Scott Fisher's "Roadster Roadtrip" Visits Nissan's PG     If you haven't heard of Scott Fisher and his 37,000+ mile roadtrip in a 1967 Datsun Roadster, then folks... you're missing out. This is not only a great car story, but a great, "human kind" story as well. I had the pleasure of meeting Scott face to face at the Nissan Proving Grounds where I work. (those of you thinking I work on MyRideisMe.com full time, thanks, you're too kind!)   It started as, "Clockwise around the country following the seasons" then evolved into a roadtrip where Scott woke up not even knowing where he'd go that day some mornings. Scott said, "The best experiences were the ones I didn't plan..." I love it!     Scott made his way to Nissan thanks to Dale Herseth. Dale's Nissan Arizona's resident Datsun freak. He sports the great looking "Datsoon" roadster below as well as a 620 pickup and a B210 as well. Dale reached out to Scott asking if he'd like to visit our proving grounds, meet everyone and have a look at our test facility. Scott realized quickly this is...

Rare 1968 Saab Sonett II makes up the base of this land speed record holder   The temperature is about 100 degrees, there’s no wind and what shade there is comes from an overhead tarp stretched from the side of a trailer. But Tom and Patti Donney are busy moving around their race car, methodically checking it over and getting ready for another trip to the starting line last August during Speed Week 2013.   Getting the couple to break away and actually sit down to talk about their passion for speed seems, well…awkward. You learn right away that Tom and Patti aren’t just talk. They DO. With no reservation.   The little ’68 Saab Sonett II sits at center stage of this passion that began just three short years ago and has culminated each of those three years during fabled Speed Week which happens each August on the Bonneville Salt Flats, a desolate, but perfectly flat expanse of salt outside Wendover, Utah.   A full cage and chassis was built to fit the Saab plastic body. (Phone camera photo)   The head is off the Sonett’s three cylinder...

The best Datsun Roadsters, 510's and Z's in Williams, AZ 3rd Annual Multi State Datsun Classic Wrap-up   Story and Pictures by Dale Herseth - All pictures from the Classic Datsun Show HERE   Dale already gave us a quick run-down of the event. If you missed that story here: 3rd Annual Multi State Datsun Classic. After that, I asked him to let us know who won and which cars he liked best. Thanks Dale!   Best of Show: Owners: Ryan and Shaunde Romaine Home town: Winchester, Ca Car: 1974 Datsun Bluebird-U SSS-E   This is a very rare car that was only built for the Japanese market.  In fact it was only built for approx 6 months in Japan.  Even though most Datsuns in 74 were carbureted, this car has factory fuel injection that feeds its L16 (1600cc) engine.  It was a very pristine car and deserving of Best in Show       1st place, 510 category Owners: Randy & Lisa Lewis Home town: Scottsdale, AZ Car: 1972 Datsun 510 Sedan   A very low mile example of a Datsun 510, with a unique story.  Randy purchased this car...

One of the best Datsun Car Shows in little Williams, AZ 3rd Annual Multi State Datsun Classic Story and Pictures by Dale Herseth - All pictures from the Classic Datsun Show HERE   Over the weekend of Oct 4th- 5th, Datsuns from several states including Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington, New Mexico, Texas, Florida and even Mexico migrated to the small town of Williams in northwest Arizona for the “3rd Annual Multi State Datsun Classic” car show.  Williams is a perfect spot for the automotive enthusiast and is right in the heart of old Route 66!  The whole town really gets behind this event and offers discounts at many food establishments as well as souvenir shops.   This year there were approx 80 classic Datsuns in attendance and it’s growing every year.  The organizers of this show are SOCALROC (Southern California Roadster Owners Club) and www.nostalgicdatsun.com.  They do a fantastic job putting on this event which is no small task.  They had T-shirts, dash plaques, awards, raffle prizes, and all the usual stuff that goes with any quality car show!   We drove up from Gilbert on Friday and stayed at a...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

Rat Rod BMW from Stanceworks Go ahead, click to Zoom, right click, Set as Desktop Background like I did today.  Go ahead, I'll wait... Mike Burroughs is the man behind the website/forum/blog STANCEWORKS, a site dedicated to cars with seriously low stance.  Their motto or slogan is "Low is a Lifestyle".  Mike is definitely livin' low.  His 1980's 5 series BMW you see here is his personal ride, and canvas.  If this isn't My Ride is Me, then I might as well just click Start-Shut Down and go to bed.  I'm giving this... this car, the name Bimmer Bomber. Its one of those cars that is meant to stir up people's opinions.  Love it or Hate it, there aren't many cars around that can piss off so many car guys, while at the same time, making others stand up and applaud.  Hmm... sound like the rat rod movement to anyone? Being a World War II fan, I see those tiger shark teeth and think warbird.  Since this car is German built, I personally thought about the German fighter planes like this Messerschmitt ME-109 pictured above.  This is what made me think of the name Bimmer...

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...