It's Illegal To Be A Car Enthusiast: Hong Kong's Underground Car Scene

It's Illegal To Be A Car Enthusiast: Hong Kong's Underground Car Scene | Capturing Car Culture

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Күн бұрын

Meet the most passionate car culture in the world, so dedicated that enthusiasts openly enjoy and drive their cars despite the high risk of impoundment for minor modifications like altered wheels. This is where the rubber meets the road when using the term 'underground meet.' Strap yourself in because this is a wild episode.
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Пікірлер: 1 600

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Larry, One of the main reasons why Eugene and I invited you to HK and arranged all these meets is not to show off the cars, but to let the world know just how tough it is to drive a JDM out on the road in HK. It’s utterly ridiculous that even stock JDM get harassed. The other point is to let the world know just how well behaved the meets are. As you said there’re no burnouts, no revving and no misbehaving. All we wanna do is to chill, take some photos, share some car culture. And yet, we are treated like criminals when they stop us to check our cars. To be surrounded by more than 10 cops when your car is stock is a very unpleasant experience. I mean, is it really necessary to suppress car culture to this extent ? Wouldn’t it be better to use the resources and man-power to directly stop illegal street racing ? What’s the point of discouraging people meeting in a parking lot in an orderly fashion without disturbing anyone at all ? I’m glad that through the meets I’ve arranged this time round, you have first hand experience of what HK JDM / modified car owners go through. Anyway, thanks for this. I hope the HK Govt / police will see this video in a positive light and stop the suppression, which is obviously way overboard. P.S. My IG is @rcollezione in case anyone is interested in more HK car culture. P.S.S. We shall not yield. Rocky Yung

@thomascorneliomusic 4 ай бұрын

Hey Rocky, what happens after the car is impounded? What's the process like for owners to get their cars back, how long does this take?

@bluetitan20 4 ай бұрын

It was great to see what the JDM car culture is like in HK. Some of the cars were just unreal, you should be all so proud, that despite what the authorities are doing, you can still have some of the best JDM cars around. Its just a massive sickener to see how so many of you are being treated. We have some stupid laws and things in my country (Ireland), but nothing like what you all have to put up with. Has it always been like that, or have things just gotten a lot worse, since China has really started taking over and running things in HK? Oh, and I've just followed you on Instagram, look forward to seeing a lot more of your car culture on there 👍😎

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Hi ! After a car is impounded, it gets checked by the ‘officials’ at the pound. And for every fault/mod that they deem inappropriate, we will get fined. We then get the car back in a few days and we are given the chance to reverse the mods. A date would be set for the next inspection. If we pass, we just pay the fine. If we don’t pass, then the car will be illegal to be driven on the road until we pass, which means there’ll be no insurance coverage and further fines if we are caught driving an ‘illegal’ car on the road. As you can imagine, it’s a real pain in terms of time spent and money to be spent reversing the mods. But as I said, we are prepared for this and live with this. However, what frustrates us is the following: 1) the frequency that this happens in HK, especially in the ‘New Territories’ part. 2) the way we are treated, during when we are initially stopped by the police. The sheer number of police and their attitude make you feel like a criminal. 3) the petty little things that the police love to pick on, e.g. the font of the license plate being too close together or in the wrong font or the plate being too small. They would deem this as being dangerous and not road worthy along with other basic modifications such as changing the rims, or lowering the car. 4) their dislike for car meets in general.

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

@@bluetitan20it’s gotten worse over the past 10 years. Extremely sad….

@tedtheturbot 4 ай бұрын

Why?

@jordanwebster5077 4 ай бұрын

"The authorities really don't like it, but the car culture pushes on." Absolutely love it, this is the spirit we all need.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Same here in California. It's not as difficult as in Hong Kong because we still have a lot more open space than they do, but compared to the rest of the US, CA is pretty crazy about emissions.

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the support guys 🙌🏻

@druegnor1703 3 ай бұрын

just put a ccp logo on your car problem solve.

@maxidaho 3 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12 ...and that whole "not communist's" thing.

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

@@maxidaho I spend a lot of time in Hong Kong. The level of capitalism there would make ‘Murica blush. And I don’t mean that as a good thing.

@WizardSoon 4 ай бұрын

Singaporean car enthusiast here. I just want to give a big hug to our fellow Hong Kong bros who is doing their best to keep their hobby and dreams alive!!

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Thanks ! 😁

@alexioflexio8818 4 ай бұрын

i was just in sinagpore.. you guys don't seem to have it much better. nowhere to drive except airport road and super high taxation on cars. am i correct?

@WizardSoon 4 ай бұрын

@@alexioflexio8818 high taxation yes. We need to purchase a "permit" to allow us to own a car for 10 years. Prices currently is 80K SGD for smaller car below 1.6L & 130BHP or about 100K SGD for bigger cars. For me, I can't afford them, I can't handle the depreciation of these cars, until I was introduced a limited road use scheme called "Classic cars". I am a happy owner of a VW Beetle Cabriolet. For road wise, yes. Thus it make sense and more fun to drive a slow car fast. We are still fortunate that we are connected to Malaysia where there are more roads for us to explore. Just did a road trip last December on my beetle for 2000km to and fro in Malaysia.

@WizardSoon 4 ай бұрын

@@rockyyung4268 looking forward for Episode 2 and 3. And a HONDA BEAT is featured. Lovely ❤️ And I didn't realize Hong Kong have vanity plate! 😁

@hatruong5734 4 ай бұрын

Damn I wana hug you so bad, living in Singapore is so hard to have your dream car. I saw a lot of teens hang out in arcades playing racing games to nuture their hobbies

@chi_kin997 4 ай бұрын

If you look at the history of Hong Kong, generally back in the 80’s and 90’s Gangsters In Hong Kong drove Japanese sports cars. And that along with the uncontrollable street racing scene back in the 90’s put a great negative impact in Hong Kong towards JDMs. Even to this day, if you are driving a Championship White Type R you are automatically labeled as a troublemaker

@philiptong4978 4 ай бұрын

if it has to do with traumatized mindset and now local officials are unable to walk out of it then the place is finished, get a life elsewhere It's like 15:24 that is evil 16:11 that (or the driver/owner of it) must be cuddly

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Even back when in the 90s before the handover, our elders always called JDM cars 飛仔車 and JDM modded cars always got harassed and impounded. This has nothing to do with China and everything to do with Hong Kongers' culture of complaining. The cops investigate because somebody complained. You can see in the video that a car got impounded because the wheels were not OEM size. These laws were not written by China.

@Stilo95 4 ай бұрын

Innocent until proven guilty flipped to guilty until proven innocent.

@JarvisDevonDariel-nv3io 4 ай бұрын

@@Stilo95 lmAO, this video already features some violation already, and yet claim to be innocent.

@michaeltsui3435 3 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12 I don't care they are 飛仔車 or not, a tesla with a modified screw should be impounded as well In fact I'd even outlaw owning a car, everyone should go to work by public transport, CE or LKS inclusive. If you cannot there should be laws disqualifying them from their properties real quick

@Zerobar78. 4 ай бұрын

"No, I have no idea who they are", and that's the beauty of being an enthusiast!! We all know each other without knowing each other!! Great video Larry!!

@NovaResource 4 ай бұрын

Amen!!! All I need to know about you is that you enjoy cars and that’s enough. Car enthusiasts … the best club (and family) in the world.

@NovaResource 4 ай бұрын

@@robertshelton3796 Hey man, sorry someone pissed in your Cheerios this morning. Hope the rest of your day goes better. Happy Motoring!

@robertshelton3796 4 ай бұрын

@@NovaResourceHuh?

@DeolTheBeast 4 ай бұрын

If the police tried this behaviour in the UK - many enthusiasts would rebel and simply refuse to co-operate. It's crazy the lengths these HK enthusiasts are going to to enjoy their cars - I respect them massively.

@hungryalien 4 ай бұрын

HK police are scary these days. they got so much power and they know when to flex that power.

@IiKeiI 4 ай бұрын

That’s why many people in HK moved to the UK

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the encouragement !

@kramer26 4 ай бұрын

@@IiKeiI not that the UK is any better in terms of it being a police state that's anti-car...

@Mac10Daddy 4 ай бұрын

@@dennis8223that’s communism for you

@vantablack1300 4 ай бұрын

Videos like this really put into perspective how good us car enthusiasts have it here in the USA.

@heinztang2376 4 ай бұрын

I don't know how easy it is to be a car enthusiast in the us of a, but in Hong Kong we really have a saying, being a car enthusiast is harder than doing a bank robbery

@heh2k 3 ай бұрын

California wants to stop it. They tried to ban torque wrenches and working on your car in your own garage with the door closed.

@darthnosam3313 3 ай бұрын

Where I live in the US I can do what ever I want to my car as long as it has a muffler, and I pass emissions

@lukedanielgalon1596 3 ай бұрын

i wouldn't say everyone is good in the US especially the UK

@vantablack1300 3 ай бұрын

99% of car enthusiasts in the USA have it good lol. In the Southern USA and Midwest, most states have no emissions laws. You can run catless headers and straight pipe exhaust without any consequences. Even in lame ass California with all the smog laws, people still run their cars unrestricted. People get crazy with their builds I can't speak for the UK cause I have never lived there, but generally speaking the USA is a safe haven for car enthusiasts. @@lukedanielgalon1596

@AliasHSW 4 ай бұрын

The two light wand photo of the R and especially of the Celica is pure perfection and art.

@tomasvdb 4 ай бұрын

the light is what makes HK so magical from dusk to dawn… those are indeed great photos

@AliasHSW 4 ай бұрын

@@tomasvdb - if I could I would be at the overlook all night

@kevindavis5693 4 ай бұрын

You gotta admire those enthusiasts accepting that as a gate of entry into car culture and taking it in stride. I mean it’s completely ridiculous but their positivity and unwillingness to give up is inspiring. Your videos are next level Larry keep it up.

@ricky4673 4 ай бұрын

They are just trust fund babies, risking their daddies money.

@derrekjohnson777 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for responding and informing me. I appreciate that

@kevindavis5693 4 ай бұрын

Yeah that makes a lot of sense actually.

@TheUrbanEpicure 4 ай бұрын

I'm as big a car enthusiast as they come - but during my years living in Hong Kong, working for an OEM, I did not have a car. It just wasn't feasible. It didn't make sense. Living downtown, there is no parking. Zero. You have to drive at least an hour away from the city center to find an open road. Speed cameras. Speed bumps. Ridiculously tough cops. Much better to hop on the ferry and race karts on Macau's world championship certified track.

@tylerfitzgerald266 4 ай бұрын

Hong Kong looks awesome aesthetically but everything I have heard and seen otherwise makes it sound, to put it bluntly, like it really sucks there

@TheUrbanEpicure 4 ай бұрын

@@tylerfitzgerald266 It was awesome in the 90s and 00s and okay until maybe 2010, but since then China has really put it into a chokehold, no freedom of press or speech anymore, and of course extremely high cost of living, poor air quality, high humidity in the summer, lots of old gross buildings, not a lot to do outdoor as everything is either built up or hilly forest. Pay a visit when you're touring Asia, but not worth a trip for it alone anymore.

@apt62 4 ай бұрын

Owning a car in HK is 💀

@apophisstr6719 4 ай бұрын

@@tylerfitzgerald266 Well, if you could own and still had that much spare money to customize your car in HK, then you're one of those riches who are so privileged that the bad and inconvenient stuff of this city won't really affect you that much.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@tylerfitzgerald266 Hong Kong is basically late-stage capitalism, where big business has the government by the neck, including control of the housing market. Exactly the opposite of what the "Communism" fearmongers would imagine. So it's great for the abjectly poor because of the good healthcare and public housing, and good for a handful of super-affluent. The rest are stuck in a rat race towards never owning a home.

@xamsun887e 4 ай бұрын

Hongkonger here. Thank you so much for this episode, showed how beautiful and sad this one place can be at the same time ; and how we continue to keep our spirits. This is a lovely video.

@rockyyung4268 3 ай бұрын

👍🏼🍻

@wandr3r180 3 ай бұрын

Car culture is like music, it tends to unite people from any background, any geography. Love to see it.

@w_k773 3 ай бұрын

Authority and ccp doesn't like it when people unite together

@durianx 4 ай бұрын

That was my friend and me in the Aston Martin Vantage when you were driving the 86 🤣. Glad to have met you the following day and thanks for coming to our little corner of the world to show everyone how Hong Kong does it!

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Keep on throwin' it down hard. I don't have the bankroll to play with cars in HK but I do what I can from where I'm living and working, in California. Cheers mate and keep those HK roads colourful.

@rideepicdriveepic 4 ай бұрын

Never. Stop. Driving.

@justmechanicthings 4 ай бұрын

unless your a traffic cop

@evolicious 4 ай бұрын

some of you don't deserve to have a drivers license, or a car

@keijiazum9282 4 ай бұрын

not in residential area

@madogmadog3009 3 ай бұрын

'Never. Stop. Driving' But follow the local traffic rules. Otherwise, it's illegal even if you are a car ethusiast. Car ethusiasts do not have special privilages. Capeesh?

@rideepicdriveepic 3 ай бұрын

@@madogmadog3009 lower your cringe bro. Never stop driving is Hagerty's motto.

@ngduck25 4 ай бұрын

Welcome to HK car scene and thank you for showing the rest of the world how ridiculous the situation is (and it goes worse bits by bits)

@JarvisDevonDariel-nv3io 4 ай бұрын

What is ridiculous about it? This video features serval violation of law, speeding and putting the body outside the car more and more. And yet you guys claim to be good citizen and complain being targeted? Really LMAO

@sy7028789 3 ай бұрын

A pond fish will never be freed, so is a man. Some people only follow rule blindly without thinking

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

@@JarvisDevonDariel-nv3io It's all about finding a balance. Hong Kong is not a car-friendly environment and the vast majority don't own cars. So it's pretty natural that car enthusiasts have a narrower and stricter environment to play with. It's not a place where you can just "find an empty road or lot somewhere that doesn't disturb anyone." I've lived in both California and HK and it seems like HK has about 5% of what SF Bay Area residents do in terms of fun, lightly used driving roads.

@ahmedbz6490 2 ай бұрын

In a densly populated city like hong kong, cars can ve very noisy. So I think its good.

@eants 4 ай бұрын

Just civilized & classy people showing their works of art. No ego, no arguments, no over-the-top behavior. Unheard of in the USA or almost anywhere else, that's why I rarely attend car meets anymore, but this... It looks like a dream, I'm jealous. Gathering their cars to meets even with knowledge of the high risk is just beautiful and shows the true movement behind it all.

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Kind words. Thanks heaps !

@rudiruttger 4 ай бұрын

It's hard enough owning certain books in that municipality, and these fine gentlemen have gone for something as immediately high profile as pure performance automobiles. The absolute mad men.

@drewpierce2273 4 ай бұрын

Hong Kong is so restrictive. It's surprising they can even get the cars tagged for the road.

@clarenee 4 ай бұрын

Cars in HK can be registered and licenced for road use once they pass tests conducted by the testing centre operated by the govt transport department. The law in HK states that any mods have to be certified (any means sth down to rims or tints) by the transport dept. The certification papers for each individual mods have to be carried in the car at all times. For cars that are over 6 yrs old there's annual inspection upon annual licence renewal, so quite frequently modded cars without certification go back to stock just for the inspection. Now, the police, as a deterrent, have the power to impound cars even if such certification exist. It's just a deterrent to discourage indiscriminately car meets & car mods, whatever its intentions, due to the existence of rare but persistent illegal street racing since the 1970's. JDMs were targeted more due to the illegal racing scene back in the 90's & 00's involving JDMs, it's a mindset ingrained in the police that everyone driving a JDM will race it once in a while. In fact there's a joke that any CF Honda Accord, EF/EG/EK Civic or any Integras, stock or otherwise, will be towed without delay.

@drewpierce2273 4 ай бұрын

@clarenee Thank you and others for the responses on the HK car scene. And Thanks to Larry Chen and Hagerty for the awesome video. 👌

@projectkod 4 ай бұрын

it has became a ccp state and as restrictive as ever.

@CoolHandJoe88 3 ай бұрын

@@projectkodHave you been Hong Kong?

@projectkod 3 ай бұрын

@CoolHandJoe88 yes. Born and raised there. Now I live somewhere else.

@lewisgeyer1440 4 ай бұрын

These cars represent an individual’s freedom, which is now verboten. A beautiful production of amazing people and their cars. Thank you.

@LunaMapping_KR 4 ай бұрын

Massive respect to the community, no revs, donuts, racing, just pure appreciation for cars

@garageamsterdam 4 ай бұрын

About 15 years ago I used to have a bunch of car friends who were Chinese immigrants from Hong-Kong. They always showed proudly how vivid and alive the HK car scene was with pictures from meets and cars on the streets, videos of racing on the backroads in HK and car magazines. Back then it seemed like a 2nd Japan when it came to car culture. A car culture paradise where everything was possible. Sad to see the state it is in now and respect to the car guys who still take the risk with continuing their passion!

@RealAnthonyJones 4 ай бұрын

I think it was always like that over there, in Jackie chans thunderbolt the movie pretty much starts with cars being impounded.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@RealAnthonyJones ^ this is my impression too. Car culture in Hong Kong has always been a knife-edge hobby.

@cpcxgsr 4 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12 It is hard to believe that HK is like this now... Hong kong was the place where the most exotic cars live.. Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches, and etc... Majority of them are "stock" from factory... But after seeing this video, You're telling the police is impounding "stock" exotic cars? Simply because it "looks" illegal?!?! WHAT?!

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@cpcxgsr maybe my prior comment wasn’t well-worded. Someone in the video said their stock car was stopped for an original factory wing. I have no further information or evidence of what car it was, or whether the wing was actually original. The exotic car scene tends to get by a little looser because they are perceived as less of a nuisance and less of a street racing risk. Hong Kong’s sports and exotic car scene is pretty much as it was in the 90s. Just as many rolling around these days. I’m not of the Hong Kong doom and gloom crowd that seems to be making the rounds on social media these days. I’m cautiously optimistic.

@marc-andrehogue114 4 ай бұрын

'' racing on the backroads in HK'' that's why it went that way

@wtbhotia 3 ай бұрын

I left HK nearly 2 years now, what i miss the most is the VIEWS omg there is no other city that has such sexy views from any side. adding these sexy cars make its system overload 😍

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

I go back to HK all the time but I know that I probably would not be able to afford to play with sports cars if I moved back there.

@thefastlane1 4 ай бұрын

"it just blows me away what great lengths these people go through just to enjoy cars." How lucky we are here in the US compared to these guys, yet many here take it for granted

@reformedartist8528 4 ай бұрын

You say that as california impounds cars for exhausts even ones that are stock like the elantra N and such

@thefastlane1 4 ай бұрын

@@reformedartist8528 I've heard about that! But still, we have it way better than these Asian countries. You won't see any street takeovers or idiots drifting around causing harm to others in those places. It's all because of how much more strict the law and regulations are there for anything car related and the enforcement of them.

@sussei 3 ай бұрын

the US is one of the best place for car enthusiasts. big open roads, generally cheaper fuel prices, and no additional bs like displacement taxes added to already insane car prices like in some parts of the world. forget 25yr old rule, some of us arent even allowed to import used cars at all. and for new cars? expect to pay 300% over its msrp. its normal to pay near $2M for a new Phantom here. what car can you get for the same price in the US? lmao

@stephenbevan5475 Ай бұрын

The US may have it better, but we should continue to take it for granted and prevent it/ always fight to keep it this way or else it will get taken away

@danielcheuk1044 4 ай бұрын

Larry, it's really a game of cat and mouse, since we can't change the law, we can only play around it. When a car get impounded, they will write up a ticket with the "illegal" items to be rectified and of course a fine for each of the item. Then you bring the car back for a second inspection, once you pass, you can reinstall those modified parts.

@LarryChenPhoto 4 ай бұрын

I noticed a lot of comments asking about what happens to the cars once they get taken. Well they are not allowed to be driven on the road until they become legal and get returned back to stock. If you can't do that then you have to export them out of country. Or it just sits in Hong Kong rotting away.

@tomasb5936 4 ай бұрын

And a lot of those cars can’t go back to stock! Yikes! That 993 was so beautiful! You’re killing it Larry, thank you!

@randyterpstra1239 4 ай бұрын

Wow! That's uber serious. Amazing the risks these guys take. Great work, Larry. Your magazine work I had been familiar with for years, though I first took notice of your YT presence with the Hoonigans segments. Keep up the great work.

@EnjoytheMoments 4 ай бұрын

The world is changing fast... Enjoy the moments while you can

@Resist_Oppression 4 ай бұрын

That's if you allow it.

@mjdoesathing 3 ай бұрын

I recently moved to Hong Kong, and there are some fascinating cars here. No idea where to start to find a group of car minded people to hang out with though, so its nice to see this video

@ContasYT 4 ай бұрын

In Portugal the situation is similar, police have orders to impound your car or remove it from the road for even different coloured OEM suspension. A couple months ago a Golf with yellow shocks equivalent to OEM (as OEM is not manufactured anymore) got removed from the road, the reason, they were yellow and not black like OEM. Another Golf got the same treatment for a different Radio than OEM, which once again is not manufactured anymore. Car laws around the world need to be revised, they have been forgotten for way too long.

@andipajeroking 2 ай бұрын

That is illegal. You need to provide an alternative before applying restrictions.

@alexriofrio5754 4 ай бұрын

Cars represent freedom and individualism while giving a sense of community.

@alexriofrio5754 4 ай бұрын

@bennytdi this video is probably already banned in China.

@bennytdi 4 ай бұрын

True sadly. Well this entire website is banned@@alexriofrio5754

@hihellothere9569 4 ай бұрын

Wrong! But nice metaphor tho.

@cheukfungwu7944 4 ай бұрын

@@alexriofrio5754 coz telling the truth is already illegal right now 😏

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@bennytdiFunny how car culture is rapidly taking off in mainland China... so many channels doing car content in China now. Hong Kong is just too small and the road network not friendly to privately owned cars. Never was.

@MrCioco-hp4dc 4 ай бұрын

It's very sad when the governments don't allow people to enjoy the things they acquired with their hard work,here in Romania and Europe in general it's hard to mod a car to the full extent,like engine swaps and such, everything is locked up behind a pay wall (individual homologation in our case) and even that doesn't guarantee that you can do it since you could pay for that individual homologation but still get denied since your car is not deemed "safe" even though you can't do anything yourself in that case since a criteria for homologation is to have a "approved" shop perform the mods for you,I get that it's for the "safety" of the motorist but this is plain ridiculous,the regulations are outdated and the organisations that are supposed to help us are either classic car purists that deem everything that is not original an abomination or corrupt individuals who only seek personal gains from us and still not help. I hate the idea that I have to leave my home one day to enjoy my biggest hobby and the people around me call me crazy or even a "traitor" in some cases for it but I see it as a necessity. Also if you know any countries that have similar car modding law as the USA please let me know :))))

@chm1ata 4 ай бұрын

I live in Denmark and would like to do more stuff with my miata, but it’s not really economically possible. I can’t change anything on the intake, brakes have to be certified for the car. I would love a turbo on it, but to even have a chance of getting it registered, would cost as much as what I bought it for.

@Dr1ftop1a 4 ай бұрын

As a neighbour (Hungary), it's much the same. But we don't care. Hell, a lot of others around Europe are the same. Do whatever you want and sneak by the reflective stickered germans! :D

@bradbeilby 4 ай бұрын

@@chm1ata I spend a lot of time in Denmark and the prices with taxes you guys pay for cars is crazy! I'm not surprised it's difficult. Miatas there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise from over the years if you did the work yourself does it change anything?

@chm1ata 4 ай бұрын

@@bradbeilby cars a crazy expensive here. My 240.000 km miata cost 10.000 dollars. But I can do most of the work by myself, but as we have by yearly car inspections, it’s hard to modify “illegaly”. But if you get 20% more power than factory, you have to pay a new tax for your car, which is about half the cars value. And you can’t chip your car as well

@MrCioco-hp4dc 4 ай бұрын

@@Dr1ftop1a I do have a straight pipe tdi (that's how I bought the car and couldn't be bothered to buy a new cat) and I can say I dodged them pretty efficiently since the car goes under the radar,but I'm still scared of a roadside inspection,Idk if you guys got them but they are the work of Satan himself

@mikerr8462 3 ай бұрын

And I thought Switzerland was hard on tuned cars. Big props to the guys keeping car culture up in these conditions!

@markusjentesart 4 ай бұрын

Hong Kong is by far one of my favorite cities to see in Asia. The energy is crazy and the skyline is spectacular! And to have such nice rides all together just makes this much more special.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Dense cities are generally hostile to car culture (lack of good driving roads, lack of gathering spots that don't raise the ire of the cops), but the folks in Hong Kong know how to roll hard despite all the challenges.

@cpcxgsr 4 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12 what happened to all the tuning shops in Kowloon and New Territories? Are they still in operation?

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@cpcxgsr I’m sure many of them are still there. I would caution that trends and markets change over time. I’m sure there have been many changes, mostly due to changing economic environments and consumer tastes. Also the pandemic probably killed a few of them.

@cpcxgsr 4 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12 Glad that the HK government didn't force the shops to close. And they are still in operation.

@redundantrobert 4 ай бұрын

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen from you, Larry. Well done to you and the team.

@LarryChenPhoto 4 ай бұрын

Thanks, we put quite a bit of effort into it, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@NovaResource 4 ай бұрын

Agreed!! 💯👍🏻

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Thanks 🙏🏻

@wongafet 4 ай бұрын

What's not talked about is the cars after the impound, they get mandated for inspection and many of them end up walking out with no fines other than hassles because there's nothing to inspect about these cars. What also needs to be mentioned is the cost of ownership for cars in HK, parking space can cost upwards of 1000USD a month depending on location. Fuel is probably one of the highest prices here at 3USD/L and yearly licensing fees depending on engine displacement - so all these RBs 2Jz and 13Bs cost 1200USD per year just on licensing alone. It's an upper income hobby here and government departments do use these as cash grabs. People might think this is due to Hong Kong being "China", but it really isn't. HK laws were derived from UK laws and alot of those Bylaws have stuck around post 1997, we're one of the only places left who still do tailpipe emissions tests but those limits are set to modern limits regardless of what year car you drive. It's just a lack of awareness for a niche part of society by the HK government.

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

Yup. Disappointed at all the "China" scaremongering in the comments, although I shouldn't be surprised. China couldn't give two sh@ts about how Hong Kong deals with car enthusiasts. It's not even a political activity.

@andipajeroking 2 ай бұрын

The tailpipe test are the same in Eastern Europe, and i forgot to ask the inspector based on what number are they doing the checks?

@DuvJones 4 ай бұрын

You know, things in Hong Kong seem to be slowly getting worse and Car Culture lives on the fringes, it's one of the spots in society that something of a warning sign. The enthusiasts will survive as they always do, but it's sad that it is so much of a struggle.

@NitroColaSSC 4 ай бұрын

As someone from Hong Kong who only discovered car culture after moving abroad, thank you for this.

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

Hong Kong gave me my car enthusiast genes. It has always been an amazing place to spot exotic cars. I'm lucky that I can realise those car fantasies where I live and work now (California), because I probably couldn't afford to keep fun cars in HK with my line of work. Props to all the peeps in HK throwing it down hard.

@pavelangelov9044 4 ай бұрын

Larry, your videos stand out from all others precisely because of your unique emphasis on car culture. Your content is refreshing and extremely interesting. Thank you and keep doing what you do.

@a9503128 4 ай бұрын

China has stamped its mark on HK, I lived there Quarry Bay many years ago. But wow all those cameras and I reckon Adrian is now in an education camp.

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

Cops impounding JDM cars in Hong Kong is a tale as old as time. China couldn't give two farts about how Hong Kong deals with JDM cars.

@woofam9008 3 ай бұрын

The cars, the pictures, the colors - beautiful.

@ted7x 4 ай бұрын

incredible video, thank you so much this series has been, by far, the best content I have seen in many many years. Probably even decades. I have grown up fortunate enough to experience a few car clubs myself, seeing the culture from all over the world has been just incredible

@ryanmckay6471 4 ай бұрын

That red nsx 😍 that's what dreams are made of. What a beautiful car.

@gymusen 4 ай бұрын

Sadly, it's probably a nightmare the owner has to suffer with to enjoy

@SupraSav 4 ай бұрын

@@gymusen True.. Yet, their passion is admirable.

@bigsmoke5814 4 ай бұрын

Not the price 😂

@ryanmckay6471 Ай бұрын

@@SupraSav exactly! These guys are extremely passionate. It's refreshing, too bad they need to fight to enjoy cars..

@MR021_ 4 ай бұрын

I honestly thought in South Africa, Cape Town it's tough, because our cars can't be too low yet we are allowed to modify our cars to extreme measures, but this is next level. Much respect to them for pushing the boundaries.

@sgbuses 3 ай бұрын

There's a similar problem in Singapore - especially for public transport enthusiast, where you get questioned even for taking photos or filming trains.

@chrishenniker5944 3 ай бұрын

In some countries, it’s seen as spying. You could be seen as monitoring troop movements.

@zamarok266 4 ай бұрын

nowhere in the world people meet like this with such high-value enthusiast cars in close-knit community, beautiful and congrats.

@AliasHSW 4 ай бұрын

@LarryChen and his crew is living their best lives. Wishing them well and enjoy it in good health.

@marwangaming4708 3 ай бұрын

What a waste of resources to harass these car lovers instead of focusing on things that are actually real problems.

@acquire8658 4 ай бұрын

These are the best videos, just amazing how different places enjoy car culture. Brings this world together ❤

@FrancisBandera 4 ай бұрын

Love this video. Great work as usual! TIL that owning a JDM car in HK can be a pain in the ass. The hoops enthusiasts have to go through just to enjoy driving around their pride & joy, oh man. I hope things change for the better. Much respect 🫡

@Chimera015 4 ай бұрын

This is amazing! Thank you for bringing this content to us! 🙏🏻

@theredscourge 4 ай бұрын

These guys should start their own towing companies, and buy tow trucks so that they can tow them EVERYWHERE. The cops would be pissed to come across a convoy of 400 tow trucks towing JDM cars that they can't do a thing about.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

That would be hilarious. Sometimes we just gotta let our inner child out and flex that legal, fun way to stick it to 'em. The cops didn't write the laws that they enforce, but we could all use some slack these days.

@hhaste 4 ай бұрын

Then they would make it very difficult to own and operate tow trucks.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

@@hhaste won’t happen anytime soon, given Hong Kong’s pace of legislation 🤣

@theredscourge 4 ай бұрын

@@hhasteCould they though? If businesses have any rights in Hong Kong, or if other people who use tow trucks protest an artificial increase in costs to hire them, they would get a great deal of pushback.

@Beau_Toes 2 ай бұрын

That '70s Corolla has my heart. Absolutely stunning! 😍

@HeathRS 4 ай бұрын

I just love Larry Chen. His enthusiasm is the thing I live for in car culture.

@ransomgarage 4 ай бұрын

Great video. I've been going to HK for 30 years and the car culture is amazing.

@mrd.808 4 ай бұрын

Awesome coverage. Bruce Lee was a car guy too. So cool to do this on the year of the dragon ❤

@Camsh0ts 4 ай бұрын

This was such an enjoyable video to watch. Thank you for capturing the car culture in Hong Kong and bringing awareness to the struggles these enthusiasts encounter to enjoy their passion.

@wrapman_8852 3 ай бұрын

I have NEVER sat through a video over 10 minutes without skipping to find the good parts until now. I'm just in absolute awe with all of the beautiful cars I just saw. Honestly I'm speechless and I've never felt like this after watching a video. My heart is with the tuner car culture here in the United States and I'm happy to see it thriving over seas thanks to those who love it as much as I do despite what they have to go through.

@rogerdodgerxd 4 ай бұрын

Dang I didn't know this. I was in Hong Kong this summer and I saw my very first RX-7 FD and other modified / super cars. Very amazing sight to see and listen to but this is sad to see that less sightings of this will occur in the future. :(

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

They've been chugging along for decades now, arguing with the cops all along, so I'm sure they'll still be there for your next visit ;)

@PeakTorque 4 ай бұрын

One of the best episodes of yours along side the WRC one. HK was my home for 7 years and although not driving while i was there (for convenience) I always followed the culture. Victoria peak and Brides Pool rd at 4am you see some special things...and no cops often. Ahem triads. Such a cool scene and watching this has inspired me to go back.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Yeah it's definitely time to go back! I gotta head back there too.

@bronxtaskforce01 4 ай бұрын

It's freaking awesome just to cruise around and not racing in the city. just chilling out and be a true car enthusiast

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

It's pretty much all you can do in Hong Kong because speed cameras are everywhere. But seeing a parade of cars come down the clean AF highway in the city, is an amazing sight.

@trezzco 3 ай бұрын

Oh man, that’s exactly the same situation as here in Germany, you have to be just as afraid, and despite registering tuning parts for a lot of money, vehicles are often taken away for no reason… It’s sad to see that it’s just as bad in Hong Kong 🙁

@solocamo3654 4 ай бұрын

That Devil Z... perfection

@XtianMG 4 ай бұрын

Hey Larry! come here to the Philippines, we have a huge car culture here! You will definitely love our car culture. ❤

@MRJMNY 3 ай бұрын

Dude this was an epic production! Keep em coming! Photo sets were amazing!

@tooflesstesla 4 ай бұрын

At 17:13, Larry being diplomatic and evasive 😂 I appreciate the time, effort and money spent by car enthusiasts on their passion. So long as there is no risks (ie, illegal racing, danger to other road users), I'm all for people spending on their passion. Great video 😎

@WWG1WGA24-7 4 ай бұрын

Beautiful Documentary

@DailyOwnSupercars 4 ай бұрын

It goes to show the freedom that some car enthusiasts have & some don’t depending where you live, great video.

@isunamitch 3 ай бұрын

This is very similar to car culture in Quebec, Canada. Many cars get impounded and hefty fines are distributed every time there is a car event.

@andreiflorea3690 4 ай бұрын

You should see how it is in Romania, your car registration can be suspended for small things like led white parking lights or a simple exhaust tip. But they can t stop us.

@WES-GR4PES 4 ай бұрын

this is next level anxiety, and i thought driving my time attack car on the weekends was stressful haha

@maqywhaq 4 ай бұрын

Hong Kong is in a weird place where it used to be strict, but legally consistent(largely, as modifications were always illegal for internal/drivetrain modifications, but the other stuff would largely be ignored as trivialities as long as they did no create road hazards), where now nationalist(mostly against JDMs, but recent recruits to the force has spread the attitude towards USDMs) sentiment and discrimination can pass as grounds for suspicion...

@maqywhaq 4 ай бұрын

Generally speaking as to why there are crackdowns on car gatherings, it's likely an overreaction towards the protests and clamping down on those who A, can arrange/organize these meets(and quite likely also have enough connections to wriggle their way out should they get caught, provided nothing untoward has happened at these gatherings), and B, they see interest in Japanese culture as antithesis to their way of thinking(party lines and all). In a round about way, these enthusiasts are being clamped down on as a way to flex that the authorities can do as they like, so you better stay in line or they'll come down really hard(the threat is more important than the act, as acting out on it can trigger a pushback, so they mostly keep it at a harassment level, impound you for a while, etc.).

@daveshongkongchinachannel 4 ай бұрын

香港公安!

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

The problem is a lot more local than many imagine it to be. My non-car enthusiast relatives in Hong Kong have always dismissed JDM cars as "gangster boy cars" (approximate translation). Hong Kong has a huge complaining culture, so these enforcement actions are the result of noise or nuisance complaints coming from local Karens. Unfortunately, in addition to stopping a few bad apples, they've also frustrated a lot of enthusiasts who just want to gather and socialise with perfectly legal cars. Hong Kongers are not known for letting others be. We are always up in each other's business.

@chrishenniker5944 3 ай бұрын

@@canto_v12What if you had a ‘32 Ford with a Hemi in Hong Kong, or a Karmann Ghia with a Porsche four cam up its arse?

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

@@chrishenniker5944 The oldest registered car in Hong Kong is a mostly original Model A Ford. I don’t think anyone has tried an engine swap in anything that old, but 30+ year old cars are exempt from modern emissions standards.

@Rickie-37 3 ай бұрын

So nice to finally hear about HK's car culture. I spent my early childhood there and remember hearing on the news every week that the cops did another mass impound, sometimes they would even crush the cars. I've been told it's more expensive to own any car in HK than to raise a child since land and luxury tax is so expensive. No one could ever give me a good answer as to why the cops are so hard on modified cars. It's one of the reasons I love living here in Canada. I'm in my early 30's and own 6 cars and 2 motorcycles. I have a habit of doubling the power on all my cars and spending way too much on suspension for track use. I've had my fair share of trouble with the cops for excessive speeding and other stuff I've done but never due purely because of my vehicle's modifications. And every time I get impounded, I know I can just pay to get my car back after the duration and dispute the case in court. The streets are our playground here oh and thanks for making me starve... lol

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

More than cars, complaining to the government and the cops is a recurring part of Hong Kong's culture. Basically, the cops are hard on the cars because they get so many noise and nuisance complaints. The easiest way to placate those complaints is to get rid of the gatherings, at least from areas where people are likely to complain. This is probably the closest to an explanation I can come up with, as someone who spends a lot of time there. Hope it helps.

@Rickie-37 3 ай бұрын

wow those people need to get a life... HK is the busiest, most noisy, and most overwhelming city I've ever been to. It's a city that never sleeps. Plus, I would be thankful if modified vehicles is considered a huge issue in my part of the country... It is so far down the list that people protest and rebel to tell the cops to actually do their job rather than wasting time pulling people over. @@canto_v12

@Glitchingskater 3 ай бұрын

Everyone ones build in this video is art

@user-jd7md1mx2u 4 ай бұрын

For work I spend time in HK regularly and the cars are amazing. The spit / polish and money that goes into them, has to be admired in many cases as art. As a petrol head back in the UK, none of my classic cars look like this, but on the other extreme I get to drive them to within an inch of their lives on back country roads. The car culture in HK is a Tech/Art culture and should be respected as such.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

Hong Kong is just not driver-friendly to begin with. I'm in Hong Kong a lot too, and car modding was never looked upon kindly by the cops.

@HondaBoyy69 3 ай бұрын

I used to fly to Hong Kong in the weekends, it aint the same anymore

@pitch_black_rt 3 ай бұрын

5:18 That shot of the R34 is something else wow! Absolutely beautiful

@ForeignCapitalConceptsTrading 4 ай бұрын

loved this video from start to finish nice work you guys!

@crispymayne 4 ай бұрын

Wow, complete eye opener.

@SirThisWayPlz 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for speaking the sad truth for Hong Kong, among the other, a fading city

@Dave_Boyer 4 ай бұрын

Wow, the photography alone is mind blowing! What an amazing video! Love those rooftop pics!!!

@MsGundbear 3 ай бұрын

Still remember those times in searched for an air-conditioned space for my car and met in Clear Water Bay...before I moved to US...Thanks Chen

@Bensupra 4 ай бұрын

I can tell Richard has experience dealing with cops XD !

@LarryChenPhoto 4 ай бұрын

😂

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

Hahaha he slick

@christhe812 4 ай бұрын

Those spots are absolutely mental! 🤤 What a shame that some countries are this tough on car guys.. I live in Denmark, and a ton of mods are illegal here, but It's mostly just power mods and not cosmetic.

@chm1ata 4 ай бұрын

Det er helt åndsvagt de regler der er her i Danmark. Hvor i landet kommer du fra?

@martymoose1193 4 ай бұрын

You do such an amazing job on these videos, I watch them all. You need to win an Oscar for these documentaries buddy!

@raysoto 4 ай бұрын

Truly an inspiring captures and story. Love everything about this!

@D0wNhiLL 4 ай бұрын

I’m convinced that Need for Speed Underground 2 was inspired by Hong Kong after watching this video.

@GordonTamf35 4 ай бұрын

Thanks everyone for bringing awareness of this. I know it sounds hopeless to "enlighten" the gov officials and the police but every small step counts. Giving the public a more positive side of car culture will hopefully lower the number of complaints and less chance to prompt the police to set up the road blocks. I am sure the revenue from these fines would be overcome by the tax received for importing JDM by a large margin.

@canto_v12 3 ай бұрын

Yeah it's all about staying on the good side of the public. The bad apples will ruin it for everybody. After all, the police's job is, to put it simply, to react to complaints or problems.

@induwaradissanayake2812 3 ай бұрын

0-26" some of the best scene I've ever witnessed

@Anlazo 4 ай бұрын

Massive respect for these guys thriving so hard to living their lifestyle hobby up, in total fear!

@jef922002 4 ай бұрын

Amazing documentary on how real this is, coming from a local. Driving a jdm or any powerful sport cars around is asking for trouble But this is how we play by the book, after all it’s just cost vs enjoyment and just how the game is played here in Hong Kong sadly.

@canto_v12 4 ай бұрын

So it goes all around the world, sadly.

@Ralph2 4 ай бұрын

The quality of the cars is off the charts. I can't believe the oppression and persecution that these guys endure, TBH it's obscene. My deepest respect to you all, ❤

@rockyyung4268 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Ralph ! Lots more cool stuff in the next two HK episodes. Stay tuned (though I dunno when they’ll be released).

@endospores 4 ай бұрын

Wow, now this is the quality car content i like. What a great episode. Thanks Hagerty.

@ES-gy1ti 3 ай бұрын

Well done and thanks for your part in keeping the culture alive.

@vitocorleone1960 4 ай бұрын

Bro its also illegal in INDIA, man cant even have tint on my glasses😢😢

@AnotherMotorist 4 ай бұрын

diu chai lo. so ridiculous. Those times I been to HK in the 90s and early 2000s use to see cars and bikes blasting at night in the sai kung touge. Well as a tourist visiting family those manual turbo diesel busses get you around very efficiently.

@pervertt 4 ай бұрын

Diu chai por as well. The city has lost its free wheeling spirit. No wonder talent and money is leaving HK.