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Posted
Nov 16 2009, 04:25 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 14 comment(s)
I've posted quite a few Honda compacts and vans over the past couple weeks, so I figured it was time to show some Toyota love. In this case we have a JDM Toyota Vitz (aka Yaris) modified in a European style. This Euro style seems to getting more popular in Japan, with owners applying VW and Audi style modifications to their domestic cars. In this case the Vitz has some subtle body mods and is dropped on 17x8 and 17x8.5 RH ZW1 wheels with 195/40/17 tires.
The result is a unique combination of Japanese and European automotive tastes.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Oct 29 2009, 02:32 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 17 comment(s)
Found this really cool photo on the Noblesse offical site, taken before a huge nationwide Honda Fit meeting in Japan earlier this month.
Noblesse never fails to impress, whether it's with their sexy dress-up builds or their track cars.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Sep 21 2009, 11:03 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 13 comment(s)
It's been a long time coming, but Mazda has finally announced that the Mazda2 (or the Demio as it's known in Japan) is USA-bound. According to Mazda, the 2 will go on sale stateside in late 2010 and will be priced below the Mazda3. The Demio's Euro-like styling always caught my eye on the streets of Japan, and I can't wait to see them over here. The car in the photo above is the Demio tuned by Auto Craft Kyoto at the '08 Tsukuba Super Battle.
Hmmm...is it time to make plans for a new daily driver?
-Mike Garrett
Source: GT Channel ...
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Posted
Aug 13 2009, 02:45 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 19 comment(s)
I've been noticing quite a few Nissan Cubes driving on the highways here in California recently. Every time I see one the road, I think about how cool it would look with some proper wheels and good stance. This Z12 Cube dropped low on what look to be SSR Professor MS1R's shows just how nice these things can look when done right. Found on Minkara of course. I'm interested to see if there's going to be any of these on display at SEMA this year... -Mike Garrett
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Posted
May 27 2009, 12:14 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 11 comment(s)
While browsing through Kevve's photos, one of the cars that drew some interest was this Mk5 Golf 5-door. On the outside, the car looks great. It's dropped low on an RRAS air ride system and has a set of 18" Golf 6 replica wheels that nicely fill the fenders. Besides the suspension, wheels, and a bit of light body work, the car remains a stock 1.6L Golf capable of sipping fuel on the way to work and back. There wasn't quite enough "meat" to do a full feature on this car, so we figured just sharing this one photo would do.
This month we've been seeing a lot of VW's that some might label "all show and no go", so I'm curious to hear what you guys think about that. Are stock-motored cars bad? Is it OK if they don't go for the "race car" look? Or does it even matter at all? ...
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Posted
Apr 08 2009, 11:45 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 26 comment(s)
Besides all the motorsport action going on this month, the auto show circuit is rolling on with the New York Auto Show this week. I've been keeping an eye on the news coming out of New York, and one of the cars I thought was worth a post here is the Scion iQ Concept. This concept is of course based on the Toyota iQ which is already on sale in Europe and Japan. There haven't been any details released on a production version of the iQ for the US market, but this particular car is the most heavily modified iQ I've seen yet....
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Posted
Mar 19 2009, 11:51 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 10 comment(s)
The ultra-compact Toyota iQ has long been rumored to become part of Toyota's US lineup, and it looks like we might be getting some official word on this at the New York Auto Show next month. The iQ won't actually be sold in the United States as a Toyota, but as the latest addition to the Scion line. Scion hasn't released any specs on the USDM version of the iQ yet, but their press release says they will be showing a "micro sub-compact" concept, which is exactly what the iQ is. According to Scion's press release, "the concept reflects Scion's youthful image and represents a new segment for the brand aimed toward the growing urbanization trend"....
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Posted
Mar 07 2009, 01:45 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 19 comment(s)
Last weekend I was in Ginza with some friends when I spotted this Nissan Tiida hatchback sitting low on a set of BBS LM wheels. You hardly ever see fixed up Tiidas on the street, so I was glad to have my camera with me at the time.
If the Tiida car looks familiar, that's because it's basically the same thing as the Nissan Versa in the United States. People are always modifying Honda Fits and Scions, but why not these cars?
Hmm...how many of you are going to be searching for Versas on Craigslist after seeing this pic?
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Mar 02 2009, 06:33 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 7 comment(s)
If you've been reading Speedhunters for a while, then you might remember that I did a short story about Toyota's "Megaweb" in Odaiba last year. In case you haven't heard of it, Megaweb is a huge showroom where you can check out the latest Toyota models and even test drive them around a special course that's setup outside. It's a worthy stop for any car enthusiast who's visiting Tokyo.
With it being Toyota month and all, I figured it would be a good time to take another trip to Megaweb to see if there was anything new. Visiting Megaweb is also a great way to get a look at Toyota's current JDM car lineup. ...
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Posted
Feb 07 2009, 08:18 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 14 comment(s)
Ah yes, hybrid cars. When thinking about Speedhunters content, hybrids are probably one of the last things that come to mind, but there's no way you can ignore these things. The idea of hybrid "tuning" may seem a bit strange right now, but there was time not too long ago when using an "economy car" like a Honda Civic for anything but basic transportation would get you some strange reactions. Toyota's Prius may the most popular hybrid right now, but Honda has been in the game for a while, with the original Honda Insight being one of the world's first hybrid production cars. Now Honda has just released an all new Insight, and the guys at Mugen have already started tweaking it....
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Posted
Jan 19 2009, 08:49 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 25 comment(s)
I suppose the fact that I still have fresh material to post from Tokyo Auto Salon shows just how big of an event it really is. I have just one or two TAS posts left, and in this one I'll go over some of the compact and kei cars from this year's show. Just like the vans, to pass up these cars would mean overlooking a big part of the show. Whether it's strange conversions or VIP style keis, there was something to suit just about anyone's taste. This year also saw the debut of the Toyota iQ, which is likely to become a popular choice for budget-minded enthusiasts around the world....
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Posted
Nov 19 2008, 10:00 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 14 comment(s)
Nissan has just debuted its redesigned second generation Cube in Japan, and though that might not like sound like a big deal to people outside of Japan, the new Cube will also be sold in the US starting next year. It will join the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Scion xB as another entry in the fuel efficient compact wagon segment. The car retains all the funky features of the original Cube and should be similar in size to the original Scion xB....
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Posted
Jun 16 2008, 03:31 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 10 comment(s)
"Crazy" is probably not a word you would use to describe modern day Toyota, yet that is just what they have decided to call their latest concept vehicle. After reading a little more about this car, I do have to say the label definitely fits. The Toyota Aygo Crazy is based on the Aygo minicar that is sold in Europe, and you can get an idea of how far they have gone with this concept when you see the "Crazy" parked next to the standard Aygo......
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Posted
Jun 05 2008, 11:30 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 17 comment(s)
Four Honda Fits in the paddock at the Tsukuba 1000 course during the Mugen Circuit Challenge. These are nowhere near as the extreme as the J's Racing Fit I featured earlier, but even in mostly stock form the Fit makes more a fun track car that can get 35mpg and carry a ton of stuff. I think cars like the Fit, Vitz/Yaris, Suzuki Swift, and Mazda Demio are going to continue to grow in popularity for a long time. Stuff like this gets a thumbs up from me. Are you guys interested in seeing more tuned...
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