WEBMINING> Super Fresh with BBS Mesh
Brandon Nero’s ‘04 Jetta GLI from wagenwerks on Vimeo.
When I’m bored at work, I constantly listen to MP3s and surf the web. The other day, I decided to look at Volkswagen related videos because I was interested in finding more cars that looked similar to my friend Zach’s Well Dunn Passat.
I stumbled across this older video from Wagenwerks Productions, that featured a Volkswagen Jetta GLI owned by a guy named Brandon Nero. I think this video is sick – the music went well with the feel of the video. The Jetta is so simple and clean, yet it’s so aggressive! I gotta hand it to Brandon Nero, he made one dope looking Jetta! I obviously love the car’s super low stance, and the fitment of the BBS mesh wheels? Perfect.
While replaying the video about 4-5 times, I read the comments on the Wagenwerks Vimeo account and saw that they used roller blades to get all the moving camera shots! No fancy rigs or easy dollies used here! I can go on for days about how good this video is, but I think I’ll just shut up and let you watch. Awesome, right?
:: Yoshi Shindo
WEBMINING> Keiichi Tsuchiya at Ebisu Circuit East
Okay… this is a super old video, but since I just posted my story about how I felt the first time I ever saw the legendary Best Motoring Volume 41, I figured I should post the video up on the site. To me, this video is totally the shit… it’s a classic that I must have watched about a thousand times, but I still remember how this video made me feel the first time I ever saw it. It was inspiring, to say the very least. And the very first time I ever drove Ebisu Circuit’s East Course, it immediately brought me back to the first time I watched this video, and the sound that the naturally aspirated blacktop 20 valve AE111 4AG engine made at full throttle as Keiichi drove his white TRD AE86 at Ebisu.
I’m sure that everyone must have a favorite movie or CD that they’ve listened to countless times… Inputs like this become engrained into your head; they eventually become a part of your permanent memory, and a part of who you are as a person. For me, these types of inputs include things like the Illmatic album from Nas, the Low End Theory album from A Tribe Called Quest, the Do You Want More album from The Roots, the Legend album from Bob Marley, and the Best Motoring Video, Volume 41. If you have a favorite book, video, movie, or CD, please share it…
Enjoy the video!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Bosozoku Love Shakotan Boogie
For those who are fascinated with bosozoku style and other aspects of Japanese underground car culture, I thought I’d post up this video clip. I actually watched part of this movie at my friend’s house in Japan a few years back, but it was only recently (on the Bosozoku Style website) that I discovered that someone had actually uploaded the video to Youtube.
This video doesn’t feature outstanding driving or anything… and ALL the cars inside aren’t necessarily cool, although you will find a few pretty nice gems mixed in with the street rubble. What kinds of bosozoku cars can you point out? I saw some pretty interesting non traditional cars, like the AW11 MR2 at the beginning of the movie, as well as the normal bosozoku fare, like Toyota Crowns and Nissan Skylines.
Just think – this movie was released way back in 1987! Sheesh, I was just a kid listening to Eric B & Rakim and LL Cool J back then… I wasn’t even into cars yet!
Fun video to watch! Just don’t get too offended by what happens to the hakosuka at the end…
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> New Shoes on the Shakotan S12!
Guess who got some new kicks? This is Henry Nguyen’s shakotan S12 200SX sure is breaking hearts with its shiny new shoes. Forget those played out Bapes, kid… it’s all about the classic Japanese styling of Speed Star Wheels.
More specifically, 15×9J (-17) SSR Mk3 up front, and 15×9J (-27) SSR/Longchamps XR4 wheels out back. With the front chin spoiler, and rear wing. Definitely a Heartbreaker, damn son.
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Oh G’s! Toyota FT86 in Detail!
I really gotta give major props to Taro and the GT Channel crew! This is the very first video I’ve ever seen that shows the details of the G’s Toyota FT86 G Sports Concept that debuted at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. I was pretty sad that I wasn’t able to make it at first, because when I searched the web, I saw a cornucopia of wack photos of the car (you may laugh at my usage of the word cornucopia, but hey, it’s better than saying a sh!t ton of wack photos)… but this video actually does the car justice.
We can finally see the details, all close and personal! Domo arigatou gozaimashita to the GT Channel crew for giving us the inside look, and posting up the video so quickly! Otsukare sama deshita! Great job.
What I want to know now is… how many AE86ers will be lining up at the Toyota dealerships to buy an FT86 now?
Me personally, I’m not too stoked on the fact that it’ll be coming out with a Subaru boxer engine in it… I wish it had a high revving engine with a Toyota/Yamaha twincam G head, to keep it true to the feel of a real AE86… Either way, I can’t wait to test drive one to see if it really feels like one of the AE86s in my collection or if it just feels like some sort of FR WRX. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Please voice your opinion on the FT86… I’m curious to see what our readers think!
:: AntonioE86 Alvendia
WEBMINING> Club EPS Works B310 Sunny
I was randomly browsing the internet over the past few days, and noticed this photo on the BeeOneOneOh blog in New Zealand, which I only recently found…. very cool site! Seeing these two vintage Nissans line up together on a track is super cool. Old school Nissan power… two generations of Nissan Sunny together at the same time. In the front, we have the Club EPS Works Sunny from the TS Cup. Don’t you just love those old school Advan Racing A3A wheels? Especially in BLACK with the red outlines.
I used to have a set of those wheels, but had to sell them when I was raising money to buy my TE27. Sigh… I loved those wheels, but it was a worthy cause. It’s so lucky that the owner of this B310 Sunny has a set of these wheels… and they have such great sizes too! They fit perfectly underneath the works flares; finding aggressive sizes of Advan Racing wheels is very rare indeed. I love satin black Advan Racing A3A wheels!!!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Papercraft Super GT Epson NSX
Today I’ve been taking a keen interest in this years Tokyo Auto Salon, and while I was searching around for information and interesting photos I stumbled upon this little gem. Epson Nakajima Racing decided to bring not one of their real Super GT cars to TAS this year but one made entirely out of cardboard and paper!
Now I’ve seen some pretty cool little papercraft cars before. I even tried my hand at making a Nissan Skyline KPGC10 GT-R once (not that it looked anything like one by the time I was done with it) , but a full scale race car is just awesome! After a bit more searching I found the full build of the car on their website. It’s amazing to see the amount of detail gone into it.
Check it out at EPSON Nakajima Racing.
:: Daniel Bridle
WEBMINING> S13 Running Touge at Night!
For everyone who’s ever wondered why mountain racing in Japan has evolved from an illegal, underground activity into something that accidentally slipped into the “mainstream” via comic books, anime, movies, and more… you need to watch this video, which was sent to me by my friend Chihiro Yoshimura from PEAK, an all AE and KP chassis drift team from Kanagawa Japan.
The driver of this S13 Silvia is drifting through a mountain road with such little space to navigate and maneuver the car… it’s incredible! Now this is car control.
I can’t wait to get back to Japan.
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Meet The Drivers of JDM Allstars
Better late than never, Dan Joyce just released this light hearted behind the scenes look at last year’s awesome Round 3 of the JDM Allstars drift championship at Wembley. There’s not much actual driving but it’s great to see the drivers relaxed and having a laugh, which is what drifting should be about. Having FUN!
For 2010 I’ll be trying my best to get up and down the country armed with my camera to bring you all the latest UK drift action here on MotorMavens. Starting with the JDM Allstars 2010 season kicking off on April 17th – 18th in Manchester, with what’s going to be one of the biggest and most exciting rounds to date!
Here’s to an awesome 2010!
:: Daniel Bridle
WEBMINING> Hawaii Loves Old School Toyotas
Things have been extremely busy for the Motor Mavens Crew over the past two weeks. We’ve been turning our attention to some general “housecleaning” operations and important meetings to plan for future expansion of the site. Unfortunately, these things were extremely time sensitive and had to take priority over website updates for the past week. Pretty wack, I know. We should be back to our usual schedule after this; thanks for being patient and for your continual support!
We have some cool features to post this month, but before we get into all that, I wanted to turn your attention to the 808 state for a bit. This past weekend, many of my friends from Hawaii’s island of Oahu got together for an Old School Toyota meet. People might not realize it, but there are lots and lots of really amazing cars in Hawaii. All the local braddahs over there have much love for vintage Japanese cars.
Just look at how many clean TE27s came out to the meet! I’m drooling over two especially… a particular blue 1973 1600SR and a clean orange 1973 1600SR. More on these cars in the near future!
Props to Justindabull for his video work. Justin is really, really young (still in high school?), but he’s been hanging out with all the old school Toyota guys in Hawaii for years, because his dad, Mike, has owned some pretty awesome vintage Toyotas. Good job Justin! And congrats on getting your video featured on MotorMavens! Can’t wait to see you all again!
Shoots!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Silhouette of a Warehouse Drifter
It’s no secret that the members of the Motor Mavens Crew are fans of Ameen Rizvi from 786 Motoring and his 2JZ-powered Toyota Cressida from Houston. Well, Ameen isn’t the only drifter from the state of Texas who’s doing some crazy stuff! Ameen recently introduced us to Henry Swasey, a friend of his who loves shooting photos and videos of cars drifting! Hmm… sounds like we have some common interests there, Henry!
Anyway, I was looking at a couple videos that Henry made, and this one stood out in particular. It made me wonder how many people out there go drifting inside warehouses?! First of all, you need to find an empty warehouse. Then you need to “break in” to it, because no warehouse owner is going to be dumb enough to let people drift inside their warehouse for no reason. THEN you need to be comfortable enough maneuvering through the slippery concrete with random poles coming toward you as you’re drifting in second gear, shooting flames out of your exhaust.
All of this stuff made me think this video was pretty cool. Not that we’re condoning or encouraging people to break into warehouses and go drifting inside them. That’s dangerous, kids! (shaking my finger at you) It would certainly suck to t-bone one of those poles because you lost track of them in the warehouse, or you went off line a little bit. And if for any reason, the car crashed into a pole and caught on fire (or if the backfiring exhaust ignited something) and the entire warehouse burned down… I’m pretty sure there’d be certain hell to pay (plus jailtime).
But hell, it sure was fun to watch in this video. Drifting by Nacho of Silhouette. That’s all we know about him. I hope that’s nacho warehouse, cause then you might be a little upset when you see some guy in an S13 drifting inside it.
::Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Wagenwerks and DubKorps AWOL Teaser
AWOL – The Teaser from wagenwerks on Vimeo.
First off, I recently realized something. Just because I may have seen a video, it doesn’t mean everyone else has. This being said, my New Year’s Resolution will be to pass on video links to every bad ass video I have seen.
So, I bring you a Wagenwerks and DubKorps video from 3 months back. This was the first time I had heard of DubKorps, so you Euro guys hold your horses!! I am incredibly familiar with the Wagenwerks videos and the guys who make them. Hey! They are from my home state of Virginia! After watching this video I suggest you check out their website Wagenwerks.net (their DVD is beast by the way) then hop on their Vimeo channel and watch everything you have not yet seen.
These guys produce legit videos. Their film and editing style are top notch in my opinion. If anyone actually could muster up the ability to claim their videos suck and back it up with a proper argument, send an email my way! I have a knuckle sandwich my mom made me a few years ago that has been waiting to be gobbled up. HAHA!!!
And one more thing… Our readers will begin to learn a few things about me… I don’t just stick to one car scene, I love them all (in a manly kind of way). While I do have a passion for rotaries, I follow the Euro, Honda, and Toyota scenes just as much. I even ride a fixed gear bike, (that would be a fixie for those of you want to call it that!) Bet you might never have guessed that!
(In case you are wondering: First song: Hollywood Undead_ City , Second song: Innerpartysystem_ Don’t Stop ) Both of which are amazing bands.
:: Scottie Scheetz
WEBMINING> A Filthy Benz
There is something about this photo that appeals to me. Surely the creators of the Mercedes Benz SLC 500 never pondered it’s potential as a rally machine, but here she is – caked in grime, looking right at home sliding through the mud! I like the juxtaposition of a luxury symbol racing through the filthiest of conditions. Perhaps I feel a connection with this photo because of my passion for BMW drifting.
Regardless, you can’t deny that the brush guard, cracked windshield, and soiled decor prove that this car is strictly business… and according to this snapshot, business is good!
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> Honda Civic EF Wagon Attack 2
This morning, I received a phone call from DSPORT Magazine’s Tobin Honda… “Yo. Did you get my email?” “What email?” “Dude. I sent you a video via email a couple minutes ago. I think you’ll dig it. You’ll love the production value. Shit is on point.”
I gotta admit. I was super busy handling other things today, so I was slippin big time. I just checked the email right now, and it’s already past 4:00pm. But damn, I gotta say, Tobin’s right. I love this video. Pretty damn impressive. From “the wagon” to the driving to the POV and dolly shots used in this video!
The guys who created this film get mad respect from me. Outstanding work, gentlemen. And Tobin, good lookin out for sending this to me. Sorry it took so long to post!
MotorMavens got our shine in 2009 and we’re doin it again in 2010!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DRIVE SAFE!
::Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Jay Leno Drives LA Circuit w/ SLS AMG
Okay, so you’ve already seen the photos of the red Mercedes SLS AMG that I shot at the LA Auto Show. You’ve even seen the video of our favorite late night television personality (well, aside from those hot chicks on the TV commercials that are always asking us to call them) Jay Leno comparing the new SLS AMG to his own 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing on an installment of Jay Leno’s Garage. Man!
This morning, I actually took the time to browse the internet, and spent some time on another one of my favorite blogs this morning – CrankAndPiston. As I looked through their webpage, I saw this video that our friend Phil McGovern posted up, featuring Jay Leno driving the “Los Angeles City Circuit” with the SLS AMG. What’s the Los Angeles City Circuit, you might ask? Well watch this video to see. It features Mr. Leno taking us through one of his favorite routes through the Hollywood and Los Angeles. As soon as I get back home to LA after the holidays, I’ll have to try driving this route myself.
Enjoy!
:: Antonio Alvendia
Jay Leno’s Garage
More Mercedes SLS AMG stories on MOTORMAVENS
WEBMINING> The Best JZA70 Supra Ever.
Here’s something real quick. I was just browsing through one of my new favorite blogs, Kyusha Kai (in Japanese, it means something like modified old school car), when I came across this supeerrrrrrrrrr super dope Supra. This has GOT to be the best JZA70 Supra I’ve ever laid eyes on. Ever. EVERRRRRRRR.
Just look at that stance. The wheels. The flares. The front chin spoiler and front bumper. The aftermarket vented pieces that replace the turn signal indicators..??? The crazy looking hood and sideskirts! The wangan wing out back. And does it have a roof wing? Can’t tell from here. And it has an old school sha-ken sticker.
If this doesn’t inspire you to want a JZA70, I don’t know what will. I think if more people made JZA70s look like this, maybe the MA70/JZA70 body style Supras might be as popular as S13s or FCs.
Holy crap. Leigh Roto, Brian Urbano, Jose Valle, and all the other MA70/JZA70 owners I know… this is for you guys. Be inspired!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Savanna GT/Mazda RX3 Memories
I’m mad, seriously. Christmas weekend it is, but man….I can’t hold back this level of hurt. Friends of mine can vouch for the level of anger I experience when seeing a Mazda RX3. When I let mine go up for sale, I thought it might feel good to let something move on… WRONG. I now fully regret the transaction and wish life had a rewind button like that of a DVD player – call it seller’s remorse.
While I’m watching this video, gritting my teeth and wiping tears from my eyes, you can enjoy viewing this beautiful Mazda Savanna GT as it graces the country side roads of Japan. Take a closer look at the interior shots, and wish upon many stars that I may one day accomplish supreme levels of cool when building my next old school Mazda. Recaro front seats and Burberry-esque cloth covered rear seats. Observe the fresh RS Watanabe wheels which appear to be somewhere in the realm of 14 inches with a healthy tire side wall. Awesome fender mirrors? Check. Front lip with aero? Absolutely. If you own an RX3, please use this footage as a template and do not… I repeat, DO NOT sell your RX3. Unless of course I come knocking at your door inquiring about it. Then and ONLY then is it permissible. **sniff sniff**
: : Edward Uche
WEBMINING> Trial Tuning Spirit 20B FD3S RX7
I flew out to L.A. this week to spend Christmas with my family, which gave me the opportunity to meet up with Antonio Alvendia and Edward Uche for the first time. Of course cars were a topic covered quite a bit as the night went on and RX7 project cars were brought to light… This of course brought on the discussion of dream builds and this video I am posting now. I honestly can not give you a solid figure of how many times I have watched this video ever since it was posted on Youtube. I would guess Edward couldn’t give you a guesstimate either.
What I can tell you is the car was built by Trial Tuning Spirit. The FD3S has a 3 rotor swap, running ITBs and and a slew of custom parts all done to make it a beast of a track car. Just listen to the beautiful music it makes – who wouldn’t want this in their garage???
I must say though. On my wedding day, I want a car much like this waiting for me at the end of the ceremony to take us away. Hopefully, rotors will be tied behind the car on rope to drag down the street behind us.
:: Scottie Scheetz
PS: Below is the car’s spec sheet, posted in Janglish (gotta keep it legit!) by the original poster of the video. (gamikoulas@hcn.zaq.ne.jp) (more…)
WEBMINING> The Golden Years of DTM
I was just surfing around on Facebook right now and found this Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) video, posted by a guy named Samuel Oune. I had the privilege to attend a DTM race at Nurburgring last summer… but as exciting and fun as it was, it was nothing like this! Just look at the Mercedes Benzes flying through the air!!! A W E S O M E.
Aside from me, who wants a Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3 16valve and an E30 M3 now?!
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> Jay Leno Drives the SLS AMG
I’m not sure if all of our readers watch the new (reformatted/renamed) Jay Leno Show, or Jay Leno’s Garage… but personally, I’m a big fan of Jay Leno, but unfortunately I’ve never had the chance to run into him, even though the studio where they tape his show is less than five minutes away from my office.
Everyone who knows about Jay Leno knows that he is a huge fan of automobiles, and has a humongous car collection; he has so many cars that he even has his own personal hangars at the airport that are solely dedicated to housing his incredible collection of cars. It’s like having a bunch of Hot Wheels die cast, only Jay’s collection is 1:1 scale, and he can drive every single one of them!
Well, since he is Jay Leno after all, Mercedes gave him a chance to test drive their new SLS AMG Gullwing on the streets, and again since he is Jay Leno, he was able to have a film crew document it. (He didn’t need to shoot it guerrilla style by himself with a Canon point&shoot camera, like some other car lovers we know.) He even started out the video with a clip of his own 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing!
That’s soooo dope! Once Toyota comes out with the FT86 in the USA, I need to shoot one of those with one of my own AE86s!
::Antonio Alvendia
Jay Leno’s Garage
More Mercedes SLS AMG stories on MOTORMAVENS
WEBMINING> A Shakotan Odyssey
Here’s a video I got from my boy Travis that had me and some of my boys on the East Coast straight trippin. We just don’t see stuff like this over here too often – especially not when we have potholes as big as moon craters that suck up whole caravans of cars without so much as a burp. If this is how they roll in Japan, I’m sold – I’m completely down with citizenship.
I spent way too much time just watching it over and over with my mouth hanging open – it’s so short and when you see the camber and fitment on the Odyssey…INCREDIBLE! It’s the little things that mean so much. I mean, it’s one thing to slam a car and hard park it – but, driving it on the highway like these guys is another thing entirely. Whoever these guys are – they get mad love for KILLIN this Odyssey shakotan-style! And whatever that is running with the Odyssey – DOPE!
Take a second and snatch a peak. It’s like those chips – betcha can’t watch just once!
::Avon Bellamy
WEBMINING> Mercedes SLS AMG DTM Concept
SLS AMG DTM, OMG! This morning when I was checking my email, I noticed that AdamB18C, one of our readers, sent an email in telling us about the new race car concept rendering of the Mercedes SLS AMG DTM that was just rendered by Mattro Design.
It’s no secret that several of us in the Motor Mavens camp are infatuated by the sleek, sexy lines of the SLS AMG, so seeing a DTM inspired mockup of the car definitely has us hyped!
In the rendering, a careful eye will show that Mattro has revised the following:
-Front fascia, grill
-Echoes of the 1950s 300SL Panamericana paint scheme above the headlights, BUT carbon fiber vents instead
-Headlight modification with yellow LEDs added
-Front splitter
-Front canards
-Vent “gill” removals
-Rear spoiler
-Trunk mod (BMW Vorsteiner CSL style)
-Race mirrors
-Race Decals/Paint scheme
-Modified rockers
-Side exhaust (fire included)
Also, check out the cool shift knobs on sale at the Mattro Design website. I think they’re pretty cool because they actually have weight, which gives a better shifting feeling (in my opinion anyway). I have a pretty large collection of shift knobs for my cars, and I gotta say, I tend to prefer the heavier shift knob, especially since the TRD shifter on my AE86 rattles like crazy since TRD removed the weight in the actual shifter. There are some times that more weight in a car are desirable, and in my opinion, this is one of them. I think I’m going to try one of those Mattro shift knobs out.
::Antonio Alvendia
Mattro Design
ZeroToHundred
More Mercedes SLS AMG stories on MOTORMAVENS
WEBMINING> SA22C RX7 vs DR30 Skyline
When a buddy of mine (thanks Royce!) first showed me this video, I was floored. It’s so cool that we get to see the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya “brapping” around in a circuit spec 1972 Mazda RX3 (Savanna GT) at the start of this vid. I felt so excited that a driver such as Tsuchiya, who we all know has driven some really amazing vehicles, found himself piloting such an iconic rotary – the legendary SA22C RX7!
Man, and does he drive this car! So dope. He smashed on that Nissan DR30 in full disrespct of it’s Skyline presence. It’s great seeing this type of performance on a race course from a Mazda.
Now I want a first gen RX7 haha….I’m positive you will too after seeing this. Observe Keiichi’s rotary aggression!
:: Edward Uche
WEBMINING> Gulf Blue Porsche 911 Carrera
I wish I had an extra $69K laying around. If I did, I’d be inclined to pick up this gorgeous 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera, which is the only “big bumpered” Carrera I’ve ever seen that made me drool with this much intensity. Wait. Do people drool with intensity? Maybe salivate is a better word.
I can just imagine myself rocking my favorite Kangol, aviator glasses and a Steve McQueen replica Gulf racing jacket (the white leather one, of course) and driving this car up and down the California coast. If it were in a movie, I feel like California Dreamin by The Mamas and the Papas would be playing as I drove off into the sunset… but if I were actually driving this car, most likely I’d just be listening to the sweet sounds of the finely tuned carburetors screaming, with both windows down so that the crisp ocean breeze could blow into the cockpit. (more…)
