Stylish Clubman Mini Cooper S It's always important to salute the patrons in the automotive community who devote their entire lives to perfecting their skill. I stumbled upon Mr. Richard Lin while searching for a high horsepowered Mini Cooper. It turns out Richard is currently voted Orange County California's best car detailer and his business is starting to take off. We exchanged a few emails and unfortunately, he had informed me that the Mini has been sold. However, he did acquire a new Clubman Mini S, with a few streetable mods (nothing crazy like his last ride) so i decided to pay him a visit. Gloomy skies and showers are rare in Southern California, but with my luck, its nothing out of the ordinary. The photo shoot had to be relocated inside his detail bay, where I noticed his newly acquired airbag lift. Richard was very friendly and showed me around, and by his personality I can tell that he's a very intelligent detailer who was even knowledgeable about chemical properties and their effects on paint surfaces. This story isn't some shameless plug to promote his business, it's an...

AE86 with 4AG 20V - Japanese Classic Car Don't you hate it when the first thing someone asks you about your car is "How much power does it have?" I really wish that someday, someone would come up and ask me instead, "How much does your car weigh?" Without getting too in-depth about technical power-weight ratio and its applications to various motorsports, it simply means that the lighter the car, the better. Said another way, it basically doesn't matter if you have 1000HP if the car weighs 10,000lbs. It's all about power to weight ratio in this game! Of course, many other factors come into play, depending on the type of racing you're doing too, but to a certain extent- higher horsepower combined with a lightweight chassis is usually the way to go. The AE86 is a code name for a 1985~87 Toyota Corolla GTS, which came in a front engine, rear wheel drive configuration. Because of this layout, the car became immensely popular for racing, typically in road racing, rally, and drifting. These cars are on their way to becoming classics (if they're not already) and sure enough,...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show - For the First Time Ring-ring~ Friday night: A text message pops up on my beat up iphone and to my surprise, its Pikesan from MyRideisMe.com. It turns out that he's currently in California to cover the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona for the weekend! He asks if I'm interested in coming down to the show, and without any hesitation I kindly accept the invitation. Honestly, domestic American cars are not really my thing, but I do share an equal amount of respect for automobiles of all kinds so I start packing my gear. I've been to many domestic (American) car shows, but nothing to this caliber, some cars weren't even classics, they were antiques! Lined up in front of me by the hundreds were some of the worlds most beautiful historical customs of all genres. Upon entry, my jaw just drops. Not only were some of the masterpieces displayed worth more than what some people will make in 10 years, but the quality of the work was without a doubt, world class. And, its safe to say that the majority of the...

Gymkhana Racing in California Invitational only! This means that only professional race car drivers of various disciplines were invited for a no holds barred gymkhana match at Mr. Block's home field, Toyota Speedway in Irwindale CA. The tire smoke has finally settled after the first ever competition style Gymkhana Grid event on December 4th 2010. The word around the digital informational highway is that the internationally hyped up event had definitely lived up to its expectations and best of all, it looks as though everyone, especially the drivers had waaay too much fun out there! Professional driver, Xgames champion, Top Gear USA host and renaissance man Tanner Foust was killing it out there with his Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta. Congratulations to Foust, as he managed to score 1st place podium in the AWD class, above Ken Block at his own event! The final battle was a heated one... it was a test of pure skill and gracefulness to pilot their race cars around the track without any mistakes. The drifters seemed to rule the event, as Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire Nissan 240SX grabbed the RWD 1st place...

AE86 Track Day in Cali Held by an organization called Drift Association, a time trial event dedicated just for the Toyota Corolla AE86 was held at the Streets of Willow track at Willow Springs International Raceway. The Toyota Corolla GT-S versions from 1984~1987 were stamped with a chassis code of AE86, and in Japan they are labeled as Trueno and Levin with different variations of front fascias. These cars have attained a sort of cult-like following mainly because of a popular Japanese Anime series "Initial-D" which features the underpowered (and underestimated) Corolla whipping the arse of some high horsepowered cars. The light weight and FR (front engine, rear wheel drive) layout of the AE86 is also a key factor of the car's appeal since the AE86's FR layout is favored by just about every sportscar driver. One of the biggest figures popularizing the AE86 is a Japanese professional race car driver named Keiichi Tsuchiya. AKA: "Drift King" Drift King's vehicle of choice that he swears are the best engineered cars include Sprinter Trueno and the Honda NSX. There are videos and stories that document his undefeated N2 race version Trueno, which...

Gymkhana Racing - The Next Big Thing? Gymkhana may sound like a name of some small third world country, but its actually a type of auto racing that's beginning to take solid shape in the United States. With the popularity and influence gained from Autocross, Drifting, and Rally racing, Gymkhana's attempting to be the next big motorsport trend for the coming years. Currently, there is one man in the United States that holds the key to the sport's popularity votes, and it seems as though he's on the right track. Ever heard of the Rally driver Ken Block? [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC6eHZ1qeys[/youtube] Ken Block has all the tools he needs to make Gymkhana a success and perhaps even re-write the entire definition of the sport.  So far, with huge corporate backing from DC Shoes/Monster/Ford, Ken Block's Gymkhana videos have made the list as some of the most viewed, viral video in the entire world simply because car stunts are awesome to watch. The automobile acrobatics, cinematography, creative editing, the sounds, all in HD goodness!! I suggest going to Full screen mode, crank up the sound, and enjoy the intensity of what a...

Datsun 521 Japanese Classic Truck Red. The iconic color of the Ferrari supercars. Next to yellow, it stands out as one of the most targeted vehicle colors by the police, perhaps because the notoriety of the Ferrari's? But wait, what if the red was on a car that wasn't really a car, but on an old small displacement truck? It takes a special breed of an auto enthusiast to maintain a pre-70s automobile in tip-top running condition. Luckily enough here in California where the air is dry and the skies are sunny 355 days out of a year, rust isn't really a problem. Miko (pronounced Mee-koh) can only be described as a rockstar of the Little Saigon Community, and a stranger to no one in the area. He knows the best places to eat, to party, to drink, or just relax and have a cup of Cafe Su Da. Miko works hard but plays harder and as an entrepreneur, his prime responsibilities include owning and managing his own hair studio. His 1969 Datsun 521 1300 truck is the purest example of his lively and positive personality. There's nothing standing...

Time Attack Racing Wrap-up November 14th 2010- Another intense Redline Time Attack season comes to an end at the Autoclub Speedway in Fontana California.  The NASCAR Sprint Cup course has a killer top speed oval bank exit at 160mph and beyond, followed by high speed apex, chicane, and treacherous maneuvers. This season, numerous records have been broken as well as the dreams of podium finishes for many of the teams that were competing. With many of the modern Japanese imports such as R35 GTR, Mitsubishi Evo X, and even Hyundai Genesis competing in this series, every year is a step up in terms of excitement and technological advancements in the automobile tuning world. Hats off to driver Jeff Westphal of GST Motorsports piloting the Impreza for the new track record of 1:35.548 and placing 1st in the Super Modified AWD class. There were only a handful of Super Modified AWD vehicles left standing in the finals, nevertheless, the COBB Tuning R35 GTR driven by Brian Lock (1:37.548) has placed second and made an astounding presence in the US time attack industry today. Third place for this class was Trent...

Datsun 510 and Datsun 280Z Japanese Classics Graphic designer extraordinaire by trade, and a Datsun devotee by lifestyle, a guy who others refer to as, "Goki" is the epitome of a true enthusiast who appreciates the modernized ride of a nostalgic approach. Goki's Datsun 510 wagon and Nissan Fairlady 280Z haven't necessarily undergone any flawless restoration processes, nor does it run sub-10 second quarter mile times or anything crazy like that. The modifications presented upon these vehicles fit within the parameters of what is efficient in his car lifestyle, both in terms of the daily driven aspect and budget. Sure, there's small discrepancies such as rust on the undercarriage as well as loose electrical wires here and there; these qualities are not always noted as negative but instead gives unique character that solidifies the intended purpose of the vehicle. A little history lesson without being too lackluster; Datsun started as DAT Motorcar Co. in 1931 with "DAT" a simple acronym made up from the first letter of the names from the three founding fathers of the company.  However, soon after they were acquired by the Nissan Motor Co. their...

Mazda Rotary Engine Car Show Every year the rotary gearheads gather from all over the globe to attend the so called "Biggest rotary show in the world" at SEVENSTOCK 2010 at the Mazda North America Headquarters in Irvine, California. Since the release of the RX-8, its uncertain what rotary engine equipped vehicle will be produced after the RX-8, and perhaps events like the Sevenstock are an attempt to show Mazda corporate that the Wankel rotary spirit is still going strong.  Sevenstock is also more of a niche venue than your ordinary assembly of piston loving enthusiasts... rotary engines have a special type of bond that adheres to any car loving person. Why is this? Perhaps its the attraction to the free spinning bumble bee rumble, or the simple nature of the compact displacement that drops into almost any type of chassis? Regardless of the reason, it's a legendary engine that's made an immense footprint in the automobile world. The latest of Mazda's rotary creations, the RX-8 were in full effect. The Renesis is a naturally aspirated rotary engine engineered for performance as well as fuel efficiency, but most importantly,...

Evo X Mitsubishi Performance With the turn of the global economy and the effects it had on the automobile industry, one must ask; who actually gets sponsored these days? In these hard times, its a meaningless question to pursue; however sponsorships are directly related to the exposure and good brand image of the company. The life of Jason Macgill's EVO builds actually started as a plain sponsorship from Tomei Powered, the engine specialists. This relationship was mainly fueled by Macgill's undying pursuit of maintaining the positive status of the company, and actually carried the burden of proper representation of a 40 year old brand image.  Over the years, Tomei Powered recognized that Macgill was no ordinary enthusiast, but one that devoted his valuable time for the success of the company. The Mitsubishi  EVO X was immediately acquired at the US release date, even before some hit the dealer lots. Then began the networking to various Japanese companies such as Voltex, Colt Speed, and even Ralliart since these companies were already producing aftermarket performance parts for this fresh chassis. Sure the car looks pretty with its body kit and carbon...