’s custom AP2 S2000 with a parts list that would make any JDM fan cry jealous tears.
There were also more GT-Rs than you could shake a Godzilla figurine at. They were everywhere, including the special “dark room,” which featured a custom digital projection using a pristine R33 GT-R as its canvas. VIPs who needed a break to post all the insane builds they just witnessed had an exclusive lounge to hang out, grab a drink, and take in the vibes.
This event was a massive success, so we don’t blame anyone for catching serious FOMO when exploring the gallery. The good news is we’re doing it again later this year on the East Coast, so stay tuned for more information.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
Read More
