Ep20 RJ de Vera
About this episode
A lively start turns into a debate about whether men “need” underwear, sparked by a hotel-laundry cost crunch and a discussion of hygiene, comfort, and support for activities like running. RJ de Vera then takes center stage: his “mama’s boy” upbringing, a turbocharged yellow minivan his mom bracket-raced, and how her support helped shape his early car-selling hustle. RJ shares how he helped consult and source cars for Fast & Furious, his imposter-syndrome moments, and his current work at SEMA advocating for a technology-neutral future as car culture evolves via social media and inclusion.
Sung and Emelia sit down with industry veteran and car community legend, RJ de Vera. RJ shares his journey from his early beginning selling car parts out of his mom's condo, consulting on (and appearing in) the first Fast and Furious films, through his current position as SEMA's marketing vice president. They also share their upcoming car projects and talk about the future of car films.
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Honda Odyssey
"...th you guys. I'm like, okay, Sure, it was a Honda Odyssey minivan, but the original. It was still a minivan..."
Honda Civic
"...d have pretty early on, and I was saving up for a Civic, and then because my brother wanted to be a DJ, s..."
Acura Integra
"...e him the wagon, sold his car, and then got me an Integra, which I started modding really fairly quickly, e..."
Chevrolet SSR
"...as super into like the JDM stuff like racing hard SSR and I could never imagine someone like wanting to..."
Ford Maverick
"...t. Even five years ago. Man, there was like these Maverick guys from good old boys, and they kept calling my..."
Toyota Corolla
"...ike, why would I drive that? Or they look at that Corolla. It's like why would I drive that little Corolla?..."
Buick Grand National
"...t about you. I have a it's actually a eighty five Grand National roller found in the desert. I have a stock which ..."
Nissan Gtr
"...l these little like the door handles are from the gtr okay, right, you're gonna use it a little bit yea..."
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