Throughout my childhood, I was always a fan of fast cars. It was 1999, the year of my 5th birthday. I remember ripping open my first box of Hot Wheels that my mom got me. It came with an official Hot Wheels race track, and I could pop my little Hot Wheels car into the track and let it speed down the slope and watch it loop-de-loop.
Like any young boy, toy cars fuelled my imagination. Because of my first Hot Wheels, I grew up believing and knowing that one day I would get behind the wheel of a very fast car.
You can call this my origin story
A bit about me. I was born and raised in Canada, and aside from my younger brother, the rest of my family are immigrants. One thing about growing up in an immigrant family is that there wasn't much time to play with toys and lounge around.
Instead, being practical, well-studied, and dedicated to put in a day's hard work were values to live by. Some people might see this as the 'immigrant mentality'.
I think that mentality comes from somewhere deeper.
My parents left their home country in search of better opportunities and to escape corruption. They moved from the warm climate of Southeast Asia - there's no doubt the frigid winters of Canada must have delivered some sort of shock. As if adjusting to the North American culture was already enough.
My parents immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia; which I believe is the least cold city in the entire country.
I'm grateful my parents chose to stay here instead of Winterpeg (Winnipeg, Manitoba). For the record, there's nothing wrong with Winnipeg. I lived there for a year. I just can't handle living in sub-zero temperatures...but enough with the rambling.
When did the dream actually start?
I got my first Hot Wheels in 1999. Throughout the years, Hot Wheels was the one toy my parents would always get me.
Birthday? Hot Wheels!
Did the chores for a whole month? Hot Wheels!
Christmas Day? Hot Wheels (and a sweet Purple Nintendo 64)!
I grew up kinda lucky. So did my older sister - 4 years older to be exact. She would watch MTV music videos while I played with my toy cars. I had Tonka Trucks but those didn't interest me as much. It was always the Hot Wheels.
I have vague memories of playing in the living room while in the background, I would hear the familiar songs of 2pac, Biggie, Usher, and R Kelly.
During this time in my life, the Spice Girls were an international hit. Enrique Iglesias was everyone's Hero. Mariah Carey was the first person (in my opinion) to hit the falsetto perfectly while singing the Star Spangled Banner during the Super Bowl in 2002.
Somewhere in between the heyday of the late 90s and early 2000s, The Fast and the Furious made its giant print on the car scene.
How the car scene in the early 2000s played a part
The car scene absolutely exploded. This was the first time in my collective memory that it felt like the entire world was suddenly into cars. It seemed like everyone dreamed about owning a 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 or a 1994 Toyota Supra MK IV.
Everyone was a car enthusiast.
Even so, the Nissan Skyline and Toyota Supra were out of the reach of many high schoolers and college students. Even today, these cars are highly sought after by the car enthusiast and JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) scene.
Countless car meets, car shows, and import models ran amuck. Car culture exploded because of the Fast and the Furious movie series. Enthusiasts and home mechanics were born. People like Paul Walker (rest in peace) and Vin Diesel became icons for the 90s babies.
What actually happened was that more people bought cars like the Honda Civic Si, Honda Integra, Toyota Celica, Mazda Miata, and Subaru WRX STI. They threw exhausts, cold air intakes, and neon lights on them to make them sound and feel fast.
I love the above cars. I was a kid back then, and I definitely couldn't afford let alone drive any of them. It wasn't just these cars that sparked my interest in owning something fast. There was a whole community I could get behind. The people who were really into these cars - were also very supportive of one another.
What was so great about this movement was you didn't have to know the ins and outs of a car to be a part of the car culture.
It didn't matter if you loved a nice-sounding engine, cars with a bunch of aftermarket mods slapped on, or both. You would always be a part of the community.
How does this all tie back to my dream of owning a Porsche?
I was a kid with a dream of getting behind the wheel of a fast car. I loved the JDM market, and I dreamed of owning a Honda Civic at one point. Little did I know, it was a Yellow Porsche Boxster from Hot Wheels that would spark this dream.
Most supercars back then were outside of the price range of an immigrant family. I was stuck with this quote in my head - "more than you could afford pal, Ferrari."
Fast forward to today. I have a great career, a bit more life experience, and most importantly - a plan to own my first Porsche.
My first Porsche is going to be a 718 Cayman S!
The Hot Wheels Yellow Porsche Boxster doesn't count.