'Rewind the Culture' -- A GenZ take on the Pinoy car meet

The tradition of the car meet has remained consistent since the advent of the automobile.

Anywhere in the world that has adequate open space, you will find car enthusiasts flocking together in droves. But as a cultural space, car meets reflect the trends, the technology and even the generations of a given time.

And now, it’s the turn of the Generation Z or “Gen Z” (people born from 1997 onwards, according to the Pew Research Center) to define and direct automotive culture.

They did this in a big way on Sept. 9, 2023 at the rooftop of the Ayala Malls Manila Bay Podium Parking in Paranaque City.

AutoFun Philippines was on the scene at the first-ever “Rewind the Culture” meet, which was organized by seven Gen Z car lovers, all with a growing social media presence. They include:

• DRVN – Julio Neri, 21

• Ikigai – Patrick Malicsi (AutoFun Philippines’ very own photographer and videographer), 21

• Hold W! – Olivier “Oli” Garces, 16

• SouthMotion – Juan Paolo Lopez, 19, and Ken Leuterio, 19

• Slammed Daily – Aaron Abog, 22

• Tresco – Alfonso Jacob, 20

Although these intrepid kids would often see each other at gas station meets, this was the first event that they ever collaborated on.

“Honestly, gusto lang namin tambay and chill na may kasamang sponsors [we just wanted to meet and chill out with sponsors],” Oli told AutoFun Philippines on the process they underwent to set the event.

“Of course, bibigyan namin ng [we would give added] shine because they were able to provide for this event,” he added. “Pero [But] other than that, no extravagant events. Literally park, the usual.”

Harking back to greater originality

Oli said they hit the rewind button because they wanted to see more of the local car culture of the 2000s.

“Mas unique dati,” he said. “Dito kasi, people want what they see, so walang originality some of the cars. Makikita mo, pare-pareho ‘yung style ng build. Pero dati, nakikita mo ang wild ng build, naka-underglow, iba-ibang kulay.”

[Translation: It was more unique in the past. Nowadays, people want what they see, so there’s no originality with some of the cars. You’ll see identical styles for builds. But back then, you would see underglow and different colors.]

Julio told AutoFun Philippines that they want their fellow Gen Z to go beyond merely imitating what others do.

“It's OK to idolize others and their taste in building,” he said. “Pero [But] never forget about your own taste and creativity. Don't let the opinions of others get to your head because, at the end of the day, it's your car.”

Julio also said Rewind the Culture is a way to prove that the Gen Z can also “run with the big boys.”

“We can organize a meet,” he said. “Probably we still have minor kinks to sort out, pero [but] also cars, although most of us still studying. We still have sidelines and stuff like that to maintain our car, make porma [customize] our car.”

Relieving the pressure

For Oli, the event was also a matter of reviving a more positive and realistic vibe in the automotive scene.

“We're not at the point that we can just build cars to where we want,” he said. “We have to do it step by step, so we want that vibe for here. We want everyone to be welcome, whether their build is done or kakabili lang tapos mags lang pinalitan [they just bought their car and have just changed the mags].”

Oli noted that social media has created unrealistic expectations of how a build should be done.

“Everyone thinks you can build your build one month, two months,” he said. “Realistically, it takes us one month mag-ipon para sa piyesa [to save up for parts].”

The teenager added that meets of previous generations, despite the greater emphasis on personal creativity, fully respected car lovers who took their time.

“Every week, may nag-iiba or pwede rin walang nag-iba kasi 'di naman tayo kasing-yaman eh,” Oli said.

[Translation: Every week, something changes or something doesn’t change because we’re not as rich.]

Unexpected success

Both Julio and Oli were surprised at the event’s turnout, which hit around 300 cars all throughout the afternoon and evening.

“Not gonna lie, I just expected a full roof deck,” Julio said.

“We had people who wanted parking reserved, so we expected around 70 people,” Oli said. “So we really got surprised when we saw almost 300 people.”

Julio added that given the huge turnout, they could make Rewind the Culture an annual event where car lovers can gather, even if they don’t have a car yet.

“Basta mahal mo ang oto, OK ka [As long as you love cars, you’re OK],” said Oli.

Julio said they are also eyeing a variety of automotive events, including ones related to motorsports.

“People like drifting a lot now, so if ever the opportunity comes, may palaro kung kaya ng space,” he said. “Kung kaya ng budget, pwede mag-trackday.”

[Translation: People like drifting a lot now, so if ever the opportunity comes, we can organize events if the space allows. And if we have enough budget, we can organize trackdays.]

Exciting to see where the new generation takes our car scene!

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