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When the SLS hit the scene in 2010, it made waves. With its truly unique – and stunning – styling, sinister exhaust note and steep asking price, it can’t be ignored, no matter who you are, the things you drive or how you drive it.

Having driven one close to the advertised top speed and blasted through canyon roads leaving thick trails of pricey Michelin tire smoke, I can tell you the SLS is one of the more confusing cars to rationalize, yet it’s also a definite riot to operate. It can make you smile such as a little girl, or throw you in a ditch to teach you a lesson.as an aggressively tuned import car. Did it must be updated and refreshed? Sure, did this number of tweaks solidify a logical place for the car, although the new GT is welcomed? We’re unsure.

The SLS GT sees a growth of 20hp from a smaller displacement V8. However, horsepower definitely wasn’t an area where the SLS required help, but we’ll never complain about too much of something so wonderful.

Before, the exhaust note is somehow better still than. The SLS remains to be the best sounding Benz, and possibly one of the best sounding German cars of all time. From burbles and pops to rev limiters and wide-open-throttle pulls, the car begs to be driven hard.

Though it performs well on a road course, its straight-line prowess is definitely the easiest to exploit. The jaunt to 60 takes 3.6sec and will blow beyond theare now faster and more precise. Even in full auto mode, the transmission does a great job of reading your thoughts, finding the correct gear for your driving style, although utilizing the paddles is undeniably more pleasurable.

The SLS would be a driver’s choice if all roads were silky smooth and racetracks didn’t have big curbs and tight turns. By turning-in hard or gently trail-braking, but both the last version and new GT suffer from a shimmy at the rear simply. And while you are able to adapt your look to induce less of this, nothing causes it to become ride smoother or softer.

We don’t want the SLS to float with a cloud, however the car is simply too stiff being daily driven. And even with a road course like Streets of Willow, the C63 Black Series felt more appropriate for track duty and was also far more compliant compared to the SLS. And we’re causeing this to be assessment in Sport mode, the softer of the two available suspension settings. Sport is much more rigid than most cars we’ve driven.

Have an affinity for burnouts and loud downshifts, spirited highway sprints and maybe some canyon hooning, then this really is a superb reason to spend $200,000, if you were purchasing an SLS AMG GT solely because you’re enthusiastic about its style. We’d recommend you shop around, as there are cars that could do more for less, but if you want a car for work and the track.

Fall is a season for lovers, for tenderly caressing the one you are with and the one you love (hopefully the same person) and for going on apple-spiced adventures and enjoying the cooling days of September and October before the miserable cold of the Winter devours your very will to live. So if you have a loved one and want to go on a lovers quest for romance, here are some tips to enjoying a great Autumn with the girl or guy of your dreams. Hopefully that’s who you’re with. Because if you’re wasting time not being with someone who you consider the man or woman of your dreams, how are you ever going to find that person? You’re wasting your very life away and it’s the only one you got.

Weekend Trip to the Mountains

No matter where you live in this great country, there is likely a mountainous romantic retreat within driving distance that you and your lover can go to. Mountains are for lovers. So go to www.downtownnissan.com and shop for a new car that you can take on this lover’s retreat. That’s a great way to make it more special, in a brand new car. Oh you’re thinking you can’t afford a new car? Well seriously? Are you going to start coming up with excuses as to why you should go on living a life so boring and mundane? Live a little. Step up to the plate and hit that home run? Check prices here, you won’t be whining so much when you see how affordable a new car is: http://www.downtownnissan.com. They take your lover up to a mountain post-haste.

Make a Home Movie

You and lover should dress in costumes and make a fun home movie using your iPhone. A lovers’ movie is the best kind of movie. Don’t make it rated X, but don’t make it merely rated R either. Make it just uncomfortable enough that you wouldn’t show your parents. However, you can invite your friends over for a screening after it’s done and then you should film your friends watching your NC-17 film. It’ll be a hilarious and meta way of having a great Fall activity, both during the romantic shooting of the film, and the hilarious revealing of the film to your amigos.

Hit up Every Apple Orchard Ever

Women love to go apple picking. Men don’t mind getting apples at the grocery store – after all someone else has gone through all the trouble of picking them already, why would we pay more to go do something that others have already done. But that’s an issue for another article. Since women love to pick apples we men have to go with them. So might as well do it in a man’s way, make it competitive and try to go to as many apple orchards as possible and compare which ones are best. Make a spreadsheet and a whole bunch of criteria upon which to judge the orchards.

We know! This isn’t strictly a European car. Although we could argue it’s as European as US-built VW Passats, Mercedes ML and BMW X5 as well as Mexican-built Jettas. Furthermore, many Europeans consider the Focus to be their own since they are built and designed in Europe for that home market.

In the past, US consumers were offered watered down products to help Ford meet CAFE standards, while overlooking the more exciting RS and ST products. All that changed when it was announced the first Focus ST would arrive here in summer 2012, however.Sure, we aren’t ones to hold a grudge, though it took Ford three generations of Focus to acknowledge there was a need for a performance hatchback in its own domestic market.

The 2012 SEMA automotive show was poised to be the ST’s big moment. It would enjoy the spotlight along with other new products like the Toyota FR-S, Chevy Spark and VW Beetle.

Along with its traditional truck and Mustang offerings, Ford would concentrate on its new Focus ST at SEMA. The 252hp 2.0L turbo four-door was poised to make a big impact, particularly with its European reputation for a class-leading chassis and a -60 time of 5.9sec. It was easy to understand why Ford was eager to emerge with both barrels blazing and invited us to be part of the action.

With Editor Emmerson having owned both a Sierra RS Cosworth and Focus RS, we were excited at the prospect of adding Ford’s hottest-ever US hatchback to our garage. It needed to be for SEMA on our terms, however.So, it would need Porsche-style wheels, pulled fenders, stretched tires, GT3 RS paint, a black leather and alcantara interior, carbon body additions, etc.

The build

We enlisted the help of several seasoned European car specialists, but had one name at the top of our list. It was the VW tuners at Euro Sport Accessories in Anaheim, CA. They’ve built large numbers of modified VWs and Audis, manufacturer their own parts and entered our Tuner Grand Prix as often as we’ve run it. You might be unaware they also run FSWerks from the same premises, however.Unfortunately, it didn’t drop the car as low as we’d like for the SEMA show, but on the street at least it seems to ride well.

For added performance, Steeda threw in a prototype rear sway bar. Better known for its Mustang mods, the company has a range of Focus parts and was happy to be involved.

The choice of wheels was a critical one to pull off the transformation. We looked at many designs, including the classic BBS RS but decided to stick with the Porsche theme. Fortunately, Privat Wheels has its Kup design based on the Porsche Cup wheels. The Ford’s 108PCD and ET50 offset would prove challenging, however.

We started with a set of 18×8.5 front and 18×9.5 rear Kup wheels, which were re-drilled to fit the Ford PCD by LTMotorwerks. This is a relatively common practice where adapters aren’t available, but should only be undertaken by a wheel specialist.Also give it a Euro-look, the tires have a slight stretch on the wheels, even though to gain extra clearance.

Getting a pre-production car for the SEMA build brought many challenges throughout the process. The biggest problem was that parts didn’t exist, so everything was either custom-made or delivered at the last minute once available to us. When it came to the body mods and unique aero package, we turned to the talented team at LTMotorWerks in El Monte, CA.

Best known as BMW specialists, the company’s in-house bodyshop and paint booth means it can adapt to any scenario. In this case they tackled our Focus with gusto, despite a very tight deadline that gave them a matter of weeks to complete it.

Undeterred, they didn’t cut any corners and developed a custom carbon fiber front spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear wing from scratch. The fenders also needed pulling to cover the dished wheels, and the factory bumpers were modified to follow the new lines.

At the same time, body kit manufacturer Advan Carbon Technology in Rancho Dominguez, CA developed a carbon fiber vented hood for us. We had a pair of carbon Focus RS vents shipped from SFS in the UK but Advan’s Modular Multi Piece CWT Design hood included molded vents, so they were never needed. The hood was painted body color because we believe carbon should be shown tastefully, although the integral vents were left expose, and despite all their workdOur unique wheel fitment and insufficient time to test fit anything meant we ran out of time for a big-brake kit, however.

There was time, however, to work on the interior. So the rear seat and door cards were removed by LTMW and trimmed in black leather and alcantara to match the wonderful Recaro Sportster CS seats we fitted up front on custom rails.

The seats are similar to the OE Recaros offered by Ford as a new car option. However, we preferred the classic approach of the Sportster CS and the more subtle finish of the colors and materials.

Developing the painting and partslocal, NASA and SCCA club events.

Whatever is decided, our new ST has made its mark on the show scene and now its time to prove itself on the tarmac.

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There’s no shortage of AE86 Toyota Corolla fans in our scene, thanks in no small part to Formula D driver Taka Aono as well as the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya. But even with no popularity of drifting and Tsuchiya’s Hot Version Hachiroku video antics, the AE86 would still have a particular allure all of its own, perhaps because it’s an analog driving machine in an increasingly digital world, or maybe it’s more a case of nostalgia and affordability in an increasingly bankrupt world.

Whatever the case might be, it’s hard not to fall in love with Luis Colon’s ’85 GTS hatchback, thanks to its impeccably clean presentation and perfect blend of period-correct modifications along with a few more modern touches. To construct an AE86 this true to its roots, it should come as not surprising that Luis has a lifelong appreciation for theseTo The Roots

My love for Toyotas started as a child at the age of 7 or 8, when I was introduced to my first 1980 Toyota Corolla SR5 with the man who raised me as a father. I grew up helping him fix his Corolla, exactly like you’d expect in Puerto Rican culture. My mind was set with an old-school Toyota, and at age of 13, believe it or not, I came into possession of my first Toyota, an ’81 Corolla four-door given to me as a gift by my parents, when i grew older. This car turned my childhood/teenage years around.

Raised in Chicago’s Humboldt Park area, which is, as Luis use it, where Puerto Ricans attend, it might have been easy for him to have run wild about the streets and gotten mixed up with the incorrect crowd. But thanks to his ’80 Corolla and his selection of friends that shared his passion for old-school Toyotas, Luis instead directed his energy into cars, including buying his first AE86.

One always stayed by my side, this ’85 GTS, though I’ve owned about a total of 12 Corollas. I built a relationship with this car, and she did what I knew she would, keeping me off the streets and away from trouble. A colleague and I even started a car club in Chicago called Team_Nostalgic. Our company is about 14 cars deep now, mostly AE86s as well as other older Corollas [along with a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V], and we’re all family in this game. This is where my Hachi caught the nickname the Silver Surfer. I really like it and yes it fits her look.

Difficult to argue with all the nickname, given just how sharp Luis’ Corolla looks in Silver, particularly with a spotless set of period-correct SSR Mk II wheels wrapped in Falken rubber. The ride height is aggressively functional due to Techno Toy Tuning rear coilovers plus an eBay coilover setup in advance, plus its ground clearance has been visually dropped by the addition of a Blood Line body kit. This suspension setup rides superior to a 2012 Corolla, as Luis jokingly told us!To The Roots

What isn’t a joke, though, is the significant weight reduction of the Seibon carbon-fiber hood and rear hatch, a very modern material that looks surprisingly at home on this 28-year-old classic hunk of J-tin. The Trueno front badge and Sprinter taillights may be relatively minor details, but they represent a meaningful link to the car’s JDM roots.

The inner of this timeless little Corolla features a similarly tasteful and subtle blend of old and new, for example the spotless black and gray seats and interior trim out of an ’86 GTS. The pattern in the OE seat fabric looks a bit like carbon fiber, perhaps another reason the Seibon hood and trunk suit the vehicle so well, as Luis pointed out. A deep-dish MOMO steering wheel takes center stage in an otherwise stock-looking cockpit, a couple of A-pillar-mounted Auto Meter gauges being just about the only giveaway that the Corolla has something tasty under the hood.

For the solid bump in horsepower without upsetting the high-revving, naturally aspirated character of the Luis, his and car crew swapped in the higher-compression silver-top 20V 4A-GE, to which they added a black-top wiring harness, ECU, and individual throttle-bodies, though not that there’s anything wrong with a 16V 4A-GE engine like this AE86 was originally equipped with. This 20V hybrid should be good for at least 50 hp greater than the original 16V motor, in addition to a screaming 8,200-rpm redline as well as the sensational induction noise of peopleto the drivetrain by raiding the Toyota parts bin, swapping in the much beefier rearend off an ’86 Toyovan (strong enough to support the power of a 10-second 2JZ-swapped Corolla) together with a Mk II Supra LSD-equipped pumpkin. They have added a TRD short shifter for improved precision and speed while banging through the gears, even though the original T50 transmission still calls Luis’ Hachi home.

Sure, we’ve featured more powerful and more radically modified AE86s before, but there’s an undeniable appeal to a clean and simple approach like Luis’, which includes stayed true to his Corolla’s roots. What he does know is this, though not too Luis considers his AE86 anywhere near complete: I found myself told when I was younger, ‘Never involve yourself with cars-they are a complete waste of time,’ but my Corolla has kept me out of gangs and from drugs. It’s not just a car to me. It’s a part of me. It’s a way of lifeC and bar-pillar strut tower bar

Exterior Andy’s Auto Blood Line body kit; Seibon carbon-fiber hood and rear hatch; Trueno front grille badge; JDM Sprinter taillights

Interior ’86 Corolla GTS black and gray interior; MOMO controls and quick-release hub; Auto Meter Pro-Comp Ultralite vacuum and voltage gauges

Special As A Result Of my wife for supporting me in my expensive hobby, and my friends and team members at Team_Nostalgic.

Once you’re a Mom there really is no way back. Little do most women realize about the major changes which they are heading blindly and faithfully towards as their bumps grow and they eventually head off to the maternity unit doubled up with the pain of contractions and dizzy with heady expectations of how great life will be.
Motherhood changes women in lots of different ways and we’re not just talking about body shape and diet. Their priorities change in so many different ways, some obvious and others which kind of sneak in when you’re not looking.

Let’s, for a minute, take a look at the changes which are made in the cars they drive. Although there are many exceptions to the rule, many women get attached to their first car and are happy to stick together while other parts of their lives are going through rapid changes – most prominently jobs and boyfriends. This however changes as soon as the first signs of morning sickness appear.
Before – A car has got to be sporty and . . . well, impractical is good too.

After – Safety features take over from the impracticality and are the most important thing to take into account. Moms are, after all, renowned for being wonderfully over-protective of their little bundles.
Before – Bling it up, the brighter the better with blinking lights and those wonderful furry dice, not to mention fluffy seat covers.
After – Things go kind of . . . .beige. We’re talking interiors and exteriors, rather than blood red and diamante air fresheners a kind of practical banality sets in, there’s no explaining it but it really does happen, just think about all of your friends.
Before – Speed was of the utmost importance, the more speed the better.
After – Speed takes a back seat in place of cup holders . . . you can never have enough cup holders when you’re a Mom.
Before – Your car was cluttered up to the heavens with make-up and star bucks coffee cups – girly trash so to speak.
After – The garbage will see a significant change. It will soon comprise of mostly French fries, odd socks and half chewed sticky things which can no longer be recognized.
Before – Compact was rather warm and cozy, with a little bit of fuel efficiency thrown in for good measure.

After – What you need now is space . . . space and more space. Okay, so this person may start off incredibly tiny but it’s amazing how much space he needs.
Before – A glove box full of rock anthems and driving classics to blast out into the night air and keep you awake on those long drives home.
After – A few lullabies to play at a level which is hardly audible to the human ear but seems to work wonders when driving around in the car is the only possible method of getting this child to sleep. “The wheels on the bus . . . ” anybody?
Are you getting the picture? I’m sure that every Mom will have her own version of how things changed from the “”before”” childbirth to the reality which is parenthood.
So, if you are finding yourself going through this change don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal and at metronissanredlands.com they’ve got a good selection of cars for sale which can help you to make the transition smoothly and painlessly. Why not take a look at http://metronissanredlands.com but, in case you were wondering . . . beige is not compulsory at all.

It’s a familiar story. Man buys car to commute to work. Man actually starts to modify car. Man turns one year-old daily driver in to a five-year show car project and annoys the wife in the process. Should you haven’t, you may, we’ve all been there and, even. It’s inevitable…

Josh Zetina has been customizing cars so long as he can remember. The shop he works at is known for building award-winning Donks and Lowriders, but he personally opts to get a more refined mode of transportation.

While the wild candy paint is easy to admire, Josh was affected by decades of eurotuner modifying trends and kept with aAs he was shopping for a GTI he nearly passed this car up. The color reminded him too much of the flashy world he was surrounded by at work. But the price was right and, all things considered, it was only going to be a day-to-day commuter.

Josh has owned VWs since that time receiving his driving license. He started with an ’87 Scirocco through high school but lost that certain in a collision. His next ride was an ’80 Caddy 2. 16v that received heavy mods but was again totaled within an accident. Next, Josh desired to experience more canyon driving, so purchased a ’94 Corrado SLC – and we’re happy to report this one remains to be in his garage!

2000 VW GTI VR6 R32 front bumper 05

2000 VW GTI VR6 porsche daytona race wheels 03

2000 VW GTI VR6 20th anniversary side skirts 02

A year of commuting inside the Mk4 GTI was enough for Josh. He then chose to explore the actual potential of your VR6 motor with a stage 1 VF-Engineering supercharger kit. This provided plenty of capacity to whip around Los Angeles like Senna in aTogether with the VR6 in place, Josh began to tidy the bodywork. El Primo Auto Body made sure every surface was laser-straight and shaved before a fresh coat of VW Rave Green was applied. With R32 bumpers along with 20th Anniversary skirts, the green monster gained some attitude.

2000 VW GTI VR6 shift knob 12

2000 VW GTI VR6 switches 11

2000 VW GTI VR6 VW beetle headrests 10

Despite all the work, the interior is how the magic happened. Josh decided to swing for the fences and covered nearly every plastic surface in Peanut Butter leather. Angel’s Upholstery in Santa Ana, CA piped, stitched and stretched the hide across the seats, dash, finished and doors it with black alcantara on the pillars and headliner.

Finally, josh addressed the stance with Air Lift suspension and R32 control arm bushings to help keep things tight in cornering exercises.A set of three-piece Porsche Daytona Race wheels (19×8.5 f, 19×10.5 r) fill the wheel wells, while and Zeetex HP102 (225/35 f, 235/35 r) tires are stretched to the max.

So after one year of hard work and top craftsmanship, Josh has a car he loves and also his Lowrider customers can appreciate. Hopefully his wife won’t threaten to sign the papers when she sees the bill for the custom leather interior!

Tech Spec

Josh Zetina

Van Nuys, CA

2000 VW GTI VR6

Engine

2.8L VR6 12v with Integrated Engineering pistons, ported and polishedhatch and bumper, painted VW Rave Green metallic

Interior

Peanut Butter leather interior, VW Beetle headrests, alcantara pillars and headliner.

It’s tough being a wheel manufacturer in the automotive industry these days. New companies emerge almost every month, and the performance wheel industry has become incredibly oversaturated. While there is plenty of room for everyone to get a piece of that proverbial pie, the quality is quickly disappearing. Some wheel companies just aren’t true wheel manufacturers anymore; they’re merely placing their name on wheels made overseas and pushing them into the market without overseeing the manufacturing process. This creates a lack of quality control, and customers suffer by overpaying without ever considering quality. Many of these upstart companies often have their wheels manufactured at the same offshore site, so these wheels of questionable quality and construction spread rapidly throughout our community.

As long as the tuning community has been around, there have been a couple of Japanese wheel manufacturers dominating the market. Companies such as Rays Engineering, Work Wheels and SSR, to name a few, have stood the test of time and are a staple in our tuning world. Though their wheels have been replicated an immeasurable number of times, they remain because a strong faction of enthusiasts believes in quality. They understand that these companies have a rigid standard of quality control. As such, they hold their place in America because of their belief in creating nothing but the best. In the U.S., one wheel company that’s held strong for more than 20 years now is a brand you should all be familiar with: HRE Performance Wheels. Its original founder, Gene Howald (HRE=Howald Racing Enterprises), was a motorsports lover who launched the company more than two decades ago. He catered to high-performance customers by manufacturing custom racing wheels in the U.S. and holds seven patents for wheel design and production. In 1999, Howald sold HRE to its present owners and decided to venture off into other endeavors before returning to the industry in 2007. He noticed that the landscape of the performance wheel industry had changed dramatically; manufacturers had become nearly obsolete, with most production having moved to China. He envisioned a company that was completely customer-oriented and that produced custom-made wheels of the highest quality in America, and thus was born Nutek Forged Wheels.
1995 nissan 240SX extreme dimensions aero kit Photo 2/10 | 1995 Nissan 240SX – Quality Controlled

Thanks to its owner’s rich history and knowledge, Nutek has grown quickly in its six years of business. Though its customer base consists mostly of those in the high-end luxury performance market, Nutek believes in catering to all enthusiasts. During the SEMA Show last year, the company presented show-goers with a vehicle that was a little unexpected. And we, along with many others, quickly took notice. From the outside, it was just a very clean S14 Nissan 240SX. Adorning the body and glass were a variety of company logos from various sponsors—nothing unusual. On this particular S14, the gold graphics brought about a nice transition to the Jet Black paint, but what really captured our attention were the five-spoke Nutek Forged Series 625 wheels. Admittedly, Nutek was an unfamiliar name to us at the time, but we enjoyed the sizing and finish on the wheels. Each side of the S14 featured a different finish of the same wheel, with the driver side done in a textured/gloss black finish and the passenger side with a high polish. The car, as many fan boys would say, was “proper.”

We eventually caught up with the owner of the Nissan and got a thorough look at his build. It turns out that Eddie Kumchumroon’s S14 was wearing Nutek shoes for a reason, as he is the marketing director for Nutek Forged Wheels. He educated us on all things Nutek, and oh yeah, he also showed us the 2JZ-GTE swap we had heard was in the engine bay. Not only is the Supra motor plenty potent from the factory, but Eddie’s was fully built inside and out to the tune of 773hp! It was easy to understand why Nutek chose to use its marketing guy’s car to make an instant impact in the import community.

As a company representative, one would imagine that Nutek would have final say as to how this 240SX came together, but that was far from the truth. In fact, this build is a creation of Eddie and performance tuning shop FX Autodesign. He worked closely with the crew from FX to execute a vision he’d had since he first attended a D1GP years before. “I’ve been fixing up every car I’ve ever owned for about 10 years now,” Eddie explains. “I just can’t seem to drive a car that is stock. I purchased this 240SX a few years back after drifting became big in America. The car really captivated me. I had totaled my ’95 Acura Integra at the time and decided to see what I could do with an S14 chassis. I was really inspired by all the mind-boggling engine conversions others were doing to their 240s and wanted to go all-out with no limitations.”

1995 nissan 240SX pioneer amplifier
1995 nissan 240SX sard fuel rail
1995 nissan 240SX AEM boost gauge

FX Autodesign was responsible for all the legwork on this Supra swap, from creating the custom motor mounts to all the plumbing necessary to get it fired up. Inside the guts of the 2JZ are CP pistons, a rebalanced crankshaft, and Brian Crower valvetrain upgrades, just to name a few. The stock turbine has been upgraded with a larger Turbonetics GTK650 unit mounted to a custom turbo manifold fabricated by FX Autodesign. A GReddy intake manifold and 90mm throttle-body combo breathe high volumes of air into the Toyota engine, while exhaust fumes pass through an A’PEXi GT-spec muffler. A reliable R154 transmission from a JZA70 Supra also makes the transition over to ensure all that power makes it to the tarmac.

Drawing the forged Nutek wheels ever so close to the custom-massaged wheelwells of the S14 coupe are Function & Form Type 2.5 dampers. The entire suspension and chassis have been refreshed, methodically utilizing new components from Circuit Sport. A master bushing kit from Energy Suspension keeps the car riding nice and stiff with the help of front and rear sway bars from Tanabe USA. To make certain this 700hp beast has plenty of stopping force, Eddie went with a four-piston front brake upgrade from Wilwood and factory rear brakes from a Nissan Skyline.
1995 nissan 240SX OMP racing drivers seat Photo 6/10 | 1995 Nissan 240SX – Quality Controlled

If you train your eyes to see beyond the gold accents of the exterior, you’ll realize it’s quite simple. The rich black paint disguises the lines of the Extreme Dimension aero kit, and Eddie has even gone so far as to paint the carbon hood and trunk. Keeping the body clean is the objective here, to draw more attention to the graphical representations of all the companies involved in his build. Inside you’ll find a full catalog of race equipment from Italian parts manufacturer OMP Racing. Everything from the seats, steering wheel, safety harnesses, and pedals is all high-grade Italian. The rear seats have been eliminated altogether, but Eddie has been mindful to take minor styling cues into consideration. The dashboard and associated panels of his interior have been rewrapped in suede, while accent pieces have been overlaid in carbon-fiber.

When the intention is to draw attention to a beautiful set of wheels, perhaps there is no better vehicle. Eddie and the FX Autodesign team have done a stellar job of making this vehicle formidable in every aspect. From looks to performance to even custom audio, this 240SX has everything covered. It may be hard to get a good look at the Nutek forged wheels because they are spinning tirelessly in an attempt to deliver 700-plus horses to the ground, but when you catch a glimpse of it at a standstill, it’s easy to recognize the work that has gone into creating this magnificent machine. Above all else, Eddie Kumchumroon’s Nissan serves as a perfect complement to a wheel company that is all about quality.

Everybody knows that it is dangerous, illegal and downright stupid to drive when you have been drinking alcohol, but do you really know the reasons why? The fact is that a relatively small amount of alcohol can have a significant difference on your driving ability and some drivers don’t even have to drink more than the legal requirements in order for the effects to take place.

Alcohol affects your driving ability in a number of different ways . . . read on and find out more . . .
The Ability to Concentrate and Multi Task
When you are driving you need to have your wits about you and concentrate on a variety of different things. You’ve got to steer the car while keeping an eye out for cyclists, pedestrians, animals and other potential obstacles. It is important that you can focus and concentrate on more than one task at a time. Unfortunately after drinking alcohol this ability will be seriously impaired, this means that you could easily miss something important which is happening around you and can lead to an accident.
Alcohol Causes Vision Impairment
When you drink alcohol it reduces your ability to see things clearly, another vital aspect of safe driving, particularly when it is dark. You have to have good, clear vision to judge the position and speeds of other vehicles, you may also need to keep shifting your gaze and refocusing on changing objects quickly . . . this is also more difficult after you have been drinking alcohol.

Alcohol Causes Reduced Reaction Times
Your reaction times are severely affected after drinking alcohol . . . this is the time between noticing some sort of hazard or object and reacting to it. This is one of the major reasons for accidents when alcohol is involved. After drinking alcohol your ability to assess a situation is severely impaired, it is more difficult to make quick decisions . . . the right quick decisions that is. When you are confronted with a hazardous situation this can be extremely dangerous.
Alcohol Impairs Perception
The way you read situations is also severely impaired when you have been drinking alcohol. In plain terms it affects the ability to perceive certain hazards as to assess those situations correctly. If you fail to notice these dangerous situations, or actually perceive them as potentially dangerous this can also lead to accidents.
Alcohol Impairs The Ability to Track
Tracking is all about keeping your own vehicle in the right lane . . . which is why people who have been drinking alcohol may veer across all lanes of the highway. It is extremely dangerous to keep drifting from your own lane, particularly in difficult driving conditions. Rain, high winds, snow and ice can all be a major contributing factor in both head on collisions and side collisions.

So now you know exactly why it is dangerous, fool hardy and illegal to drive if you have been drinking even a relatively small amount of alcohol.
Do yourself a favor. Keep a clear head and take a look at www.ocfiat.com where they’ve got a brilliant selection of both new and used cars for sale. If you want to take a test drive then go along and book one but please, remember about how and why alcohol affects your ability to drive safely. It’s not only your life which is at stake, it is the lives of every person who is unlucky enough to be in the same part of the world as you. Check out the vehicles at http://www.ocfiat.com.

Automotive culture is largely driven through the Internet. Technologies have taken over and anybody who isn’t seemingly “connected” could be considered almost as an outcast. Each day, there seems to become a new tuner-related website or blog appearing, recycling the identical automotive content you’ve seen on a similar site the day before along with the almighty “online feature” is one of the pinnacle that each enthusiast strives to attain. “We”, collectively, are becoming incredibly over-saturated and overwhelmed by cheap thrills, even cheaper trends and flooded with replicated parts. Quantity has consumed function and quality pushed aside rather than form. The tuning culture that our elders fought so desperately to build for all of us-is dying.

There are actually those who have fought very hard to keep tradition alive, however. These select few are the enthusiasts who have always held true to a more classic way of tuning and refuse to take shortcuts in favor of Internet fame. Japan is still seen as a source for inspiration along with their influence continues to be seen in the parts that they acquire, no matter the cost or wait time. They are unwavering with their ideas and do not bend their beliefs to aid companies that deliver counterfeit products to our community. Jay Bryan, or known by the Internet enthusiasts simply as “dropjay”, is one of these defenders from the old guard. If you have ever heard of “JDMEGO”, then you’ve probably encountered the name of someone or some website that has stolen or copied another site that has stolen/copied the authentic, original JDMEGO. The OG JDMEGO, was created by Jay Bryan years ago, back before blogging was very popular and in the period when the JDM acronym actually meant something. It was a little bit website that used to contain random and cool images of Japanese automotive builds, toys, and whatever Jay was taking care of at that particular moment. JDMEGO was one of the primary, true private tuner blogs. There was no funding besides out of Jay’s own pockets and as such, it also served as being a medium for Jay to show his ideas and displeasures about the tuner community. He doesn’t dedicate considerable time into providing constant updates anymore, though jDMEGO remains to be around even amongst the wild influx of car blogging the last few years. Why? Well, probably because he despises the current state of things. Every occasionally, he may also take the site offline completely and disappear for months, only to reappear at hisdiscuss a life he feels is utterly mundane. We, on the other hand, feel that now is pretty much as good a time as any to shed some light on this polarizing figure. Some love him, some hate on what he needs to say, but some if not all, simply don’t understand him. Individuals who have supported him through the years have probably never even seen him or know his face. He’s a bit of an enigma. You might know him more for his words than that is really is.

In reality, Jay is kind of a weirdo-and he will be the first to tell you that. His face is unknown to the present generation of enthusiasts because he’s a bit of a hermit and doesn’t ever step out. He spends much of his days playing video games, collecting rare Japanese toys and walking his dogs. He’s is also a remarkably talented graphic artist and contains a long-timeKaren and girlfriend, who seems to be as a good deal of car head as he is. They met at a car meet and this Evo MR that you see on these pages also once belonged to her. Back in the mid-2000s when it was in her possession, it was considerably more active in the community and was a MULTIPLE-time car show winner. It was probably the most dominant award-winning Mitsubishi of that particular period if anything. Jay has since transformed it in his own vision, but this car’s reputation precedes that from both Jay’s and every Evo-owning friend which you have. The most important feature of his personality that you ought to immediately come to understand is the fact he (excuse our French) just will not give a flying F*@k about most situations. Don’t let his indifference indicate anything about his character needless to say; he’s actually a very kind-hearted guy. Jay has just visit realize who and what he cares about and is unwavering in his beliefs, as we all should be.

With regards to his passion for cars, he’s been especially adamant as to what he stands by. “JDM” utilized to mean something much more, as stated previously. Not just did it represent goods specifically from the Japanese Domestic Market, it also stood for quality, rareness, and most of all, authenticity. He wants nothing concerning counterfeit/knock-off/fake parts because he feels that it ruins our industry and he’s never been afraid to voice his opinion. You will never find such parts in any of his builds, whether it be the Subaru WRX wagon he built during the early 2000s, the Evolution that followed, and definitely not inside the BNR34 he had at one point. It offers and will be a goal of his to guard authenticity. Every car which he has ever touched represents that principle. The backlash from his detractors has been fervent, but as you will see from this build, he has pressed forward within his mission.

2006 mitsubishi lancer evolution IX MR ADVAN racing RS D endless brakes

2006 mitsubishi lancer evolution IX MR HKS exhaust

2006 mitsubishi lancer evolution IX MR carbon fiber rear trunk and spoiler

After Karen retired the Evo from the competitive Southern California show circuit, and Jay had his R34 Skyline unceremoniously removed from him, they decided it that it was a good time to give the Mitsubishi a revamping. The two had teamed-up to make a collection of a few of the finest (and rarest) Japanese aftermarket upgrades ever produced for the chassis but Jay was itching to get some newer, more up-to-date components so a refresh was an appropriate plan. Today in 2013, Voltex aero is practically commonplace within the Mitsu-community but 7 yrs ago when both of these first started using Voltex gear, it absolutely was only a wish-list item for others here in the States. Low-grade Voltex copies are even popping-up inside our market now, allowing every Evo owner to achieve the look that took Jay years to save up for to acquire his complete Voltex kit! To further differentiate this Evo from the copycats, Jay sourced an authentic C-West carbon hood, Varis carbon trunk and rare Ganador side mirrors. The details are what are vital that you Jay so you’ll find other rare JDM goods like Ralliart wipers and carbon door trim from Japanese tuning shop, Colt Speed.

In the midst of his alterations, something catastrophic occurred-the 4G63 blew-up. He proceeded to utter every obscenity that ever existed, and even created some of their own, before ultimately deciding to choose a brand new long block. Though it was going to take a ton of time and money to obtain the car going again, he saw it as a an opportunity to find some good more reliable power away from his Evo IX. The vehicle was towed to Road Race Engineering where he entrusted them the task of pulling the dead motor out and installing the brand new 4G63 MIVEC block. RRE would then stroke the motor to your stout 2.3 liters utilizing a Manley crank and Wiseco pistons/rings. Boost would also see drastic improvement from a CBRD BBK turbine. The unit uses the stock Evo IX turbo housing with upgraded internals that also allows for it to mount correctly to his existing Tomei manifold. RRE removed the intake piping to make their own as a result of altered positioning from the new HKS Kansai intake manifold, even though the engine bay plays host with an ARC intercooler and signature Super Induction Box.assigned to just engine-swapping duties. During the months that the Evolution was at their shop, Jay also purchased a set of 42-way adjustable Ohlins coilovers. The automobile had ridden on HKS Hipermax RS over the years and was requiring a stiff upgrade. Mounted to the hubs of the all-wheel drive RS were brakes from Endless Racing Japan and over them a set of black 18-inch Advan RS-D. He jokes that he’s sorry that his car isn’t “stance-blog friendly” but does indicate that it is corner-balanced and floating high for function. In the cockpit is more Japanese goodness that he’s accumulated over time. Some are more traditional mods like the Bride Vorgas seats with matching custom-wrapped Bride rear seats and panels, whereas other people are recent additions like the less-commonly procured Prodrive steering wheel/safety harness combo.

We might spend days just informing you how many rare items Jay has amassed over the last decade but it still wouldn’t do that Evo IX MR any justice. Like the owner(s), the car has a incredibly rich history and will be invaluable to the fellow enthusiasts that had a chance to see it personally. You’d be lucky to have the prospect of seeing it nowadays since it rarely sees an event of any sort. Jay will remove it for a cruise to run errands but which is only just for giving the motor a quick jog round the block. Besides that, it takes in the life of a recluse like its owner. The times of the import scene may have changed, but the old hermit dog walker never will. He’s slowly been hoarding rare Japanese parts for his newest J-inspired project, a Scion FR-S-but you’ll probably never see that thing either.

The Netherlands, more commonly referred to as Holland, resides northwest of Germany in Europe and has a population that nearly doubles that of New York City. The national motto translated to English means, I will hold firm. A less refined translation is stubborn. And that is exactly what Remco Postma fromNetherlands and Amsterdam, is; stubborn. To be able to break in the mold of local builds, he chose to build a USDM-spec hatchback with the majority of his parts from companies located in the United States and Japan.

Remco purchased a variety of USDM parts and accessories for his previous Civic with all the mind-set of why not start off USDM? His plans for his EJ6, purchased from a neighborhood shop, weren’t very complex. Many discussions occurred about the possibilities on popular Honda forums, although basics like suspension and fresh paint were in order. Dreams of high-revving, neck-breaking activities would eventually become reality, and also to get things underway, Remco crafted a parts list. In a short time he was staring at what might consume him and $35,000 over the the coming year. Limited parts availability and unreal shipping fees towards the Netherlands led toThis car proved to be quite the learning tool as Remco had installed bolt-on goods in the past, but never performed any complicated installations. He states very much of the information needed to complete each process was just a click away. A great deal of what I necessary to do, I came across online. From computer screen to garage was the norm as Remco chipped away at various parts of his build. As opposed to buying a complete harness, he modified his existing one with help from the web, then proceeded to tuck his brakes lines and other wires as well. Various portions of the engine bay were shaved and smoothed to get a cleaner overall look.

Of course, not everything could be done in his garage, and some needs were outsourced. An effective friend painted everything, as well as the exterior was given ample amounts of Roma Red. Many suspension parts were powdercoated white for contrast, and various items in the engine bay were paint matched too. Sneaky Tuning performed a number of the engine modifications and crucial tuning, while Lex Creations satisfied custom fabrication duties like the one-off breather tank. The rest of the build was completed at home, in Remco’s home garage.

At one point the project stalled and almost died as being the hatch moved into its final stages. With just a few minor parts needed, months had passed and the total wait time for these parts was nearing a year. As with any enthusiast would, Remco grew frustrated and impatient. He decided he was going to part out the Civic and start over. That is when Lex from Lex Creations became involved, offering to custom fabricate whatever was needed to complete the build. Essentially, friends gathered and motivated Remco to continue mainly because they wanted to view the current EJ6 through to completion.and also the leak issue needed to be fixed quickly. Two words come to mind when Remco recalls seeing the brake fluid dripping on the garage concrete: It sucked! The subframe was removed, along with the culprit was really a damaged AN fitting. Beyond the setbacks, the engine fired up on its first attempt, a significant accomplishment for someone with limited automotive experience. While the prices are steep, Remco prides himself on purchasing authentic parts. There are tons of knock-off parts around here. The shops are known for selling fake parts, etc., he explains. Two aspects that specifically get noticed to Remco are his Bisimoto exhaust manifold along with the extensive utilization of Mugen license plate bolts throughout the vehicle. To Remco’s knowledge, there are only a few Bisimoto exhaust manifolds from the Netherlands. Each time I open the hood, that part gets plenty of attention. The design and style, the performance, I just adore it. Again, authenticity is the reason he likes his Mugen license plate frame bolts, and he didn’t bother with cutting corners. I bought 24 packs of them, he laughs.

The build did not have an agenda. That’s what makes this story even more compelling. There was no desire for celebrity or fame, and Remco never thought his car would get as much as attention as it has. Public awareness was limited throughout the build. In fact, only a handful of friends even knew the project existed. For some, the story might not exactly add up here. Remco dropped major coin on a foreign car outfitted with authentic foreign parts, but why? The answer is simple, he built this car for himself.