This is a space for black automotive enthusiasts of all kinds (cars, trucks, bikes, etc.) to be expressive about their passion without being subjected to racism and misrepresentation, as experienced within general automotive groups.
Meet the Founders
Pascal "Pas" Papillon
Chief Executive Officer
What does BAE mean to me?
As the founder of “Black Automotive Enthusiasts,” I wanted to facilitate an environment for automotive enthusiasts who identify as black to feel a sense of belonging to. To be more specific, I wanted to create an environment in which black people can embrace their passion for the automotive enthusiast industry, while being free to be expressive about their black identities and sub-identities.
As people of color, we are well aware of the default narrative in both political and social doctrines within our society, and because of this, we are severely underrepresented within them both. As automotive enthusiasts that identify as black, we are often stereotyped and ridiculed in terms of affordability and preferred tastes in our vehicle selection and customization. When black people attend both public and private car events, such as “Cars & Coffee” or car meets, we take notice of the fact that there aren’t many automotive enthusiasts that “look like us.” For the select few of us that we take notice of, we realize that our interpretations of cars may vary, which may sound cliché among different races of car enthusiasts, but for black people, what makes it different is that it strongly emphasizes the inequality in wealth distribution for Black America and for black people on a global scale. The income level gap between races is so wide that it’s quite uncommon to see more black people devote time and excessive funding into our cars, so it’s not often, as an example, that we encounter a strong representation of black enthusiasts that bear preferences for modified high performance import tuner or domestic vehicles within the car scene, as opposed to the majority of us that solely see cars as a symbol of wealth to appease the aforementioned narrative. It’s often that I come across disapproval from fellow black people about my car enthusiast hobby because of this.
The origins of this group began with a group of black car enthusiasts who simply felt out of place in many pro-black forums and kept in touch over the months in a Facebook messenger chat titled “Black Automotive Enthusiasts.” At one point, I came across a couple of articles emphasizing the lack of black representation within the automotive scene and grew curious to see if there were any black enthusiast groups or forums. A quick search on Google failed to lead me to a single one. A quick search on social media pointed me to the direction of a select couple of groups, but the activity for these pages was so low that it wasn’t getting any attention. With that, I opted to create “B.A.E.” to promote a new sense of empowerment as black people and as car enthusiasts where we’re not bound by societal narratives and monolithic thought processes.
My Background
My origins lie in the heart of Hyde Park in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. My journey to cars began midway through my high school career living in South Florida. I was provided an opportunity to travel outside of the United States to Malaga, Spain. Our host, a family friend of my mother’s, was celebrating his 50th birthday and decided to rent a 6-speed manual BMW Z3 convertible. It was my first time operating a manual transmission, and after 3 hours of failed attempts on the narrow one-lane streets of Malaga, I was successful. During my senior year of high school in 2008, my mother had purchased a 2001 Nissan Altima 4-Speed automatic. I had spray painted the exterior of the car in black (after envisioning a wrap process assuming the results would be similar) before failing to take note of the fact that I need an oil change. Sure enough, my engine blew a head gasket and I was left to send the remaining 6 months of my high school without a car. As a graduation present, my godparents lent me funds to rebuild my engine while my grandfather lent me additional funds to repaint the car to a solid color again.
From that point on, I made a commitment to be as diligent with personal automotive maintenance as possible to avoid another scenario like that from occurring. I frequented to my local discount auto parts store and became acquaintances with the store associates, one in which I’m still in contact with to this day after nearly years, for advice and assistance with basic maintenance. What I also took from them, was the enthusiast aspect of cars, introducing me to import tuner magazines, such as Super Street.
That fateful night came, as I was on my way home from my late-night class at the local state university when I came across one of the auto store associates in his modified Honda Civic EG hatchback on the road. We raced from one light to another (needless to say, my automatic Nissan Altima lost by bus lengths) before pulling up next to each other at the light near the corner of my house. He asked me what I was up to and offered to introduce me to a car meet at the local movie theater. When we arrive, I was overwhelmed by the hundreds of high performance sports cars and crowds. From there, my journey into the automotive enthusiast scene began. The Altima was made into a daily driver to get me through college and I acquired a few Japanese cars, including a few Nissan 240SX coupes, an S2000 and a Lexus SC300. After graduating college, I sold all of my vehicles and relocated to Chicago in hopes of acquiring work, yet to no avail. I returned back to South Florida a year later after working in a series of odd end jobs, in hopes of finding work and getting back into the automotive scene. Luckily, I received an offer working at a real estate office as a social media coordinator, and purchased my favorite sports car at the time, a Nissan 350Z 6-Speed manual coupe. Over the few years I had owned it, I had small bolt-on aftermarket modifications installed alongside and ECU reflash for a measly 270 horsepower at the rear wheels. Unfortunately, I had to put my enthusiast lifestyle on hold when I had opted to return to school for my master’s degree. I eventually sold the Z for a 2013 Honda Civic for practicality purposes. Well, they say that old habits die hard. Currently, I work within higher education administration, and now that I’m in a stable career out of school with a handsome salary, along with a strong relationship, I can maintain my work/life balance by returning to the car scene I once knew. Future plans include leaving the import tuner scene and entering the domestic muscle car enthusiast scene with a 6th Generation Camaro SS.
Aaron “AJ” Dobbins Jr.
Chief Business Development Officer
Background
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in a place called Woodlawn, now known as Gwynn Oak. Growing up my Dad, Uncle Darryl and Grandfather Louis always had motorcycles and fast cars. My father was an auto mechanic, ran a few Meineke Mufflers in the Baltimore area and eventually joined the rest of the family running our hauling and excavating business. When I was little, my father used to race a Chevy S10 that was 350 swapped at Capitol Raceway and that’s where the bug first got me.
In 6th grade I moved to a town called Westminster, Maryland with my grandmother, which was the complete opposite of what I came from in Baltimore. My parents we splitting up and it was emotionally tough for me. I could count on two hands how many kids looked like me in the entire incoming 6th grade class. It was a shock to my system to say the least. I really started to miss my homies back in Baltimore and wanted to be with my parents but there as better education in the predominantly white areas of Maryland so that’s where my family moved me to. Every weekend my Uncle would take me out ATV riding and my grandmother had a field in her back yard that I would ride in also. I always asked for exhaust and jet kits for Christmas wanting to go faster but they never got them for me because I was always a speed demon on my ATV. Riding took my mind off of my parents’ situation and the racism I was experiencing in a weekly basis in Westminster. Motors equaled peace for me.
About 14 almost 15, I gravitated more towards cars so we sold the ATV and my Dad bought me a 86’ or 87’ (can’t remember the exact year) shifter on the floor Chevy S10 and said learn stick shift. He didn’t sit down and teach me because he knew I had the concept down from riding dirt. Within 5 minutes I was putting around the neighborhood on my own and jokingly told my grandmother I was ready to take my drivers test.
Once I turned 16 we sold the truck and bought the car that really, solidified my gear head status. A 1989 5.0 Ford Mustang LX, named AJ’s 5.0. We all have that one car we wish we never sold, this is it. Every upgrade on that car my father and I installed. I used to race every weekend at the local track called 75-80, go to car meets and just cruise around. This gave me a really good understanding of basic car maintenance and performance, what works what doesn’t. Throughout this whole time in Westminster, I am the only black person that was deep into cars and racing them on a regular basis. Didn’t matter, local car shows or the local race track, 9 times out of 10, I was the only black person. Needless to say, I experienced my fair share of racism just from the car scene.
From there I went to college at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and obtained my degree in Sociology with a focus in racial and ethical relations. After that I studied one semester at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Conflict Resolution. The Mustang sat at home and I eventually sold it to get a motorcycle. Since then I’ve had a few sport bikes and Harley’s but I’ve always loved cars.
After college I had a 2003 Mercedes C230 (my first import car) and it just wasn’t fast enough for me so I bought a 2007 350Z. A family friend bought a 350Z brand new in 2003 and when I saw it I fell in love. I told my self I would own one sometime down the road and in 2012 I purchased my 2007.
The one thing that has always stayed consistent in my life is motor sports. It has always brought me peace and happiness. But the one thing I never had until recent was other people like me that were into cars. I never saw someone like me doing the things that I was doing where I lived.
I moved to Virginia around 2013 and met a really good friend at the race track. He also had a Z and was deep into racing like myself. In my 20+ years of being into cars I always had to be self-motivated and set my own standards. For the first time I was able to connect with someone where we could push and compete with each other but also talk and connect on the many issues I couldn’t discuss without judgement.
What does B.A.E. mean to me?
Black Automotive Enthusiasts means a lot to not just to me but the black community as a whole. With B.A.E. I personally have a few goals that I hope we can achieve. One is showing people that we are in the car game strong on all levels; two, exposure for black businesses to keep money in the black community; three, help each other by giving sound advice and guidance.
When Pas first started the group I never knew just how many of us were into cars. From old classics up to Bentley’s. Outside of my own family, the only time I had ever seen that was on T.V. with rich black rappers, athletes, ect. It was refreshing to see common people like me, doing big things on top of being humble. It was good to see that some of us did have the extra income to dabble in motor sports and be competitive. Being black in America you have to be very self-motivated and there’s little room for mistakes. To see so many other black people that have defied the odds, made it and are still growing is VERY motivating. Best comparison I can make is when Black Panther came out and black people finally had a super hero that looked like them, it becomes more personal to you and your life. Black people of all ages were so excited for what is considered to be a child’s movie, but it was more than that to us and others will NEVER understand nor can they ever truly relate.
Modifying cars is not cheap and we know the distribution of wealth is not in favor of black people. So, we generally don’t have a lot of extra income to spend on motorsports. It’s rare to see a black person into modifying cars let alone owning and running a performance shop. B.A.E. has allowed me to connect with people like me and keep dollars within the black community. I never knew how many black owned shops we had until the group was born and it opened my eyes up to a lot. Now before I buy anything, I can ask the group if anyone has what I need or where I can buy it. Just a small but big way we can keep dollars circulating in the community.
Last but not least is sound advice and guidance. Some people in B.A.E. want to get started if not get deeper into cars but aren’t sure what to expect or where to get started. We want people to be able to obtain anything from simple maintenance suggestions to advice on getting insurance on high end cars. We have started lists like best performance cars to modify under $5,000 and what’s your profession so if someone needs advice about a possible career change to IT or need housing market advice, they have a resource.
While it’s mainly about cars, it’s also about building and supporting each other from the common ground of cars.
Thomas “Pabon” Pabon
Chief Marketing Officer
What does BAE mean to me?
It means the world to me. I want to help create a presence in the automotive industry. Create a media platform for our community. A safe haven to be ourselves with our own unique taste to anything automotive. A learning platform for new people in the automotive world. A platform for growth. A platform that can also be used to meet new people and learn amazing things.
My Background
Blame my dad! Just kidding. I love that guy and everything he has ever taught me. My dad, Henry “Bone” Pabon, is probably my best friend and biggest influence on my love for anything automotive.
I drove a car before I rode a 25cc dirt bike. I was very young. My dad would get up and take me with him every weekend to go wash his car. One weekend after we finished we cane back to the neighborhood and he put me in his lap and taught me to steer around the neighborhood.
After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about cars. I always had all the racing games. My favorite and start of my love for drifting would have to have been Need For Speed Underground 2. I spent more than my fair share gaming. As i grew older it switched to more real life happenings.
My dad got me my first car. It was a 2002 Toyota Camry SE. l loved that car. We did some simple mods to it. Lowering springs, wheels and a new speaker system. Kept everything tasteful. My second year of owning the car, I was rear ended and the accident totaled my car. I followed up the Camry with a 1992 Sc400. I didnt do much to the SC. Refreshed everything mechanical i could and drove it like that.
My next and most recent adventure and huge step towards my goal was picking up a 2007 Nissan 350z. Currently on the car is a full Stillen Exhaust. Shorty headers, HiFlow Cats (Stillen), Stillen H Pipe and Stillen Dual Exit Exhaust, all full stainless steel. Suspension wise I have Buddy Club Racing coilovers 32way adjustability, Hotchkis sway bars, extended tie rods and rack spacers. For back when I first started modding the car, it was full bolton but now as the community has grown much more its no longer considered FBO. Currently running Nismo Short Ram intakes, Stillen exhaust and UpRev tune. Pretty stock but quick and reliable. It gets the job i want it too done. Goal is reliable drift car. If i want more power then I will buy another. I love the 350z for what it is. There are alot of excess parts I have laying around to be installed currently! I’ll get to them eventually. I just really enjoy this lifestyle. Fast or slow progress is progress.
Trei Ceril
Chief Technology Officer
What does BAE mean to me?
Everything. I can't think of a better way to bring together. People like me, with similar stories and the same passion, despite the issues we face simply because of the color of our skin.
Background:
Man, where to begin. Run it back to 2000, the first time I saw a poster for a 350z at my school's book fair. Burnt orange, rather, "Sunset orange" a favorite color of mine being a Texas Longhorn fan born and raised in Austin, Texas. From that point on I dove head first into everything car relate I could find. Then a year later the first Fast and Furious movie dropped and it was a wrap. Fell even more in love with cars of all types ever since. As a child, naturally, no one ever said much about my interest in cars, it wasn't until I was old enough to drive did I start having issues. Time and time again I found myself being bullied or looked down upon simply because my classmates and hell even my own family thought I was trying to fit in with a different crowd or not being "black enough" due to my taste in cars. I didn't let that stop me though.
Almost two decades later I bought my 350z, my dream car for 20 years the first day I was able to go off base while I was stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. To finally accomplish that goal was such a large weight off my shoulders but it didn't come without scrutiny. How naive of me, to think that by buying my dream car that people, friends and family alike would stop thinking it's just a phase. I would love to say I've become numb to the looks I get when i step out of my car but it never ceases to bother me. I’m 28 years old this year and for the past two decades I’ve always done my best to be me, But as a black man in america.. everything you do is frowned upon in some way shape or form.
That's why BAE means so much to me. A platform where men women and children alike can all come together and share our experiences, share our knowledge and most importantly share our love and passion for anything automotive. No longer do I feel like I'm the only black person in whichever car group I'm apart of , and its because of BAE that I've been able to gain more and more confidence. My hope, my wish, is for someone like me, to find us and never feel alone again.
Outside of Cars I enjoy photography , and anything tech related. I served in the US Air Force after a year in flight school at Arizona State and would gladly serve again if I could. I ended up selling that 350z after I got out and still beat myself up about it from time to time. Currently I drive a 2010 370z with basic bolt-ons waiting on an e85 tune here in the next few weeks. My goal for the car is to hopefully finish a motor build I’ve had planned for over a year and have a 400z with a 4.0L set up , custom high comp pistons and all the fancy bits and get to 400whp NA if possible. But who knows, I might just scrap that Idea and put that funding towards a GTR for my 30th bday.
Thanks for stopping by.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” —President Barack Obama”