NZ951

Ah so you are not saying he created the term just that it was about that time the term change when his site did..

Geo

When I was in Germany 13 years ago I say plenty of US cars. No doubt this is due in large part to the large US Military presence in Germany. But there are plenty of US cars owned by Germans. Probably no where near the percentage of German cars owned by Americans however.

I know Chrysler has long sold their US products in Europe, and not just Germany, and not just since the "merger" with Daimler(sp?). Chevy has marketed the Corvette in Europe for years, but I don't know how popular they are. I have a D&W (German Tuner) catalog from the early 80s with photos of American cars in the catalog.

Of course, you have noted that the US manufacturers have chosen generally to design and built cars locally instead of importing them. US owned European makers are Opel & Vauxhal (GM), Ford under their own name, and I think Chysler had some ties with Talbot at least at one time.

Interesting now that "foreign" makes are now producing cars in the US in great quantities. BMW, VW, Nissan, Honduh, DSM, and more are producing cars here. The funny thing is that many of them have more domestic content that "domestics" many of which have components sourced from Mexico, Canada, Brazil, etc. (probably even some from Taiwan).

flamingeye

Basically, no!
Other than the people with very large sideburns.
There was a very old Camaro at the end of my road for a while. They are something of an enigma. Of course we have the Chrysler Neon and Voyager (thanks) and now the Crossfire which has gone down like a lead balloon (looks like a dog taking a $hit)
And of course the Ford range, big factory in Dagenham which happens to be in Essex.
The Escort RS was/is the obligatory Essex boy blade of choice.
I guess American cars cunjure up gas guzzling monsters which we are scared of!
You will only see Pontiacs, Chevy etc at a meet. Or when small weeping children are pointing in the street.

flamingeye

Sorry, didn't read about the Saturn real estate. I don't believe we have any rockets left therefore no estate agents yet.

Geo

What I am saying is that he indeed created the term "Riceboy." Of that I am 100% sure (or at least that it clearly became known through his site). I know this because the term started getting thrown around almost immediately after he launched his site. BTW, read the history on his site. Funny read actually.

Since that time, the term Riceboy has been shortened to Ricer and mods/cars referred to as Rice. But it's still related to Riceboy. The terms in their current usage are directly related to him and his site. That is the etymology of the current slang usage of Ricer and Rice.

Geo

Well if y'all would learn to drive on the right side of the street mate....

NZ951

I would say you can only be 100% sure that the first exposure to the term for you was from that source... I dont think you can claim he invented it.

flamingeye

We do, it's on the left though

Geo

Can I prove it without a doubt in the world? No.

You can believe me if you like or not, but I am 100% certain that if he didn't invent it (quite possible someone in his small circle of friends did), he is the one who made it part of the automotive lexicon.

I mean you cannot prove who actually invented anything. There is quite a bit of debate regarding the Wright brothers being the inventors of the airplane for example. But generally we ascribe invention to those who made something known to the world at large. This fits. I am 100% certain of that.

Geo

Tom R.

I heard the term "rice burner" used about twenty five years ago by my Harley riding friends.

Legend has it that a guy pulled into the Nathan's hot dog parking lot one summer tuesday evening with a honda cycle.

the harley guys burned it in effigy. I heard this story in 79.



Yep, another boring Pontiac!

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Dilberto

Wow...I sure do miss Group B racing. The whole outrageousness, and irony of it was fascinating. Other than F1- that was my second favorite. Even today's WRC cannot compare to "Gruppe B" action of the mid-late eighties: Monster HP machines, wild aerodynamics, wilder car-control scenes, and of course- the spectator death toll.... Does anybody remember the figure? Its strictly a trivial inquiry! FISA had to ban the loosely-regulated mania, surrounding this branch of Motorsports, forever....

Zach

Joe Anstett

There are multiple answers to this question.

For one, American manufacturers haven't considered Europe important enough, traditionally. They have been content to buy/partner with other manufacturers (Ford - Ford Europe, Jaguar, Volvo, Land Rover; GM - Opel, Vauxhall, Saab), and content with never really intending their domestic products to sell overseas. They ran their non-US operations the way Pepsi ran Pizza Hut, or General Electric runs NBC -- largely hands off, a sideshow; at best, the minor leagues. They've traditionally seen the world as two markets -- the US, and everybody else. The Euro mass market's bread and butter is tiny econoboxes, something which the big three have never done well. The big three have based their domestic success on larger, more powerful family sedans and more recently, trucks and SUVs, which don't appeal to Europeans (start with the high gas prices and narrow streets). There's also the fact that Americans tend to drive longer distances than Europeans do -- which is why Americans always want bigger, more luxurious cars, which lead to an insulation from the driving experience, and concentration on smooth ride and driver pacification instead of handling and driver involvement. You can see this phenomenon affecting foreign cars that are popular in the US -- see most luxury makes including Lexus/Infiniti, heck even the 911 dare I say, Cayenne being a prime example of this "infection". From what I hear the new BMW 7 series suffers this affliction as well. It seems most here don't consider driving a privalege that demands their constant attention, and the cars reflect that. Then you have to factor in the fact that most domestics were never designed for export, so it becomes an expensive afterthought to prepare a car for export, to meet foreign auto laws, euro lenses and markers, to say nothing of right hand drive. The European image of American cars seems to be fixated on the Muscle Car era -- unsophisticated, loud, gas-guzzling big blocks that went fast but had no refinement. The Japanese, however, well their bread and butter was the fuel efficient compacts, so they are a big hit in Europe.

The Europeans and Japanese, on the other hand, start off by designing most of their cars for sale worldwide, as such a large part of their market is in the US.

However, some American cars make their way over, such as the Corvette; usually, entire brand model lines to not make it over. But they are viewed, believe it or not, as semi-exotics. Imagine buying a car like a Lancia here in the US which has little or no sales/service support. Obviously someone living in Germany would be going out on a limb to buy a Corvette, as the parts and service situation there could make life difficult. Some models with mixed heritage actually are starting to have limited success in Europe -- such as the Daimler-Chrysler Jeep Cherokee (the Liberty here in the US), as well as some of the "world cars" like the Focus, et al.

While we're on the subject of American cars being a market failure in Europe, I'd just like to point out a few Euro marques that have failed in the US, such as Peugeot, Renault, Alfa, Fiat, et al. American companies have tried bringing over some of their European wares, usually to failure -- see the short-lived Merkur XR4-Ti, the Cadillac Catera which was an Opel, etc. Sometimes it succeeds but the US model deviates from the Euro (Ford Escort, Focus, Fiesta, etc.).

That certainly is the perception, true or not. And seemingly by some, here as well as there.

I love to watch the euro car shows like Top Gear or Fifth Gear. Every now and then they look at an American car, and they always rip it to shreds. They will gush over tiny euro ****boxes all day. And they won't shut up about those hideous Alfa Romeos as being gorgeous, and how God's Chariot is the Aston Martin DB-7. They aren't open minded at all, they launch out of the gate looking for flaws they are convinced are already there, to fit their preconceived stereotype. They were brutal on the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6. They recently took a look at the 6th generation Corvette (C6), and the wooses couldn't stop trashing it. "Ow, I hurt my knee on the clutch, how will I stand and salute the Queen now? Ow, my limp wrist can't work the shifter, how will I ever hold my crumpet? What's this, a turn, they don't have those in America, do they?" They just couldn't get over the fact that the Corvette uses leaf springs (not the kind you find on a pickup truck, but transverse composite ones like on a formula car). They mentioned it 37 times and thus concluded that the Corvette was a relic from Stone Henge. Then they were appalled that they could push the Corvette's rear fascia in with their fingers. Yeah, the difference is that on a British car you could push it in and it wouldn't pop back out. The tester drove it against a few other cars that it should have easily slaughtered and he managed only a 2nd-to-last finish, with the winner being an NSX (which are not fast, so somebody sure couldn't drive). Then the anonymous pro-driver they have drove the car to a very, very fast time on the track, up in the best they've ever tested, and they still couldn't give it props.

Anyway, the bottom line is that there's little infrastructure and there is a huge perception problem for American cars in Europe aside from the quality issue, real or not.

Tom, your pics are broken.

Manning

When did the NSX become not fast?

And even the American automotive press slaughters the build quality of the Vette. When the C5 came out a several years ago they ripped it to shreds because of the poor quality of the interior, etc and the fact that they conceded the need for space for your golf clubs.

And actually I saw an episode of 5th Gear a couple of weeks ago where one of the hosts fawned over (I was in shock and horror) the H2.

My father worked in the defence industry for 37 years, and as an senior exec he got a company car. Initially, being a US defence supplier, they could only choose US brands, but in the mid 80's they were allowed to pick foreign makes. He refused, and swore by his beloved GM products. He even gave me and my sisters grief for buying Japanese and German makes. But then after he retired he started having to foot the bill for his cars and their upkeep and realized what **** those Oldsmobiles and Buicks were. About 4 years ago he swore off US cars and now drives an MB.

Joe Anstett

It never was (1st year, 1990, car was 0-60 in 6 seconds, mid-14 second quarter mile).

It's a great handler, but not particularly fast, especially for a $90,000 exotic.

Even the latest, greatest version is about 250 hp, 0-60 in 5 seconds, mid-13 second quarter. OK, that's fast, but not exotic fast. My $30k TA is that fast.


By the way, I still had the Top Gear episode on my PC and I watched it again. They ran the C6 against the TVR Tuscan, NSX, and 911. Finish order was TVR, NSX, C6, 911. Yet the pro driver "Stick" or "Stig" drove it to a very respectable finish (the cohost amazingly balked "It's faster than an Evo") on their track hall of fame.

Anyway, I'm not here to defend American cars. Yeah, I own one, but I own a p-car too. There are few new American cars I would want to own; Corvette, Z06, CTS-V, maybe 300C; I was excited about the Crossfire but DCX seems to have botched it. Of course I would gladly accept a Viper or Ford GT but they are out of my price range. I fear the American companies, by and large, just don't appeal to enthusiasts.

However, I am also afraid of the "Americanization" of the import marques, including and especially Porsche. Remember, Americans want soft cushy rides, larger bodies, insulation from the driving experience. As BMW, Porsche, Lexus, Infiniti, et al cater to American customers, they begin to lose the attributes which made them desirable to enthusiasts in the first place. This has happened with the Japanese as well, as Toyotas and Hondas get bigger and bigger and get progressively softer. I've pointed it out before, but the best selling 911 is the C4 cab tiptronic, the slowest, heaviest, fatest, luxury oriented version. And one word -- Cayenne. The bad part about Americans buying foreign cars, to the enthusiast, is that they slowly become Americanized.