Speedhunters » Car Features

GERMAN HEART, JDM SOUL: PLATTE FORME’S Z4M

Sean Klingelhoefer — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:30:45 +0000

It was once said that as a general rule of thumb when building a car, it’s best to stick with aftermarket parts that match its country of origin. A Japanese car is usually best when equipped parts from that country’s tuning shops, a European car is made best by parts form Europe and an American [...]

The post GERMAN HEART, JDM SOUL: PLATTE FORME’S Z4M appeared first on Speedhunters.

URBAN DISTURBANCE: A 13B-PP SMOKE MACHINE

Brad Lord — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:45:19 +0000

I can hear Robbie Longley’s Mazda wagon, as I’m sure anyone else in a couple of miles radius can too, but I can’t see it. A few seconds ago he had flicked the switch marked LINE LOCK and stepped on the gas. Now all I see is white, and all I can taste is the [...]

The post URBAN DISTURBANCE: A 13B-PP SMOKE MACHINE appeared first on Speedhunters.

JR’S DRAGSTER: ONE BAD HOMBRE

Larry Chen — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:00:57 +0000

We’ve already shown you that Randy Winkle and crew can build a mean Front Engine Dragster, a gangster ’57 Chevy Gasser and even an oddball Opel Kadett. When some of the Speedhunters crew arrived at Famoso Speed Shop last month they stumbled upon a treasure trove of feature material; so they did what they do best and [...]

The post JR’S DRAGSTER: ONE BAD HOMBRE appeared first on Speedhunters.

TRIPLE ROTOR BUZZ: HUGO DRIFT AE85

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:47 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated with the love our antipodean friends seem to have for the rotary engine. It’s not so much a passing interest, oh no, they’ve developed quite the affliction with the buzzing Wankel. Our first trip to Australia in 2010 is where we got our initial exposure of all things rotary, when we [...]

The post TRIPLE ROTOR BUZZ: HUGO DRIFT AE85 appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE MURDEROUS MOTOR: A 931BHP BMW E30 TURBO

Ben Chandler — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:17 +0000

I’m going to tell you something that you might find hard to swallow. This isn’t actually a car. It may have all the characteristics of an automobile: headlights, four wheels, doors and stuff, but this is not a car. What is it? It’s a WMD. A Weapon of Mass Destruction. You may think that the [...]

The post THE MURDEROUS MOTOR: A 931BHP BMW E30 TURBO appeared first on Speedhunters.

MEETING YOUR HEROES: THE MAGICIAN JZX110

Mike Garrett — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:00:29 +0000

What is it that makes a properly done drift car so cool? Take a look at the pink metalflake-covered Toyota Mark II pictured above and it becomes easy to figure out. Of course, this isn’t just any Mark II – this is the iconic Team Magician JZX110, one of the most recognizable drift cars in [...]

The post MEETING YOUR HEROES: THE MAGICIAN JZX110 appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE FAMOSO ’57: A LESSON IN STANCE AND STYLE

Keith Charvonia — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:04 +0000

This ’57 is the epitome of stance, and I don’t mean in a hellaflush or poked or whatever-other-name-someone’s-thought-of kinda way. Randy Winkle’s gasser has stance in such a way that it creates a presence. A presence strong enough that I made a beeline for it when I saw it at March Meet. I didn’t realize [...]

The post THE FAMOSO ’57: A LESSON IN STANCE AND STYLE appeared first on Speedhunters.

7-SECOND ITCH: THE GDS MOTORSPORT GT-R

Brad Lord — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:03 +0000

Motorsport is addictive. I probably don’t need to tell you that, but of all the codes out there I’m not sure than any fuel the fire of obsession quite like drag racing does. In a sport where success is often measured in one-hundredths of a second or less, that’s understandable of course. Consistency is one thing, [...]

The post 7-SECOND ITCH: THE GDS MOTORSPORT GT-R appeared first on Speedhunters.

SPACE KADETT: FAMOSO SPEED SHOP’S OPEL

Larry Chen — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:35:54 +0000

One of the most fascinating things about working as a Speedhunter is taking a look at the way different types of cars are interpreted across the world. A car with a massive following in one part of world might be virtually unknown in another – and that’s most certainly the case with Famoso Speed Shop’s [...]

The post SPACE KADETT: FAMOSO SPEED SHOP’S OPEL appeared first on Speedhunters.

D’CUSTOM FREAK VIP STYLE: BEE DRAGON MAJESTA

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Sat, 11 May 2013 10:30:16 +0000

It seems we can’t go more than a few months without indulging in some impossibly-Japanese VIP style. And once again it’s Bee Dragon that captivates our minds – a shop that has really made a pretty firm statement when it comes to defining its own take on things. Imamura-san has stepped as far away from [...]

The post D’CUSTOM FREAK VIP STYLE: BEE DRAGON MAJESTA appeared first on Speedhunters.

FAMOSO MOB: MEET THE GANGSTER OF DRAG RACING

Keith Charvonia — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:30:07 +0000

I was in full Speedhunting mode when I attended March Meet last month, scouring Famoso Raceway to bring you the best the nostalgia drag race world had on offer. Of course there were gobs of old school dragsters and gassers, but I was looking for that one special car that stopped me dead in my [...]

The post FAMOSO MOB: MEET THE GANGSTER OF DRAG RACING appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE ROSE BUD: NAGANO KOUBOU’S OTHER ONEVIA

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:23 +0000

Style is a funny thing, but more so is the speed at how people judge various interpretations of it. I think Nagano Koubou serves as the perfect example here, in particular the pink Onevia I posted last month following a quick tour of the little Kansai-based bodyshop. Over the last few years Masayoshi Nagano has been [...]

The post THE ROSE BUD: NAGANO KOUBOU’S OTHER ONEVIA appeared first on Speedhunters.

MGAWOT II: A 1500HP GT-R STREET CAR THAT RUNS 8S

Brad Lord — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:15:23 +0000

Getting a 3700lb (1675kg) Nissan Skyline GT-R down the strip in eight and a half seconds flat on its very first outing since an intensive, yet short lead build, is not any way, shape or form an easy proposition. But behind the wheel of MGAWOT II, New Zealand-based but internationally-renowned Nissan RB-series engine builder Robbie [...]

The post MGAWOT II: A 1500HP GT-R STREET CAR THAT RUNS 8S appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE DREAM CAR REALIZED: A SOCAL STYLE NSX

Mike Garrett — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:30:06 +0000

Since the beginning of the mass produced automobile, car makers have long sought to create a path of stepping stones with their car lineups. The idea is to catch car buyers at a young age with affordable entry level vehicles and have them stick with the brand as they move through their life. Few companies [...]

The post THE DREAM CAR REALIZED: A SOCAL STYLE NSX appeared first on Speedhunters.

SHORT ‘N SWEET: 440WHP 13B TURBO MAZDA COUPE

Brad Lord — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:30:14 +0000

When it comes to rotary tuning, the exploits of two countries at the bottom of the world need little introduction. For as long as I can remember the Australasian region has been home to some of the fastest, loudest, wildest and most innovative rotary-powered vehicles on the face of the planet, and there are no [...]

The post SHORT ‘N SWEET: 440WHP 13B TURBO MAZDA COUPE appeared first on Speedhunters.

RAT FINK’S ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE: THE VOLVO HEMIZON

Ben Chandler — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:10:48 +0000

Ok, I’m going to be completely straight with you. Before this shoot, I didn’t know a huge amount about gasser cars. So this was an incredibly cool experience. It also transpired pretty quickly that this wasn’t actually a gasser – simply a car that has elements of the style. Actually this car has lots of [...]

The post RAT FINK’S ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE: THE VOLVO HEMIZON appeared first on Speedhunters.

UNITED NATIONS OF CAR CULTURE: THE 1JZ CADDY

Paddy McGrath — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:15:59 +0000

As human beings, we’re constantly learning, questioning and gaining new knowledge of the things that we’re passionate about. For me, and no doubt you as well if you’re reading these words, that means every day I’m excited to learn more about car culture. Just over a week ago, Paddy and myself flew to Sweden’s capital, [...]

The post UNITED NATIONS OF CAR CULTURE: THE 1JZ CADDY appeared first on Speedhunters.

K-SWAPPED SCREAMER: AN ITR EVOLUTION

Brad Lord — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:30:10 +0000

When Honda cut the ribbon on the Integra Type R in late ’95 it introduced a game changer. Sure, the go-fast-grade Civics and CR-X that preceded the R-blooded DC2 had already got the wheels in motion for the Japanese car maker, but with its lightweight focused chassis, razor-sharp handing, and that oh-so-sweet, hand-assembled VTEC powerplant, [...]

The post K-SWAPPED SCREAMER: AN ITR EVOLUTION appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE THOROUGHBRED: FERRARI F40 LM

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:00:37 +0000

Wait a second. We’ve had our little Supercar theme and we haven’t even posted a Ferrari? Sacrilege! So, as one final treat to you, and knowing that we would be dedicating a few days to exotics of all sorts, there were a few pictures of one particular car from last weekend’s Ferrari Racing Days event [...]

The post THE THOROUGHBRED: FERRARI F40 LM appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE VANQUISH AND THE QUEST FOR TEA

Jonathan Moore — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:00:02 +0000

The premise was simple: an Aston Martin Vanquish, a posh manor house, a cup of tea and possibly a slice of cake. Matching up a modern classic with an appropriately refined backdrop, whilst getting an impression of how a sportscar like this drives – a car that Aston itself calls ‘the ultimate GT’. The company is [...]

The post THE VANQUISH AND THE QUEST FOR TEA appeared first on Speedhunters.

BLUE THUNDER: THE MASERATI MC12 CORSA

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:30:35 +0000

Simple question. If you were given the choice, what one ultimate driver’s car would you choose? Of course money would be no object, we are right in the middle of our Supercar Theme so it’s a time to not only look at some pretty wild cars, but also a time for us all to dream [...]

The post BLUE THUNDER: THE MASERATI MC12 CORSA appeared first on Speedhunters.

UNOBTAINIUM MAXIMUS: THE BUGATTI VEYRON

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:30:41 +0000

Unless you live in the Principality of Monaco, even seeing a Veyron out in the open is a rarity in itself. I’ve only ever spotted one on the streets of Tokyo, the rest only seen at motor shows. Ever since its introduction in 2005 it has redefined what hypercars are all about, offering never before [...]

The post UNOBTAINIUM MAXIMUS: THE BUGATTI VEYRON appeared first on Speedhunters.

SPEEDHUNTERS MEET THE MCLAREN F1 LM

Jonathan Moore — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:30:20 +0000

What do you do when you meet your hero? Do you talk to them, say hello, shoot the breeze, or stay at a distance, just hoping to catch their eye for a subtle sign of recognition? What if it’s an inanimate object, like the McLaren F1? Then things can get really weird… especially if other [...]

The post SPEEDHUNTERS MEET THE MCLAREN F1 LM appeared first on Speedhunters.

PICKING UP 7S: A 900WHP DATSUN DRAG UTE

Bryn Musselwhite — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:05:25 +0000

Big engines and big cars are kind of obvious huh? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good V8 and have owned more than a few. An Audi R8 with that V10 sat behind my head? All day, every day my friend. Yet if I’m honest I think my ego gets in the way sometimes. [...]

The post PICKING UP 7S: A 900WHP DATSUN DRAG UTE appeared first on Speedhunters.

USDM MEETS JDM: NAGANO KOUBOU ONEVIA

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:00:48 +0000

How about you take a form over function sort of car, and actually make it function? What would you have then? Is that even possible? Are these two terms not mutually exclusive? I apologize if I start a car feature with so many questions but this pink Nagano Koubou Onevia really does make you wonder about a [...]

The post USDM MEETS JDM: NAGANO KOUBOU ONEVIA appeared first on Speedhunters.

PLAYERS CLASSIC: SUPERCHARGED MK1 GOLF G60

Ben Chandler — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:27:15 +0000

Do you remember the first car magazine you ever bought? Mine was a copy of Mini World in 1996 and I remember it vividly. On the cover there was a really cool yellow racecar that was completely stripped-out and barely road legal. In fact, I’m not sure if it was road legal at all. It was [...]

The post PLAYERS CLASSIC: SUPERCHARGED MK1 GOLF G60 appeared first on Speedhunters.

TUNER ROOTS: THE GREDDY SCION FR-S

Larry Chen — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:15:10 +0000

As we head into Formula Drift’s 10th year of competition, it’s staggering to think about how far American professional drifting has come in that time. What started out as a strange new form of motorsport bred on the tracks and roads of Japan has become an entirely new animal. Pro drifting in 2013 is bigger, [...]

The post TUNER ROOTS: THE GREDDY SCION FR-S appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE NORWEGIAN’S HAMMER, UNVEILED

Sean Klingelhoefer — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:25:09 +0000

Can you believe it’s already April again? While I associate April first with my Speedhunters anniversary, for drift fans it means something much more exciting – the official start to the Formula D season. Long Beach is round one on the calendar and brings with it many highly anticipated build debuts. Today we’ll take a [...]

The post THE NORWEGIAN’S HAMMER, UNVEILED appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE 86 RACING PERFORMER

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:30:27 +0000

There are certain projects that are best left for a while before exploring, and the HKS 86 Racing Performer is one of them. Much like every 86/BRZ/FR-S/GT86 demo car around the world, it has all been put together in an impressively short space of time if you consider that the ZN6 and its Subaru counterpart [...]

The post THE 86 RACING PERFORMER appeared first on Speedhunters.

USDM MANIA: A CRESSIDA IN JAPAN?!

Mike Garrett — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:36:05 +0000

Last week during the Speedhunters celebration of Americana, I featured a beautiful 1949 Mercury lead sled that cruises the streets of Japan. Kondo-san’s Merc is a completely authentic take on the classic American custom, and a perfect example of American car culture spread abroad. Today, I’d like to follow that up with a completely different, [...]

The post USDM MANIA: A CRESSIDA IN JAPAN?! appeared first on Speedhunters.

NECESSARY EVIL: CRUISIN’ IN A MILD KUSTOM CADI’

Brad Lord — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:00:42 +0000

It’s not often I get nervous when I’m thrown the keys to someone else’s car, but then again the ’56 Cadillac I just buckled up in certainly isn’t your average ride – or at least the average when it comes to cars that I’m accustomed to driving. Piloting, or in this case ‘captaining’, a left-hand-drive [...]

The post NECESSARY EVIL: CRUISIN’ IN A MILD KUSTOM CADI’ appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE KID ROCKER: MATSUI’S ’29 FORD MODEL A HOT ROD

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:00:07 +0000

So there I was, an Italian photojournalist in Yokohama’s Chinatown district, shooting an American hot rod, built and owned by a Japanese guy. I just had to smile. True passion obviously has no borders, nor do actual styles. And seeing how well Japan manages to integrate tradition, modernity and western culture – the choice of [...]

The post THE KID ROCKER: MATSUI’S ’29 FORD MODEL A HOT ROD appeared first on Speedhunters.

FACTORY EXPERIMENTAL ON THE STREET: A/FX FALCON

Sean Klingelhoefer — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:00:22 +0000

Back when the cliche “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” still held true, there existed OE-backed drag cars like this one – Bob Ream’s 1964 A/FX Ford Falcon. The FX stood for Factory Experimental, a class which allowed manufacturers to fit the largest engine available and alter (sometimes drastically) the body of a production vehicle. The [...]

The post FACTORY EXPERIMENTAL ON THE STREET: A/FX FALCON appeared first on Speedhunters.

JOHN LENNON’S CAR: A WAGON THAT ROCKS ’N’ ROLLS

Jonathan Moore — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:45:28 +0000

There are few things that sum up the over the top nature of post-War American automobiles as much as the enormous station wagons that have wallowed along US roads since the 1950s. Cars of that sheer size just never existed in Europe – they wouldn’t fit. The Chrysler Town & Country looked long enough to [...]

The post JOHN LENNON’S CAR: A WAGON THAT ROCKS ’N’ ROLLS appeared first on Speedhunters.

MERC 9: THE TALE OF A JAPANESE LEAD SLED

Mike Garrett — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:00:17 +0000

It’s a pleasant Sunday morning in Chiba, Japan. The Seven-Eleven store in Noda city is busy as usual with a steady stream of people heading inside to pick up some fresh onigiri, a can of coffee, a bento lunch or any one of the other fine items you’ll find in a Japanese conbini. Before entering [...]

The post MERC 9: THE TALE OF A JAPANESE LEAD SLED appeared first on Speedhunters.

NOB’S PERSONAL RIDE: THE T&E S15 SILVIA

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:00:19 +0000

Here is an interesting scenario. If money was no object and you had hookups to the biggest names in the tuning industry, how would you build up your car? What parts would you pick to put together the ultimate street car, in this case an S15 Silvia? We’ve seen our fair share of S-chassis over [...]

The post NOB’S PERSONAL RIDE: THE T&E S15 SILVIA appeared first on Speedhunters.

PORSCHE PERFECTION: MAGNUS WALKER’S 911 “STR”

Sean Klingelhoefer — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:00:45 +0000

I know this is a pretty bold statement, but this is probably going to be the coolest thing you see all day. Hell, if you’re a Porsche fanatic like myself, it might be the coolest car you see all month. What I’m talking about is the legendary Urban Outlaw Magnus Walker’s latest creation, the car [...]

The post PORSCHE PERFECTION: MAGNUS WALKER’S 911 “STR” appeared first on Speedhunters.

THE MILKMAN: PD-POWERED VOLKSWAGEN MKI GOLF

TheSpeedhunters — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:00:14 +0000

In the Volkswagen scene there are a handful of automotive painters that consistently knock it out of the park. Say their name and you know that the car’s bodywork is going to be nothing short of flawless. Greg Howell is one of these ‘go-to’ guys. A bit like this Mk1 that he has lovingly put [...]

The post THE MILKMAN: PD-POWERED VOLKSWAGEN MKI GOLF appeared first on Speedhunters.

ANATOMY OF A DRAG CAR: MAZFIX MADE ME A BELIEVER

Bryn Musselwhite — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:00:42 +0000

It’s a fact I’ve never really been a fan of drag racing. Hang on though and stick with me, because I am now – and I hope that you will be too after reading this. Drag racing is not something I’ve just discovered either: I’ve been regularly visiting dragstrips for over 15 years. From Santa [...]

The post ANATOMY OF A DRAG CAR: MAZFIX MADE ME A BELIEVER appeared first on Speedhunters.

MODERN CLASSIC: GARAGE G-FORCE EVO III

Dino Dalle Carbonare — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:30:08 +0000

No matter how long we spend covering global automotive culture, there is still that feeling of excitement when we stumble upon something special and start shooting it right then and there. It’s the essence of being a Speedhunter, bringing you – our readers – the best rides we find during our travels and at times [...]

The post MODERN CLASSIC: GARAGE G-FORCE EVO III appeared first on Speedhunters.