Contrary to popular belief, many of the best tuners and cars are not located in the heart of the metropolis called Tokyo. Instead, they’re found in the more rural or industrial sections of Japan. While some have grown to include facilities within the big, densely populated cities, many share a […]
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715 WHP STM Tuned Subaru Impreza RS Drag Car Breaks into the 8s
Bad experiences and misdirection rank high on the list of enthusiast fallouts with their car and the automotive industry. Getting taken for a ride applies to more than just passengers in a taxicab. While there are a number of shops chasing the almighty dollar with little regard for customer service, […]
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550-Horsepower Wide-Body Mazda RX-7 Set To Show And Go
From mild to wild is an expression that’s often used to describe a full range of performance upgrades. In show-car circuits, “mild” classes impose restrictions to certain modifications where “wild” classes provide an anything-goes format. Robert Mealey of Champions Motorsports, began entering his 1994 Mazda RX-7 in the “mild” class […]
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1,307 WHP Street Toyota Supra, Refined | Distilled to Drag
Like a fine spirit, refining your ride sometimes requires progressive improvement over time. This distillation process often results in parts upgrades and retuning as limitations are discovered and more horsepower is desired. Finding the performance limitations of engine and power adding components is a part of this process, and Michael […]
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Nismo GT40-R32 | 533 Horsepower, 91-octane Track Terror
It’s a dream that few will realize, but nearly every import-performance enthusiast seems to have. Of course, we are talking about owning your own GT-R. Whether you know about the GT- R from the internet and your favorite magazines or it is just your car of choice on video games, […]
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711 WHP K24-Powered Turbo Honda Civic CX
Years of experience will often compensate for a lack of resources when someone is a die-hard enthusiast. History has shown that a few dedicated and experienced racers can hit the track with a grassroots operation and still set records or take home an event win. Knowledge and expertise is something […]
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All-Sport Mitsubishi EVO VIII Attacks Cones and Quarters
Street, strip, cones and courses. Building a car that performs competently in all arenas is no easy feat. In fact, finding the right combination to accommodate all of these motorsports can prove to be downright frustrating. But for some, all-sport status is essential. What would be better than a machine […]
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Titan Built 1,067 WHP Toyota Supra Earns Bragging Rights
Competition motivates. When the contest is between father and son, that atmosphere takes on an entirely new meaning. Doug Perera and his son Anthony love high- performance. After Anthony built a 1,041-horsepower EVO VIII, Doug was motivated to show his son that he could do a little better. Deciding to […]
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850 WHP XS Engineering Time Attack Nissan R32 GT-R
Small guerilla armies consistently defeat some of the most capable and properly-trained government armies around the world. In these instances, unconventional tactics and methods lead to victory over superior forces. In the motorsports’ arena, there is no combative force bigger than an OEM. Blank-check budgets and extensive staffs of engineers, […]
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786 HP Turbocharged K-series Honda Civic Aims At Eights
Changing up the program keeps the interest alive. Staying with the program includes evolving with the trends and the times. Long-time Honda fanatic Paul Armstrong wanted to build another Honda Civic, but he wanted to build it differently. His first build was a Civic coupe, his second was a CR-X. […]
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Triple D 240SX | Drag, Drift, or Drive, This RB-Powered Nissan 240SX Is Ready For Action
While just about every DSPORT reader would love to have a 12-car garage filled with a car for every occasion, the reality is that the majority can only afford a single vehicle. When you have just one vehicle that you are going to be daily-driving and racing at the track, […]
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Aero-Tuned Mazda RX-7 Shaves Seconds With Aerodynamics
In Japan, the pursuit of time attack records has driven tuner shops and privateers alike to Tsukuba Circuit, the Mecca of time-attack competition. This benchmark circuit has been the battlefield where many a competitor has waged war against the clock in the hunt for class records. The highest honor is […]
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E85-Fueled Street/Strip Toyota Supra Defies Altitude with Attitude
Imagine if you moved to a high-altitude location where it took five breaths to get the air that your body can normally ingest in three. You’d be breathing pretty rapidly just walking around. Now, imagine if you had to make a quarter-mile sprint at a mile-high altitude. At best, you’d […]
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Phoenix’s Power R35 GT-R | 983 WHP Osaka-Style Build
Demographics and geography play into Japan’s tuning philosophy, which differs from the way that American tuners conduct themselves in the quest for greater performance. The priorities of consumers also influence the style of tuning employed on either side of the Pacific, yielding builds that showcase the differences between them. Text […]
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Twincharged Power on a Carbon-fiber Widebody Exige
“Superchargers are parasites.” “Turbochargers are lags.” The forced-induction community has debated the methods of power adding with a clear divide. Turbocharging enthusiasts point out that positive-displacement superchargers use less-efficient compressors that steal horsepower from the crankshaft like a parasite. On the flipside, supercharging enthusiasts complain that any turbocharger large enough […]
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