By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Out of all the cars that Toyota had prepared for us at Fuji Speedway on Friday, this G’s Mark X G Sports Concept had to be my favorite. It’s nothing new–we have seen it before at Tokyo Auto Salon back in January–but admiring its lines under the strong summer sun, I really couldn’t keep my eyes off of it!

The idea of creating a fire-breathing performance sedan out of the new generation GRX133 Mark X seems like such a good idea now that there is nothing on the Toyota lineup to even match what the old Mark II and Chasers of yesteryear used to offer. The G Sports Concept, “G” of course comes from Gazoo Racing, is based on the top of the line 350S version of the Mark X using the same 2GR directly injected 3.5L V6 as found on the Lexus IS and GS. Being a primarily stylistic exercise, the engine has been left as is on this particular car, delivering an adequate 318 HP and smooth torque curve peaking at 280 lb/ft.

But after sampling the Modellista tuned Mark X + M supercharger that Toyota kindly prepared for us (which sells in Japan for just over ¥5,000,000 or $59,000), I discovered first hand how savage the 2GR can feel with a little bit more power. The supercharger kit would be the perfect match for the G’s Mark X giving it 360 horses and an instant throttle response with a towering 367 lb/ftm of torque. See more views of this amazing car at Speedhunters.

-by Dino Dalle Carbonare

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

I spotted this car last month at the Mooneyes Irwindale show. I was about to head home when I saw this sled parked just outside the main show. The first thing that caught my eye was the color – a unique blend of olive and gold semi-gloss. Even with the amount of customization, you can still tell that the car started out as a Ford – a ’62 Galaxie to be exact. Most likely the car started out as a hard top or sedan before being heavily chopped and then cut into a convertible. The thing that struck me the most were the doors, or lack thereof. While many are content with simply shaving the handles, the builder of this car has gone one step further. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Mike Garrett

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

As far as this month’s theme goes, this car is really as “old school” as it gets. It started out as a 1951 Ford two-door sedan, but there aren’t many factory parts left here. For starters, both the front and rear axles have been moved forward a bit. “Genuine Pontiac Parts”…on a Ford? And check out the window sticker. Yup, this thing is packing Pontiac power. A hopped up “Super Duty” 421 to be exact. Continue reading on Speedhunters.

-by Mike Garrett

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

One of the cars that stood out at Rotorstock was this beautifully restored RX4. I often hear people complain about how poor the style of Japanese car design is but I really like the shape of the RX4. In some ways it reminds me of the Ford Capri and in others of American muscle of the same era. I particularly like the removal of the B-pillar, something we can see today in the RX8.

The car has been painted in what appears to be the same yellow available on the RX8. Yellow is a very difficult colour to get right on a car, but this shade perfectly suits the RX4. I’ll have to say that I’m a fan of modern colours on classic cars. Continue reading and see more pics at Speedhunters.

-by Paddy McGrath

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Last year in New Jersey, Falken Tire swept the podium for the first time ever at a Formula Drift event. Tonight in Vegas, the teal and blue repeated that feat, led by Tyler McQuarrie in his drop-top Z. Tyler took the win on a hot night in Vegas while Dai Yoshihara and Vaughn Gittin Jr. took second and third respectively, with the battle for the championship getting hotter by the minute. We’ve got plenty of coverage on the way, but for now big congrats go to Tyler, Dai, Vaughn and everyone at Team Falken.

See more on Formula D Las Vegas on Speedhunters.

-by Mike Garrett

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

The last time I witnessed Reece McGregor’s NZ based R32 GTR was back in 2006 when I first started taking photos. It hasn’t changed very much on the exterior, but has come back to Australia with a load more power. Let’s see if a new record is on the books.

This past Tuesday was quite a day of testing for this weekend’s Jamboree drag event, the most important Australian drag meeting of the year. McGregor ran an 8.3 @ 184mph pass on his second run, but the team wasn’t too impressed with this time. The clutch was pulling the car down and wasn’t set up correctly for the sticky track. After adjusting the clutch, the next pass was an 8.22 @ 183mph. With testing ending at 4PM the end of the day was already upon us, they put in one more pass: a 7.73 @ 187 mph. That’s a huge improvement over a short period of a few hours, it will be exciting to see what times it can pull this weekend’s Jamboree, Australia’s biggest sport compact and custom event of the year. Be sure to tune in, it’ll be streamed live all over the globe. See more at Speedhunters.

-by Casey Dhnaram

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

The minute I laid eyes on this little Honda N600 at the Nisei Showoff on Saturday, I knew I had to share it here. In Japan, the Honda N600′s sister car, the N360, helped launch the kei car segment. Here in the states, the N600 helped to pave the way for the game-changing Civic. As for this particular one, it shows every one of its 40+ years on the planet, and that’s part of what makes it so cool.

Another thing that makes it cool is the hopped up two-cylinder under the hood. I once went to an event at Tsukuba Circuit that featured nothing but modified micro cars, and this car definitely reminded me of that. My favorite element of this car and other modified N360′s and 600′s is the way exhaust dumps out from the middle of the front grill. Check out the tiny little BFG “For Racing Purposes Only” tires. How incredibly fun would this be on a gymkhana or autocross course? See more at Speedhunters.

By Mike Garrett

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

One of the cars that caught my attention at the Ford Fair last weekend was this 80′s Fiesta. I’m pretty certain it’s the MKII variant as the MKI had round lights. The Fiesta has long been associated as a reliable town car and with the exception of the XR, ST and RST variants has lived a relatively sedate life. The decision to turn this simple city car into a caged, stripped and powerful track car was pure wisdom.

It’s not the first and it won’t be the last Fiesta in this style but it’s definitely one of the finest examples I’ve laid eyes on. Powered by a DOHC Zetec engine, although I’m not sure what capacity, it certainly has the power to propel this featherweight car to some quick laptimes. See more of this hot UK hatch at Speedhunters.

-by Patrick McGrath

Continue reading "Zetec Fiesta" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Having developed a bit of a dorky crush on the new Ford Transit Connect, I was thrilled to find this great pic of one of the compact utility hauler’s vintage predecessors. It was snapped at Ford Fair in Northampton, a gathering of over 3500 UK Fords, and there’s a ton more beautiful photos from the meet at Speedhunters: Part 1 and Part 2.

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

During the long summer break between BDC Round 4 and the Knockhill final, BDC hosts a weekend event at the excellent Norfolk arena. The weekend consists of a full day of practice on the Friday followed by a non-championship competition which runs late into Saturday night. The highlight of the weekend is a team drift competition which takes place on the Sunday. The tight confines of the Norfolk track always produce spectacular battles, with no pressure of points and championship tables the BDC weekender is a highlight of the drift calender. Take a look, we’ve got a ton of fantastic pics at Speeedhunters.

-by Ross Ianson