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Posted
Feb 08 2012, 05:30 PM
by
Charles Kha
with 45 comment(s)
The Australian Touring Car Championship was an old stomping ground of Nissan's R32 Skyline GT-R; a car that local media quickly dubbed Godzilla. However it's utter domination of the ATCC series came to an end in 1993 when the governing body changed its Class A regulations. The GT-R was outlawed, paving the way for an exclusive Ford vs Holden V8 battle. 20 years on and Nissan have announced they will return to the V8 Supercars series in 2013. The Kelly Racing team will field four Nissans next...
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Posted
Feb 03 2012, 01:00 AM
by
Charles Kha
with 61 comment(s)
During last year's World Time Attack Challenge I bumped into Andrew Brilliant, a well known aerodynamicist from Yokohama, Japan. Andrew has developed aero for not only high profile time attack cars, but also for Super GT, GRAND-AM Rolex and American Le Mans. One of his recent projects caught our attention: this impressive, all-carbon bodied Evo known as Nemo. ...
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Posted
Feb 02 2012, 06:10 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 27 comment(s)
While visiting 101 Motorsport I came across something that is quite unusual: this Suzuki Carry. Produced in Japan as a Kei truck, they rolled out of showrooms with an 82hp, 1.3 litre motor. This particular example however, has been completely revamped. Work Equip 03s are popular wheels, but not on trucks like this. Owner Anthony opted for 15x8-inch -29 Equips for the rear, which required custom-made metal fenders. The fronts are slightly narrower at 7-inches wide with a +2 offset. The body-kit package...
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Posted
Jan 24 2012, 01:30 PM
by
Charles Kha
with 34 comment(s)
Many of you will be familiar with Easton Chang, the automotive photographer whose work regularly graces magazine covers and manufacturer advertisements. However, what few realise is the fact that Easton is self-taught and self-made. Through years of hard work and dedication to his art, Easton has gone from a nobody to one of the established photographers, and has claimed a staggering number of awards along the way. I first worked with Easton some eight years ago when I was the Editor of ASM, and...
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Posted
Jan 02 2012, 03:30 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 43 comment(s)
JZX 100s are rare sightings in Australia, particularly those of the modified variety. However at a local JDMST meet I uncovered this black and gold Mark II example. Outputting 380hp at the wheels, this is Queenslander Keiran Ryan's clean daily driver. We woke up at 3am on a cool summer's morning for this photoshoot just beyond the Wivenhoe Dam in Queensland, Australia. Black cars can be tricky to shoot, but this secluded single lane road, combined with the morning sunrise, proved to be a...
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Posted
Dec 30 2011, 09:00 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 9 comment(s)
Time to finish up my selection of Pix of the Year with this third part, which spans from September all the way to this month. I've been through quite a journey this year, I've met wonderful people, sampled and shot incredible cars, attended some epic events and learned so much in the process. 2012 will be an even richer experience I'm sure, and I'm already getting excited about all that is coming up, starting from next month. All the best for the New Year from Japan! (Above) Lotus...
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Posted
Dec 27 2011, 04:00 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 9 comment(s)
For my second part of Photos Of The Year I've stepped away from Japan's car scene to focus more on what is in my own backyard - Australia. Lexus LFA, Lexus HQ, Sydney, Australia First of all I'll be starting with a handful of images from our ultra productive trip to Sydney for the World Time Attack Challenge. It was a great privilege to be able to shoot the Lexus LFA at their Sydney HQ. Mad Mike's Red Bull Team NFS FD3S RX-7, Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, Australia Another great...
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Posted
Dec 23 2011, 07:00 AM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 83 comment(s)
With so much hype around the new Toyota 86/Scion FR-S, it seemed fitting for me to pay a visit to an impressive example of the original AE86. Owned by Australian Seamus Eldershaw, this Trueno coupe has received plenty of tender loving care over the years. The gorgeous Toyota chassis was purchased in Japan just over 12 months ago on Yahoo Auctions and imported onto Australian soil. It's previous owner had garaged the Trueno for its entire life, so it was certainly a good base for Seamus to start...
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Posted
Dec 20 2011, 07:05 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 21 comment(s)
Here is my second selection of shots from 2011, taken from the beginning of May till the end of August. There is no particular order in the way they are laid out, so just scroll down and enjoy. (Above) Fuji-san as seen from the top of the Hakone Toyo Tires Turnpike, Hakone, Shizuoka-ken, Japan: taken after blasting up the famous stretch of road, previously known as the Hakone Turnpike, in a nimble little Caterham. My BNR34, Type One, Takaido, Tokyo, Japan: One of the Type One mechanics takes my BNR34...
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Posted
Dec 17 2011, 07:00 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 55 comment(s)
World Time Attack Challenge saw some of the greatest time attack machines arrive on Australian shores to do battle. And next year's event - which will take place at Eastern Creek on 10-11th August - promises to be just as enticing. Work has already begun on WTAC 2012, with the organisers flying to Japan to open discussions with the various teams. Question is, who would you like to see at next year's event?
-Casey
...
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Posted
Dec 07 2011, 12:30 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 27 comment(s)
In Australia, the Ford Falcon has a longstanding rivalry with the Holden Commodore. Both cars are locally-built, four door family cars with the V8 variants drawing fiercely loyal followings. A few years ago Ford Australia released the XR6T (a Falcon in a 6 cylinder turbo guise) that, while offending some of the diehard V8 fans, quickly became known for being potent in the power stakes. Just how potent? Put it this way, the unassuming black Falcon you see here has run the quarter in 8.48 @ 165mph...
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Posted
Dec 06 2011, 05:30 PM
by
Charles Kha
with 10 comment(s)
Our readers from Australia and New Zealand would be familiar with Shane Van Gisbergen, one of the rising stars in the V8 Supercars series. For others, he's probably best known for his drifting victory lap. At last weekend's Sydney Telstra 500 - the final round of the V8 Supercars championship - the 22 year old New Zealander once again demonstrated his daredevil antics. This time around it occured while trying to snatch third place on the last corner of the final lap.
- Charles Kha
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Posted
Dec 06 2011, 08:10 AM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 39 comment(s)
This diminutive Datsun 1600 may appear relatively stock, but looks can be deceiving. Owned by Australian Brock, it has seen a host of modifications that transform the 1600 into a rather serious street car. Beneath the hood you'll find a late model SR20DET conversion. Brock has fitted Stage II camshafts, valve springs, rocker arm stoppers and 740cc injectors. Hanging beneath this 6Boost manifold... ...Is a low mounted GT2871R, which helps this 1600 produce a healthy 345.2hp at the rear wheels...
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Posted
Dec 05 2011, 10:30 AM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 35 comment(s)
You may remember that I came across quite a few GT-Rs during my visit to Australian car builders Mercury Motorsport. And out of all of them - ranging from R32s to R35s - this one in particular deserved a closer look. This is a gorgeous example of a cleanly modified, road registered R32 GT-R - which just so happens to produce 675hp at four wheels. That power comes courtesy of a Tomei Genesis crate motor that is stroked to 2.8 litres and running on E85 fuel. The twin turbo setup has been replaced with...
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Posted
Nov 28 2011, 02:45 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 26 comment(s)
It's not every day that you come across a Mazda 3 like this. While the 3 may be a popular Japanese family car, they're certainly few and far between when it comes to the drag strip. Initially, owner Kurt Scott only wanted a quick street car. But as is often the case, one thing led to another... ...And his 2005 SP23 became a focused drag car. Enlisting the help of Australian car builders Mercury Motorsport, Scott's Mazda was put on a strict weight diet and given a healthy dose of horsepower...
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Posted
Nov 23 2011, 01:15 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 37 comment(s)
During my six years of photographing cars in Australia I've come across some passionate people, one of them being Trent Whyte from Mercury Motorsport. This family owned business, located in the Brisbane suburb of Wilston, started back in 2004. Over the years, Mercury Motorsport established a strong reputation for building a variety of potent street and race cars. Walking into the front entrance you are greeted by a number of trophies. Auto Salon's Tough as Nails award... ...Along with a number...
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Posted
Nov 09 2011, 06:15 PM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 26 comment(s)
A few nights ago, Australian forum JDM Style Tuning teamed up with Downshift to hold a meet in Brisbane drawing an impressive turnout. The meet was held in the parking lot of a small shopping centre, north of Brisbane's CBD. These meets have strict rules against burnouts and other anti-social behaviour to avoid any unwanted attention. A modified Toyota Hiace is not something you tend to see on Australian roads. The number of cars that continued to roll in provided non-stop entertainment. This...
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Posted
Oct 31 2011, 11:00 AM
by
Casey Dhnaram
with 39 comment(s)
Our Street Cars & Sleepers month is coming to a close, but we still have some impressive cars coming your way. Take for example, Zico Tran's K20A-powered Civic. With the assistance of JDMyard, the idea behind this Civic was to create a balanced all-rounder; a car versatile enough to be used on the street as well as the occasional track foray. And although drag racing was never high on their agenda, a recent experiment at WSID saw this EK street car cover the quarter mile in the 12s. I have...
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Posted
Oct 31 2011, 09:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 35 comment(s)
It was only right that among all of the stunning cars that we shot during our Sydney trip, that one of them at least was going to be Australian. The Aussies know a thing or two about modifying cars, that's for sure, but having seen plenty of stunning Japanese and European rides it was time for something a little different. It was thanks to Ian Baker over at Hi Octane Racing that we came to hear of a legendary, freshly rebuilt classic Holden... ...a true Australian car, that hides a little something...
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Posted
Oct 31 2011, 02:00 AM
by
Matt Malcolm
with 16 comment(s)
Thus far we've shown you AP's carbon-bodied turbo Lotus along with his 650hp Golf sleeper . Judging by those two rather extreme street cars, it's not surprising that his family runaround has an equally twisted personality. Gone is its 1.4 litre motor and front-wheel drive transmission; in its place is a turbo six-cylinder and AWD. AP's Golf wagon started life as a front-wheel drive 1.4L TSI, the type of car that's perfect for ferrying the family around. All of the original badging...
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