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.
This past week, all the key members of the Motor Mavens Crew have been extremely busy, working on developing some cool new website features that our readers will enjoy. I recently had the opportunity to hang out with some of my AE86 friends from out of town also. MotorMavens contributor and AE86erPedro Velado came all the way from El Salvador to hang out at my garage and talk about AE86s; and on the same day, my close friend, Osaka-based AE86erTaku Machida came to visit on his last day in the United States before he and his family moved back to Japan this past weekend.
Since all these AE86 friends have been coming by to hang out and look through my photo albums, filled with old school AE86 photos from over 10 years ago, I felt that it would only be fitting to dig up some old school AE86 photos for our website too. You see, I have to exercise extreme control in order to avoid posting up AE86 photos and stories every day on the MotorMavens site. Hell, if it were solely up to me, I could make it a site that only had AE86 and old school Toyota content... but we wouldn't want to alienate all our readers who own other car marques.
Today though, I'm going to indulge and share images of one of my favorite AE86s from a stash of photos I took FIVE YEARS AGO. Yes, I took these photos way back in 2005. The red Sprinter Trueno in the photos is the famous "Yama red" AE86, owned by hachiroku driver Yamashita Koichi from the legendary Kanagawa-based drift team, Running Free. Running Free has a small handful of original members, but Yamashita is definitely the most famous in the group. Read more...
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!
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 orange1973 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!
Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Ham and burgers. What do these things have in common? It seems nearly impossible to have one without the other. Ken Block and Subaru also share this likeness. Regardless, it seems that Ken is leaving the Japanese Pleiades Oval for that of the classic American Blue Oval.
DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 6, 2010 – Ford Motor Company announced today that it is teaming up with Ken Block, the California-based action sports icon-turned-rally driver, for future global motorsports opportunities.
Block, the 2005 Rally America Rookie of the Year and a three-time medalist at X Games, has cultivated a tremendous following with his Gymkhana videos on YouTube. In 2010, Block will campaign a Ford Focus in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and a Ford Fiesta in Rally America and X Games.
“I am stoked to be rallying in a Ford. They are an impressive force in the sport,” said Ken Block. “From the days of the 1970s Escorts to the Group B RS200 to the modern-day Focus and now the Fiesta, Ford just does an excellent job at rally and I couldn’t be happier to now be part of this amazing heritage. Not to mention my dad would be proud. He was a dedicated Ford guy.”
“Ken Block has established himself as an action sports competitor and a rising star in the world of American rally racing,” said Jamie Allison, director Ford North America Motorsports. “We are excited to have him on our team to help promote our new global products, the 2011 Ford Fiesta and 2012 Ford Focus.”
Rallying is a crucial part of Ford’s global motorsports strategy and provides the company with the opportunity to showcase the true performance capabilities of Ford’s products. Since its support of rallying began, Ford has won three WRC titles and 73 individual events. And, last year in North America, Ford’s participation in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and X Games 15 were key elements for the launch of the Ford Fiesta for the U.S.
“Thanks to our participation in WRC, rallying has always played a key role in Ford’s global motorsports programs,” said Allison. “Ford is the only manufacturer that could provide Ken with global rally opportunities.”
“We’re delighted that Ken Block has chosen to team up with Ford to develop his rallying activities beyond America and into the global arena,” said Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe’s senior motorsports manager. “Ford and its U.K.-based rally partner, M-Sport, is looking forward to welcoming Ken to the wider team of talented rally drivers using Ford vehicles to compete in this demanding sport at the highest level internationally.”
While it may seem implausible to imagine Ken piloting anything but a Subaru… something tells me that his wild antics and crazy style will follow suit behind the wheel of a Ford.
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.
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.
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!
Wow! Travis Pastrana’s record breaking car jump 250 feet over the water in Long Beach Harbor for Red Bull’s No Limit New Year’s Eve! I’m posting this for those of you who live in other parts of the world, and those who don’t have ESPN! This was LIVE tonight at 9:00pm PST/12 midnight EST. Wow, Red Bull does some pretty damn cool things with its money.
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!
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?
While many of the best grassroots drifters in the United States (oh, and don't forget Canada, eh!) were out in Southern Cali for the Formula D Pro Am at Irwindale, I had the chance to catch up with Ameen Rizvi from 786 Motoring in Houston, Texas, the driver of everyone's favorite metallic brown MX83 Toyota Cressida.
Since Ameen and his Cressida were busy doing another shoot on the Irwindale banking on the actual day of the Pro Am, I asked Ameen if he'd be down to meet up with me and the other members of the Motor Mavens Crew the following day. Ameen and his brother Amir graciously obliged, and decided meet up with us for a late, late breakfast at Flappy Jack's on Route 66 in Glendora CA, with a whole bunch of other trucks from Texas with drift cars in tow not too far behind.
Those of us who have been following the drifting scene pretty closely have known about Ameen and his Cressida for quite some time now. After all, it's not often you see a four door,non-240SX rise up through the ranks of grassroots drifting competition in the USA. Wait a minute... but Ameen did drive a 240SX. To clarify things, Ameen used to drive an S13, but when he first began drifting in 2001, he was doing it in a Mk3 Toyota Supra (MA70). Since he started out in a Supra, it was only natural that he would become enamored of Toyota's mighty 1JZGTE straight-six engine, which came as stock in the Japan-market JZA70 Supra Turbo. Well, that and he blew up a ton of US-market 7MGE engines when he was trying to use them for drifting. Bad idea. 7MGE engines are notorious like BIG for blowing head gaskets, overheating, and cracking the stupid OEM plastic intake piping. Just like Biggie, they're ready to die.
So if he started out with a Toyota Supra, why move to a four door family car like a Cressida one might ask..? Well, when Ameen was doing research on building his MA70 Supra, he discovered that the chassis of the MA70 Supra and MX83 Cressida were extremely similar, and many of the engine and suspension parts were the same as well. The tipping point was when Ameen saw an internet clip of D1 driver Tsuyoshi Tezuka's JZX81 Chaser. "When I saw Tezuka's 81 on the internet," Ameen explains, "that's when I knew I was gonna build up a Cressida for sure." Read more...
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.
This short, yet incredibly sweet video hails from Poland, where it looks like they had a competitive drift event on (closed) public streets! Not only does it look like they are blasting through downtown Warsaw, it even looks like they are pummeling their drift cars across cobblestone roadways! This video has some nice build up to it, with some simple, yet effective motion graphics. One place I think this video really shines is it’s emphasis on sound design. I think a lot of people tend to forget that the audio is half of the viewing experience. I hope to see a lot more videos like this from the InterCars camp.
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.
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!
This just in, from our Las Vegas family! Check out the newest video from Rob Strohmeyer, which features a whole lot of cars drifting backwards, and a whole lot of Filipino guys talking into the camera when they’re not supposed to, haha. Enjoy!
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 MazdaSavanna 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**
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.
Hey everyone! We got these photos from our good friend Chris “Hechtspeed” Hecht from the My Ride Is Me website. We think it’s a hell of a lot cooler than building a gingerbread man or gingerbread house! Maybe we should do some sort of gingerbread car building competition next year???
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!
Thank you so much for all your loyal support of our website! It’s hard to believe that the MotorMavens website is still less than a year old! We officially launched the site in May of this year, and it’s already ranked pretty damn high because of all your site visits and comments and linkbacks!!! You guys are the best! Thank you so much – we appreciate all your awesome comments! From the entire Motor Mavens Family, best wishes to you and your families during this holiday season!
Oh, and let’s not forget the specs:
-Ford Model A Pickup, genuine Graham Cracker, Bonneville rat rod
-Licorice slicks in the rear, with licorice wide whites skinnies on the front (Notice the mad camber yo)
-Engine is a Buick GN topped with a 6-71 Gummi Blower and angle cut candy cane straight pipes a la rat style
-Green Jello Roof with high mounted candy cane side mirror
-Bright yellow Gumdrop headlights with icing trim
-Classic Mike-N-Ike grille
