The year is 2001.

We had all just survived Y2K, Sydney had held arguably the best Olympics of all time (arguable amongst Olympic geeks?), and Jennifer Lopez had about 157 songs on the radio. But most importantly, we were introduced to hardened LA race vet Dominic Toretto and baby blued-eyed Brian O’Connor; we were given cinematic gems like “You never had me, you never had your car!” and “I live my life a quarter mile at a time”.

Yes, we were blessed with The Fast and the Furious, a film so impactful to hot-headed young boys and girls that its influence would revibrate for the next two decades. Launching sequels on sequels, stacking billions on billions, and causing an epidemic of souped up cars.

I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing about cars, let alone customising cars and the lifestyle that it entails. But as you can tell, I do know a lot about The Fast and the Furious and the bajillion sequels that came after it. Compared to anything else I’ve ever experienced, Hot Import Nights felt like the living, breathing embodiment of one of my favourite films.

Holding the title as the longest-running automotive lifestyle event currently exhibited around the world, Hot Import Nights is a celebration of some of the most impressive cars that you will ever see in person and the people who live and breathe them. Originating in the US, they finally set their sights on Australia and held their first event in Sydney earlier this month.

Cars worth more than a down payment on a house, guys with Japanese tattoos, and women who look like they stepped right out the centrefold of a magazine, were all to be expected. What I didn’t expect was the overall friendly and enthusiastic vibe of the whole event. The organisers had clearly gone above and beyond to try and give the thousands of aficionados an experience that they would never forget, and hopefully come back for again and again.

So, it was an honour and a pleasure to be a part of the inaugural Sydney event. Shout out to the organisers, all the car owners, the venders (especially the computer guys who had Counter Strike on deck), all the women who competed to be the first ever HIN Australia, Timothy Delaghetto for wearing tight jeans, and all you people who bought a ticket and took part in day! BAO: