To the hardcore skyline fan, Nissan’s R34 GT-R was the last true skyline. Since the new R35 abandons the Skyline namesake, there is an air of truth to that statement, even though the GT-R badge carries over to Nissan’s current flagship sports car. But after 13 years of dominating the […]
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Wangan Racer | Zimax Mazda RX-7
There is no doubt that the Mazda RX-7 is one of the best sports cars to come out of Japan. Mazda got it right with this car, from its appealing and curvaceous design to its lightweight and powerful twin-rotor and twin-turbo Wankel engine. But what really makes this car special […]
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Nitrous Oxide 101: The Last Laugh
More power at the push of a button. We’ve all been in a situation where we wished we could just floor the throttle, hit a button and have an extra 50, 100 or 150 horsepower to break-off an opponent while our car accelerates quicker than ever before. What sounds like […]
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Suzuka Sprinter | J’s Racing S2000 Aims for the C3S Time Attack Record
There are few tuning shops in the world that remain loyal to a single nameplate. Fortunately, Honda fans can rely on J’s Racing for support. Located in Osaka, Japan, J’s Racing was founded in 1989 by Junichi Umemoto, a professional driver who competed behind the wheel of various Honda platforms. […]
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Phoenix’s Power Kyoto Tour
While visiting Japan for the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon, Koji Yokoyama, president of Phoenix’s Power invited the DSPORT crew for an exclusive tour of their Kyoto facility.
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Test & Tune: Mazdaspeed3 | FWD Renegade
The import performance movement has always featured an ever-changing marketplace. During the ‘80s, the predominant weapons of choice were Mazdas, Datsuns or Toyotas. These lightweight RWD platforms made for perfect pocket rockets. In the ‘90s, the FWD import movement was spurred by turbocharged Honda Civics and Acura Integras tearing up […]
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Formula for a winning D1-spec S15
Car or driver? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer on the importance of each. Some say that drifting is 80-percent driver and 20-percent car. Others claim that drifting can be mastered relatively quickly in a properly setup vehicle. For those looking to build a vehicle for […]
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642 Horsepower STI Wows The Domestic Crowd
There’s nothing like good old-fashioned teasing to motivate the competitive spirit in anyone. When it’s a group of old friends with egos and horsepower, the situation becomes even more interesting. For Scott Franischetti, a veteran of the muscle car and domestic scene, there was something about Subaru’s Impreza STI that […]
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ECU 101: Engine Management Systems Explained
In many modern vehicles, more and more systems are controlled by microprocessors. As technologically advanced sensors are able to measure various engine and driving conditions on- the-fly, the input from these sensors is collected, analyzed and submitted to a master computer. This master computer, the engine control unit (ECU) or […]
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Sierra-Sierra’s EVO VIII Brings Pro Racing To Time Attack
What happens when a multi-million dollar racing operation leaves the Formula Atlantic series to campaign a production car in time attack? They build a serious car backed by an experienced team that puts the veterans of time-attack series to the test. Sierra-Sierra Enterprises (SSE) out of Minden, Nevada, won the […]
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Camshaft Showcase: 4G63 EVO Build
Mitsubishi’s 4G63 engine is arguably one of the best four-cylinder engines ever built. While the early variants set records powering DSMs, later versions of the engine propelled the EVO VIII and EVO IX. In terms of strength, power potential and ease of service, the 4G63 engine simply has no equal. […]
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Test & Tune: 2001 Nissan Silvia S15 | Uncorking the Silvia’s SR20DET Engine
Rare and different. Two words that epitomize the Nissan Silvia S15. It carries a mystique almost as captivating as Nissan’s Skyline GT-R. Nissan ceased production of the Silvia S14, known in the U.S. as a 240SX, at the end of 1998. America never received the Silvia S15. Like its Skyline […]
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Camshaft Tech 101
While performance camshafts are the most important component selection on an “All-Motor” build, many underplay the importance of proper camshaft selection on forced-induction applications. However, the reality is that a proper set of cams might easily add 100 horsepower or more at the wheels without changing boost pressure. With or […]
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AEM Drag Civic | The 7s, When, Where and How
“A front-wheel drive running 12s in the quarter mile…that’s impossible.” That was the mentality of the drag racing community when Hondas would frequent the drag strips on weekends and at early Battle of the Imports events back in 1994. Not long after the “impossible” proved to be just a matter […]
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APR Racing Shop Tour
During our stay for the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon we had to chance to visit several race shops in Japan for an exclusive look at their facilities. Our first stop took us to APR Racing where Jon Watanabe and driver Yuki Iwasaki showed us where they work on their GT3 […]
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