BUILDING PROJECT CARS IS RARELY A SMOOTH PROCESS, AS THERE ARE INEVITABLE BUMPS IN THE ROAD, unexpected errors and stages of the build that simply don’t go according to plan. Even well-thought-out builds can encounter hardships and adversity. But the reward for perseverance can make it all worth while. Mike […]
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Puerto Rico’s 599 WHP Street/Strip EVO 8 | Tropic Thunder
AS A MASS OF COLD AIR COLLIDES WITH AN AREA OF WARM AIR, the difference in air volumes creates instability. This atmospheric volatility sets off a chain reaction so immense that energy rips through the sky igniting the very air it passes through. So much happens in such an instant […]
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Fredric Aasbo’s 661 HP 2JZ Powered GT86
SEEKING ADVENTURE AND TRAILBLAZING INTO the unknown is embedded in Norwegian DNA. The Vikings of yore had no problem sailing uncharted territory. Perhaps this explains Fredric “The Norwegian Hammer” Aasbo’s interest in the new Toyota GT86 (sister platform to the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ). While the GT86, Scion FR-S […]
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Slide Or Die S14 | 700 WHP SR23VET Says No To V8s
IT’S NO SECRET THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE seen a sharp increase of V8 swaps among Formula Drift competitors. Sure, these drivers offer compelling reasons like a broad power band, reliability and more horsepower. However, to the legions of JDM purists, putting an American V8 engine into a Japanese […]
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500 HP EVO X | Design Craft Fabrications Builds A Track-Ready EVO X
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MANUFACTURERS and the tuners has evolved with the incredible growth seen in the aftermarket tuning segment. In years past, enthusiasts and tuners would anxiously wait for secretive new platforms to be released, and then begin prototyping and testing once they were able to acquire one. Fast […]
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Crawford Performance’s 530 WHP GRB STI Aims For Unlimited Excellence
COMPETITION IS A DRIVING FORCE FOR EXCELLENCE. Excellence means achieving nothing less than the best. When challenged by competition, the true competitor finds that extra motivation to push his limits to exceed expectations. It is when aiming for excellence that records are broken and true competitors rise to the top. […]
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1,168WHP Supra | Big Boost High-Powered Street Car
Die-hard fanatics boast the strongest faith and resolve when it comes to being loyal, for better or for worse. That is, of course, until that subject of loyalty gets crushed by a mind-blowing revelation. This happens with regularity when hardcore domestic fans get beaten by imports with smaller displacement, turbocharged […]
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592 WHP 2.3 Liter Evo IX | Built to Race
IT IS OFTEN THE CASE THAT NEW COMPETITORS WILL ARRIVE AT A CONTEST, start at the bottom and progressively inch their way toward the top with each successive event. On the other hand, there are also competitors that will set their initial sights on the top. Of course, reaching the […]
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Show To Go | 365WHP JDM Silvia S15 Commute Racer
PERFORMANCE OR LOOKS. IS ONE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER? Do you buy an exhaust and intake or a new set of wheels first? Every tuner has a different list of priorities when it comes to a vehicle buildup. While the original plan for a buildup may not include addressing […]
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Roaring Roadster | 431 Horsepower Turbocharged S2000
LOYALTY TO THE LABEL. Many die-hard fans of specific brands will stick with them to the bitter end. Like many sport compact veterans, brothers Robert and Richard Wong have their roots in Hondas. Hondas were affordable, powerful and widely supported. Building serious Honda platforms was a hobby that delivered results. […]
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D’GARAGE: Project Love Story 400 | Lexus LS400
WHY? IT’S A QUESTION OFTEN ASKED, BUT sometimes not asked enough. When our intern Mikiko Akaogi told us she wanted to build a project vehicle, we wanted to know more. What car? What goal? Had the answers to those two questions revolved around the performance tuning of a popular platform, […]
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Reviving a Performance Icon | Project Time Capsule R34 GT-R: Part 1
There comes a point in many children’s lives where they put prized possessions into a time capsule, bury it in the yard and forget about it as time passes. When it’s time to unearth the capsule, the contents seem to gain more value and appreciation. Such is the case with […]
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Theory of Evolution | An EVO VIII’s Quest for 9’s
Insanity is to try something over and over again, expecting a different result. Matt Smith knows a thing or two about insanity, having spent five years trying to run a nine-second quarter mile pass in his EVO VIII. Over the years he invested valuable time, effort and money into the […]
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Lose A Street Fight, Build A 1,096whp Supra
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU LOSE A STREET BATTLE? If you can’t beat them, do you join them? About 12 years ago, Dusty Womack was on the prowl in his modified 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. Tuned to deliver 400 all-wheel horsepower, the GSX broke off Corvettes and Mustangs at […]
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Boosted GReddy 86 Relives its Touge Roots
Japan’s twisting mountain roads are famous for being the birthplace of drifting, long before the days of professional drifting competitions. Back then, drivers favored balanced lightweight platforms over outright power. This ethos inspired the Team Toyo Tires Drift/Trust Racing to collaborate on a Toyota 86 drift demo car. Text by […]
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