By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Two-step, aka “launch control,” cuts the ignition or fuel so that you can keep the car at wide open throttle but stay at a specified RPM for launching which builds boost, and in this case shoots massive fire. Thanks to rapidly rising EGT’s, the leftover fuel ignites once it hits the hot turbo and we get instant fire action. Warning, this clip features NSFW language, but it’s totally worth it.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Apparently the car had already been totaled out, but still….

Neon Burnout with Clutch Blowing Up

By David Belau

dartslantsix

When it started getting dark this winter, I noticed the headlights on my wife’s Neon weren’t shining very brightly. New headlights were simply not in the budget, so I looked into polishing the lenses. The picture below is what I started with. If you have a first-gen Neon, this looks familiar.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Plastic Headlight Restoration" »

By Alex Vickers

Katakuna

I couldn’t think of what I wanted to do with my Neon (more like my father wouldn’t let me destroy it), so I called up my Automotive Technology teacher and asked if he wanted another car for the class, and it turns out he was looking for a Neon for us to practice on anyway. I couldn’t give it away to someone who needed a car to drive because of that pesky little “no title can be issued for this vehicle” problem. I wanted so badly to demolish it, to use it like a 2,300 pound stress ball. But I knew if I did that, I would regret not giving it to a worthy cause. My teacher’s only stipulation was that it run and drive under its own power. It does, which is going to save two-hundred dollars for towing fees (it’s WAY out in the country). The only real issue I’m going to have is that it isn’t insured, nobody technically owns it, so somebody is going to have to be real careful driving. Might I also mention that this is going make a nice little tax write-off for my father? I’d call that a win-win. Do you think I should have done something else with it?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Bet you’ve never seen that before! Check out Artie’s ride page for more pics!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Douglas has already had quite a bit of success on One Lap of America, but now he’s hoping to be invited to the to the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge. Check out his ride page, and if you think he deserves to go to VIR in July, rate him up!

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

I ran a story on my Four Wheel Drift site recently titled “Five Classics That Aren’t Nearly As Fun To Drive As People Think They Are” that proved to be pretty controversial. Call a baby ugly and evidently you’re bound to be read the Riot Act from a number of angry parents.

To even out my Karma (or Car-ma, as the case might be), I’ll let CarDomain readers know that there are also five guilty-pleasure cars that are much more fun to drive than people think. We’ll see if you all agree with my picks.

Continue reading "Five Guilty-Pleasure Cars That Are More Fun To Drive Than You'd Expect" »

By David Belau

dartslantsix

I’m a man and I own a 1998 Plymouth Neon. Guess what? I love it! My Neon has served my family faithfully for five years now. We’re up to 134,xxx miles now with only a few minor problems. It gets between 36-40 miles to the gallon on the highway and has power to spare. Why am I taking the time to write about the Neon? Well, my second child is on the way and we’ve been looking at minivans to replace the Neon. I guess I’m waxing sentimental.

I bought my Neon for $4,000 with 79,000 miles on the clock to replace my 1990 Dodge Daytona with 260,000 miles (yeah, it was worn out).  It’s a 1998 model Plymouth Neon Expresso, gloriously wrapped in Deep Amethyst paint. The DOHC engine pumps out 150 hp through the 5-speed stick shift. My Neon came with almost every option possible, except power windows/locks and a sun roof. It even had a sweet aftermarket stereo system already installed. Here’s a picture of it as I was installing its new wheels.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "An Ode to the Neon" »

Ok, so a Neon R/T with Lambo doors might not be to everyone’s taste, but I just love this picture. Something about the total incongruity of a tuner’d-up Neon against the outdoorsy backdrop of rugged postcard-perfect moutain terrain just cracks me up. Plus, you’ve gotta give the owner Mitch some credit—he didn’t know anything about cars before purchasing this stock Neon, and what he’s done with it is impressive. Here’s what he says:

400HP Turbo Neon R/t. Custom is all about being different so I chose a Neon. I went into building this car with no previous nowlege about cars or motors. I paid for and did all the work on this car myself. It has full laptop programming for ign and and fuel, concert sound, and is a blast to drive. It has been in Modified Mag, and in Hot Import Nights several times. Hope you all enjoy.

There’s still a ton of prizes to give away in the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It photo contest, including free gas and trips to see the Le Mans races—and all you have to do is take a gorgeous picture of your ride! Enter here.

Some things never go out of style. Like bright orange skulls. CarDomain member Warren is super-determined to plant one in the middle of this custom dash he’s building for his Neon. There’s a lot of labor hours that’ve gone into the creepy centerpiece, and Warren is into it: "This will look sick as hell after i spray the black on the dash and get it in my car." Best of luck to you, man! We can’t wait to see you move onto the animatronics phase of this project—that skull croaking out your GPS directions would be pretty damn sweet.