A glimpse into tuner culture: Fast and Furious exhibit at the Petersen
The Fast and Furious franchise has come a long way in the quarter-century since the first film's release. Originally an undercover cop story, the franchise has morphed into... something else entirely. It's now a bombastic expression of automotive culture combined with some kind of caper, maybe to save the world. Just don't think too deeply about the plot.
Along the way, the film's cars have become nearly as famous as the human stars. If you're a fan, you probably can't have Vin Diesel or Michelle Rodriguez come hang out with you in your garage, but you can drive a Charger or Eclipse—or even a Jetta that looks like it escaped from the set. The more well-off collectors don't need to settle for building a replica, though; they actually own cars that appeared on screen, and there's quite a community of Fast and Furious car collectors.
You can find some of these cars at the Petersen Automotive Museum, which has a new exhibit celebrating 25 years of the franchise.