Why do towing capacity and other weight ratings matter? We get into this topic in this week’s article. You won’t want to miss it! WOOOOO
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Cars
Has anyone told you “That’s not a truck, THIS is a truck”? Are you constantly questioning your manhood and its relation to your vehicle? If so, then this is the place for you
My heart honestly skipped a beat this afternoon
A man walked directly toward this beautiful '83 SC, keys in-hand as I scrambled for the camera--'not letting this one get away'. We get to talking and I learn that he's been modifying this car for the past year since he moved to Barrington...lucky me (October's been RIFE with awesome cars)
I first noticed these insanely wide semi-slick rear tires--315s in the rear, i'm assuming 255s in the front, both barely contained by RSR-style fender flares. What could be hiding underneath the bonnet that would justify such meaty rubber?
A 1991 911 motor bored and stroked out to 3.8 liters!
@irishgreenoutlaw says he makes exactly 300whp "Got it dynoed yesterday" and the car only weights 2400lbs so we're looking at a weight/power ratio of exactly 8. (re. other cars with a weight/power ratio of 8)
I guess you don't NEED to check out the link, but if you have, you'll notice that this home-brewed air-cooled beast shares some VERY solid company. Namely, the Lotus Evora 400, Camaro 1SS, and isn't far away from the C63 AMG. Granted, what I find important about this one is the quality of power it makes.
By that, I mean the individual throttle bodies competing for oxygen while you feel the rumble of the flat 6 through the bottom of your loafers. The distinctive smell a carbureted engine gives off while you bask in the raspy goodness emenating from the stainless steel exhaust system.
I'm a lucky guy, this beast just fell into my lap today and I hope I've done it some semblance of justice.
Cheers, AL
IG: @irishgreenoutlaw (click here)
Getting to Joliet was easy enough, just a straight shot down 355 with very little traffic.
So we roll up and are IMMEDIATELY followed through the gates by these two clean AF Supra with awesome owners (who indulged my picture-taking)
The twins; two powerhouse warriors meant for speed and agility.
Although most identify with the former, one can't help but remain frozen when stumbling upon one, let alone TWO--and they demand respect from any enthusiast worth his salt. We witnessed this as they drove through the mustang meet, everybody's head turned as they rumbled by.
Anyway, I came down to Club Fr’s Skidpad Sunday with two pals and boy were we really impressed with the turnout :]
S13s, S14s, Z cars, even an Rx7 FD showed up to bask in the bosom of this fall car culture experience.
And the setting was a skidpad, just like the Drift Chitown event where cones were set up in a pseudo-figure 8 pattern with an especially sketchy exit which would spit out the slippery chassis INCHES from the idling soon-to-be- sliders. I tried to get as close as possible to the action, but with this basic lens it proved difficult (I was too close and I apologized xD) So, since these are the best shots I could manage of all the action, (here’s Simba’s S13 throwing down one of many perfect runs)—I focused most of my energy toward those stationary cars and BOYYYYYY were there some STARS
First we see this ILL Laurel with an awesome pink pearl paint job and roll cage.
I love these longer wheelbase drift cars and how they throw their weight around to initiate drifts, while at the same time having plenty of power out of their 6 cylinder (usually turbo motors). I didn’t get to see under the hood of this one (anybody know?) but I’m assuming it’s a Toyota JZ variant.
Next to the Laurel sat a smoking hot S14 Kouki with a purple pearl color from the factory chevy BOLT. COOL AF, Mike (@rad_mike) also killed it on the track too.
and check out that classy suede interior (King of the castle)
OH how I love RX-8s, but you already know that dontcha..This one is a lot more aggressive than my old one, sitting on WEDS Kranz wheels, X side skirts, and Front bumper.
It has a very commanding presence and reminds me of Mad Mike’s BADBUL version
See It? it might even be the same front bumper. But look at those arches, it’s a factory wide body that blends seamlessly into the bodywork (those rear fenders are actually one huge piece of steel—really expensive)
A bit of a rare find at a drift event, this FD rx7 soaked it all up. I love the white the driver chose and the ridiculous wheels XD love it. I’m wondering if he got the car as a shell and built it as a drift car instead of stripping down a fully-functional FD (you could pay 15k for a good example these days)
It's refreshing to see some art on painted on these cars. What a perfect way to express yourself while participating in a sport that's all about style :] That storm trooper is YOda's savior--props
I think this s13 is the meanest of the day. A devilish black cherry metallic paint scheme coupled with a Silvia front end with a wing that I think works with the demonic persona. YES.
This event got me thinking, as it's one of the last events of this drift season: what projects do you have going on for next year?
Comment below :]
The Scion Toyota Subaru BRZ FRS GT86 86 Ft86 is a car that knows exactly what it is.
I mean look at the title. The bastard child of Subayota is here to fricken PLAY and it doesn't give a shit if you hate its name.
'Aight, let's give this b***h a flat four, perfect weight distribution, not too much power, not too little, Prius tires, and a manual gearbox--that'll really throw those soccer moms for a loop'
-actual quote from lead engineer
I've only driven one in the rain around the block. Once--and I can tell you it feels awesome, but have no idea what about the limit. From what i've seen and read, it's great on the limit and feels composed; fun even if you don't speed about like a miscreant.
Even at drift events, the Yota looks beautiful going sideways; and even shows more angle than alot of modified-knuckled cars IMHO.
Is this the next future classic or do you think it's destined for 'MISSLE STATUS' i.e. 240sx ;-/
LMK in the comments below ;]
"Corvette Night"
Many car enthusiasts I know sigh when they hear it's Corvette night at the local show. That means a bunch of old corvettes from the 60s/70s and guys just sitting in their chairs watching you look at their car. Fortunately for me, there were some really cool additions to this specific show...
Like these two guys; two ZR-1s in the flesh! I really don't see many of these out and about and knowing they have 640hp stock makes it that much sweeter. When these came out, I was just getting into cars and journalists were ranting and raving about them endlessly. This was the fastest production car around the Nordschleife for a time...
I mean, sometimes I convince myself after doing a couple laps in Forza that I could actually hang with the other Nurburgring Cats on a lap--then I see something like this^. It's reinforced for sure, these guys are on another LEVEL of crazy speed and I'll leave it to them to flog these crazy cars on the death course...
They raved for good reason too--it was a raucous beast that demanded a lot from the driver and did one thing very well: go FAST! The seats weren't that well, and that was complained about endlessly it seemed as you wouldn't be able to stay put if you really wanted to step on it.
Then comes this Dino 246 GTS; mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, light-weight--this seems like the absolute PERFECT vehicle to flog through the twisties. Interestingly enought, the 2.4 liter V6 found in this ferkin vehicle eventually made its way into the Lancia Stratos rally car. I haven't heard this engine at full chat in a while so I can't remember exactly the way it made my soul heart feel in my face ya know? lemme see what we can find...down here
and here is the 2.4 liter v6 engine that powers both the 246gt & gts. Essentially, it's a transversely-mounted v6 that produced around 280hp that was first rumored to have been created--in part--by Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari, yet history has since proved he had no part in the creation...(more)
See, now that I know the backstory of Alfredo Ferrari and the Dino, it makes me sad. Sad to see this car as a pure expression--not only of Enzo's terminally-ill son--but of what it means to love car culture, to just DRIVE. Just looking at it you can tell the team at Pininfarina S.P.A. spent hours pouring their love for Dino, Ferrari, and automobiles into this project.
I'll leave you with this Frankenstein Triumph TR4. The owner says it is essentially a stock TR4 with a lot of the body panels cut off, a roll bar added, sticky wheels, and some trick suspension bits to top it all off. SWAA we LOVE this shit...now, let's see if I can get behind the wheel soon and bring you some nicer feature content :)
That's it for tonight guys, I love doing this honestly and writing about cars forces me to learn more about this crazy "hobby" (seems an understatement) I love so much. Let me know in the comments if you like the level of detail/need more, anything helps.
Cheers
The EVO X demands your attention...
Driving by the train station I spotted something different, a car I hadn't seen in my home town before. Sure, i'd seen EVOs before but I hadn't seen such a tastefully modified car. The stark white in the gloomy day got me for sure, and the dark wheels offered a much needed contrast.
I actually saw it driving by the other day, it seemed to be straight-piped and sounded awesome. Not much grunt to the sound though, like just the high frequencies came out to play heeeeeee--still, it held my attention of course driving by and I respect it so much.
I forgot EVOs come with brembo brakes, even if the owner added these later, they work for me. Especially behind these Volk ZE40s the dark blue makes the red calipers stick out. Add in these grippy Michelin Pilot Super Sports for good measure and you're looking at a track weapon. HEEEEEECK TO the yasss...
aaaaaand we are on to my favorite part of this build: the Varis-style front bumper. I love it when owners bight the bullet and buy an aggressive bit of aero...whether it's a crazy front splitter, wing, or sideskirts; a well-researched item can really bring the whole build together. If you look closely, you'll see an aftermarket intercooler peaking through the grill ;)
What is Outsider Garage? No idea yet, but maybe we'll get a feature going soon--Check out his youtube channel here
Looks sick, that's all for now big bois
Swee
Lifesteezemedia/Solid Productions brings you an amazing video of the perfect S15...
The s15 is--to me--the best--looking of the S-chassis Nissans. Coupled with what i assume is a high-output SR20DET under the hood, this vehicle reaaaaaaally moves. love it, enjoy:)
What do you think? I'm getting some Gymkhana video-style vibes from this one :)
Thanks StanceNation for the thumb photo:)
I sold the 8.
To car enthusiasts, this is usually accompanied by "And I bought a better one..." or "had to buy a house". For me, it was more about ending the current chapter and starting the next -- one not necessarily beginning with a new car purchase. This genesis is more about re-defining what car culture means to me and how I can go forward as a more conscious participator.
Nowadays, it seems you aren't respected or valued in the car community unless you have strictly "authentic" parts.
God forbid you have RS Watanabe replicas on your non-RHD Toyota AE86. "An Ebay intake? Please..." This exact obsession with what parts you have on your car and how much you paid for them is what I believe leads to a divide in our hobby. If you enjoy what you drive, who cares?
I see it at car meets. Everybody crowds around the car with the shiniest wheels or the most expensive paint. Maybe that is only because, if someone has evidently put a lot of money into their car, they must love it. The crowd loves cars too so it shouldn't be surprising they gravitate toward great expense. My point is that we should value cars more for being cars than what mods the owners have done/how much money they have spent.
This is meant more as a dialogue rather than me telling you what you should believe about cars.
Through my car journey, I learned everything through trial and error. Everything from an oil change to coilover installs to MIG and TIG welding custom frame notches. I learned through those processes what i'm good at and it's definitely not auto mechanics.
Prior to my selling it, I owned a Mazda RX-8 for the better part of 5 years. In that time I had my fair share of learning experiences and problem moments: smacking wheels into curbs, endlessly scraping the front bumper on the smallest of bumps, overheating my thirsty rotary engine, feeding the seals with oil every tank of gas, failing emissions tests left and right, burning out siezed bushings, scraping salt out of the wheel wells, pretty much everything.
Through all the bad, there was always good around the corner, like late night drives down route 14 or ANY time there's a little bit of rain coming down i.e. DRIFT CENTRAL. Or when it snowed, my buddy and I went to this abandoned parking lot and drifted around for hours. So much so that the back of our cars were covered in snow...
I know people might ask why haven't started doing this until now. Fear. Everybody is afraid of something...I was afraid of failure even though I know I love doing this: ima write about cars for whoever will listen.
Cheers,
Al