VIDEO> 5Axis DJ Hero 2: Scion xB
We showed a snapshot of the new 5Axis Scion xB at the SEMA show back in November… here’s a closer look at some of the details of the car, as shot real “quick style” with Antonio’s Canon S90 point&shoot pocket camera.
What we really like about this Scion xB is the fact that it’s the first time we’ve seen anyone make the newer Scion xB look really, really cool. Think about it – DJ equipment, dancefloor and strobelights aside… we think if Troy Sumitomo, the man behind 5Axis, made those flares, wheels and fender mirrors available for your everyday Joe Schmoe Scion owner to buy… well, we’d see a lot more second gen xBs on the road that actually look cool.
After all, we can definitely picture a guy who owns a fully built KP61 Toyota Starlet with TRD N2 works fender flares driving a widebody Scion xB like this as his daily driven commute car, even with the automatic transmission. We think these flares and wheels would be a hit… (Antonio was already trying to figure out what other cars those wheels would fit on) but what do you guys think?
:: Travis Hodges
PS: Don’t you think this xB would fit perfectly in the DJ Hero booth at a big video game convention, like E3?
CARSPOTTING>Porsche 718/8 W-RS Spyder
In my previous post about Porsche’s new Boxster Spyder you may have noticed that this was the car that greeted me as I entered the hallway of the Porsche gallery. I didn’t include it as a part of the other story because I was so enamored with this beautiful machine, I wanted to allow it a brief moment in the spotlight – alone.
In the early 60’s, rules governing sports cars were modified and automakers had to follow suit. Of course if you ask me, I don’t need rules to make me modify a car! Haha. The frame of the earlier 718 RKS was widened, the wheelbase lengthened and the rear swing axle suspension was replaced with the more modern wishbone. In doing this Porsche created the RS 60 and 61. The beauty above is the open air version of the 718 RS 60, 61. The 718 W-RS.
One of my favorite things about this particular car is that in 1963, Edgar Barth won the European Hill climb with the W-RS. Not only is this car outstandingly sick looking, it has a serious race winning history as well. Today, Barth’s 240bhp modified 718 W-RS wouldn’t beat anyone racing up Pikes Peak , but DAMN you’d look good going up, down and around it. I’m thinking more like a road trip to Vegas. Maybe with the weather like it is right now, I should be driving down the New Zealand coast where it’s summer. Mmmmm warm weather…..
Where would you like to be driving right now? Let me know.
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Triumph at the Mooneyes Christmas Party
Even though we don’t cover motorcycles too often on the Motor Mavens site, sometimes we come across bikes that are just so cool looking, we gotta put em on the site! We were walking around at the 2009 Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway, drenched in rain when we spotted this particular Triumph motorcycle getting rained on.
All our DSLRs were covered up and protected, but luckily we had a Canon S90 on hand, which is definitely one of the top two Canon pocket cameras (the S90 and the G11 are the best in our opinions) out right now. The S90 was able to shoot a quick video in the rain, just so we could show the details of the bike before trying to shelter our camera gear underneath a tent.
This Triumph makes us want to build a bike… so cool.
:: Travis Hodges
CARSPOTTING> Spyker’s C8 Aileron Spyder
The Spyder is the latest offering from bespoke car-builder, Spyker Cars. It's Spyker's latest offering of hand-crafted quality and exclusivity - and it has a little "get up and go" too. Who doesn't like that? Apparently, not everyone. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Introducing the Mazda 2
Sure, the 2 might seem like a let-down compared to supercars like the LFA and the SLS but, let's keep it real, how many of you have the solid-gold wheelbarrow filled with diamonds and rubies that they're asking as a down payment for one of those America's Next Top Model magnets? It's like buying a Picasso. You just can't nail it up on your living room wall (perish the thought!). No. Protocol requires that you buy a freakin' museum to display it. Do you have a museum? I didn't think so.
So, being the Motor Mavens that we are, we figured we'd throw in a "real" car to talk you guys in off the ledge. We believe (in the immortal words of the bard, R. Kelly) that you can fly - but we figured you might just want to drive first. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Porsche Boxster Spyder
CARSPOTTING> The Audi e-Tron
WEBMINING> A Whole Lada Drifting
I know what you are thinking. What the..? I found this on the internet and thought it was pretty weird; many of us stateside have never even seen a Lada in person. Hell, most Americans wouldn’t even know what a Lada is! The car in this video, the Lada, is the trademark car for the Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ, which is now a part of Renault-NISSAN-Lada.
Most people today wouldn’t give this car a second glance, however if you live on the other side of the pond you know that this Fiat 124-based VAZ was a really popular car. Its low cost, DIY friendly mechanics, and the fact that you could beat the crap out of it, led to its popularity. Hmmm, kinda makes me wonder if there are any other quirky cars we’ve never even heard of that are just waiting to be discovered? Haha! Just goes to show that you can take a relatively unpopular, yet solid car and do some killer things with it. Lada lovers are still finding sick ways to modify this machine!
Enjoy!
::Travis Hodges
WEBMINING> Hachiroku turns it 360!
One of the many things I love about the AE86 is its nimble handling. Look at the tight area in which this driver pulls off this maneuver and you’ll understand exactly what I mean – short, sweet, and to the point. Hachi lovers I hope you are watching and paying close attention to the in-car footage – there will be a pop quiz when you least expect it. Samuel Hubinette may have borrowed this as his signature move, but this Hachi turns it out!
Enjoy!
:: Travis Hodges
WEBMINING> JDM gets Aggressive
JDM Allstars HD – Agressive style - from Clashproduction on Vimeo.
During the hustle of the last Formula Drift event, I got to take a brief (very brief) break and chilled with Eric O’Sullivan from the Dynamic Auto Sports/ Hankook team. It was great to get to know Eric better. Not only is he a great drifter, but a really great guy. I commented on how well he was doing on his interviews. Apparently, Eric’s brother does video production and when Eric got into driving, his brother put him in front of the camera and told him to get used to it. Haha. A little bit later we talked about the Europe drift scene and Eric mentioned the guys from JDM Allstars. He talked about all their hard work, amazing growth and the growing popularity of the series. This video from Clash Productions gives you a glimpse into why drivers from all over Europe are flocking to this aggressive new series.
Enjoy!
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> The Spirit of Irwindale Formula D
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There’s just something about Irwindale Speedway at the end of the season. After all the teams in the Formula Drift Championship have faced countless trials and tribulations, dealing with mechanical problems and financial stress of how to get their cars and teams from event to event as the series travels all over the country; the Formula D homecoming at Irwindale Speedway for the last event of the year has a different feeling to it than the other events in the series.
The drivers and teams in the points race are anxious, knowing that they must be on point and professional every step of the way, as even the smallest mechanical hiccup or driver error could take them out of the running and give the advantage to an opposing team.
At the same time, the fans are excited to see the cars and drivers return to the birthplace of American drifting after they have spent the whole year on tour, cutting their teeth and taking their epic fender-to-fender dogfights to race tracks across the nation in an attempt to attract more sponsors, build more publicity, and most importantly… attract new drifting fans.
I’ve been traveling with the Formula Drift series since the very first event; since the series started in 2004… and every year, as the season ends at Irwindale Speedway, there’s a shared feeling of excitement and pride of accomplishment running through the pits.
This video, by Motor Mavens shooter Travis Hodges, is our attempt to capture that feeling. And it was captured entirely with two cameras, the new Canon 7D digital HD SLR and the Twenty20 ContourHD.
We hope you enjoy the video, and CONGRATULATIONS to all the teams, drivers, umbrella girls, and FANS that make the Formula D series what it is. RESPECT!!!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> AE86 Lap Battle in Okayama
While we’re still hurrying to post our photos and video footage from JCCS, I took a moment to do what I love to do best (surf the web), I came across this video of the lap battle that takes place during the All Japan AE86 Festival on the Okayama International Circuit. Surrounded by awesome AE86s all day – you gotta love it, it’s an AE86er’s dream.
The Lap battle is a part of the Challenge Cup takes place at this annual hachiroku festival. The Challenge Cup is a gateway for anyone wishing to compete and want to move up into semi-pro racing. There are typically 8 rounds held during the season, and all of them take place at Okayama. Enjoy the sights, sounds and action of these sick AE86s screaming around the track.
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Bonus Footage from FD Las Vegas
Formula Drift: Las Vegas from MotorMavens Dotcom on Vimeo.
Digging through our hard drive archives, I realized that the Motor Mavens crew often ends up shooting a lot of extra video footage or photos that don’t actually get posted on the site. Some time last week, I was looking through a folder in the hard drive that contained a bunch of video clips from the Formula D Las Vegas event.
The footage was shot with two cameras – While Antonio was busy shooting stills and video clips with his Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, Antonio’s younger brother David decided to try his hand at shooting some drifting video footage with the small, consumer level Canon HF S100 digital video camera that we had laying around here at the house.
Even though they didn’t shoot all that much video footage, and didn’t plan on releasing a video from this event, I decided that I might as well put some of David’s handheld camcorder footage together with the stuff Antonio shot with his DSLR. See if you can tell which cameras captured what.
We’d also be interested in finding out what our readers think… do you think Antonio should spend some more time trying to practice and hone his skills in shooting video? Or should he just stick to the still photos?
Hope you enjoy the video!
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Offset is Everything at Nisei
Most Motor Mavens readers have been following Antonio’s photos and stories from Nisei Showoff, so we’ve decided to release a video of the event as well! We really wanted to highlight something that impressed us at the show – the fact that so many of these great cars are stepping up their game with aggressive offset and negative camber!
Forget the trophies – for us, the super slammed cars with the best wheels, stance, engine mods and paint jobs were the stars of the show. Nisei Showoff wasn’t about the models (although there were a few that showed up, haha); it was about the hottest street cars. Events like this are becoming more and more rare. We feel privileged that we were there to support Ken Miyoshi on his last Nisei Showoff, because of the great feeling that this show produced. Props to Ken and the Mainstream Productions crew for bringing us an awesome day of street cars and good friends in the middle of Little Tokyo.
We hop you enjoy the video, and don’t forget to leave comments!
:: Travis Hodges
WEBMINING> JDM Allstars is hungry!
Drifting at JDM Allstars – Trax 2009 Season Finale from JDM Allstars on Vimeo.
Internally, a few members of the Motor Mavens crew have been talking about this video for the past few days, but we’ve been really swamped with other work this week and we couldn’t get to posting it up until just now – sorry! Everyone in the USA seems to think of Formula Drift when they think about professional drifting. However, we’d like to take a quick moment to recognize the JDM Allstars series in the UK for all the momentum they have gained. Even though JDM Allstars started in 2007 as a small UK privateer series, they have really grown up in the past few years! Now their series is even attracting drivers from other countries within continental Europe!
There’s nothing more inspiring than seeing a group of hungry underdogs rise up and become successful because they’re passionate in what they’re doing!
Much respect JDM Allstars!
:: Travis Hodges
CARSPOTTING> Vintage Hammer strikes El Mirage
Strong and resilient with something to prove, this rear engine modified roadster provided contrast to the cracked up surface of the historic lake bed. After speaking to a few helpful guys hanging out nearby, we were told that this roadster was designed and built by an experienced land speed racer named Fabian Valdez from Vintage Hammer Garage in Yucaipa, California. Read more...
VIDEO> Hot Rods and Pin Up Girls
Antonio has just gotten back from Seattle Formula D, and I’m sure many of you are waiting to see the photos from the event. He is currently preparing photos and stories to post up, but while he’s doing that, we thought we would change the pace just a little bit.
Many of you I’m sure have seen some of Antonio’s stories and photos from the 2009 Ink and Iron festival. (There are A LOT more photos by the way… we just thought we’d spread out the postings in case not everyone was feeling the style.) While we were at the show, we decided to get some video footage of the event. This time we only used Antonio’s Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR camera in video mode. He’s just starting out with trying his hand at shooting video… it’s a really different skill than shooting still photos, as there are different techniques that make both disciplines challenging.
Many of you may not be aware of this, but the 5D Mark II is becoming a huge favorite of the independent filmmaker. The 5D’s insane depth of field, color quality and low light capabilies make it ideal. There’s no high speed or time lapse capability, it simply has amazing picture quality.
Along with video footage we got from the 5D Mark II, we integrated some of Antonio’s still shots. See if you can tell which shots are stills. Enjoy the new video and let us know what you think.
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> JDM Allstars All Out In The UK
JDM Allstars – Wembley 2009 – The Drift Festival from JDM Allstars on Vimeo.
Recently we’ve been talking with some new friends “across the pond” as they say in the UK, JDM Allstars. They held one of the dopest drift events to date in Europe, JDM Allstars at Wembley Stadium, London. 70mph entries with epic sweeping corners and jumps…dude jumps!? This was the second year for the drift event. All the hard work, blood, sweet and love that was put into making it all happen paid off with one of their best top 32’s ever. They’re feeling was standard of driving, event atmosphere, and skill level compared to the Redbull Championships in Long Beach last year.
In the up coming days we’ll be introducing to the JDM Allstars with photographic coverage of the event and the people that made this event so amazing. Meanwhile check out the video they made of the event and let us know what you think.
Music – Al Clark & Jaguar Skills
Edited by Al on Final Cut Express
Additional camera op: Josh Allen
:: Travis Hodges
WEBMINING> Katsuhiro Ueo Hachiroku battles!
While searching for great footage of AE86s in honor of Hachiroku day, our goal was to find something a little different, maybe some racing footage. We came across this Katshuhiro Ueo video that 86 John did an awesome remix of. Ueo always provided sick AE86 action and we couldn’t resist this video – there is some epic driving going on! Ueo’s dope skills and the nimble handling the AE86 are something to behold. Don’t forget to Check out Steven Starr’s video posts for more Hachiroku action. Enjoy!
:: MotorMavens
POINT&SHOOT > Camera Testing at Ink n Iron Festival 2009
VIDEO> Spocom USA Show
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Check out our newest video on Streetfire.net, which features some video footage from the Spocom USA show at the Long Beach Convention Center. We decided to go to Spocom to meet up with some friends, and also to see what it would be like if we combined the footage from the small Canon HF S100 consumer HD camera I’m testing with the footage from Antonio’s Canon 5D MarkII digital SLR, which he normally only uses for shooting still photos!
Luckily for us, Antonio’s younger brother David was in town; he helped us capture a lot of this video footage while his big bro stopped at every. single. booth… to say hi to a friend of his. David’s an aspiring video producer in training – he’s only 16 years old, but he seems to have a good eye for composition already!
Enjoy the video and the music… I wonder if anyone can easily identify which video clips were shot with the 5DMk2 and which ones were shot with the HF S100?
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Rod & Kulture Dragfest
Check out our profile pages on YouTube and Streetfire.net, where one of our resident shooters, Travis Hodges, just posted more camera test footage from the Canon HF S100 video camera, which is only $899 online at B&H Photo. We’re pretty impressed at what this consumer level, sub $1000 HD camera can accomplish.
To capture this footage, he drove all the way out to Bakersfield California to the Rod & Kulture Dragfest at Famoso Raceway. If you like retro funny cars, wheelies, burnouts and nitro breathing beasts like we do, you better watch this video.
What do you think… do you want to see more of this type of stuff on Motor Mavens? Or should we just stick to our core competency – Japanese and European cars?
:: Motor Mavens
See MORE Rod&Kulture Dragfest stories on MotorMavens
