NOVEMBER EDITORIAL>> THE UNCONVENTIONAL
When you think of 'speed', you tend to picture a car that's, well, sporty. A hot hatch, coupe, fastback, or perhaps a convertible.
So what about the body styles that are slightly more... unconventional? You don't usually associate 'speed' with 4-door variations, wagons, pick-ups and most certainly not vans. That's because for the most part they're, well, rather unsporty. But are they really?
So for the month of November we'll be looking beyond your garden variety 'sporty' body styles; instead we're going to hunt the more unusual types. Welcome to Haulers & Sedans. We'll be treating this as a broad theme, covering pick-ups, wagons, sedans and everything in between.
For many enthusiasts, wagons are usually relegated to support car duties, such as hauling around wheels and tools...
...but there are some out there who would disagree. Such as Subaru specialist Tony Rigoli Performance, who have hurtled a full-bodied WRX wagon down the quarter in 8.881 @ 154mph. You can expect a full feature on this MY99 weapon in the coming days.
In fact unconventional bodies are nothing new to drag racing, and Mike will be delivering some awesome spotlights, including one on this gasser.
What a wonderful juxtaposition it is to see an engine bay like this in the body of a Valiant wagon.
In Europe wagon's are known as Estates, and Ross Ianson will be booking a date with this E34 rendition.
We'll also be looking back at the EVO wagons that raced in Super Taikyu...
...while Dino will be serving up reviews on three desirable wagons. First up, we have Audi's S4 wagon.
While in the American corner we have Cadillac's CTS wagon.
And representing Japan is STi's latest version of the Legacy, the tS.
Linhbergh's been busy shooting an eclectic group of vehicles, such as this Ford pickup from Bonneville. While on the topic of land speed racing, Linhbergh will also be heading down to SCTA El Mirage to capture some speed on the dry lake beds.
Then there are the creations that boggle the mind. When Ford decided to rekindle the Supervan of the 80s, it did so by dropping a Ford-Cosworth Formula 1 motor into Supervan 3. Crazy? You bet! Supervan 3's received some revisions since then, and Paddy will be providing a closer look at it. As a kid, this was one of my favorite cars!
Of course performance is just one aspect of our rich car culture, and we'll be delving into the wonderful world of Japan's VIP movement.
The VIP scene Stateside is burgeoning with some fantastic sedans, and we've lined up a host of shoots that will be coming your way over the next few weeks.
Along the way we'll be popping by San Diego for Autofashion's 4th annual VIP Festival. Meanwhile NZPC Magazine will be showing us the New Zealand interpretation of Haulers & Sedans.
Of course there's also been a huge surge in the popularity of 4-doors in drifting...
...so for this month we'll have not one, but two Speedhunters scouring Japan for the best 4-door drift examples.
With Australian Speedhunter Casey travelling to Japan, both him and Dino will cover the World Drift Summit & Competition, which is shaping up to be a monster of an event! Fans of Ebisu are going to love November!
Just some of the 4-door drifters in our line-up will be Nissan Cefiros...
...to Toyota Chasers...
...and Nissan Laurels.
Over in Europe, Paddy has just shot the AE86 trackday from Mondello Park...
...and he's still soaking wet from the rainy Carrick-on-Suir MC's Halloween Historic Stages Rally.
In Germany we'll be attending the well-known Essen Motor Show. The event has long standing ties to F1 legend Jochen Rindt, and this year will mark the 40th anniversary since his death. Did you know that in 1970, just months before his fatal accident in Monza, it was announced that the Essen Motor Show would be renamed the Jochen Rindt Show?
The promoters have claimed this year's Essen Motor Show will focus on "pure sports cars" - which is exactly what we all wanted to hear!
We're hoping there will be plenty more of the eyebrow-raising cars that we saw at last year's Essen Motor Show...
We'll also be bringing you full coverage of the LA Auto Show with the latest on the new car debuts and concepts.
The Speedhunters team will be racking up some serious miles this month, as we'll be travelling to a dizzying number of events. Those who prefer grip over drift will be pleased to hear that both Mike and Linhbergh will be capturing this year's Super Lap Battle.
After smashing Superlap Battle's FF record by a staggering 1.5 seconds, Chris Rado and World Racing will be back out again. This time, they'll be unleashing the 1000hp Team Need for Speed Scion tC. We can't wait!
We'll be lapping up plenty of Japanese on-track action as well, including the Super Taikyu season-ender...
...and we'll pay tribute to the RE-Amemiya GT300 RX-7. Add to that the Rally Nippon, the Autech Owner's Day and some Super GT action.
November, of course, means the SEMA Show will once again be taking over Las Vegas. Rod and Mike will be roving the halls to deliver the coverage thick and fast.
If you want live updates from the SEMA Show, then be sure to follow Speedhunters on Facebook and Twitter.
Of course we'll be ringside for the unveiling of Team Need for Speed's RTR-X.
And we also have the exclusive on another car set to debut at the SEMA Show. A car that's from a certain Mr Block...
We're looking to end 2010 with a bang, so we hope you'll enjoy our penultimate theme for the year. Bring on the Haulers & Sedans!
- Charles Kha
