CAR FEATURE : INSIDE THE TEAM NFS Z4

Race cars are, by very definition, built solely for performance. Race cars are creations with no compromise, no creature comforts. Their unwavering focus is on shaving every thousandth of a second.

CAR FEATURE : 5ZIGEN FD2 CIVIC TYPE-R

If you guys remember, I did a Spotlight on the 5Zigen CL7 Accord Euro-R last year at the Rev Speed Lap Battle. At last week's event I just couldn't take my eyes off the FD2 that 5Zigen showed up with, a car built along the same lines of the CL7 but even faster and with a lot more potential thanks to the more modern chassis.

CAR FEATURE: NISSAN ELGRAND

Among the various sizes of minvans that roam the streets of Japan the Nissan Elgrand has always been the one that appealed to me the most. Nissan has always described it as the "King of Minivan," sitting at the top of the premium van market with only the Toyota Alphard as a direct competitor. Despite being a big toaster on wheels, it always got the nod from car guys. Those with expanding families didn't need to sell out completely when trading in the sports car for a people mover, the Elgrand always allowed them to retain their bragging rights, packing a powerful 3.5L V6 engine and rear wheel drive. And in case the insults from friends continue you could always tell them that pro-driver Nobuteru Taniguchi drives one! The Elgrand has been a favorite in the JDM vanning culture, often seen wearing aftermarket bodykits and stanced accordingly. But we now have to ask ourselves, is all this about to change?

CAR FEATURE: ROB PHILLIP'S CHEVY C10

Like many other young boys, I grew up liking cars because of how they looked. In my ignorant, youthful eyes, some cars looked like spaceships, others looked like monstrous beasts and, of course, there were the cars that looked unexplainably cool. When that little boy transformed into a government certified automobile operator, the first thought was, of course, to buy a car and make it look as cool as possible. Driving functionality was secondary to visual aesthetics.

CAR FEATURE: THE ROCKET BUNNY HONDA ODYESSY

Vanning is a movement that never completely caught on stateside. People went from modding sedans then straight into SUVs. Those individuals that made the switch to vans are die hard van fanatics. They live, breath, and believe in the vanning lifestyle.
When I arrived at Auto Fashion's VIP Festival, I was expecting parking lots full of lowered sedans of all makes and sizes. What I wasn't expecting was this VIP'd out 1997 Honda Odyssey.

CAR FEATURE: A RECESSIONARY TALE

This story and this car mean an awful lot to me.
I hope you can bear with me as I try to convey the full story for you. It won't be easy but I'll try.
Recession is defined as a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced. It's a pretty cold way of looking at what the economies of the world have been experiencing for the last few years and it is especially cold if you've been hit harder than others. I suppose I don't really need to mention the sort of financial mess Ireland is in, no thanks to a small group of society who lived beyond their means for so long with no thought as to where the repayments would come from. Banks freely giving money away and people willingly taking it was a sure fire recipe for an eventual financial meltdown.

CAR FEATURE, BISIMOTO CIVIC SHUTTLE

This 1988 Civic Wagon started off as a joke.

It was a build which infamous tuner, Bisimoto, took quite light heartily. But as all jokes go, its all about the delivery or final punch line. In order to have that great punch line a bit of seriousness had to brought in.

Las year, a print magazine held a high profile engine building challenge and invited all the big tuning houses to compete. The challenge was for those tuning houses to build an engine that can produce the most horse power per liter in an streetable, unleaded fuel engine. Many tuners (we'll be leaving the names out to protect those involved) entered with turbocharged motors with the exception of two tuning houses. One of them was Bisimoto Engineering.