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through solo expression. Fixing a car, he said, “it’s like chasing a high, but without drugs.” Introducing... cyberbros A sub-subculture, you say? Not all car guys are created equally, and one hot new archetype — cyberbros — is cropping up all over the Maricopa car scene thanks to what’s arguably the most polarized car on the market right now. Tesla Cybertrucks went on presale back in 2019. Development started two years later, and the first 3,000 models were awarded to presale buyers in a lottery. The first Cybertruck was delivered Nov. 30. Since then, InMaricopa has identified five of these Cybertrucks as belonging to people who live in Maricopa. Palo Brea resident Jeff Lockerman and Senita resident John Wiltberger own stock silver trucks, while Tortosa resident Jesus Baeza went for a more custom look. His pentagonal prism of an electric four- wheel-drive truck sports a blue wrap with the web address for his dog breeding company, Desert Dobermans, plastered on the back. He got it in July, and admitted his choice of truck was “very out there.” “I’ve always been a car guy, buying cars, fixing and reselling them,” Baeza said. He has owned more than 50 of them in his lifetime, but when he got his Cybertruck, “my perspective completely changed,” he said. The truck is low-maintenance and much more intelligent than your average Ford or Chevy, Baeza explained. He said he has not formally met any of the other Cybertruck owners in Maricopa, save for a few brief exchanges in passing. “We just wave at each other, or at night we flash our lights at each other,” Baeza said. “I see them more often in Maricopa than in Chandler and even Scottsdale. If I do, it’s usually on the freeway, and a normal silver one.” The cyberbros he has met elsewhere are always friendly, he said. “They’re not afraid to come up to you and say, ‘Hey, I want to look inside your truck.’” North, the Voodoo owner, said as a car lover, he doesn’t see why Cybertrucks shouldn’t mesh with the rest of car culture in Maricopa. “Everybody’s still waiting for the Jetsons,” North said. “Everything from the ‘70s isn’t going to be the same as it is now in 2024. Things are going to change. “If you like e-trucks and got your little group going, that’s fine. If you bring e-trucks over to where the muscle cars are and talk, I don’t think people will really have an opinion or say anything.”
MATTRESS & FURNITURE
Jesus Baeza (above) sees more Tesla Cybertrucks in Maricopa than in Phoenix or Scottsdale. Rich Inferrera (below) stands by his 1955 Chevy Bel Air. On the left, members of the Maricopa Cruising group congregate behind Burger King Sept. 10.
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These cars are worth three stars In the restaurant world, one Michelin star means it’s worth a stop. Two means it’s worth a detour, and three means it’s worth a whole trip. Maricopa’s car scene gets three stars in this regard, according to APEX Motor Club’s
to the guys.” He added it also gives him reason to keep his car, which he has kept running smoothly since the 1980s. Despite the jokes and locker-room talk between the guys, Hidden Valley resident Dawna Caporusso made it clear cars aren’t just a man’s world, even if that world is a bit segregated. She and her husband Wayne sometimes bring their ‘57 Chevy or ‘87 El Camino. “There’s a big joke about one of the guys who says he doesn’t like it as much as he used to because now there’s women,” Dawna Caporusso said. “We usually make a circle of our own and stay out there.” Say hello to the support staff Some key players in the Maricopa car scene don’t have that prized auto to boot. Gregrory “Bori” Vega’s modern commuter car doesn’t turn any heads, but the photographer from Senita has yet to miss a single meet. Snapping photos of the vehicles during “golden hour” is enough of a thrill for him. “I’m their family,” Vega said of the Maricopa Cruisers group he has been part of since 2019. “I go all over the place with these guys.” Then there’s Dee Davis, known in these circles as “the one-armed bandit.” He does more work in the garage with one arm than many others do with two. The Rancho El Dorado resident has been working on cars for a quarter-century and polishing metal for eight years. His work has been featured on the cover of magazines other than this one. He said his favorite part of polishing cars is admiring the final product.
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director of club operations, Brittney Stotler. The club opened five years ago and has welcomed enthusiasts from far and wide. Only 7 in 10 members live in Arizona, many of whom commute from the East Valley to race. “If you buy a new McLaren or a new Porsche, going up and down the [Loop] 101 isn’t very thrilling, or at least it shouldn’t be,” Stotler said with a laugh. That thrill can be therapeutic. When you’re on the track, you have no time to worry about paying the water bill — you need to focus on the pavement, she said. Many members, however, join the club as a social foray, as is the case with Maricopa Cruising. “It’s really neat to see that comradery develop and the friendships that have developed with it,” Stotler said. Entire families get involved. Stotler said she has seen children outrace their parents on the track. But for a few like Bo Linsey, owner of Bo’s Knows Auto, it’s a solitary life as a Maricopa car guy. Linsey’s Palo Brea driveway is packed with cars of every decade and design. He said he achieves the healing properties of car culture
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UPCOMING MEETS
347 CAR MEETS – A MIX OF WHEELS AND DEALS Sequoia Pathway Academy Nov. 16 Vendors Night Jan. 11 Marketplace March 8 Farmers Market May 10 Shopping District July 12 Auto Show All events from 5 to 9 p.m.
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MARICOPA CRUISING MEETS Every Tuesday night Burger King 6 to 9 p.m.
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InMaricopa.com | October 2024
October 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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