Show cars rarely demonstrate mechanical creativity delivering both form and function. Engineering innovation is traditionally bred within motorsports in the name of edging out the competition. Street car tuners typically adapt, rather than pioneer, racing equipment for enthusiast use. However, some “show cars” that actually see time on the street […]
Read More
HAIL TO THE KING | The Super GT 2009 GT300 Champion is a Lexus IS350?!
“Challenge to the world.” This loose Japanese translation embodies the mission statement of the Super GT racing series. For those unfamiliar with Super GT, it’s practically the national motorsport of Japan. It started as the All- Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) in 1993. Like America’s NASCAR, Super GT captivates […]
Read More
Supercharging Takes BMW M3 Power To The Next Level
Inspiration and aspiration can be drawn from a variety of sources. How many would cite Jeremy Clarkson, Jason Dawe, Richard Hammond, James May and “The Stig” are an entirely different situation. For Ricky Kwan, these entertaining and talented drivers who star in the popular television program Top Gear UK made […]
Read More
1014 Horsepower, 9-sec EVO VIII
Imagine a world without boost. High-performance street engines would make around 100 horsepower per liter. Racing engines would only be able to squeeze out 130 horsepower per liter. In this boost-free world, a five- hundred horsepower streetcar would need an engine that is over five liters in displacement. Heavy, large- […]
Read More
Gran Turismo Subaru STi | Virtually Built In GT1, Now A Reality
Driving games have gripped gamers and racing fans since the early 80’s with the release of Pole Position in video arcades. This led to the development of more realistic driving games that pinnacled to the revolutionary Gran Turismo video game for Sony’s Playstation in 1998. Touted by Sony as the […]
Read More
Homegrown: Our Project Pro-Am Honda Civic EK Comes to Life
To Street or not to Street, that is the question. Do we allow our Project EK Civic to roam the streets or do we dedicate it to a life spent in garages, trailers, dynos and drag strips. With this project, we have reached a crossroad that many of our readers […]
Read More
9-sec Street/Show/Strip Supra | Overcoming Tragedy to Build 919 HP JZA80
The JZA80 twin-turbo Supra is arguably the best import-performance vehicle to be sold in the United States. For brothers Tony and Kyle Nino, the Supra was their dream car. Older-brother Tony purchased this Supra in June of 2005 with the intent of building a 700-horsepower, daily-driven street monster. During the […]
Read More
One Bad ‘Bish | 712whp Demo Car Exemplifies Buschur Racing Philosophy While Chasing the 8s
“No bull” has been the tuning the development philosophy behind Buschur Racing since the beginning. Always a skeptic, David Buschur would test each and every component on the track before recommending it to others. If a part didn’t make the car run quicker, it simply wouldn’t be sold. Today, that […]
Read More
Top Secret-built R34 GT-R Rocks Fuji Speedway with 730 Horsepower
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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. […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More