It was during the 1950’s when the first when teenagers were getting their own wheels, it was the first time that this generation had enough cash to spend freely and what better than spend their money on a car that really showed everyone else who they were.

However, that was not enough, in those times, a car was a car and was in need of some extra help and this was the time when the growth in tune up services, paint shops and parts stores began to take off, car then really reflected theirs owner’s personalities.

This was also reflected in the films of the time such as Rebel without a cause and American Graffiti, but this trend also carried on through time until the more recent Fast and the Furious movies.

“We build these cars as a reflection of our personalities. They are blank canvasses and we can layer on our own perceptions of speed, beauty and power. And thanks to the growth of this industry over the past 3 years, we can now take our masterpieces to any number of auto shows or sanctioned races throughout the year.”

“Racing Champions has captured the cars from the films down to the most minute detail. For example, the orange Toyota Supra from “The Fast and the Furious” was originally painted yellow, but the exterior was repainted orange prior to filming. The interior roll bar was never painted on the original car in the film, and it remains yellow on the Racing Champions die-cast replicas. It’s this type of attention to detail that captivates car collectors and makes these top quality replicas must-haves for tuner fans.”

Today an industry has built up around the tuning, importing and the artists who apply the paint to the cars has built into something that those guys from the 1950’s could only have dreamed of, this includes scale models too.

“Through our Ertl and Racing Champions brands, we have brought car collectibles to a much wider audience by replicating cars that have meaning in our culture,” says Peter Henseler, president of RC2 Corporation. “From classic entertainment properties such as ‘The Fast and The Furious,’ ‘American Graffiti,’ ‘Batman’ and more to exciting NASCAR replicas to special anniversary edition models, we offer collectors a way to capture a memory, share an experience or aspire to a lifestyle that is particularly appealing to them. Collectible cars are an economical way to do this.”

“Car collectibles can truly be a way to bring different generations closer together,” says Henseler. “A mutual appreciation of automobiles can transcend the differences in time.”

Of course, there is nothing like the real thing, but sometimes inspiration can come from something smaller, which often leads onto the real thing and another fan is born.

Source [Villamazda]