Sport Compact Car Trend

["George & Deanna Achorn" <coolidge@tidalwave.net>]

Hey,
    I found this article on the web. It is interesting to read about the
segment, but mentions little of VW. Funny thing is, VW tuning started long
before SCC Magazine ever hit the shelves. Though I know little of early
Honda tuning, I believe it happened after the whole SCC  thing hit the fan,
and because Hondas offer the same tuneable versatlity that VWs offer. Still,
VWs were being tuned in the early '80s (not talking about the water cooled
era here people), so the modern day SCC movement really began with Argus' VW
& Porsche spawn of SCC magazine. Sure the movement probably came before the
magazine, but VW has had a market longer I believe. Later-G

Built for speed
Friday, September 11, 1998












By ALEX WONG
Staff Writer


LJimenez's wide eyes peer out from behind his racing helmet. "My heart's
pumping," the Passaic resident says, his words muffled by aface mask.

He looks at the racer who has pulled up next to him.

Mike Viola of Teaneck stares back. He grips his steering wheel, revs his
engine, and turns up the stereo. "This is when I get edgy, when I get an
adrenaline rush," Viola says.

Both drivers eye the start lights, a vertical column of six bulbs that light
up in succession from the top down. First, the two red lights. Then the
three yellow lights. A moment's wait and then the deep green bulb comes to
life.

White smoke, a harsh screech, and the smell of burned rubber attack the
senses as Jimenez and Viola are off in a quarter-mile drag race.

The two are amateur racers who took their cars to Raceway Park in
Englishtown recently in hopes of winning some prize money, a trophy, and the
admiration of the 300 other hot rod enthusiasts who competed.

But this isn't your traditional hot rodding. There were no Mustangs or
Camaros at the start lines that day. Jimenez drove a blue Honda Civic
hatchback. Viola, a white Honda Accord sedan.

The cars that whiz by at these races are souped-up, four-cylinder Japanese
compacts with the occasional BMW or Volkswagen thrown in.

Almost all of these econo-boxes turned pocket rockets sport fat tires,
racing decals, and thousands of dollars worth of engine work and performance
parts upgrades. Some incorporate such novelties as carbon fiber hoods,
color-changing paint, strobe light turn signals, and radically patterned
paint schemes in the owners' continuous quest for individuality.

This is sport compact hot-rodding, a dramatic break from the American V-8
muscle cars that used to dominate the American sport-car psyche.

A sport compact car has become the vehicle of choice among young automobile
enthusiasts, with the core age group being between 20 and 28, according to
Larry Saavedra, editor of Sport Compact Car Magazine.

"The Gen X crowd has really embraced [sport compact cars]," he said. "They
like the sophisticated scene and lifestyle of sport compact."

Saavedra said that the cars have a growing presence at college campuses
around the United States. "The University of California at Irvine, or UCI,
has been nicknamed the University of Civics and Integras."

The trend is catching on along the East Coast.

Steve Mariconi of Paramus, who attends Montclair State University and drives
a Toyota Supra, said that many souped-up imports can be found at his
college. "[Sport compacts] are all over the place. The parking lot's full of
them."

The growing popularity of the car niche is evident in the growth of
Saavedra's magazine. Since 1993, Sport Compact Car has grown from 92 pages
and a circulation of 30,000 to 260 pages and a circulation of 102,000.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association, the trade organization of
manufacturers who make performance parts, began tracking the sport compact
niche last year, listing it as a $100 million industry.

"The sport compact market is coming on very strong. In fact, it's exploding
and is attracting more and more attention at our conventions," said Bill
Groak, director of communications at the association.

The trend was born from local auto clubs formed by young Asian mechanics who
grew up around Japanese cars. "Just like people around Detroit grew up
around Fords and Chevys, these kids grew up around Hondas," said Saavedra.

As its popularity grew, the sport compact trend spread outside the Asian
circle and has turned into a recognized segment of racing.

Racetracks have formed brackets and hold events specifically for sport
compact racing. Raceway Park holds what it calls "Import Eliminators" every
Saturday night as well as regional and national events throughout the year
that attract as many as 500 cars.

This year, more than 50 large-scale sport compact races have been scheduled
nationwide. That's up from just 20 last year, according to Sport Compact
Car.

Mike Napp, the special events director at Raceway Park, said Fox Sports and
ESPN2 have broadcast professional sport compact drag races. And for the
first time in July, a national sport compact event, Street Legal, was
offered on pay-per-view.

Even Detroit is getting into the sport compact act, attempting to break
Japan's stranglehold on the segment.

Ford came out with a new, front-wheel drive Mercury Cougar this year that is
a dramatic departure from the car's previous incarnation as a large,
rear-wheel drive coupe.

"It's accurate to label the Cougar as an 'import fighter,'" said Tom Mattia,
director of public affairs of Ford's Lincoln Mercury division. "We're aiming
the Cougar at the group of people that buys brand-new Honda Civics and
customizes them."

Ford is also planning to bring the Focus, a compact car the company sells in
Europe, to the United States. Saavedra likens the Focus to the Honda Civic
CRX, a discontinued performance version of the Civic.

Chrysler has two performance versions of its compact Neon: the Neon RT
released earlier this year and the Neon ACR (which stands for American Club
Racing).

Chrysler also sponsors a racing circuit exclusively for Neons through the
Sports Car Club of America, an amateur racing association, and pits Neons
against other manufacturers in professional races. "We want to go out and
win against the same competitors we face in the showroom in the sport
compact market," said Dave Elshoff, motor-sports spokesman for Chrysler.

But what's the appeal of turning a Japanese economy car into a high-tech
racing machine?

"It's more of a challenge to try to pump so much speed and power out of a
four-cylinder engine," said Jimmy Hwang of Edison, a Rutgers University
student who has put more than $4,000 worth of improvements into his '96
Acura Integra. "I also like the reliability and fuel economy of Japanese
cars. You can't really get that from a Chevy or Ford."

Mike Reynolds, who owns a jet black '93 Civic Del Sol with intake and
exhaust work done on it, echoed Hwang's sentiments. "Japanese cars last
longer and are better quality," he said. "And I like smokin' Mustangs and
Camaros in this thing."

Napp of Raceway Park said that for some sport compact owners, buying a
traditional sports car is not an option. "Putting parts on these cars can
cost a fortune, but not all the time. You can buy a used Honda and bolt on a
few parts," he said. "It's an affordable way to race and have just a plain
cool car."

The racing culture is also an attraction. "Illegal races take place every
night around the city," said Eric Grim, the sales manager for the
Performance Factory, a speed shop in Queens whose in-house racer, a 1995
Toyota Supra, is currently the fastest import dragster in the United States.
"Kids of all ethnic groups -- Puerto Rican, Korean, Italian -- get together
without any tensions. The whole culture is centered upon the races and
speed."




Copyright © 1998 Bergen Record Corp.