Japanese Manufacturing & Car Culture Showcased in L.A.
“The impact of the Japanese automotive industry on American life is so powerful that the story had to be represented with two separate exhibits to truly capture the spirit of Japanese innovation,” says Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “The exhibits bridge the evolution of Japanese manufacturing with Southern California’s long-standing fascination with Japanese car customization, which contributed to a nationwide boom in import car tuning, motorsports, and more over the past two decades.”
Guests of the preview event were also treated to a surprise appearance by Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer (pictured). Nakamura guided the designs of some of today’s most iconic cars, including the 350Z, GT-R, Murano, and LEAF.
Other highlights of the “Monozukuri” exhibit include a 1969 Nissan R382 race car, 1967 Toyota 2000GT, 1969 Mazda Cosmo Sport, and 1936 Toyoda AA (replica).
Moving down to the second floor of the museum, “Fine Tuning: Japanese-American Customs” features the exchange of ideas between American and Japanese tuners and customizers with a selection of purpose-built vehicles ranging from showmanship to drifting to drag racing.
A “Kaido Racer” — a street car that is styled after Super Silhouette race cars that competed in the Fuji Grand Championship Series between 1979 and 1983 — sits across the way from actual race cars, both of which are owned by the legendary Stephan Papadakis.
Back when Japanese imports were still new to the drag-racing scene, Papadakis became the first to break the nine second quarter-mile in a front-wheel drive car — specifically a stripped-down 1998 Honda Civic dragster. Nowadays, he heads up a championship-winning Formula Drift team.
In another corner, a lightly-modified Honda Civic Hatchback sits inconspicuously, but its influence on American car culture has been anything but that. Thanks to its affordability and accessibility, the Honda Civic was instrumental in popularizing the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) styling craze that spawned cultural phenomenons like The Fast and the Furious film franchise.
The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd., so stop by from now until April 2019 to see “The Roots of Monozukuri: Creative Spirit in Japanese Automaking” and “Fine Tuning: Japanese-American Customs.” Both exhibits are included with admission. For more details, click here.
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