Ever since I first laid my eyes on Singer’s customized interior treatment, I’ve been in love with the Singer Porsche 911. It looks pretty damn perfect in my eyes.
It’s the precise blend of vintage Porsche soul, mixed in with some modern touches that don’t ruin the nostalgic aesthetic of the car. I wish more retro car builders would take notes from the examples that Singer has created! (more…)
This past weekend, I was given the opportunity to join my friends from Raceline USA and JDM Zipties at the series opener of the Honda Tuning Cup Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway. There are three announced HT Cup Challenge events for the 2013 calendar so far - Buttonwillow, Chuckwalla Raceway, and Streets of Willow.
Raceline also added a new component to the trackdays they organize - a challenge series for the new 86 Platform,"Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. Even though it is called the 86 Challenge (coincidentally the same name as the previously announced 86 Challenge from Speedventures), the series is tailored towards Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ drivers, not AE86 owners. Read more...
I had a lot more fun than expected when I test drove this Midnight Blue 370Z Touring Roadster! During the week I had it, I drove it to several weekday meetings and photo shoots with the top down, enjoying the 70 degree weather typical of Southern California in February. On the weekend, I was given the opportunity to join my friends from Raceline USA at a track day they hosted at Buttonwillow Raceway.
At first, I felt like the odd man out in a bone stock2013 370Z Touring Roadster, because almost everyone else in attendance drove the track day in a modified or race prepared car. I quickly got over that feeling though, because a day at the track with friends is always a fun experience. And a 6-speed 370Z Roadster is definitely a fun car to drive! Read more...
If you saw our previously published story on the R's Tuning Ben Sopra GTR from the Fast & Furious 6 movie, then you already know we were out at Buttonwillow Raceway this past weekend for the Global Time Attack Pro Am with Shift S3ctor. The event wasn't intended to be one of the larger GTA events; it was planned as a Pro/Amateur track day for the guys to shake down their cars at Buttonwillow. The types of cars at the event varied pretty wildly, from expensively modified AMG Benzes to homegrown builds, like Honda Civics and Mazda RX7s. Read more...
There are so many crappy drifting videos on YouTube. This is not one of them. There are also tons of over hyped, overproduced “viral videos” on YouTube. This is not one of those either. While most of the drifting videos on the internet are incredibly lame, THIS video of Ryan Tuerck navigating his way through dense thickets of trees while bouncing off the rev limiter is really a breath of fresh air! (Or should I say… a breath of freshly burnt tire smoke?) (more…)
We have a winner for our January #MOTORMAVENSBUILD Contest presented by KoyoRad Racing! David Bellomo, a 21 year old Toyota Technician from Haymarket, Virginia is the owner and driver of this S14 240SX, which has a Toyota 1JZGTE VVTi engine swapped into it. Check out the Build Thread that David created on the MotorMavens forums! (more…)
This weekend, I went out to Buttonwillow Raceway for the Global Time Attack and Shift S3ctor Pro Am with my friends from Whiteline Suspension. While walking around the paddock, I couldn't stop staring at this blue Ben Sopra R35 Nissan GTR from R's Tuning. This thing looks menacing as hell, especially from the rear! While many people might have seen this car at the SEMA Show in November or in the Fast & Furious 6 movie trailer, I honestly didn't recognize it at first.
When I walked up to the car in the paddock garage, I was thinking, "Oh damn. Someone built another Ben Sopra GTR?!" While I see R35 GTRs all the time (there are 3 of them on the street I live on), it's not often that I get to see one done up with the super expensive Ben Sopra aero kit. At $45K, the Ben Sopra aero costs slightly more than half the price of the car! This was definitely a treat and a surprise - this weekend was the first time I got to see a Ben Sopra GTR in action on a race track! Read more...
As most of our readers already know, my automotive background has been primarily focused around the culture of Japanese cars. I still remain a purist in this sense, but in the last few years, my automotive tastes have broadened. Ever since my first trip to Europe (something like five years ago), my interest in German cars has been steadily increasing. I never really paid attention to the Volkswagen brand because I've been a long time fan of rear wheel drive cars... but I immediately saw the light the first time I drove a Volkswagen Golf R.
My good friend Mitch Sison from EcoShine Auto called me up over the weekend and told me about this meet happening at Volkswagen of Van Nuys, organized by Brandon Chasin of Wustefest. I figured it would be a good opportunity to see some nice looking local Vee Dubs, so I grabbed my camera and my brand new Canon EF 35mm 1.4L lens and headed to the meet. Read more...
