Feeler

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 11.06.2009 by Cusson

I’ve been throwing around the idea of getting some t-shirts made and I just wanted to get a feel for what you guys think. Is this something anyone would be interested in? I’d like to do a couple designs in limited quantities. Here’s a concept I did earlier of a pretty basic logo tee.

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My friends have been bugging me for a while to print some A Class tee. Let me know what you guys think.

Fall Equinox

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 11.06.2009 by Cusson

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Seeing pictures like this kind of makes me miss living in Massachusetts. We always had the best falls there, which is my favorite season of the year. I’ve been seeing all kinds of great car pictures with intense foliage browsing through the galleries on NASIOC. I came across this picture earlier and was pretty impressed with the car and the backdrop. Wheel fitment and stance is pretty good and I’m actually liking that big wing, the S203 badge has to go though. WRB is seriously the best car color to compliment all the oranges and yellows of fall foliage. Whoever took this picture is pretty good at photography too.

216A

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 11.05.2009 by Cusson

Everyone is starting to get really excited about the Toyota FT86, myself included. I predict it will be the new “car to have” in the import scene once it’s released in 2010/11. Well there has been all kinds of talk that the FT86 was developed as a joint project between Toyota and Subaru and that Subaru would be releasing their own version of the 086A chassis. I was reading 7tune earlier today and it has been officially confirmed that Subaru is going to release their own version of the FT86, simply titled the 216A. It has also been confirmed that it will come with AWD and a turbocharged EJ20, the same power plant as the JDM STi. Here’s some concepts of what the road-going version will look like.

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I think it looks like a baby Lexus LF-A and that’s a good thing, it’s sexy as hell. I’m already picturing OEM STi front lips, aggressive-fitting wheels, and N1 style exhausts for this car. I think it’s going to really fill up that void in the market for affordable turbocharged coupes, now if Nissan would just get it together and do a new Silvia. Check out the 7tune article here.

Freddy’s Blog

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on 11.05.2009 by Cusson

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Been peeping Freddy’s blog RA64 for a while now. This dude finds all kinds of cool JDM stuff, lots of nice pictures. He’s also been an A Class reader for a long time now, so I gotta give it up to Freddy for showing his support, thanks!

A Class X iPhone

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 11.05.2009 by Cusson

The official A Class wallpaper for iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Click here for the full 800×533 version. Thanks for the support!

Finally, Toyota Does Something Cool!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 11.02.2009 by Cusson

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Toyota has been pwn’ing everyone the last few years. They killed the Supra back in 2002 and haven’t let us (or Japan) have any fun since. Enter the FT86, the evolution of “hachi-roku”. I’m not about to go on a tangent explaining all the details about this car, go to Jalopnik or Speedhunters for that crap. What I do want to do is share this Photoshop image I came across. Someone decided to throw a set of Work Meisters on the new FT86 and all I can say is, dope! We need to get these things on the streets immedately. I’ve already predicted that this car will be the new king of drifting when it comes out. Regardless of the power plant (that can be swapped very easily) those looks going sideways will be all the rage come 2010/11. I’m also super excited for the Subaru version which could be getting a set of STi badges and an EJ25!

Some Heavy Hitters

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 11.02.2009 by Cusson

A selection of aggressive fitment gathered over the last couple days.

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The “Z” crew never ceases to amaze. This S40 Z is sitting pretty.

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Flashback 90’s aggressive fitment with some camber to boot. I love the boxy angles of Mercedes-Benz from the 90’s, the true DTM/VIP high roller.

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This candy has already been on all the blogs, Speedhuters, Hellaflush, etc. Here’s another picture I found. Looks just about perfect.

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Not to show up the previous S2000 but check this steez! I think if a decision needed to be made, I’d side with yellow. The amount of test fitting and knowhow to achieve the perfect blend of lip, offset, and negative camber (especially on the front) is hard to ignore. Well done to this week’s heavy hitters!

Not So Bad

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 11.02.2009 by Cusson

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I’ve never really been a fan of INGS body kits. They’re one of those companies that’s kind of stuck in the late 90’s and never really evolved with the trends. These days people seek something clean and tasteful, something that doesn’t get in your face and stays subtle in the background. My favorite kinds of body kits are the ones that only car enthusiasts recognize. To the untrained eye, they’re just the OEM styling. Vertex, for example, has always done a nice job of keeping things subtle. I was browsing NASIOC and came across this STi fitting with the INGS kit for the 06/07 model. I must say at first glance I had to assure myself that this was a kit produced by INGS. Granted, it’s the back of the car, but with proper wheel fitment and stance, that kit, on this car looks great! Well done to the owner of this STi!

Forza 3 Is Great, Kinda

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , on 11.02.2009 by Cusson

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It’s safe to say that I’m addicted to Forza Motorsport 3. I’ve been playing it every spare minute since I picked it up last week. The game is definitely groundbreaking as far as graphics and driving physics are concerned. The new menu and “season” single player mode are really welcome additions to a formula that was getting stale by the second version of the game. I do have my complaints about Forza 3. The main thing that’s bugging me is the lame wheel selection. For a game that welcomes players to customize their vehicle you’d think they’d try and step it up on their end and offer as many aftermarket tuning options as possible. In Forza 2, Volk wheels featured a wide selection of their most popular designs. In Forza 3, Volk has limited their lineup to just 2 wheel designs. Volk is just one example of many brands in the game that have slacked off their offerings. Usually this kind of thing happens when the game developers haven’t taken the necessary steps to licensing brands featured in their games. Another disappointment in Forza 3 is the lack of many cars that were offered in the previous version of the game. Forza has taken the time to add a lot of American cars and SUV’s but they’ve skimped out on some of the special edition and collector cars that were highly sought after gems in the previous versions. I’m also very disappointed to report that the road going version of the Nissan GTR is not featured in Forza 3. I’m sure the fact that the GTR is Sony’s flagship car for Gran Turismo 5 is part of the reason it doesn’t make an appearance in Forza 3. I can’t stress enough that I really do love this game but I can’t help but sit there while playing and ask myself “why”. Why aren’t there more cars offered? Some people like myself would really like to modify and race a 2002 JDM Subaru STi. Why aren’t there more tracks? Forza 3 offers more tracks than the previous versions but it’s still not enough. I can only race Mugello so many times before I get bored. If I worked at Turn 10 I’d really put an emphasis on seeking out the lesser-known tracks throughout Europe and Asia. There’s all kinds of interesting, real-world tracks out there at the disposal of the developers. Why doesn’t the driver’s hand move off the steering wheel when I shift gears in “in-car” view? It’s all about the little details to me and I don’t think it would have been that hard to write some extra code for a very simple onscreen animation. Forza 3 prides itself on being as “real” as possible, well let’s start at the basics, the shifter doesn’t operate by magic.

Hellaflush III

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 11.02.2009 by Cusson

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Hellaflush III is happening November 15 at BlackTrax Performance in Milpitas, CA. I really wanted to check this meet out but I think I’m going to be in SoCal that weekend. The people at Fatlace started the meet to coincide with their Hellaflush blog back in Summer 2008 and it’s done nothing but grow since. Hellaflush III will feature 150 spots, all of which are now full as far as I know, and numerous vendors from the automotive and urban fashion markets will be in attendance. I was talking with my friend the other day about the meet and we came up with an interesting concept. What if you could only put your car in the meet if you had real wheels, no Rotas, no knockoffs. I bet only half as many cars would be able to participate. Just goes to show you how much the market has been flooded with crap over the past couple years. I may have to find a way to get to this meet, we’ll see.