
The new
Volkswagen Golf R just might be the perfect daily driver - but only if you value things like
nimble handling, quick acceleration, a
sporty-yet-comfortable interior, a good stereo system,
ice cold air conditioning, and
the ability to bring friends on road trips with you. If you don't like those things, then the Golf R might not be for you. But wait - who
doesn't like those things???
My first experience with the new Volkswagen Golf R certainly caught me by surprise. As a person that has been primarily focused on sporty Japanese cars all my adult life, I'll honestly admit that I've never really looked into buying a Volkswagen. As a result, I've been a bit ignorant and unfamiliar with the VW brand in the past - something that I will definitely be changing in the future!
I knew that the Golf R was Volkswagen's top contender in the sport compact segment. However, until I actually had the chance to spend an entire week with the car, I had no idea that I would like the car as much as I did! Of course, the Golf R did have some pros and cons...
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Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Aug 20, 2012 | Categories: Driver Seat | Tags: 4MOTION, 4MOTION all wheel drive, all wheel drive, Antonio Alvendia, electro-mechanical power steering, Golf, Golf R, P Zero, Pirelli, Volkswagen, VW, wustefest |

This past weekend, there were tons of automotive events happening, so those of us located in Southern California faced a dilemma - should we go to
Nisei Showoff or
Infamous?!
The tried and true
Import Showoff event thrown by legendary import carshow promoter
Ken Miyoshi during Downtown LA's annual
Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo is always a good time. Everyone knows that Nisei Showoff symbolizes the best of the best - the highest standard in modified import cars, with attendance by the OG crews that used to run the streets of Los Angeles when the sport compact scene was just beginning to blow up. The whole vibe at Nisei Showoff feels a bit nostalgic, to be honest.
Can it be that it was all so simple then? Good cars and good friends in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by good Japanese restaurants and boutique shops in Little Tokyo.
However, some young car enthusiasts don't care about
memory lane nostalgia or waxing poetic about the good old days. For this rapidly growing new generation of frame-scraping tire stretchers, the newly conceptualized
Infamous show was thrown as a collaboration between the
Fatlace and
Canibeat Crews at the
Queen Mary in Long Beach.
It's obvious that MotorMavens connects to both scenes and both types of automotive taste, so those who
follow @MOTORMAVENS on Instagram and Twitter already know that we decided to hit both shows. Here's a quick gallery of images from both events!
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Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Aug 16, 2012 | Categories: Gallery | Tags: 192, 1971 Toyota HiLux, 8RC, 911, Acura, American Racing, BBR Competition, BMW, Brian Nguyen, Brian Scotto, Canibeat, Charles Trieu, Civic, CR Kai, CT9A, D Styles, Dan Nguyen, E-AT, E46, Evo 9, Fatlace, FRS, GTR, Hilux, Honda, Honda Ruckus, Hoonigan, Import Showoff, Infamous, Integra Type R, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, James Nguyen, Jonathan Wong, JZA80, Ken Miyoshi, Lancer, Legend, Little Tokyo, Long Beach, M3, Mark Arcenal, Mark II, Mitsubishi, Mugen, Nisei Showoff, Nisei Week, Nissan, Osaka JDM, Pandora One, Porsche, Queen Mary, R35, Rauh Welt, Rauh Welt Begriff, Regamaster Evo, RN12, rotiform, Ruckus, RWB, RWB USA, S2000, Scion, Scion FRS, Spoon Sports, Sprint Hart CPR, SSR, SSR Mark II, SSR Professor, Sunny, Supra, Toyota, Voltex, Weds Sport, work wheels |
With all the attention the new
Scion FR-S and
Toyota GT86 have been receiving, people have been scouring the internet for
photos and information on the exciting new front engine, rear wheel drive sports car platform that has been taking the world by storm. Scion dealers around the nation have been participating in Scion "First 86" unveilings, but the good folks at
Longo Toyota/Scion have decided to be proactive in connecting with the newly developing Scion FRS owners community.
While other dealers concentrate on trying to move units, Scion salesman
Jeffrey Chang and
Longo Scion decided to sponsor the very first
Scion FR-S Tour of LA driving event! Lots of great looking cars were in attendance, but I just couldn't take my eyes off the newly built
Cusco Scion FRS, which was already outfitted with Toyota emblems, and the full line of Cusco suspension and accessories.
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Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Aug 06, 2012 | Categories: Driver Seat | Tags: 5Axis, AE86, anthracite paint, BRZ, Chris Bautista, Cipher Garage, Club4AG, Cusco, Cusco Scion FRS, Cusco Suspension, First 86, FiveAD, FiveAxis, FR-S, FRS, FRS cruise, FT86, Gaylord Garcia, GT86, Jeffrey Chang, JZA80, Kazuma, Krammito, Lexus, LF-A, LFA, Live The 86 Life, Longo Scion, Longo Toyota, Megan Racing, Moto Miwa, Run Free, Scion, scion dealer, Scion FRS, Scion FRS Tour, Scion FRS Tour of LA, Sean Lee, Seibon carbon, Subaru, Supra, Tour of LA, Tour Of LA Drive, Toyota Automotive Museum, Toyota Racing Development, Troy Sumitomo, Walter Chen, Young Tea |
You Better Win. More demanding words have never been spoken in the history of racing. In an infamous three word memo to his engineers and executives prior to the
1966 LeMans 24 Hour endurance race,
Henry Ford II would stand for nothing less than victory.
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Posted by: Tom Stahler | Aug 02, 2012 | Categories: Carspotting | Tags: 1966 LeMans, 24 Hour, AJ Baime, Burt Levy, Carroll Shelby, Chris McAllister, Dan Gurney, GT40, GT40 MkII, Henry Ford II, Last Open Road, Le Mans, Sam Attal, Shelby Knick, Sonoma Raceway, Tom Stahler |
This year’s
Formula Drift event held at
Evergreen Speedway marked the sixth year that the track has hosted the FD Seattle event. Having been at every single one, I can honestly say that this year was no less amazing as every year before it. The stands and the pits were packed with adults and children alike, with every single person smiling from ear to ear!
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Posted by: Lucas Perez | Jul 24, 2012 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 1uz, 240sz, 2JZ, Alex Lee, BMW, BRZ, Cresta, Dai Yoshihara, Daigo Saito, drifting, Ford, Formula D, Formula Drift, FRS, Garage Autohero, JZX81, Ken Gushi, LS1, Lucas Perez, michael essa, Mustang, Nissan, Pat Mordaunt, Retaks, Ryan Tuerck, S13, SC430, Scion, TC, Tony Angelo, turbo, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Walker Wilkerson, Yoshi Shindo, Z4 |
This weekend's
Autocon event at
Santa Anita Racetrack was hot. Super hot. There were lots of other car events happening in other parts of the west coast, but it seemed as if most people naturally just flocked to Autocon, because it's a new event series that's gaining some good momentum. It was initially started as a smaller car gathering in Southern Cali's City of Industry, but it has seen quite a bit of growth recently. I even saw some of the core team from the old Hot Import Nights (the crew that was behind HIN when it was strongest) and Global Time Attack behind the scenes this weekend.
I've been traveling out of state for the past few weeks, but I decided to fly back to Los Angeles for this weekend's event - it was the perfect chance to enjoy summertime in Southern Cali, spend time with good friends, and finally check out Autocon in person.
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Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Jul 23, 2012 | Categories: Gallery | Tags: Antonio Alvendia, Autocon, BBS, Big Mike, Bisimoto, bluebird, E30, FR-S, FRS, Honda, Low n' Slow, M3, Mercedes, MR2, Nissan, OZ Wheels, Prelude, RPS13, RS Watanabe, S2000, Santa Anita Racetrack, Scion, slammed, SLS AMG, SSR Wheels, stance, STi, Subaru, SW20, Work Equip, work wheels, WRX |
Formula Drift Round 5 at
Evergreen Speedway has to be one of my favorite events all year (albeit, I'm biased as a Seattle local)! Not only is it my home town, but this race track has one of the biggest bankings in the series - and just like
Irwindale Speedway, there's not much room for error. Everyone in the Northwest drifting community has witnessed a lot of crashes at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe WA throughout the years, and with something like 56 drivers registered for this event, we are sure to get one hell of a show this year!
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Posted by: Yoshi Shindo | Jul 20, 2012 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: Camaro, chevrolet, Conrad Grunewald, Daigo Saito, Evergreen Speedway, FC3S, Formula D, Formula D Seattle, Formula Drift, FRS, Garage Autohero, GReddy, Jeremy Lowe, Ken Gushi, Kyle Pollard, Lexus, Matt Field, Mazda, Monroe, Mustang, Nissan, Portland Speed Industries, RX7, S13.4, S14, S15, SC430, Scion, Scion FRS, Seattle, Silvia, toshiki yoshioka, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Walker Wilkerson, Yoshi Shindo |
Have you ever seen a
Lexus LF-A take flight with all four wheels off the ground? As
Gazoo Racing Lexus LF-A driver
Akira Iida explains it, "The momentum of our team is very good. Our target for the
24 Hours Nürburgring race is to maintain a steady pace." As many Lexus and Toyota fans already know, the Gazoo Racing team did a lot better than just
maintain a steady pace at
The Green Hell - the Gazoo Lexus LFA team and the
Toyota Swiss Racing GT86 team took top honors in their classes - SP8 and SP3 respectively.
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Posted by: John Brooks | Jul 17, 2012 | Categories: Gallery | Tags: Akira Iida, FR-S, FRS, FT86, Gazoo, Gazoo Racing, GT86, John Brooks, Juichi Wakisaka, Lexus, LF-A, LFA, Nordschleife, Nurburg, Nurburgring, Scion, Takayuki Kinoshita, Toyota Motorsport, Toyota Swiss Racing |