0
0
Here’s a look at Dexter High School’s car community and the people in the driver’s seat
By: Alex Watson
“It looks basic, but it’s really fun to drive…people see it in traffic at look at it. It’s just unique, ya know.”
For many, cars are just a useful tool: to get from point A to point B. There are a select few who value this mode of transportation more than others. A car can reflect the driver like a pair of sneakers. So the question is: what do cars mean to people? DHS Students share the story behind their cars and what exactly they mean to them.
Yuma Tsubochi, a senior a Dexter High School, drives a Mk7 Volkswagen Golf GTI. The car has been through several performance tweaks since he obtained it in 2022: a “COBB stage one plus tune, short throw shifter, new shift knob, cold air intake, and a stage 3 clutch. He has also installed aero bits as well as a new steering wheel and carbon and matte black trim on the exterior.
After a long journey of scouring Facebook Marketplace, Ben Alekseev drives an eighth generation Honda Civic Si. The car is front-wheel drive with approximately 200 horsepower and a manual transmission. Ben reflects on the buying process:
“I remember going up on a Saturday to go check out the car with the owner,” he noted, “[he] had a bit of a superiority complex about the specific way he drove stick correctly.” After checking out the car, and driving a manual transmission for the first time at the Skyline parking lot, he managed to drive it home “without any issues.”
Following a blown clutch that occurred a few days after obtaining the car, and a recent frontal collision, the car has gotten a new front bumper, grill, headlights, and an Apple Carplay-enabled radio. Ben mentioned that his future plans include an ECU tune, cold air intake, and possibly a supercharger.
The takeaways Ben mentioned from driving this car daily includes the “feeling you get when you really get into VTEC” and to “buy a stick, the fun you get out of it is worth the growing pains of learning it”
Anthony Baker, junior, drives a VA Subaru WRX after his previous car recently blew an engine. Currently, his car consists of a few modifications from OEM including a carbon fiber hood scoop, shift knob, and e-brake as well as a front splitter and a windshield banner. Anthony plans on adding a new aero kit as well as a stage one tune and an intake.
Anthony mentioned that he likes the uniqueness of his car and that “people who look at it are into the car community.” Brendan Shinn drives a second-generation Ford F-150 Raptor. Currently, Brendan has added an “AWE exhaust, an intercooler, stage two tune, ethanol-mixed fuel, and wheels.” He likes how it drives despite the large size and the
wide look.
Benjamin Sackman, a senior at Dexter High School, drives a Ford Mustang 5.0. The mustang is a manufacturer lease, 500 horsepower muscle car with a manual transmission and a red interior. The problem with obtaining the car was the chip shortage which nearly dismissed the car entirely. The ordering period of the 2024 cars lasted less than 20 minutes where the “car you see in the parking lot most days” was ordered. Ben plans on adding a whipple supercharger to the 5.0 liter engine sometime in the future as well as twin-turbos. The iconic horse badge is recognized among most, even non-car enthusiasts.
Scan the QR code to see more of the photagraphers’ work behind many of these photos and follow them on Instagram!
