We could almost afford GReddy's $7,700 2.7L RB26 stroker kit, but then we wouldn't have anything left for the car.
Instead of serving as spokesmodels and script consultants, Top Secret's Mr. Nagata and Yashio Factory's Mr. Okamura allow their work to define them as tuners. Manifolds don't get any better than this.
Ogura Clutch showed a new single-plate clutch for the NSX, RX-8, and S2000.
Supra owners, prepare to bust a nut: the HKS 2JZ-GTE 3.4L stroker kit and JZA80 sequential transmission. Now clean yourselves up; that's just wrong.
GReddy's RX-8 turbo kit.
New RAYS G-games 77S wheel.
Recaro's new fabric is called Wildcat. Grrr, baby.
Exedy's new Hyper Carbon Series clutches are available in single, semi-twin, and semi-triple styles.
Maziora big boss Keiji Shimizu says, "Hello, Option2! Are you ready to rock?" Uh, we don't work for that mag.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride...of Frankenstein!
SpoCom style at an afterhours gathering in the Makuhari Messe parking lot.
We still can't convert yen to dollars, but something tells us we can't afford this Top Fuel turbo kit.
RE Amemiya RX-8 front bumper.
We Get Boxed Out By Bigger PervertsThey may seem small and cordial, but when those Japanese guys get in front of the race queens, all hell breaks loose. These little skebe dudes will defile the Japanese social order at the first sight of cleavage. They even have better camera rigs than most of the professional shooters (next time we'll get a Coolpix with a 3x zoom). You haven't smelled anything until you've taken in the sweet musk of pent-up sexual frustration intermingled with a sweaty mass of humanity struggling to capture the inspiration for yet another autoerotic session.
Our FNG, Freckles, freaked out when he saw this Tomei EJ intake manifold.
2004 Tokyo Auto Salon: The Director's CutIs it possible that we teamed up with the Video Option crew to produce a DVD on the 2004 Tokyo Audio Salon? And is it possible that our cameraman was none other than the legendary Zaku, who gets those crazy shots for the D1 GP videos? All we know is that Howard spent the whole show running around wearing a Panavision cap and wielding a megaphone screaming, "Roll 'em!" and "One more time, but with tension. More tension."
The grand plan is to combine all of the video footage together with our still shots of all of the cars, products, and models to create a virtual tour of the Auto Salon. We wanted to give it away on Tour, but Howard says we have to sell it to cover his costs, which included a one-week rental of a 40-foot Star Waggon. This DVD could be big. Do we hear Oscar calling? Who are we kidding? This lost footage will probably get tossed into the trunk of one of our numerous unfinished project cars. Man, we really do suck.
The X5 crew is bringing SpoCom flavor to Japan with its show series. Nads just wanted a picture with them because they "wear fine threads and hang out with foxy mamas." Damn, is he old.