CARSPOTTING> Northwest 350Z on Weds Kranze
Everyone has their own personal style, preference and idea of what inspires and motivates them. Just as in so many other areas of our lives, these influences and tastes come through in the selection and overall direction of an automobile and its build. The great thing about having an automotive based hobby is that every part, every color and every look has a purpose to the individual builder. You really can say that, just by looking a car, you can tell a lot about the owner. Some like to take themes to extremes and others like to keep it mild. Some are more race oriented for track purposes and others lean more toward street driven enjoyment that allows for a less practical method of tuning. That's where Ryan Lee and his bagged 2003 Nissan 350z come in.
When Ryan rolls up to places, slammed to the ground, on a bright Pacific Northwest day, people take notice. The sun reflects off the wheel centers catching your eye before your brain even realizes what's going on. In the split second after that moment, you unconsciously decide to either praise or criticize Ryan’s ride. Either way - his point is made. His goal has been met and, whether you like it or not, you have already recognized his hard work and personal style. Read more...
When Ryan rolls up to places, slammed to the ground, on a bright Pacific Northwest day, people take notice. The sun reflects off the wheel centers catching your eye before your brain even realizes what's going on. In the split second after that moment, you unconsciously decide to either praise or criticize Ryan’s ride. Either way - his point is made. His goal has been met and, whether you like it or not, you have already recognized his hard work and personal style. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> ASM (Autobacs) Equipped AP2 S2K
Sometimes you run into modified cars at times that you might not expect... Not too long ago, I went to a friend's house so we could roll together to a car event. Right as I pulled up onto his street, I noticed this bright red Honda S2000 parked in the alley behind his house. It was super clean, with only one sticker on the entire car - a red and white MotorMavens "M" sticker on the lower corner of the windshield. Wow, how awesome... I hadn't even seen the car before, or met the owner of the car, and it was already rocking our sticker!
Just a few minutes later, my friend Terry Pham from Infinit Wheels introduced me Anthony Juarez, the owner of the car. Anthony told me that he bought the car pretty recently from a guy in Las Vegas, and brought it all the way home to Southern California. Since I already had my camera with me anyway, I just had to grab some photos! Read more...
Just a few minutes later, my friend Terry Pham from Infinit Wheels introduced me Anthony Juarez, the owner of the car. Anthony told me that he bought the car pretty recently from a guy in Las Vegas, and brought it all the way home to Southern California. Since I already had my camera with me anyway, I just had to grab some photos! Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Chris Gray’s Irish Grip Spec AE86
There is probably no better way to introduce myself to you guys than by sharing with you, on 86 Day, a recent shoot I did of a friend's Toyota AE86 Levin GTV. As Daniel Bridle has shown you with the Team Tekno article, the AE86 is alive and well here in Ireland!
Usually the AE86 comes in two different guises: the Japanese drift spec with drift body kits and crazy camber; and the UK spec with Superlites and Cibie spot lamps. However, there is another type that is rarely seen on these shores and that is - the grip spec AE86. Read more...
CENTER STAGE> 1970 Datsun Nickel & Dime Sedan
Once called "the poor man’s BMW” by Autoweek’s G.D. Levy, the Datsun 510 is a well-engineered and affordable car that has remained popular among automotive enthusiasts for many years. Avid collectors of this car can be found around the world and one in particular is John Paul “JP” Dagsaan from the San Francisco Bay area.
I first met JP at the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) two years ago in Irvine. I expressed an interest in shooting the car; however, due to the fact that JP was planning on driving back to the Bay area that same night, we were unable to set anything up. Fast forward two years to the present and you all are witnesses that I sneaked away from my family reunion in the Bay to shoot the car - and, if you're reading this, Hi Mom! How's that for dedication? Read more...
I first met JP at the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) two years ago in Irvine. I expressed an interest in shooting the car; however, due to the fact that JP was planning on driving back to the Bay area that same night, we were unable to set anything up. Fast forward two years to the present and you all are witnesses that I sneaked away from my family reunion in the Bay to shoot the car - and, if you're reading this, Hi Mom! How's that for dedication? Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Retrofitted Ranz Motorsports RX4
The term retrofit is defined as the replacing of existing parts, equipment, or systems with updated parts or systems. This 1974 Mazda RX4 is a perfect example of the concept.
My first glimpse of this ride didn't come at a car show, as is usually the case. No, I actually saw a picture of this car on Facebook - a picture that my friend, June Masermsin, took at Wekfest in Long Beach. So, I guess a case could be made that a car show was technically where I saw the car - in a third party, social media-inspired and facilitated manner.
Technicalities aside, I immediately expressed an interest in shooting the ride and, the following week, I received a random text from a buddy of mine (who happens to be a childhood friend of the owner) informing me that the car was available for shooting the same day! How's that for serendipity? And, since I started by defining retrofit, wouldn't it be nice if I kept the trend going by linking you to a definition of serendipity? However, there was one caveat—I had exactly one hour to shoot the car. So, what was an enterprising photographer to do? Take a look! Read more...
My first glimpse of this ride didn't come at a car show, as is usually the case. No, I actually saw a picture of this car on Facebook - a picture that my friend, June Masermsin, took at Wekfest in Long Beach. So, I guess a case could be made that a car show was technically where I saw the car - in a third party, social media-inspired and facilitated manner.
Technicalities aside, I immediately expressed an interest in shooting the ride and, the following week, I received a random text from a buddy of mine (who happens to be a childhood friend of the owner) informing me that the car was available for shooting the same day! How's that for serendipity? And, since I started by defining retrofit, wouldn't it be nice if I kept the trend going by linking you to a definition of serendipity? However, there was one caveat—I had exactly one hour to shoot the car. So, what was an enterprising photographer to do? Take a look! Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Scotland Street Style Redux
Scotland - a country that's home to some of the freshest street cars that I've seen in person since I've been shooting for MotorMavens. You may remember awhile back I did a feature (which you can check out here) on a crew of sweet drift cars in Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh.
Well, once again, I happened to be in the land of the rising Haggis (click here if you're unfamiliar with Haggis), and thought it would be cool to catch up with some of the guys and see how their cars were getting on! I hope you enjoy the dramatic "black and white" theme - it seemed to go so well with the cars and the scenery of Edinburgh. Read more...
Well, once again, I happened to be in the land of the rising Haggis (click here if you're unfamiliar with Haggis), and thought it would be cool to catch up with some of the guys and see how their cars were getting on! I hope you enjoy the dramatic "black and white" theme - it seemed to go so well with the cars and the scenery of Edinburgh. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Street Car Style in Scotland!
I’ve been traveling up and down to the city of Edinburgh in Scotland for a good few years now but, for some reason, the whole the time I’ve been shooting for MotorMavens, I never really thought to check out the car scene up there. In fact, I didn’t really know there was much of one!
It turns out I was very wrong and there’s actually a really strong scene there with a ton of fantastic modified cars. It just seems to be a little more hidden than down in England. Fortunately, a good friend of mine named Fraser Gordon was there to show me otherwise. He was coming to Edinburgh for the day from the city further west known as Glasgow, so he phoned me up and we organised to meet up with some of his friends to chill out, take some photos and see the sights of Edinburgh. It just happened to be in four sweet-looking and sounding drift cars.
Not your usual sightseeing tour then… Read more...
It turns out I was very wrong and there’s actually a really strong scene there with a ton of fantastic modified cars. It just seems to be a little more hidden than down in England. Fortunately, a good friend of mine named Fraser Gordon was there to show me otherwise. He was coming to Edinburgh for the day from the city further west known as Glasgow, so he phoned me up and we organised to meet up with some of his friends to chill out, take some photos and see the sights of Edinburgh. It just happened to be in four sweet-looking and sounding drift cars.
Not your usual sightseeing tour then… Read more...
CENTER STAGE> JCCS Award Winning Sakura 510
Building a car from the ground up isn't an easy task to do - physically or mentally. Some might already know exactly what they want to do, while others may have a general idea and focus on one thing at a time. Plans always change (which is the exact reason why my S14 has been sitting for over a year) but one thing that all these owners have in common is...Dedication.
This Datsun 510 project was started 13 years (and three owners) ago. The original owner (Joe Smith - sounds like an alias), had the body and paint done. He also accumulated a lot of NOS (new old stock) parts though the Nissan dealer he worked for but the car was never finished. Eventually the car ended up seeing two other owners before Dom Stokes bought it. Read more...
This Datsun 510 project was started 13 years (and three owners) ago. The original owner (Joe Smith - sounds like an alias), had the body and paint done. He also accumulated a lot of NOS (new old stock) parts though the Nissan dealer he worked for but the car was never finished. Eventually the car ended up seeing two other owners before Dom Stokes bought it. Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Superfine Serial Nine Cressidas
I can't imagine that, back in the mid 80s to early 90s, anyone thought of Toyota Cressidas as performance cars - after all, they were stuffed to the gills with power options and a plush interior. They were pseudo luxury cars that were made for taking trips to the grocery store and picking up the kids from school.
That perception of these four-door beauties changed when engines like the 1JZGTE and 2JZGTE started to become more accessible with the spike in JDM import parts coming into the US within the last decade. With minimal work, and a good knowledge of cars, one could have a powerful car with less investment than, say... a 240SX or AE86. Opting for the straight six turbo 1/2JZ engines was a no-brainer if you had a Cressida. Read more...
That perception of these four-door beauties changed when engines like the 1JZGTE and 2JZGTE started to become more accessible with the spike in JDM import parts coming into the US within the last decade. With minimal work, and a good knowledge of cars, one could have a powerful car with less investment than, say... a 240SX or AE86. Opting for the straight six turbo 1/2JZ engines was a no-brainer if you had a Cressida. Read more...
COVERAGE> Supras Swarm SP Engineering
This past weekend, something like 70+ Toyota Supras came out to the Supra Appreciation Event at SP Engineering in Industry, California. I was pleasantly surprised; I couldn't believe how many Supra owners braved the rain and the bad drivers on the freeway with their high horsepower monsters. All the parking lots surrounding SP Engineering were packed to the hilt with Supras and other cars that had variants of M and JZ engines under their hoods. Most of the cars in attendance were JZA80s, but there were also quite a few MA70/JZA70 Supras that caught my eye... I even spotted an MA60 in the lineup!
The JZA80 Supra Turbo is normally regarded as Toyota's "top of the food chain," but at the SP Supra event this weekend, I was honestly jocking the MA70/JZA70s more. Now THAT is a big statement. Let me explain... I've been a big fan of JZA80 Supras since the very first time I laid my eyes on one... and I never really gave the JZA70 much thought (that is, until I started hanging out with the late Mike Urbano [RIP homie] and his always late brother Brian). However, this past weekend, at least in my eyes, the MA70/JZA70 Supras took the win in terms of sheer style.
You might be thinking, "What?! Are you crazy? We're talking about JZA80s here," so I should explain my opinion. I think MA70 owners need to do a lot more in terms of restoration and "clean up" than the JZA80 guys do. The JZA80 Supra is such a good looking car that all you really need to do to accentuate the already gorgeous body is lower it, get proper fitting wheels and tires, a good looking exhaust and a front lip spoiler. That's not much at all. Meanwhile, MA70 owners have to think about getting a clean body (or fixing dents and whatever), painting the car, cleaning up the engine bay, piecing together a clean interior, making sure everything works, making the car run right... and only then can they turn their attention into making the car look good. Read more...
The JZA80 Supra Turbo is normally regarded as Toyota's "top of the food chain," but at the SP Supra event this weekend, I was honestly jocking the MA70/JZA70s more. Now THAT is a big statement. Let me explain... I've been a big fan of JZA80 Supras since the very first time I laid my eyes on one... and I never really gave the JZA70 much thought (that is, until I started hanging out with the late Mike Urbano [RIP homie] and his always late brother Brian). However, this past weekend, at least in my eyes, the MA70/JZA70 Supras took the win in terms of sheer style.
You might be thinking, "What?! Are you crazy? We're talking about JZA80s here," so I should explain my opinion. I think MA70 owners need to do a lot more in terms of restoration and "clean up" than the JZA80 guys do. The JZA80 Supra is such a good looking car that all you really need to do to accentuate the already gorgeous body is lower it, get proper fitting wheels and tires, a good looking exhaust and a front lip spoiler. That's not much at all. Meanwhile, MA70 owners have to think about getting a clean body (or fixing dents and whatever), painting the car, cleaning up the engine bay, piecing together a clean interior, making sure everything works, making the car run right... and only then can they turn their attention into making the car look good. Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Walker, Texas Drifter
The drifter archetype has changed. Today in America, drifting has become the life, in part or whole, to many different people from all walks of life. When I met Russell Walker for the first time and learned he piloted this ready to rock machine, I wasn't too surprised. However, meeting him outside of a drifting event, you probably wouldn't suspect that he's a newly licensed Formula D driver.
In high school, where most young men start to entertain their desires, he started to cultivate an interest in the automotive world. He grew up in Texas, so of course he had a truck at first... but that didn't stop him from causing mayhem. Running over curbs, signs and getting sideways in the rain was a common occurrence for Russell and his truck. However, as far away as Japan is from Texas, the drifting bug still bit him. He picked up this Nissan S13 240sx for $500 at the age of 17 and never looked back. It's his first actual car, and I'd say it's come quite a way from being the white hatch with black Silvia front end that it was a few years ago. Read more...
In high school, where most young men start to entertain their desires, he started to cultivate an interest in the automotive world. He grew up in Texas, so of course he had a truck at first... but that didn't stop him from causing mayhem. Running over curbs, signs and getting sideways in the rain was a common occurrence for Russell and his truck. However, as far away as Japan is from Texas, the drifting bug still bit him. He picked up this Nissan S13 240sx for $500 at the age of 17 and never looked back. It's his first actual car, and I'd say it's come quite a way from being the white hatch with black Silvia front end that it was a few years ago. Read more...
NAME DROPPING> Scenes From Our Xmas Party
As many of you know, those of us in the Los Angeles area had a Christmas get together this past Saturday night at The Corner Bar in Burbank CA. On behalf of our entire group of friends who threw the party (Schikane Clothing, Driftwell Footwork Essentials, Tokyo Drive Productions and The Motor Mavens Crew), we'd like to express our deepest thanks to all of those who came out to chill with us, and those who couldn't make it, but were there with us in spirit.
Big thanks also to those who showed support of the party by donating gifts for the raffle (in no particular order) - Mishimoto, Eneos Oil, DSPORT Magazine, Buddy Club USA, HKS, Hankook Tires, Jack Daniels, and Jagermeister.
I'm just going to post some of the pics from our party on the site. To view more photos, Add the Motor Mavens Crew as a friend on Facebook, and you can see more photos and view the tags and whatnot in case you want to be a stalker and randomly add girls that you don't know. (Go for it, haha) Read more...
Big thanks also to those who showed support of the party by donating gifts for the raffle (in no particular order) - Mishimoto, Eneos Oil, DSPORT Magazine, Buddy Club USA, HKS, Hankook Tires, Jack Daniels, and Jagermeister.
I'm just going to post some of the pics from our party on the site. To view more photos, Add the Motor Mavens Crew as a friend on Facebook, and you can see more photos and view the tags and whatnot in case you want to be a stalker and randomly add girls that you don't know. (Go for it, haha) Read more...
WEBMINING> Zen Drift Master Orido
I was on a hunt for footage of one of my favorite cars – the JZZ30 Toyota Soarer (aka the Lexus SC300/SC400) and lo and behold, what should I find but Manabu Orido drifting Honjo Circuit in Japan.
Although in this video, Orido’s driving his Project Mu/Autotech JZS161 Toyota Aristo (Lexus GS300) and not a Soarer, I thought it was worth it to post this gem just to show the interior action shots. Look at how little he has to do to control the car – his economy of motion and technique is amazing.
I know that we’re not supposed to be envious…but I just can’t help it! Who wishes, like I do, that they could plug into The Matrix (I’m talking about the movie, not the FF Toyota) and download Orido’s drifting skills like Neo, waking up suddenly, saying… “I know drifting.”
::Avon Bellamy
CARSPOTTING> 714hp Evo 8 on Tempe Streets
What does it mean to have power? Is power the ability to do whatever you want? Or, maybe it is having the power to control people and the things they do... Better yet, maybe power is all about having the ability to mash your right foot to the floor board and leave everyone and everything in your rear view mirror!
As I was driving around Tempe AZ one day, I saw this white Evo VIII take off from a traffic light, literally leaving all the other cars (including mine) in the dust, as it turned into a big blur of white 'get up and go!' I just had to follow this car! This Evo is owned by a guy named Jake Blackman; and for Jake, the feeling of power is assigned a numerical value - 714. That's the exact number of horses in Jake's Mitsubishi Evolution VIII that actually get their hooves on the ground! With that kind of power you're sure to leave some worries (and problems) in the dust. Read more...
As I was driving around Tempe AZ one day, I saw this white Evo VIII take off from a traffic light, literally leaving all the other cars (including mine) in the dust, as it turned into a big blur of white 'get up and go!' I just had to follow this car! This Evo is owned by a guy named Jake Blackman; and for Jake, the feeling of power is assigned a numerical value - 714. That's the exact number of horses in Jake's Mitsubishi Evolution VIII that actually get their hooves on the ground! With that kind of power you're sure to leave some worries (and problems) in the dust. Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Pink wheels (for real!)
Shiny black paint... check. Menacing stance... check. Pink JLine wheels... check. ??? Prowling the city streets surrounding the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field, we have James Parker's glorious G35 coupe. To say that this car has undergone a complete transformation over the years would be a bit of an understatement. Read more...
