My love for this lifestyle doesn't have an off switch, luckily my family understands and is very supportive. They know if I go anywhere especially out of state or country its a given, I'm gonna set aside at least one day to try and visit as many shops and local events as I can.Looking for local trends and differences in car culture and inspiration for my own builds. You never know what your gonna comeacrsoss some mod or idea that you never considered that will take your own ride to that next level. If you follow my insta or Facebook you'll know I just got back from a short trip to Maui and Oahu. Being off the coast of California there's a lot of parallels to the culture here. So if your heading out to either spot here's what I found and what you can look out for.
Maui.
Maui has a drift scene! I had no idea! Just off the plane we got our rental and decided to stop at the local safeway ( chain of grocery stores) to pick up a few things, already marinated meats and various snacks and food to cook since our hotel would have a kitchenette and BBQs. As we pulled in to the Safeway there was a ring of food trucks in the parking lot and near them, a pack of legit drift cars! I was blown away by a white 240 with a 2JZ stuffed between it fenders! Someone had obviously spent serious cheddar making this thing work. The rest of the pack ranged widely. We all have different skill sets and budgets and few places does this become so apparent as in the automotive culture that said I didn't see one ride that didn't look like it wasn't capable of being a great time and isn't that the point? Turns out Maui has a drag strip and race park and the locals put it to use!
I was beyond stoked on the amount of Mini trucks I saw rolling around Maui.I even came across this MONSTER TRUCK!! how cool is that!
Literally every time I left the hotel I saw at least one mini truck. Mostly Toyotas and Nissans but a few rangers. I was surprised I didn't see any S 10s or S15s. Sadly its not easy to get good pics of on coming traffic. I did however get super lucky when I accidentally turned down a back street in the Kihei area behind a string of auto dealerships and shops. In the employee parking area I came across four awesome examples. My favorite of course was Bubbleicious! A pink standard cab Toyota with bright pink metallic paint and airbrushed tailgate. Seeing it parked on the street was like a flashback to my teens and it had me smiling the whole rest of the trip. I was stoked on how consistently I saw obviously well loved mini trucks in traffic the owner obviously going to or from work or just cruising around. Mini trucking is alive and well on Maui and it makes total sense. Utility, decent milage and they look awesome. What's not to love? there were more lifted examples mostly built in the Pacific Islander style which is to say not super high but with extra wide wheels with knobby tires sometimes stretched. its a distinct look and you know it when you see it. This style has long been a favorite of mine and is definitely represented in California. Normally mostly owned by Pacific Islanders now living on the mainland. Them being around where I live didn't stop me from appreciating the ones I saw on Maui. It was interesting the bogger style tires stretched over 15 inch tall but super wide wheels seemed to be owned by the older guys predominantly. The younger guys going to bigger 20 or 22 or bigger inch tall wheels with a low pro off-road treaded tires on their rides, still super wide though so at least they are keeping the silhouettes the same. Makes sense as that's also happening here on the mainland. whatever your preference plus sized wheels are here to stay.
While there was a drag race session going on at the local track, previous commitments precluded me from making that. Man I was bummed that I missed it. I did however get to attend local Facebook based classic car meetup put on by the Maui Classic Cruisers. Definite cars and coffee vibes, they had a great mix of classic American iron a 70's style Van, the pre requisite 57 Bel Air but also a Gasser and a very high end Nomad build, even a T roadster showed up!
All in all I didn't find any Hot Rod or JDM style shops to check out it seems like these guys are completely reliant on each other and the inter webs to get the parts they need. That sure isn't stopping them from building their dreams and enjoying their rides.
Oahu.
With large military bases and a much larger tourist and down town areas, Oahu has a lot more going on. While I didn't see as many mini trucks, sadly I didn't get any pics good enough to share. As soon as I landed on Oahu I got my rental and dropped some of the family off at the hotel and shot off to Mooneyes Hawaii! I found out that Sunday would be the only day I would be able to see the shop open and I really wanted to see the new location. I wasn't disappointed! I am so glad I did, Tad's old location was pretty cool but his new one is even cooler, its got a classic speed shop vibe with much more open display space. On the way in I was behind this killer little convertible. I couldn't quite figure out what it was, I thought it might be a late 80s early 90s Cavalier convertible but turns out, it was a Toyota Corolla! After getting some impromptu rolling shots of it and passing it on the street I parked and it rolled in after! I even got a quick video of it parked and idling the little Carolla sounds nice and rowdy. as I was shooting video of it the owner Ed got back in and cried it through the lot as another guy in a Mooneyes shirt I would later be introduced to, Roy was shooting video of Eddie driving the Carolla Drop top around. After meeting and talking with both guys in the parking lot, I got a quick tour of the Corolla from Eddie then we all went upstairs to Mooneyes! Tad the owner of Mooneyes Hawaii and Roys wife Di were already up there. The spirit of Aloha is real my friends, we all stood around and talked about Eddies sick Carolla. About tads new spot and the Oahu scene. Turns out Eddies Carolla is an extremely rare vehicle only 200 were made and to his knowledge his is the only one on Oahu. I don't think I have ever seen another example any where. As if that wasn't cool enough his Carolla Drop was shot by none other than Larry Chen when he was on the island for a local car show. Game recognize game I guess, its always cool to have your ride appreciated but when a guy with such a well known and respected eye for style gives your ride the nod its a great feeling. Turns out Roy was the owner of a couple sick Nova gassers. One of which he'd just sold, a beautiful lavender example that I had been drooling over via the instas. Thankfully he has another Nova Gasser this one Green to help was the pain of letting the lavender one go. I am a huge fan of the gasser genre and Roy and Di obviously are as well. After buying half the store and saying my goodbyes to Tad so he could get back to work Roy and Di took me to an awesome local spot called the Cracked Seed, a small shop with huge jars full of dried fruits, roots and vegetables. Kind of like a cross between an apothecary and a candy shop. Where they treated me to a Coca Cola Icee with a scoop of "Li Hing" a pickled plum juice that packs a serious salty sweet punch. I guess Li Hing or Li Hing Mui powder is a flavoring that comes to Hawaii from China. Its a pickled plum that is added to things as juice or powder. It's added to recipes as juice straight from the pickle jar or after the pickled plums have been dried and ground to powder, the powder is sprinkled over fruits or deserts like melons or pineapples or shaved ice or ice cream. Be warned though it adds a serious kick so id say go easy on your first try!
Unfortunately my time on Oahu was extremely limited only two days and after landing and a much longer than necessary struggle getting a rental and then seeing moneys was pretty much the end of the first day. We spent the second day mostly doing family stuff and hitting my favorite restaurant Uncle Bo's! No trip to Oahu for me is complete without at least one stop at his restaurant. We had a new to us menu item that happened to have two of our favorite dishes as toppings a pizza covered with his Firecracker shrimp on one half and chunks of Prime rib on the other both floating in a mix of cheese and garlic paremesaean Alfredoie goodness. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Back to the Cars, there were some cool car watching opportunities while waiting t Uncle Bob but they were hard to catch I did catch this semi lifted XB I dunno why but it made me smile. We only had a few hours before flying out the next day so we got everything repacked and headed to breakfast and happened to pick a place called The fish hook at Hotel Luana Waikiki. Turns out the owner has a collection of cars and had a 30 something woody parked out front. As I was checking it out the Valet let me know there was few more cars ups the ramp in the garage area. So I walked over and saw a sweet 57 thunderbird and another 30s Ford woody along with some kind of bike/vending contraption.
After breakfast we stopped by @velocity Honolulu I am not sure who the owners are but these guys are living the dream. I definitely recommend stopping by. its a multi storied consignment dealership with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Audis Lincolns a barber shop and beauty salon a clothier and I am sure a bunch more stuff all in one place. its a damned impressive dealership and one I wish Id had more time to explore.
All in all I had a great although semi rushed trip I wish I would have had more time to talk with the drift kids and mini truck owners one Maui or to Hang out with and Podcast with Tad cruise with Eddie or see Ronny and Di's Gasser. Goals for the next trip I guess!
Side note, Semi unrelated.
While on Maui I had the opportunity to go on a legit submarine tour! It was so bad ass. Riding in a submarine is one of those childhood dreams I never thought I would be able to realize. Thanks to Atlantis Submarine Tours for making it happen. We went down to 133 feet following a track they have laid out in advance, past coral reefs and a ship wreck and so many fish! The submarine isnt roomy but because you are all sitting back to back looking out the large port holes on each side it didnt feel claustrophobic at least not to me. Our guide was professional and funny as was the Captain. All the staff were patient and willing to answer all my inane questions. But once we got down there it was the incredible views and over all experience of a childhood dream realized I'll remember most. I considered this a huge parenting win giving this experience to my kids made me feel like a boss! We saw all kinds of fish, sharks and even a couple octopus. I understand they have a bunch of locations on different islands and the Oahu version even goes by sunken airplanes and another ship wreck. I'll definitely be checking that out next time I am on Oahu. if you've got the time and inclination I cant recommend it enough!
James
The Lowered HMFIC
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