DUB Car Show Evaluation

DUB Car Show

Henry Ford once stated that he wanted to see a new car in the garage of every single American. His dream did come true with the creation of his affordable Model T, and it was the birth of car culture in America ever since. Before the Model T cars where only for the rich, but with this new creation cars were introduced to middle class citizens which began Americas love affair with cars. At first, cars being produced were very basic and came with only 20 horsepower, and one color; black (Marcus, James). With time passing by, the car culture in America began to revolutionize. In the 1950’s, there was a new generation of teenagers with enough money to buy their own cars due to the post war boom and cars began to pervade the American culture. The new generations of cars created during the 1950’s were much more than just modes of transportations; they were used as an identification of their own selves. Ordinary people were now able to upgrade their cars in a way that it represented who they were, and show them off to the rest of the world (Car Culture in America). People in America are never satisfied with what they have; if they have the ability to get more and better things they will satisfy their wants, and that’s why the car culture still continues to revolutionize as time goes by. Ever since the late 1990’s and early 2000, the car culture has come so far that now we have divided the car culture into different subcultures. The media has brought this subculture called “customization and personalization”, which is basically making your car stand out from the rest using extreme paint jobs, unique features, accessories and technology (Marcus, James). This is where the DUB Car Show comes into place because the DUB Show is constructed out of those ideas. DUB cars are just one of the few subsections of the car culture, and it covers urban custom cars in America. Ever since this new era came to be in the early year 2000, DUB Custom Auto Show and Concerts has gone in nationwide tours that take place in 16 United States cities. Since it first began the shows have become a huge cultural event for a young hip hop community (About DUB Magazine). I will be evaluating this event by using specific criteria such as aesthetics of the cars, performances and music at the show, and the models at the show; which are the main factors of what makes the DUB show a good car show for its audience.

Aesthetics in a car show are essential; that is what defines any car show especially the DUB Car Show, and it is what divides ordinary cars from custom cars. The DUB Show specializes more on urban custom cars, and it’s all about features and accessories of the cars. Performance can be a factor in a DUB show, but not necessarily since some of these cars are un-drivable due to their extreme customizations.  Their focus is on putting on a show where you can view the uniqueness and extreme features of these cars and judge them on aesthetics rather than a show where it demonstrates which car is faster like HIN (Hot Import Tuners) car shows. The DUB Show consists of a variety of vehicles not like other car shows that specify on one type of car; for example muscle cars, collectible cars, exotic cars, and import tuners. Rather than focusing on one type of car the DUB Show focuses on any type of car that goes through aesthetic customization and personalization, so the DUB Show ranges from luxury sedans, sport cars, SUV’s, pick-up trucks, low-riders, muscle cars, motorcycles, and exotic cars. The job for these customization car clubs is to bring their unique custom cars that push the limits of imagination and creativity, and shock their audience with these never before seen features.  These car clubs tend to live in the “more is better” mentality just as the rest of America, so they continue to fit in arsenal of electronics in these vehicles (Palmisano, Trey). They began customizing their cars with 20 inch rims, but now they have completely raised the stakes by upgrading their vehicles with rims much larger than 20 inches. Some vehicles now are accessorized with up to 32 inch rims, such as the hummer and other big SUV’s. Huge wheels will continue to be the trend for DUB cars, but taking it to different levels. The last couple of years there have been a shift from standard chrome colors to custom wheels painted to match the exterior paint schemes (Palmisano, Trey). Keep in mind that interior aesthetics also play a big role in the DUB Show. These vehicles have matching interiors and exteriors while packed with TV’s, GPS, audio, gaming and entertainment systems, and extravagant upholstery such as ostrich, crocodile, suede, and much more. The creativity in the DUB show will continue to surprise the audience, and by giving people the opportunity to see different styles in one venue will continue to make the DUB show a very enjoyable and entertaining car show, in which it will continue to fuel the car culture in America (Luna).

Another factor which makes the DUB Car Show an enjoyable show is the music and performances by celebrities at the show. The DUB Car Show is not only a car show, but also a concert where famous celebrities perform. Majority of the spectators in this show can relate in the taste of music, usually being hip hop and rap. An interesting fact is that the term “DUB” is a street slang word meaning twenty.  Then the term was popularized through hip hop music and culture meaning custom wheels 20 inches or larger in diameter. It wasn’t until the launch of DUB Magazine that the term was solidified to describe the urban automotive scene (About DUB Magazine). So this is why the DUB show reaches out more to this young pop culture community, and brings thousands of spectators. Music at the show is extremely important because it is a social gathering of a group of people that are influenced by the same type of music. It’s another part of entertaining the audience with something they like while they walk around the show. While the biggest excitement is always the vehicles, the spectators are also excited about who will perform at these shows. For example, the Academy Award winning rap group Three 6 Mafia and T-Pain performed at the Ocean City DUB show (Palmisano, Trey). There are always fans in the show, so this makes the show even more entertaining for the spectators since they are enjoying amazing vehicles and see their favorite artists perform. Also, there are always autograph sessions available at the show, so this just adds to the excitement of the people (Palmisano, Trey). Performing at the show is not the only way celebrities contribute to the show, but also by displaying their own personal custom cars. If the fans ever wondered what kind of cars the stars are driving, then this is their chance to check them out in person. For example, in this year’s DUB Tour fans have a unique opportunity to see Nelly’s DUB Edition wide-body 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0. Fans want to know and see what their favorite stars are driving, so by celebrities displaying their vehicles, spectators are more drawn to this show and have another reason why to enjoy the DUB Show.

Models at the DUB Show are also an important factor in making the show, a good show.  As you enter into a DUB Show the first thing you see as a spectator are the amazing vehicles and the beautiful women walking around.  The models are part of the car clubs, and also part of many vendors (Luna). The car clubs use the beautiful women to display their cars and draw more spectators to their cars. This might be problematic in some cases because by having beautiful girls around the cars can take away a viewers’ attention from the car and focus more on the models; making the car least important. Taking this into consideration the cars and models at the show are not portrayed as two individual parts, but they are seen as one; making the models part of the car and vice versa. The women are used to present the cars to the audience. Spectators love this because they get to see amazing cars that they wouldn’t see on the streets on their way to work, but at the same time they get to see and take pictures with beautiful women that they wouldn’t normally see at home. Models are also used by many vendors that go to promote their gear at the show; making spectators more interested in what they are trying to sale. All in all the DUB Show brings some of the most amazing cars and some of the hottest girls from all over, and make a very entertaining experience for their spectators (Luna).

Cars have become an object of obsession for so many Americans ranging from teenagers to adults. The media has had a big impact in car culture, and it will continue to do so since now we got movies like, “The Fast and the Furious” and TV series, “Pimp My Ride” that promote this trend of customization and personalization (Marcus, James). The car culture in America has evolved from humble and necessary to entertainment and sign of status, so with this the DUB Show will continue to do its job and give the people what they want. The cars, the music, and the models will keep entertaining spectators and make this evolution of car culture to continue. It is a fast revolutionizing trend, so spectators will not know what to expect from year to year.

Works Cited

About DUB Magazine. DUB Pages. 12. Nov. 2007. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.

Car Culture in America. Do it yourself. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.

Luna. “Dub Show 2010 3-7-2010.” CarZ.com. 12 March 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.

Marcus, James. “American Car Culture.” Socyberty.com. Subcultures. 16 Dec. 2007. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.

Palmisano, Trey. “DUB car show brings in region’s car enthusiasts.” Washington        Examiner.com. Lifestyle. 5 Aug. 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.

DUB Car Show

This photograph represents how the DUB car show and most car shows use women to be part of a car to reach out to the audience. It's like the car and the women are one. This picture also shows how celebrities, in this case Ice-T, are used to bring the audience in. For example, sometimes they use celebrities to perform at these events, or in other cases the show displays the celebrity's amazing cars. This photograph shows the criteria I will be using to evaluate the DUB show. It shows the beauty of the cars at the event, how women are used to portray the car, and how celebrities also have an affect on the audience. This picture has everything the audience wants to see at these events; the cars the women, and the stars.