Mixing a love for automotive culture and an affection for fashion into his work, Eddie Hahm has carved out his own unique style with a shop, Fast Eddie's Garage, and apparel line, (Commune). He was born and raised in Los Angeles and was formally trained as a transportation designer, but through many twists and turns found the way to his current chic station in life.
For the Scion tC Tuner Challenge at the 2008 SEMA Show, Hahm built the "Neu-Vintage" Scion tC, aiming to shatter all previous stereotypes of what a tuner car should be. The project employs design cues from a variety of sources to create a crossbreed that culls from generations of modifiers. Hahm was influenced by salt flat race cars of early Bonneville, World War II aircraft, and coach-built automobiles of the 1930's.
The tC's exterior gives off a decidedly retro look, with the copious use of rivets in the body panels and a "bare-metal" appearance akin to 1940s-era bombers. The old-school touches also include punched louvers on the hood and rear deck lid and vintage wire wheels shod in Firestone rubber, nods to the hot rod ethic of customization. The Scion's body isn't a complete throwback, however; Hahm did adorn the sports coupe in a Five Axis lip kit.
Inside, the military aircraft motif is sustained by way of more rivets, bomber seats, and a shifter that utilizes a pistol steering grip from a P-51 Mustang fighter. Under the hood, Fast Eddie's has prepped a naturally-aspirated race motor for the tC, while the chassis has also been upgraded with a competition coil-over suspension, anti-sway bars, bushings and control arms.
Continuing to push boundaries and redefine what is considered cool, we recently caught up with Hahm to learn what formed the man behind Neu-Vintage.
helloScion: For those not familiar with Eddie Hahm yet, tell us briefly about your background.
Eddie Hahm: I got my training as an automobile designer from Art Center College of Design, with a bachelor's degree in Transportation Design. During my early days at Art Center, I was one of the early adopters of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) aesthetic with my 1997 Acura Integra and 1995 Honda Civic, earning numerous awards and magazine features and becoming the very first cover car for tuner e-zine, Jtuned.com – all when the scene was in its infancy.
Upon graduating from Art Center in 2005, I worked with both General Motors and Ford consulting for the "Gen Y" and tuner market while building up my résumé and portfolio doing freelance which ranged from branding and identity graphic design to t-shirt graphics, body kit and wheel design. I also did full-on SEMA vehicles.
In mid-2006 I launched my clothing label, (Commune). Later that year my retail store, Fast Eddie's Garage, opened its doors with a grand-opening reception/gallery show titled "Taillights and Tire Smoke" that featured artwork spanning many different mediums and genres, but all centered around automotive and bike culture. We featured artists Alyasha Owerka Moore, Estevan Oriol, Mr. Cartoon, Len Higa, Jupiter Desphy and the Casual Suspects bike crew, Sean Smith, Richard Kim, Eevl Goose, Aaron Von Minden of Savage Speed Garage/THEM! Car Club and many others.
The event was also the debut of my first-ever vehicle concept, dubbed "rice rat," an original concept by the Fuel Injected Suicide Machines crew that I built and employs my 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR.
hS: Tell us how your car life got started. Where are your roots?
EH: Ever since I can remember, car life has been a huge part of what my life is and has become. I've been told that at age two or three, I could name every car on the road simply by the shape of the taillights. I wish I had a better explanation, but I just think it's something embedded in me and is an integral part of who I am as a person.
hS: What was the first car you ever owned?
EH: First car I ever owned was a '97 Acura Integra GS-R. The first car I ever worked on was a '64 Nova in auto shop class.
hS: What was the first car you ever wanted?
EH: That would be a toss up. Which car guy growing up didn't want some form of supercar? Be it a Lamborghini Countach, or Ferrari F40, as a child it was just something so natural. I believe for me it was either KITT from the "Knight Rider" TV show or Don Johnson's Ferrari in "Miami Vice."
hS: How did Fast Eddie's Garage come about?
EH: I wanted to bring something uniquely different to the scene of "streetwear," as well as custom cars. I think that's evident when you look at the store's brand list, as well as the brand image of the store itself. I don't want to be cliché and call it crossover, but that's probably the best way to put it.
hS: What are days like at Fast Eddie's?
EH: My days are spent designing an array of things, from clothing to graphics to automotive freelance. The shop is currently in between brick-and-mortar locations, and I am honestly quite thankful for it in our current economic situation. The online store keeps me busy, so the orders are shipped and processed early in the day before I sit to start my day designing.
hS: There must be some perks associated with what you do, but maybe a lot of downsides that many might not see. Can you share some of the pluses and minuses of being Eddie Hahm?
EH: The pluses would definitely have to be working with driven individuals and people that I correspond with on a daily basis. Also, as an independent business owner, I am in control of my own destiny. I just feel blessed to be able to do what I do, and I want to continue. The minus would also be the same; I am an independent business owner. Everything is on my shoulders, so there really is no rest — work is ALL the time.
hS: You've indicated previously that "tuners" should be free of boundaries and boxes and build what they want. How would you say your vision for car builds differs from others?
EH: The shop Evo is directly correlated to what the store is about, both in concept and substance. It remains unchanged from its original build in late 2006. [The car] directly reflects the clothing represented in the store, as well. Upon first glance, one might think that the store deals only in "hot rod/greaser/punk rock"-type clothing, akin to the likes of the Lucky 13 imprint. However, in brands like Fiberops, Corefighter, FUCT, (Commune) and Neighborhood, I think there is much greater quality in design and construction.
It's exactly like the inherent nature of the Japanese. Their attention to detail in every aspect (research and development, design execution and general historic knowledge) is evident in almost everything they do, and the types of garments that they produce are the same. It just so happens that brands like the ones I mentioned happen to have some kind of visual connection or "look" of brands like Lucky 13, albeit done to a much greater level of design and construction. I feel like it's my responsibility, through the store, to demonstrate that specific approach by showcasing these brands and this particular lifestyle.
I go about car builds the same way. With the Scion tC, it was definitely a clash of two cultures that I wanted to present, not only something "different" than what other tuners might be doing, but to directly reference what I, myself, was into, as well as properly representing my store and my clothing label. It would've been out of left field to produce what is considered "the norm" of what a tuner is perceived to be. That wouldn't match what I'm about.
Though it is a bit tongue-in-cheek, the tC needed to drive home the overall themes of the build and a fair representation of myself. Any build should have a definite concept or theme, along with concrete research; anything design related and after is just execution. Any other way is simply just throwing things on the car for the sake of it.
hS: You beat us to our next question! Was your thinking/approach in designing the Scion tC Tuner Challenge project different than any other build? How and why?
EH: Yes and no. This project was all about bringing two cultures together and showing that it would be possible to have both sides look and understand what was going on. When it comes to a classic car or something more traditional, I would stay very strict to the theme and era of the build. I am a purist at heart, and if I am building a traditional hot rod, for instance, a '32 roadster, it would stick to the timeframe it came from and exactly what kind of mods would've been available at the time.
hS: How did you feel about being picked to participate in the Scion tC Tuner Challenge at SEMA last year?
EH: I felt very blessed to be a finalist. It was a bit of a gamble on Scion's part to choose my concept. However, being the type of company that Scion is, in regards to pushing boundaries and presenting something new and fresh, I understood their side of it and didn't want to let them down.
hS: In your experience, what opportunities in the tuning world haven't been taken advantage of?
EH: There is still so much room to grow in the tuning world. The bottom line is that the scene and industry as a whole is still very, very young. Obviously there are going to be growing pains, and there are numerous ways things could go. If I had to say one thing, it would have to be that because the industry has taken such a decidedly corporate turn at such an early age, I don't really think people are aware of the detrimental effects on the scene in general. Cars and building cars are at the core. The interference can only affect that negatively. The art of building is going to suffer, or at best get watered down because of all the outside influences.
hS: Is music an influence in your work? What are you listening to right now? How would you characterize your own personal style?
EH: Yes, most definitely. Music and fashion are directly correlated in lifestyle and general theme. The same goes for car building. That's why there are so many different types of cars and everything associated with them — the way you dress and what you are into when you drive the type of car you do.
Right now I'm listening to many things: Earlyman, Gaslight Anthem, Amazing Baby, The Mummies, Gorilla Biscuits…. A lot of garage rock, early punk, post punk, hardcore and a lot of things from the late ‘60s.
My personal style is what I make it. I would be lying if I said that what I design for my label is not directly correlated to what I'm into personally. I believe a man should look and dress like a man. I'll leave it at that.
www.wearecommune.com
www.fasteddiesla.com
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SCION tC SPECS - EDDIE HAHM
ENGINE
• Mild port and polish heads
• BC Stage 3 NA race camshafts, stainless steel valves, valve springs, titanium retainers
• AEM cold air intake
• Custom one-off O2 Motorworks race header
• DME cooling plate and engine torque damper
SUSPENSION
• F2 coilovers
• Hotchkis front and rear sway bars
• DME front and rear strut bars
WHEELS/TIRES
• Rally America B52 McLean style wire wheels, 16x4
• Firestone Champion Deluxe bias ply tires by Coker
o 450/475 16 front
o 500/525 16 rear
• M2 Tuning wheel spacer/adapter
BRAKES
• AXXIS brake pads
• Stoptech brake lines front and rear
EXTERIOR
• Bare metal finish with matte clear coat sealer
• Entire body riveted
• Custom front and rear louvered panels, one off aluminum land speed spoiler with supports, leather bonnet straps, one-off Halibrand-style aluminum gas cap by Frank Wallic, and hand striping and lettering by Fast Eddie and Eevl Goose
• Five Axis Design lip kit and grille
• 1948 Buick fender mascots
• Mooneyes chrome peep mirrors
INTERIOR
• Custom six-point roll cage with dimple-died panels, rear riveted aluminum floor panels, one-off aluminum bomber bucket seats by Frank Wallic, seat brackets, aluminum gauge pods, (Commune) military canvas seat cushions, upholstered door and rear panels in military canvas, shifter arm
• Vintage WWII bomber lap belts and Bell-style steering wheel
• A'PEXi gauges
AUDIO
• Sony Xplode head unit, speakers, amp and subwoofers in custom aluminum "gas tank"
All fabrication done by Len Higa of O2 Motorworks/Designcraft
Paint by Auto Tech Collision Center