Kyle Loftis, the founder of viral street racing and car culture hub 1320video, passed away Tuesday night according to representatives of the outfit. 1320video has been cultivating its audience (including nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers) since 2003 by featuring videos of street races and other activities that pushed legal boundaries. Its “About Us” page lays it all out quite matter-of-factly:
“1320Video is a crew of automotive enthusiasts who came together with one common passion – to explore the world of street cars and bring you the best of what we see. Based in the midwest, the 1320Video crew travels the world to find unique & wild cars, cultures, and drivers.”
“1320Video brings the world the best street car coverage from the United States. Drag racing, street racing, dyno shootouts, car shows, roll racing events and more! You can find our media across our website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram with over 10,000,000 fans world wide!“
To say that its strategy was controversial would be putting it mildly, but for better or for worse, if you’re at all attached to car culture, chances are you’ve seen one of 1320video’s clips. We’ve even shared quite a few of them right here at The Drive. Loftis even made a video to explain exactly how he founded the company and grew it into the juggernaut it is today.
Representatives for 1320video did not offer any details about Loftis’s passing. He had reportedly recovered from a severe crash that took place while filming a video for the channel in December. Loftis served as a mentor to other modern influencers, including Garrett Mitchell (better known as Cleetus McFarland), who had just gifted Loftis a new Chevy Corvette ZR1 a few weeks ago.
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