http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070620/ap_on_re_us/crushed_hot_rods

Quote :

" By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer Wed Jun 20, 6:52 PM ET RIALTO, Calif. - Charles Hoang winced when the whoosh went out of the tires. Daniel Maldonado took pictures with a digital camera as glass exploded and rained down to the ground. ADVERTISEMENT The cars the teens had so meticulously souped up and tricked out were crushed Wednesday as part of a crackdown on illegal street racing in Southern California. "That's my heart, my dream," said Hoang, 18, of Chino, who was surrounded by friends as his 1998 Acura Integra was put into a compactor. "That's my girlfriend, the love of my life. The cops can crush my car, but they can't crush my memories." Authorities destroyed six vehicles Wednesday at an auto graveyard, hoping would-be racers think again after looking at the mashed machines. Illegal street racing is responsible for or suspected in 13 deaths in Southern California since March. The thrill-seeking, adrenaline-pumping activity is rampant in Riverside and San Bernardino counties east of Los Angeles where rows of tract homes line wide streets that attract racers. Nearly 1,000 people — drivers and spectators — have been arrested for investigation of street racing activities over the past two years in San Bernardino County alone. Police need a court order to destroy the cars. They must prove that the serial or identification numbers on a vehicle or its parts are removed, altered or destroyed. Police said they have managed to reduce illegal racing and related fatal collisions, but know the underground hobby still thrives. "We are making a dent," said Ontario police Cpl. Jeff Higbee. "But it's summertime and ... we expect to see more activity." Hoang said he was caught late last year racing his prized car, on which he spent at least $10,000 to get into top shape. The 350-horsepower engine topped out at 160 mph, Hoang said, swearing it could beat a Corvette or even a Ferrari. When police popped open the hood, Hoang said, they found a stolen transmission. Hoang flashed a receipt for the transmission he bought from his father who runs an auto shop and doubted the item was hot. "Everything on that car was practically brand new," Hoang said as he watched his car get moved to auto death row. "They should take out the stuff that matters, auction it off, and give the money to charity." Because racers put heavy stress on their vehicles, they often burn out or blow up parts. Higbee said the need for the expensive parts has created a "theft mill" where additional cars — usually Hondas or Acuras — are stolen and stripped of the necessary replacements. Most of the cars police examine are illegally modified. Sergio Zavala, 18, was pulled over in his 1993 yellow Honda Civic for a broken tail light in December. He had purchased a B-20 Vtech engine with a double-overhead cam a couple months before, and after a police investigation, was told it was stolen. Zavala, who admits he's been involved in street racing, estimates he and his mother spent about $10,000 on improvements to his car. After watching his Civic demolished, Zavala is left without a car as he plans to attend a fire academy in the fall. "It's heartbreaking to see this," said Zavala, who graduated from high school last week. "This is where all my time and money went." Maldonado also said he put plenty of time and effort working on his 1992 black Honda Civic. He was stopped in November by police in what Higbee described as an area where racers gather. The 18-year-old mechanic said a vehicle identification sticker apparently fell off and without it, police suspected some of the parts were stolen. Maldonado stood several feet away from his car as it was pounded into a heap of metal. Maldonado said he has taken the advice of police by racing legally on one of several race courses around Southern California. For the money spent in fines and other penalties — on average about $5,000 for illegally modified cars — Higbee said street racers could compete about 250 times a year at a legitimate track. "If you have to race, take it to a legal venue," Higbee said. "But as long as they keep racing illegally, we keep crushing their cars." All three men who saw their vehicles destroyed said they believe illegal street racing will continue to prosper across the region. "It will never go away," Maldonado said. "If it's in your heart, you will continue to do it until you can't anymore.""

6/22/2007 12:45:29 AM

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"Hoang said he was caught late last year racing his prized car, on which he spent at least $10,000 to get into top shape. The 350-horsepower engine topped out at 160 mph, Hoang said, swearing it could beat a Corvette or even a Ferrari."

6/22/2007 12:48:54 AM

it's certainly possible if he actually put that kind of money in it

6/22/2007 12:50:48 AM

he put 10K into a car to get it to 350HP??? A high mileage C5 can be had for 14K easy... and already has that kind of power. What a fucking waste.

and no matter what, it's still a ricer ass car

6/22/2007 12:54:22 AM

WHY?

6/22/2007 12:55:10 AM

this is old.

6/22/2007 1:40:14 AM

They should crush the ricer kids and leave the cars.

6/22/2007 2:03:57 AM

^agreed.

6/22/2007 2:24:09 AM

x2

6/22/2007 2:25:16 AM

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"he put 10K into a car to get it to 350HP??? A high mileage C5 can be had for 14K easy... and already has that kind of power. What a fucking waste. and no matter what, it's still a ricer ass car "

theat not a lot. i have close to 16k in my car with only about 375 hp but its all in shit thats built to have the shit beat out of it

6/22/2007 5:20:45 AM

^ heavy duty seats, High strength short shifter, Stainless steel clutch pedal.

6/22/2007 6:57:05 AM

Think thats bad? Ontario is planning to crush cars that even LOOK like they might be street raced, even if they are not actually caught doing it!

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"Judging from the news coming out of Canada, it appears that the province of Ontario is prepared to go one step further. Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant has stated that the authorities in his province will confiscate and crush vehicles built for street racing before they even put rubber to pavement on city streets. "Just on the balance of probabilities if we can establish that a car is being used for the unlawful purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you will never see it again. We will crush your car, we will crush the parts." The report from The Star in Ontario tells us that Bryant's fiery edict was given just a few days after a truck driver was killed after being cut off by three youths street racing on Highway 400. The driver, David Virgoe, drove his truck off the road and down an embankment rather than cross the divider and risk colliding with oncoming traffic. Bryant likened a "juiced-up" car for street racing to "an explosive" and claimed "...we don't need to wait until that car hits the road fully loaded." While street racing is an indefensible act of stupidity, we wonder what standards Ontario will use to judge cars as intended for street racing before they are impounded and crushed and whether or not there will be an appeals process. While many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have laws governing vehicle modifications that dictate how much a car can be lowered, how dark its window tint can be, etc., we could easily imagine a vehicle that violates none of these rules yet still looks like a street racer. And what about show cars? Visit any Hot Import Nights show and you'll find plenty of trailer queens that produce ridiculous amounts of horsepower but are never driven hard for fear their paint might chip. We certainly don't want to minimize how dangerous street racing is, but at the same time must remember that any vehicle driven straight off the dealer's lot has the potential to be driven dangerously by an idiot. It seems that the focus of Bryant's attack is misdirected at the machines used for street racing when it should be aimed at their operators."

6/22/2007 7:18:25 AM

you muscleheads take a guess how much hp you need in a civic to take down 500hp corvettes

6/22/2007 10:11:46 AM

^^thats fucked up. that (hopefully) wouldnt fly in america

6/22/2007 10:20:31 AM

^I don't even think that will fly up there. It's a ridiculous, subjective thing that will get knocked down by the first person with the money to fight it who's affected. And considering how many ric0rs must come from wealthy families (where else is an 18 year-old going to get $10k in money to mod his car...well, maybe drugs...) that shouldn't take too long.

6/22/2007 10:28:47 AM