Days Gone By

I communicate pretty regularly with a number of veteran Subaru owners – guys who have been in the game for upwards of a decade. One thing we all seem to agree on is that the community is dead. It’s a harsh statement but one that’s undeniably true. I base my views primarily on the parts market or lack thereof. It’s become harder than ever to buy new parts for the various iterations of the Impreza, especially the GC and GD. If you’re trying to do the JDM thing, good luck.

As more Japanese companies pull out of the US, it’s a grim reminder that people have moved into other cars or out of the community entirely. The BRZ was a nice blip on the radar, especially for those seeking more aggressive wheel options for the unrelenting 5×100 bolt pattern. However the BRZ has in no way captured the market or the interests of Subaru aficionados, quite the same way the FR-S has.

The Impreza has become dated and with Subaru out of the WRC, it’s tuned variants are becoming increasingly irrelevant in this new era of paddle-shifters and energy recovery systems. Someday we can only hope that the Impreza will share a similar affinity to classics like the Hakosuka and S30 Z. In the meantime, I only see the car’s popularity dwindling.

It’s a grim outlook, but in many ways an optimistic one because I still love my WRX as much as I did the day I got it in 2005. It’s a car that’s gotten so far under my skin that I may never be able to part ways with it. In the meantime there are still exciting Imprezas out there – granted their harder to find, but they still exist. There’s also the exciting news of the WRX Concept and Subaru’s desire to continually produce AWD rally-inspired cars. Maybe someday we’ll see a return to the Impreza’s former glory in the WRC. For now we hold onto the memories.

The Fast & Furious Franchise: Why It’s So Great

I love the Fast & Furious franchise. Yes, they’re supremely campy and about as realistic as spotting Bigfoot in the wild, but for most car guys of my generation, they occupy a special place in our nostalgic, petrol-filled hearts. The Fast and The Furious the first time that I was properly exposed to “tuning culture”. Sure I was reading Import Tuner, Super Street and had a loose understanding of modification, but I was only in 8th grade and a long way from owning my own car. The Fast and The Furious made owning an exciting car a realistic possibility for all of us. The characters in the film weren’t driving Ferraris and Porsches, they were driving Hondas and Nissans. They were cars you’d see on a daily basis and it made the dream of owning something flashy, loud and (potentially) fast, attainable.

6 films later and the franchise is still going strong. Fast Five was the highest grossing and in my opinion, the best film of the series. I only see the sequel doing better. A 60 second teaser aired during the Super Bowl and the following day, there was a 3 minute extended trailer online. Judging by the footage, Fast & Furious 6 looks to be another 2 hours of car porn coupled with the most unrealistic plot imaginable. I think it looks fantastic.

The Fast & Furious franchise doesn’t care about winning awards or pleasing critics. It’s only goal is to have as much fun as possible. With ticket prices bordering the obscene, there are few ways to get better value for your money at the theater. One of the reasons the franchise is so successful is because it sticks to a recipe that works: exciting cars, attractive women and plenty of action. The Fast & Furious films aren’t concerned with our perception of reality or even with their own. The character Han died in Tokyo Drift, yet he’s still part of Toretto’s crew 7 years later. If director Justin Lin wants to bring a character back, he just does it. Who cares if their return makes no sense within the context of the film. You get the vibe that most of the cast are friends with each other and hanging out for 3 months on set is just as important as doing another film. Think Ocean’s Eleven.

Fast & Furious 6 is to Hollywood what drifting is to motor sports. They’re both about showing off and doing so in the loudest, flashiest way possible. Once we understand what the films are trying to achieve, we accept them for what they are. Once that happens it all begins to make much more sense. A decent plot is just icing on the cake.

There will be plenty of naysayers and I’m sure many of you reading this completely disagree with my argument. The thing us though, you’re all going to see it, regardless of how much you hate the franchise. There are plenty of bad films out there. Many of us choose to avoid them, but the Fast & Furious franchise is unique in the fact that we still pay our hard earned dollars to see the films, even if they look awful. We get nostalgic about them and yearn to journey back to that alternate reality, were everyone is good looking, drives a fast car and doesn’t have to pass a smog test. As an audience, we know beforehand we’re not about to whiteness cinematic excellence, but we see them nonetheless because we know we’ll be entertained. See the funny thing about entertainment is that it can be good, even great, but it’s never bad. That’s what these films are all about.

Tokyo Auto Salon 2013

It’s early Monday morning in Japan and this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon has officially come to an end. Here’s a sampling of all the rest of the cars present at Makuhari Messe.

As always Nissan had a very big presence at this year’s show. While the GT-R remains the king, Silvas and Skylines have not been forgotten.

TAS needs more builds like this fantastic 180SX from SPIRIT Rei.

It’s hard to go wrong with a white R32 on Advans. Funny enough it’s the simple builds that stand out most at TAS.

Phoenix’s Power had the GT-R well represented at the show including this lime green example on BBS LMs.

Next door to Phoenix’s Power was Top Secret. They also showed up with a few different GT-Rs as well as their Rocket Bunny kitted 86.

This year could be the biggest ever turnout for imports, both European and American at TAS. Ferrari had a large presence as did Porsche and BMW amongst others.

The Ferrari F40 was given a very nice display this year. The Japanese have always been obsessed with European cars and as exotics get older and become cheaper, we’re going to see a lot more tuners working with them.

Despite strong showings from Nissan and Toyota, Mitsubishi didn’t fare as well in 2013. The Evo X is now 5 years old and it’s beginning to show. It’s disappointing to see a car which once littered the show floor at TAS, suffer the same fate as its Subaru rival. With Mitsuibshi moving towards EV production, the CZ4A may be the last of the great tuner cars from the brand.

Varis continues to dominate the market. I’m disappointed that Voltex never created their own Evo X wide body kit to compete.

Unsurprisingly, Toyotas dominated the show in 2013. The 86 is the new darling of the Japanese tuning industry, massively overshadowing its sibling the BRZ.

A JZX100 with strange lights inside of the wheels. This was a trend seen on a number of cars at TAS.

Original Runduce was present with their 86 demo car kitted in Varis aero. This car just looks so good and is probably my favorite 86.

After all these years, the Mazda RX-7 continues to be one of the very best looking Japanese cars.

Last but not least there’s Subaru. As with every year, I was disappointed in the turnout for Imprezas. While the STi fights to remain relevant, the tuning industry seems to be moving on. I blame Subaru for not giving the car the AYC and extra 30-50 horsepower it so deserves.

D Language came out with a very large booth featuring their STi, Evo and 86 demo cars.

Blitz was also on hand with a GVB STi showing off some of their latest electronics and performance parts, including this 6-pot brake kit.

Despite filing for bankruptcy in 2012, Zero/Sports was on hand with a GVB STi. They’re hardly the dominant force they once were at TAS.

I’ll end with this truly awesome looking wide body GVB STi from Varis. This kit has kind of gone under the radar with all the attention on the 86.

That about does it for TAS coverage on A Class. If anything else exciting comes my way, I’ll be sure to post it. Overall I’m disappointed by this year’s show. There’s a real lack of variety right now in the Japanese tuning industry. I suppose it’s been a long time coming. With major players like Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda failing to produce exciting cars like they once did, the industry has been forced to rely on Nissan and Toyota. Subaru can be happy with their role in the 86 and their own BRZ but as the Impreza continues to get heavier and slower, we may see another great fall by the wayside. On the bright side, the amazing reception the 86 has gotten has shown other manufacturers what’s possible. Hopefully in the next few years we’ll see more of the affordable, fun cars the Japanese automotive industry so desperately needs.

Photos courtesy of GTNET.

Blitz BRZ At TAS

I’m thinking of turning A Class into an 86 & GT-R blog because they’re about all that’s worth posting from Tokyo Auto Salon this year.

Apparently Blitz has mistakenly thought they’ve become part of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

I’m sorry but this car just isn’t working. The wheels don’t look right, the vinyl wrap is hideous and what’s up with that aero?

I’m having difficulty with TAS this year. Granted, my entire window into the show is from a computer at home, but I can’t help but be disappointed. I’ve spent the better part of the weekend checking out dozens of blogs and Japanese automotive websites and there’s just not a whole lot to talk about. If anything TAS is (worryingly) reminding me of another car show which will not be named. Have you ever seen so many badly modified exotics, European imports and American cars at TAS? I sure haven’t.

I’ll keep digging around the Internet to see what else is out there, but things are looking pretty sparse.

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

JUN GT-R At TAS

JUN’s been a big name at Tokyo Auto Salon for over a decade now. They’ve always got something up their sleeves and this year is no exception.

Yes folks, another BenSopra kitted GT-R has come among us. It’s been no secret on A Class that I absolute despise this kit in every way. Don’t take that out of context however. I have loads of respect for Miura-san and everything he’s been doing in the tuning industry lately.

Like Top Secret, JUN was always known to produce their own aero parts. They made what is probably my all time favorite bumper for the GDA Impreza. Yet in 2013 we’re seeing less of a variety of products from these shops. Maybe it’s a return to doing what they’re truly good at and in the case of JUN, it’s all about power.

They offer any number of options and different levels of tuning for the GT-R’s VR38. This is an example of the same 4L motor that’s in their demo car.

Regardless of BenSopra kits and Top Secret making less original parts, it’s really good to see how many shops are still working with the GT-R. This car’s been around for 5 years now and the following is just as strong, if not more so. It’s popularity in the tuning industry gives Nissan another reason to keep making it, which is something many have questioned in 2012.

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

Top Fuel At TAS

I’m having one hell of a time finding any sort of Impreza presence at Tokyo Auto Salon. People must have forgotten about the STi in the midst of all this 86 & BRZ chaos. I’m also doing my best not to repost the same cars you’ve been looking at all day long.

Top Fuel showed up with a few demo cars this year including this 86.

Black cars have really been appealing to me lately, with the 86 being no exception.

While it’s hard to see on a black car, I could do without the INGS aero for which I’ve never been a fan. I’m sure this car will be fully kitted in Voltex once they get their aero finished sometime this year. The Advan RS-IIs however are working very nicely.

The car’s been dubbed the 0-1000 Type RR something or other and I’m not quite sure why. With the supercharger kit, it’s putting out 250 horsepower which is good for an 86 but hardly a monster.

Top Fuel also brought out their S2000 Time Attack car which will be in Australia at the WTCC later this year.

Leave it to Voltex for producing pure insanity! It’s a shame they’re no longer part of Team Cyber…

The engine’s been boosted to over 700 horsepower. That’ll do just fine!

What’s so interesting this year is just how much the tuning industry is changing. So many of the big players have faded into the background. Maybe it’s the move to more eco-mentalist motoring or maybe it’s the fact that the Japanese automotive industry just isn’t as exciting as it was 5-10 years ago. The golden era of turbocharged street monsters seems to be giving way to a more eclectic range of small displacement cars built for handling and a resurgence of vintage motoring. Granted I’m hardly in a position to summarize a show I haven’t even attended, but the landscape (even from abroad) is certainly changing. Whether for better or for worse, I’m not too sure…

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

Top Secret 86 At TAS

Lets be honest, we haven’t heard or seen much from Top Secret lately. The once premier tuning shop in Japan has fallen off in recent years. There are a number of factors for this, including bad financial decisions and an even worse Japanese economy, but that’s a story for another day. I’m encouraged to see Top Secret rolling out their own 86 demo car at Tokyo Auto Salon.

Last year the tuning world had their love affair with Nakai-san and RWB. However this year’s “it man” is undoubtably Miura-san from Rocket Bunny. His FR-S demo car made news for the second half of 2012 and to look around TAS in 2013, he doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Even Top Secret, longtime purveyors of their aero kits have elected to suit their 86 in Rocket Bunny.

The infamous black and Olympic gold is always a welcome site at TAS.

For many it was the bonkers, low mounted rear wing that gave the Rocket Bunny kit its unique look. It still looks pretty decent without the wing. Maybe Top Secret eventually plans to go a different route with this build?

Under the hood it’s Top Secret business as usual. The car’s been boosted with a turbo kit from Greddy. I’m not sure of the power output but it’s surely no slouch. This could also be the shop’s first demo car with a boxer engine!

Up front, more business as usual with an AP Racing brake kit and Enkei wheels.

Things are looking very good for the 86 and BRZ in 2013. Hopefully we’ll be seeing that long rumored STi version of the BRZ at this time next year! More to come!

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

Kansai Service 86 & BRZ At TAS

One of the things that’s so fantastic about the 86/BRZ is the car’s versatility when it comes to tuning. For those looking for moderate power with an emphasis on handling, there are limitless options out there. On the other side of the coin, those in search of high power output are getting treated to more and more options with superchargers and turbos. The car was always intended to be an everyman’s sports car and it hasn’t disappointed. I always look forward to seeing what Kansai Service are up to at Tokyo Auto Salon. This year they’ve unveiled both an 86 and a BRZ with varying levels of tuning.

Kansai Service cars are never over the top in terms of exterior styling and always serve as nice examples of street tuning.

Their 86 is fitted with the usual allotment of HKS, Advan and in house parts.

Under the hood is an HKS supercharger kit which should be perfect for some extra power on the street. It makes sense as the car has been dubbed the “86 Super Tourer”.

Parked next to the Toyota is the Subaru BRZ.

While relatively simple, this is easily one of the best looking BRZs I’ve seen yet. Kansai Service have a way with injecting just enough aggressiveness into the looks of their cars. Those Advan RS-IIs where made for this chassis.

The rear quarter angle gets even better. I believe the carbon wing is their own design and it looks fantastic!

Under the hood things have been left mostly stock with an HKS intake pipe being the only addition. It provides a nice contrast to the 86, as some may be looking to retain the car’s naturally aspirated power plant.

A couple very clean builds from Kansai Service and certainly no shortage of 86s and BRZs at Tokyo Auto Salon. More to come!

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

BenSopra 180SX At TAS

Tokyo Auto Salon coverage is hitting hard now that the show is underway. The 86/BRZ siblings are the undisputed stars of 2013, but there’s still a host of other interesting builds new and old. We’ve all come to know Miura-san for his work with the GT-R and 86, but this year he’s unveiled one of the more interesting “S” Chassis’ of the show.

These are the kinds of builds Tokyo Auto Salon was invented for.

I’ve been more than vocal on my distaste for BenSopra’s work on the GT-R, however this rendition of the kit works quite well on the 180SX.

It’s not just looks either. Under the hood is the VR38 from the GT-R producing an insane 1100 horsepower!

I won’t attempt to summarize Tokyo Auto Salon, as there are bloggers/photographers at the show doing that. However, I will be posting some of my favorite cars throughout the weekend so stay tuned!

Photos courtesy of CarWatch.

Vertex 86 At Tokyo Auto Salon

Like many of you I’ll be tucking into some serious car porn this weekend as the automotive blogosphere is flooded with Tokyo Auto Salon coverage. Expect to see the usual helping of GT-Rs and a massive onslaught of Toyota 86s. There will of course be some Evos here and there and if we’re lucky an STi or two. I’m also looking forward to the inevitable hybrid, badly disguising itself as a viable platform for modifying. It’s the greatest car show of them all, contrary to what you might have read on Speedhunters…

There are a couple shops I always look forward to seeing, one of which being Vertex. Their 86 demo car will be the centerpiece of their exhibition this year.

I presume Vertex will eventually produce multiple aero options for the 86 as this one is simply a lip kit. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for front and rear bumpers and potentially a wide body Ridge kit.

Expect the usual roster of tuning shops and parts manufacturers to bring out the big guns. Varis looks to be offering their own wide body option for the 86 this year and what they have in store is pretty interesting.

I’ll be doing my best to provide some element of coverage throughout the weekend. I can’t wait to see what’s in store!

Photos courtesy of Vertex.