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Posted
Nov 20 2009, 04:04 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 6 comment(s)
We've been running a lot of vintage Japanese car material this week, so I thought I'd add a high res wallpaper of the much-requested Hakosuka drift photo I snapped last year. Widescreen and standard versions available now in the Desktops section. Enjoy, and have a good weekend everyone! -Mike Garrett
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Posted
Nov 20 2009, 01:12 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 28 comment(s)
The first time I came across Shakotan Boogie was in a small used bookstore in Japan a few years ago. I had heard the comic mentioned before, so I was really excited getting a chance to pick up a few volumes of this cult-favorite of Japan's car enthusiasts. In the time since I've managed to collect about half the series from bookstores all over Japan, and even some here in LA. With this month's theme, it's a perfect time to take a quick look through the pages of Shakotan Boogie....
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Posted
Nov 20 2009, 09:46 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 25 comment(s)
Yes, people in Europe do fit airbags on cars besides VW's and Audis - case in point, Mike Neirinck's 2006 Mercedes W203. In case you aren't too familiar with Mercedes chassis codes, a W203 is second generation C-Class sedan. Mike is actually a master of all things air ride. Together with his cousins he owns a small company in Belgium dedicated to custom air ride kits. Being a fan of Mercedes cars, it was only natural that Mike chose one to serve as the company's demo car....
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Posted
Nov 19 2009, 04:26 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 7 comment(s)
Here's a couple video clips that "Sassy", the owner of the IMSA-styled SA22C RX7 sent to us.
Besides the sights and sounds of the RX7, you can also catch a glimpse of many other Japanese classics running on the famous Suzuka Circuit.
Thanks a lot, Sassy!
-Mike Garrett
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Posted
Nov 19 2009, 03:01 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 25 comment(s)
Back in September when I was at Billetproof 2009 in Antioch CA, I kept my eyes open for interesting low cars to spotlight this month. I found all manner of slammed customs and rods, but none were as crazy as the '59 Rolls Royce pictured above. Seeing the world's most prestigious luxury car and scraping the ground is one of those things that just grabs you, and I knew I had to include this sled in our monthly features....
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Posted
Nov 19 2009, 12:47 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 25 comment(s)
OK, now to wrap up my coverage from last weekend's Hellaflush III meet in Nor Cal. Was it really only five days ago? It seems like so much longer than that. Goes to show how crazy this month has been.
Anyways, on with the photos!...
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Posted
Nov 18 2009, 04:49 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 2 comment(s)
By popular demand, we've added some of Kevin Raekelboom's fantastic shots of the TUK Customs MK5 Golf to the Desktops section.
Head over there now to find two different shots available in both widescreen and standard formats.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Nov 18 2009, 03:12 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 34 comment(s)
Back in January when we did Mazda month, we ran a spotlight on this IMSA-styled SA22C RX7 out of Japan. At the time the car was done in semi-gloss black, but it's since been repainted in a glossy red. The guys from the 22C Works website sent us some photos of the remade car, and we knew for sure you guys would want to see them....
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Posted
Nov 18 2009, 01:18 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 36 comment(s)
I'm really missing Japan right now. I plugged in my external hard drive a bit ago to hunt for some lowdown car pictures and the memories came flooding back. Memories of Watanabes, SSR's, Solex carbs, and musical horns. We thought you guys might be getting a little tired of the late model flushed out cars we've been showing this month, and figured another gallery of retro JDM coolness can never be bad thing....
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Posted
Nov 17 2009, 06:42 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 35 comment(s)
Over the weekend we heard unconfirmed rumors that Chris Rado had driven his Scion tC into the 6's at Pomona, making it the first front-drive drag car ever to do so. There has been a little discrepancy regarding the time, but I just got off the phone with Chris who gave me the the quick rundown of what happened. With the car running faster than ever, and a solid coating of rubber on the track Chris laid down an astonishing 6.97 second ET during eliminations.
Unfortunately the incredible traction that the car had off the line caused the timing beams to misread the 60-foot time, technically making the ET "unofficial". Nonetheless, the complete 1/4 mile time is still legit by all accounts.
The drag racing was just part of Rado's wild week, which included record breaking time attack runs at both Buttonwillow and Fontana. He'll be posting a blog here soon with the story in his own words.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Nov 17 2009, 05:16 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 40 comment(s)
I don't think any sort of caption or comment can do justice to the beauty of this car.
This photo actually reminds me of a real life version of the Shakotan Boogie manga.
I'm thinking maybe I should do a story on the comic considering it fits right in with our theme this month?
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Nov 17 2009, 04:03 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 38 comment(s)
It's time for more coverage from Saturday's Hellaflush III meet in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was a bit surprised at the mostly positive reception the first post got, considering how this month's features have been polarizing the readers. Are the athletes and fashionistas (as termed by Rod) finally starting to get along?
Love it or hate it, here's some more flushness for you guys....
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Posted
Nov 17 2009, 11:13 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 33 comment(s)
We've seen all sorts slammed and stretched cars this month, and not without a doubt Volkswagens are one of the world's most common platforms for this sort of styling. In some cases it can get a bit dull seeing Golf after Golf lowered on BBS wheels, but every once in a while you see a car like this one. There's nothing outstanding of gimmicky about the car, but it still manages to stop you in your tracks. It could be the color, the ride height, or the precise fitment of the wheels, but this MK5 Golf owned by Chris Peacock of Scotland manages to stand out from a very crowded field....
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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
Nov 16 2009, 02:31 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 61 comment(s)
In the days leading up to my NorCal trip over the weekend, my friends and family would ask me what I was heading up there for.
"I'm going to check out a car meet", I would say.
"Oh, What kind of car meet?"
"The Hellaflush meet".
"The what?"...
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Posted
Nov 16 2009, 11:45 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 15 comment(s)
The 2009 American time attack season is now behind us. Following the Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow on Wednesday, the Redline Time Attack series wrapped up their season at California Speedway over the weekend. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get out to Fontana for myself, as I was up in the Bay Area for the Hellaflush meet. You can expect some Hellaflush coverage later today, but first I'm going to finish my Super Lap coverage from Buttonwillow....
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Posted
Nov 13 2009, 03:15 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 26 comment(s)
Yesterday we took a look at a custom '67 Camaro from Japan, and now it's time to look at another SEMA Camaro of slightly different type - the Grunewald Racing drift Camaro. It was only a matter of time before someone took to drifting the big Chevy, and Conrad Grunewald will be doing just that next year in Formula Drift. The car was built by a shop called BR Racing, and by all appearances it looked ready for action at SEMA. This thing is far the from the mock-up that most "new" drift cars start as....
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Posted
Nov 13 2009, 01:08 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 17 comment(s)
Hey, I thought November was supposed to be the off-season for car events? With SEMA, the VIP Festival, and Wednesday's Super Lap Battle, it's been a busy week of Speedhunting for me - and it's not over yet. Later this afternoon I'll be hitting the road towards NorCal for tomorrow's Hella Flush meet in Milpitas. Before I leave, I thought I'd post some more Buttonwillow Super Lap coverage for you guys....
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Posted
Nov 13 2009, 10:48 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 32 comment(s)
Four or five years ago, I was at the SEMA Show when I saw a black VIP Style Y33 Infiniti Q45 in the Falken booth. As I looked at the car, I was wondering what the hell it was. Surely it was some sort of JDM-only luxury car imported for the show. Only after a closer look did I realize it was a USDM Q45. Up until this point I'd never seen a modified Y33 in the flesh. With it's stock wheels and suspension, this model Q45 could almost be mistaken for a Mercury or a Buick, but as I found out, a few simple changes completely transform this car.
That brings to me this ultra-sexy Q45 I spotted at the Autofashion meet last weekend....
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Posted
Nov 12 2009, 05:08 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 20 comment(s)
After reading John Leigh's blog earlier today about his Top Secret-built Infiniti, I figured I'd follow up with a similar story, yet in reverse. While John was able to have his JDM tuner car displayed at Tokyo Auto Salon, Akira Yamamoto of Kyoto, Japan had his prized '67 Camaro displayed last week at the SEMA Show. There's been tons of Japanese-built vehicles shipped stateside for a variety of reasons, but this is the first American muscle car that I can recall. As we walked around SEMA last week, I immediately recognized this car after seeing at Tokyo Auto Salon and in Custom Car, one of my favorite Japanese magazines....
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