Awarded by a jury of 50 leading automotive journalists, this year's North American Car of the Year goes to BMW's Mini Cooper S, beating out the Infiniti G35 and the Nissan 350Z. The award, announced at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, considered 25 other cars, with the Mini, 350Z, and G35 running as the finalists. The journalists specifically named the S-model Mini because of its 163hp supercharged powerplant, as well as its low price and substantial list of standard features. The Mini also earned five stars in recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests, while producing a strong demand in the automotive market. This diminutive vehicle obviously packs a punch not found in other cars of the same category. The Super Street staff knows the power of the Mini firsthand, constantly borrowing eurotuner's Project Mini on our mandatory four-hour lunch breaks, spontaneous getaways to San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Ana, as well as drifting lessons at the Petersen Automotive Museum, and picking up hitchhikers of the hot-female persuasion.
A Little Bit Fast and a Tiny Bit Furious
With the impending release of this summer's blockbuster 2 Fast 2 Furious, due in theaters June 6, 2003, Racing Champions/Ertl has announced it will produce a line of 1:18 scale and 1:64 scale die-cast model cars based on last year's multimillion-dollar hit, The Fast and The Furious. The deal that Racing Champions/Ertl has penned with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group will allow them to bring all of the "star cars" from the first movie as well as many of the cars from part two to collectors' shelves worldwide. Soon you will be able to sit in your den in your Cheetos-stained tank top and pretend you're Dominic Torretto poppin' wheelies in your blown Charger. Or maybe you'd rather be Brian Spilner trying to squeeze more "NAWSSS" into your Eclipse. Either way, these models will allow you to live out your TFATF fantasies without blowing yourself up or worrying about your "heavy foot." For more information, go to www.rcertl.com.
Stillen for Children
In a recent trip to Irvine High School in Irvine, California, Stillen and Nissan donated a '95 Nissan 200SX to the school's auto shop. The heavily modified 200SX was Stillen's entry at the 1995 SEMA in Las Vegas. Featured in numerous magazines, the copper-colored Nissan hosts an Eibach suspension system, APP Wheels, Yokohama tires, and performance products built in-house by Stillen. The CEO of Stillen, Steve Millen (a poet who didn't know it), presented the 200SX to the students. "The car is built well enough to easily qualify as a track car for SCCA or competition events," explained Steve. "The 200SX study will encourage students to become involved in automotive aftermarket performance products manufacturing, while teaching them the proper ways to do so." The students will dismantle it to learn more about the car components and how aftermarket parts lend to performance value. Following suit, Ricky Chu will be donating his 240SX to Springfield Elementary, teaching kids the proper ways of road rage, honking your horn, and yelling with your fingers.
Super Street Sticker in a Color Some People Like Proves Victorious
So you're too embarrassed to slap the fabulous Super Street sticker onto your car, huh? Too lazy to send in a SASE, ensuring delivery of a Super Street decal close to the color that you want? Too weak to separate the lining and place it on the fender of your car, showing off the only literature your toilet will see? We see how it is. We see how you think you're too big for us. Well, check out this fast Lexus IS 300, baby. Because of the powerful Super Street sticker, Troy Hanson's No. 2 Lexus qualified on pole for the Daytona 250, in the ST1 class. According to witnesses, the sticker gave Troy that extra boost he needed to get the pole, while attracting so many women he had to style his hair like Ricky to make them flee. The sticker is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum. OK, maybe just Wahoo's Fish Taco, and not the Smithsonian, but the sticker is guaranteed to make your car faster and attract women.