Cars and fashion have always gone hand in hand. So it’s not surprising that some cars, regardless of their performance, value, or availability, are extremely popular with dudes who stand in lines to buy sneakers and have encyclopedic knowledge of the textiles used in Thom Browne’s S/S ’08 collection. Since I’m a card carrying member of this rarefied group of nerd, I’m especially qualified to introduce you to the Top 10 Cars Hypebeasts Love the Most.
Words by Jon Moy
Pink Range Rovers (specifically Cam’ron’s Pink Range Rover)
Base price: $84,195
#Menswear equivalent: Diplomat Socks
Even though Cam sold his Range a while back, the Laffy taffy range is almost as iconic as the rapper himself draped in pink fur. Hypebeasts and guys who wish they could hang out in Harlem smoking weed with Jim Jones and occasionally fronting their boys bricks all still secretly wish they could stunt in something as ostentatious as a pink Range Rover. Instead, they have to settle for 150-dollar socks with the Diplomats logo. BALLLLLLLINNNNNNN.
Nissan Skyline GT-R
Base price: $69,000.00
#Menswear equivalent: Visvim FBTs
The Nissan Skyline GTR was the car world’s equivalent to our world’s visvim FBTs. In the beginning, the Japanese label was extremely hard to get a hold of outside of Asia. Yet, despite this, hypebeasts figured out how to get their hands on a pair of FBTs. (See even the visvim model everyone wants has a random set of consonants.) After several years, the GT-R, like the FBTs, became available even in the United States, albeit at quite a markup from the original Japan-only releases.
Vintage Land Rover
Base price: varies according to condition
#Menswear equivalent: A pair of longwings from Tricker’s
Pictures of old ass Land Rovers are pretty much a requirement for creating a Tumblr account. Vintage Land Rovers are the ultimate sign of old money. The only people I know who own Land Rovers are the kind who live on ‘estates.' How such a rugged vehicle became a symbol of the landed gentry is fodder for a whole other post. For real though, who the fuck can afford to go on safaris and shit? Despite FAFSA breathing down my neck, catch me trolling eBay motors looking for that perfect landy.
Porsche 911
Base price: $84,300.00
#Menswear equivalent: Jordan Breds
The Porsche 911 (shown here: Steve McQueen’s amazing gray 911) is a classic car. Like the Breds, no one will ever hate on your choice of the 911. In many ways both are icons in their respective fields. Everyone recognizes a Jordan silhouette, just like everyone on the planet can recognize the signature stylings of the 911. Just don’t brick the colorway.
Otis Video "Custom" Maybach
Base price: sold at auction for $60,000.00
#Menswear equivalent: Yeezy Red Octobers
The chopped-out, fucked-up Maybach was definitely a memorable moment in the Otis video. If you or I cut the roof and doors off a pristine Maybach and then bolted a bunch of shit to the body, everyone would fucking murder us. At the very least, we wouldn’t be pulling donuts with a grip of models in the back. But because Yeezus did it, it’s fucking dope. If that type of reasoning is new to you, welcome to the world of the hypebeast.
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
Base price: varies according to model year
#Menswear equivalent: Coke white Air Force Ones
In my neighborhood, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (specifically ‘80s models with giant rims) is still a highly coveted vehicle. The Cutlass Supreme was introduced in 1966 and remained in production until 1997. If you never wanted a cutty with giant spoked rims you never really listened to UGK before.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Base price: $114,200
#Menswear equivalent: Stan Smith Consortium Python Pack
According to Wikipedia, the G-wagon was first developed as a military vehicle based on a suggestion from the Shah of Iran. I don’t know if that’s an accurate factoid or not, but I don’t care because the only people I know that own G-Wagons are dudes who have actually been on yachts before and super-hot moms who do crossfit and look fucking amazing in murdered-out LuLulemon tights. Like the Stan Smith, the G-Wagon has had an extremely long-lived production run and both models’ latest iterations have been luxury versions of what otherwise could be considered very utilitarian designs.
Honda Civic
Base price: $18,190
#Menswear equivalent: Converse Chuck Taylors
The Honda Civic is one of the best selling cars in North America. Despite being originally marketed as an economy class car, the Civic is extremely popular with Asian dudes and dudes who have an Asian fetish and put things like TVs and nitrous in their cars despite never intending to race them. This is because the Civic (at least from 1988-200) had a double wishbone suspension and parts and engines that were easy to swap out and customize. Vin Diesel jacked semi-trucks with his crew in Honda Civics in The Fast and the Furious, so obviously it’s a dope car. Like Chuck Taylors, Civics in all sorts of iterations are ubiquitous in every city.
Subaru WRX
Base price: $26,295
#Menswear equivalent: Nike Flyknits
The Subaru WRX has a dedicated, if not rabid, fan base. Best known for its quickness and off-road capabilities, the WRX is as an affordable option for those looking for an all-wheel-drive, four-door car. Like the Flyknits, the WRX comes in some pretty garish color combinations, but underneath all the odd angles and gold rims is a boxer engine and a chassis that’s proven itself in the World Rally Championship.
Datsun 510
Base Price: varies
#Menswear Equivalent: Flathead F310s
The Datsun 510 was a series of the companies extant Bluebird. Known in some circles as the “poor man’s BMW,” there’s no doubt that Datsun’s in-house designer Teruo Uchino was inspired by his European contemporaries. But the Datsun has a charm all of its own and it’s easy tunability make it popular for dudes who date girls with pinrolls and upper thigh tattoos that turn you on and intimidate you at the same time.
