If someone was to ask you to think of a Japanese wheel – any wheel – chances are the Volk Racing TE37 would pop into your mind. There is no doubt that this particular six-spoke, one-piece forged rim has come to be a defining detail in the JDM aftermarket scene. Its ageless design has stood [...]
How long is five years? Like a lot of things, it all depends on your point of reference. As a small kid five years seems like (or actually is) a lifetime. As an adult, the time can pass in the blink of an eye. In some ways life hasn’t changed much since 2008 and in [...]
To kick off our supercar mini theme, let’s go back to the origins of the genre and the decade where the first generation of supercars emerged: the 1970s. It might be the period that time wants to forget in terms of fashion, but it’s the place to go for the exotics that set the scene [...]
The Le Mans 24 Hours is part of the holy trinity of motor races alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianoplis 500. It’s the race that the drivers want to win – but more importantly, perhaps even more than the other two, it’s the race that the manufactures want to win. That’s why major [...]
Close the corporations! Sequester the supermarkets! Emotions can run high once you visit Brooklands, one of the most imposing and impressive pieces in the jigsaw of automotive history. One visit to the track is all it takes to fall completely under its spell; several trips in and you’ll be a convert to the cause. This [...]
As we spend time celebrating the Mazda MX-5 this week, we saw fit to include a brief look back at the history and development of the car from its beginnings in the 1980s through today and to the future. It’s an interesting tale, and through it you get a real sense of Mazda’s commitment to building enjoyable cars for the world. So, let’s take a look back.
With Formula Drift Irwindale just around the corner I can’t help but get all nostalgic, especially since North American professional drifting will hit its ten year anniversary. Before Formula Drift there were D1 Grand Prix exhibition competitions and even before that there was the Falken Drift Showoff. Prior to these demonstration events, drivers like Yoshinori Koguchi could only be seen in Video [...]
I’m sure you guys know of that mythical crazy cat lady who has 100 cats? Darren McNamara is actually the same way, but instead of cats he collects those oh so cool Toyota Corollas.
I guess that does not make him crazy at all.
The AE86 along with the S-Chassis will always be associated with the drifting. However, as Formula Drift approaches it’s tenth year of competition, there is only one AE86 left running the full season. This sole remaining Corolla is campaigned by Taka Aono and his wife Yoshie, with help from the Megan Racing team. I sat [...]
Believe it or not, it wasn’t that long ago that Vaughn Gittin Jr was towing his drift car in a borrowed truck – open trailer set-up – between Formula Drift events. Everyone has to start somewhere, and Vaughn started as a privateer just like all of today’s professional drifters. To find out more of his [...]
As I was walking to the elevator in my Palm Beach hotel I took out my phone and made a call to Justin Pawlak. It went straight to voicemail. My stomach sank. Like that feeling you get when you just found out big life-changing news. Could it be? Could Justin Pawlak really skip out on [...]
If you mention the word “Pomona” to most car enthusiasts, images of smokey burnouts and record-setting quarter mile runs will come to mind. The drag strip at Pomona is legendary, and considered hallowed ground in the world of drag racing. What some people might not know, is that at one time Pomona was also home [...]
Around this time of year I get all nostalgic about my start as a motorsports photographer in 2006, when I was shooting for a Nissan enthusiast website called “FreshAlloy.” Back then, I had a Canon Rebel xt (350d) with a battery grip, a kit lens and a gigantic one gigabyte memory card. Those were the [...]
Rather than heading out to Daikoku once again tonight and risk not finding any GT-Rs, I decided to do some digging instead. I pulled out one of the first external HDs I ever got and started looking through pictures I took ten or so years ago. Back in the day, for a short period of [...]
Exploiting aerodynamics has become the primary focus for racing cars in the last half century at least, and in the first article on racing game-changers I offered up some examples that had either introduced innovative new concepts or exploited existing aero ideas to the maximum. But there’s an important second thread to what I think makes [...]
