As Rob stated below, drifting is all about style, and that's more than evident in Earl Smith's crazy 1990 Mazda RX-7. He's been drifting for about three years now, and his main goal has always been simple: to have fun. So when it came time to start building up the Seven, he wanted the style to reflect that. It's definitely a bit over-the-top, and you have to have a sense of humor to appreciate it, but I think he's got the fun factor nailed.
On the track, Earl's driving style is very smooth and each transition is well-planned. During my ride along I was surprised how calm and relaxed he was. I expected sheer aggression, but even as we entered the switchbacks with massive amounts of speed, he slid through with alarming ease. You can definitely tell he's done this before.
Follow the jump for some more details, pics and a video of the Seven-Up (I think I just made that up).
Continue reading "Going Slideways with Earl Smith's Seven-Up" »
I'm a magazine publisher and video producer. I’ve been invited to add my thoughts to the CarDomain blog, as I seem to spend a lot of time driving and breaking them "in the line of duty." Specifically, I'm known for my Subaru Magazine (Subiesport), a pair of Mazda Magazines (Mazdasport and Forever MX-5) and a TV-show-turned-web-series called Driving Sports TV. I torture clutches, scorch tires and make a general mess of things for the sake of my dedicated readers.
However, even with several cars in my name and a world of knowledge from my staff and those I associate with every day, I’m not beyond getting myself into a transportation pickle. Case in point, a couple weeks ago when I had to bum a ride from my father-in-law, just to get to work. Continue reading...
Continue reading "Bumming a Ride" »
In July of 2006, the cargo ship Cougar Ace capsized in the North Pacific. At the time, she was carrying over 4700 Mazdas bound for the US, and it took weeks to get the ship righted and offload the cargo. While the trickiest part of the ordeal was over, Mazda brass still had a difficult decision to make: Just what should happen to the cars? Citing legal issues—no one really knew how the vehicles had weathered the ordeal—Mazda opted for destruction, and created a disassembly line in Portland, Oregon to render the condemned cars into scrap metal. For gearheads, this idea might be a little painful—how many RWD Miatas will never get to spin their tires?—but in a morbid way, it's kind of fascinating. The Wall Street Journal just published a cool piece on the process, and the video below sums it up. For an awesome article about the efforts to save the Cougar Ace—and the harrowing accident itself—make sure check out this article from Wired.
I have been regularly autocrossing since 1992, and my wife has joined me a few times but always as a spectator. When I mentioned that I was going to one this past weekend, she said that she'd like to come--but not as a spectator. She seemed to have a great time and even came in first in her class. (Okay, so she was the only one in the Novice Race tire class.)
On the way home we enjoyed the sweet taste of success--or, more accurately, the sweet taste of coolant. The car made it home just fine, but we spent that evening shopping for a radiator. On the plus side, I think I now have a new autocrossing partner.
Now, at least one Solstice forum found out about this week's Showroom Showdown, but I doubt that alone explains the fact that the Solstice won by a 4 to 1 margin. Ouch! Personally, I think the Solstice looks way better, but I'd still take the Miata...
It's always fun to pit domestics vs. imports, and this is a pretty obvious match up. Plus, both Pontiac and Mazda have done pretty well in previous Showroom Showdowns. Let's keep the GXP out of this one and compare the 166 hp Miata to the 173 hp Solstice, since they are priced pretty close. And if you think you're too manly to drive either of these cars, just pretend it's a gift for your wife or girlfriend. So, which would you choose, the Solstice or the Miata?
The MAZDASPEED3 scored a solid victory in this week's Showroom Showdown, but it didn't exactly trounce the GTI. By my count it was 43 to 30 votes in favor of the Mazda. Many people seemed to feel that the extra horsepower gave the Mazda the edge over the VW.
Let me know what cars you'd like to see in next week's match-up!
If you want a hot hatch and have $23K burning a hole in your pocket, there are two obvious choices: the MAZDASPEED3 and the GTI. With the Mazda you get that whole Japanese reliability thing and four doors. With the GTI you get "German engineering" (what does that mean, exactly?), a choice of two or four doors, and the optional DSG tranny. Now, this isn't an even match in terms of hp--the Mazda has a big advantage there (263 vs the VW's 200) but hey, horsepower isn't everything, is it? The last time we pitted a VW against a Mazda, it was the Polo vs. the Mazda2, and the Mazda won. To be on the safe side I usually run these match-ups by Sean, especially ones involving imports. This one had him stumped, so I'm feeling pretty good about it (then again, Sean owns a GTI, so maybe he wasn't the right guy to ask this time). So, which would you choose, the wild child or the hopped up Rabbit?
While checking out the cars at the Tuner Jam portion of SBN, I noticed a hot little Mazda 3 with a CarDomain sticker in the rear window. Turns out the car is part of a "little" show car group that's no stranger to the pages of CarDomain, the International AllStars. A red-on-black color theme is featured both inside and out with a carbon hood and black wheels on red paint that perfectly compliment the black interior with red accents. A 6.5" LCD is molded into center of the dash, and the hatch was filled with Eclipse amps and subs trimmed in glossy red fiberglass. Here's a teaser shot for now. Want to see rest? Stay tuned for the SBN coverage later this week!
So the Mazda Furai is not, nor will it ever be a street car. What it is, however, is one of the sexiest things I have ever seen on four wheels. The shape is simply spectacular and looks as though it was created by mother nature herself, the wheels are composed of 14 free flowing fan blades and the rear end is just daaaaamn sexy with it's single motorcycle style exhaust port. This car is pure example of what happens when designers are given the opportunity to combine form, function and styling in one package. They create a masterpiece which is exactly what this car is... a masterpiece. Here's the video of it rotating. Now, if they would just let us get near the damn thing...
By David
GRM Editorial Director
When I first built up my Miata about seven years ago, the goal was to just make a neat street car—a little more power thanks to the usual bolt-ons plus a Flyin' Miata/Link ECU, Koni suspension, Kaaz limited-slip and the like. The car didn't fit into any real autocross class, but that wasn't the point. Well, between recent rule changes at the SCCA and some equipment changes on my behalf, the car is now legal for their C Street Prepared autocross class. That means the car now has a real autocross home, and it got a little exercise this weekend.
So how'd it go? It didn't win (second out of three), but let's just say that I may have a new autocross partner—and I have already started talking to Emilio at 949Racing about some optimum wheels. It's a slippery slope, isn't it?
Connor's 1993 RX-7 is at the top of our Suspension Set-Up category, but he's done a hell of a lot more than just tweak his ride's stance. Along with the H&R springs, he's installed some sweet JL Audio speakers, and just check out the full engine teardown he's documented! While he's still working on getting the little rotary back in the car, so far, it looks like everything is going smooth. Nice work man, and good luck with the rest of the project.
February was a rough month for the auto industry. Only four manufacturers managed to improve their daily average sales rate when compared to February 2007. Honda, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz all saw minuscule gains, while MINI went freakin' ballistic, with a 38 % increase over last year. Everyone else saw a decline. Saturn took the biggest dump with a 36 % decrease. Ouch. See all the stats at Autoblog.
It's not every day that you come across a Vermeer painted on the back of a Mazda3. Most kids just scrawl "wash me" or draw smiley faces when they see a car covered with dirt or grime. Scott Wade has taken it to the next level with his dirty car art. Click through to his website for an impressive gallery.
Man, I wish the photos were better, cause this is the most hilarious Craigslist ad I've seen in a while. It's a 1995 Mazda Protege with a truck bed welded on the back--"and it's on there good." I dig how the wheels match the valve cover, too. You could probably do a lot worse for $400. Consider it a low buck Subaru Baja. Two more pics after the jump.
Continue reading "Craigslist Find: Mazda Protege Pickup" »
