The Archives of RJ de Vera

It always starts in the garage. Years before consulting for the Fast and the Furious franchise, R.J. De Vera ran a parts distribution operation from his mom’s house in West L.A., catering to a clientele of enthusiasts who wanted to tune up their import cars. In Southern California, amongst a new crop of kids, Japanese-made automobiles, once frowned upon, became the new ride of choice for races and chases within a landscape of midnight streets and desert sprawl. The kids of the 80s and 90s found something better than a video game — a rapid fantasy that was attainable if you could just find that spot beneath the bridge and around the corner.