It seems that after all these years, Mitsubishi's finally gotten its mojo back-and rightfully so. The company gained a large and very loyal following during the early '90s when it brought the performance-minded Eclipse, Galant and 3000GT to the table after the demise of the Starion (not the Tredia), due mostly in part to the turbocharged wonders that lay under the hoods of these popular sports coupes. But it was really these first- and second-generation Eclipses that killed Hondas softly with the tried and tested 4G63, the very powerplant that gave the early model Lancer Evos god-like status. This two-liter combined with either a RWD or AWD drivetrain gave enthusiasts a pair of brass balls and had potential that was unstoppable. Well, it was almost unstoppable; that is, until Mitsubishi canned the 4G63 in '99 when the second-gen Eclipse was taken off the market for the third gen replacement.

The latest consensus in writing at Super Street headquarters is that mentioning the car owner's country of origin is entirely unimportant, as well as his occupation, preferred style of dress and favorite sexual position, for that matter. The only thing that readers want to read about, according to the focus group, is everything about the car, given they can actually read and know the difference between a computer mouse and an automobile. The one most important takeaway from this directive, however, is the fact that they even needed to figure this out in the first place. Because it's really not about what our readers read, but what they actually want to read. One car that can undoubtedly make the novice reader turn into a venerable James Joyce is the FC3S, better known to common folk as the Mazda RX-7, from the second generation.

It's tough building a car when your only source of income is allocated for important things, like tuition and school books. But if you are sneaky enough to figure out how to tweak that "budget" wisely (and believe us, we've seen plenty of people who have done this; not that you should), then we say: get away with it while you can! Eric Moon isn't doing a regular nine-to-five and can't afford to buy a secondary car to use as his project, so he did what every undergrad that's into building cars does: spend that financial aid check with abandon!

When it comes to cars there are two types of people: those who see a car as a convenient mode of transportation from point A to point B, and the rest of us who are reading this article. We spend a majority of our time (and money) trying to decide how to get from point A to point B faster, more stylishly and a little differently than the next guy. Unfortunately for those of us that fall into the second category, that puts us into a bit of a dilemma. We are the ones who sit and daydream of all the cars and modifications we could have if we just happened to hit the Powerball jackpot. However, there are a few people who find the means to compromise and still come up with a neck-breaking vehicle that even Fortune 500 CEOs can admire.

It seems like a pretty wild project, but for Mario Hernandez it was quite a simple desire. You see, he comes from a family of Datsun lovers. His father owned Datsuns all his life. Mario and his brother Luis first learned how to wrench with these cars. Datsuns of that era are all very similar, so if you knew how to work on one, you became pretty well-versed for all the Datsuns. Most of the parts are interchangeable with each, making them very popular with the tuner enthusiasts.

It's unfortunate that you'll never be able to preserve a car's life unless you leave it garaged and un-driven or spend hours restoring the damn thing from the ground up. For those of us who take on the daily driven or beat-to-hell path, we will devote countless hours and sacrifice our sanity (and whatever bank funds are required) to complete a "job well done." And as each year passes and new cars flood the market, the resources to save an old car from extinction become harder to come by.

When awaiting the final release of something big, a sneak peek can often go a long way in helping people hold their breath. For example, when I first saw the trailer for Casino Royale, the most recent James Bond film, I knew the movie was going to be amazing. I had read that the filmmakers re-tooled the story to be more action-oriented and a bit rougher around the edges while maintaining the sheer coolness of the Bond character, and the preview certainly kept me anticipating the full showing for months on end. Similarly, upon visiting Tokyo and seeing all the latest cars that were in the process of being tuned-but not quite ready-on display by various manufacturers, I found myself anxiously wanting to see what would come of these awe-inspiring vehicles. For instance, the latest manifestation of Subaru's Impreza STI dressed to the nines by ings+1. At this point, the car is mainly an outer shell of what is to come, but it is definitely not a bad outer shell to be in. Have an exclusive first look at what is sure to be a lean, mean and super clean STI.

The one car on everyone's minds at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon was the one car that everyone's been dreaming about since Nissan unveiled it at last year's Tokyo Motor Show: the R35 GT-R. We knew that it would serve as the halo car for any premiere tuner but how modified they would be we weren't sure. There were strong rumors that Nissan Japan put out an executive call to all tuners to not tune these; they didn't want 1,000hp successors to the legendary R34. Some even hinted that Nissan would void any warranties if the onboard GPS sensors detected that the car had visited any of the racetracks in the country*; others claimed warranties would be void if new wheels were installed or if parts were removed**. Suddenly, the chances of seeing any tuned GT-Rs were becoming few-to-none.

When awaiting the final release of something big, a sneak peek can often go a long way in helping people hold their breath. For example, when I first saw the trailer for Casino Royale, the most recent James Bond film, I knew the movie was going to be amazing. I had read that the filmmakers re-tooled the story to be more action-oriented and a bit rougher around the edges while maintaining the sheer coolness of the Bond character, and the preview certainly kept me anticipating the full showing for months on end. Similarly, upon visiting Tokyo and seeing all the latest cars that were in the process of being tuned-but not quite ready-on display by various manufacturers, I found myself anxiously wanting to see what would come of these awe-inspiring vehicles. For instance, the latest manifestation of Subaru's Impreza STI dressed to the nines by ings+1. At this point, the car is mainly an outer shell of what is to come, but it is definitely not a bad outer shell to be in. Have an exclusive first look at what is sure to be a lean, mean and super clean STI.

Last month we announced a big engine build-off between ourselves and some select Source Interlink titles as part of Castrol Syntec's Top Shop Challenge, where each magazine gets to pick an engine and engine builder of choice to see which one will make the most power and maintain its longevity while on an engine dyno. We said that this would be a David versus Goliath match, so we're proud to announce our entry: the Honda Accord F22A engine, to go up against the likes of the RB26, SR20 and 4G63 monoliths. Think we're outpowered? Well, we are, but that doesn't mean we're not going to put up the good fight. Bisi Ezerioha is a champion when it comes to tuning these engines, and other single cam Honda powerplants. His expertise has won him numerous drag racing challenges and long lasting engine configurations. This month he drops knowledge on the basic outline and battle plan for our engine in the months to come.

If we had our way, we'd devote an entire issue of Super Street to the JDM van craze-but we can't. Not only do we not have the power to do so, but there aren't enough JDM vans here in the States to warrant 100-plus glossy pages of tuned mom wagon hotness, either. You can probably count the number of sick JDM vans in the United States on one hand, and here's one of them.

In most cases, the tuners who are lucky enough to get a cover in this magazine are either 1) so rich that money not only grows on their trees, but also comes down from the sky along with the dogs and the cats; 2) have enough sponsorship support that even My Shaldan is on the list, providing a lifetime supply of its new squash air fresheners; or 3) are exactly like the man who owns this '92 Honda Civic CX, who has more passion for the scene than Britney Spears has for the hyphy juice. His name is Michael Hatten, and his story begins at the age of 16 when a hapless '89 Nissan Pulsar NX was handed down to him from someone who obviously hated him. If you didn't know, the Pulsar is the gift that says, "I not only loathe your very being, but I also want everyone else in the world to know about it."

Salvage yards conjure up mixed emotions for any thoughtful car guy-particularly an old-school cat like Arvie Gimeno. On the one hand, it's where tired and expired machinery goes to die-whether it was simply its time, or whether circumstances sped up the evolutionary process a little, you only have to pay two bucks and wander in to Octopus, or Cadillac on a Stick, or any number of Pick-Your-U-Pull-Parts brand boneyard emporiums. The must of rainstorms absorbed into exposed cloth and upholstery, the leaking oil, antifreeze and various other evaporating fluids; combined, it smells like death.

In anyone's life, there are milestones-firsts-that you will never forget. First day of school. First kiss. First shag. First good shag. First job interview that you nailed. First sexual harassment lawsuit. And buried somewhere in that emotional soup cauldron of memories, your first car.

If there's one thing that Mugen has always done right, it's honda. Mention that one word in any conversation when you're discussing the intricacies of honda performance and you get the proverbial nodding of heads in unison. They are a pairing that is as timeless as bread and butter, Luke and the Force, nigo and Pharrell, so on and so forth. Mugen doesn't just take the good and make it better; well, they do, but it's a tradition of theirs-a skill, so to speak-of executing a finely tuned vehicle and having a keen understanding of how good a honda is from the factory before they decide on which areas they feel need improvement.

It's not a mini cooper, it's not a Ford Festiva and it's definitely not a Yugo. It's a car that the Japanese like to call the Toyota Starlet. If you've never heard of it before, you're not alone. It's perhaps one of the few Japanese cars from the '70s that hasn't been whored out to the aftermarket public. For one, finding one in relatively good shape is no easy feat. The Toyota Starlet can only be found in the far reaches of eBay, the junk section of the Recycler and, if you're lucky, inside the garage owned by your senile grandmother. And if by chance you get your sweaty palms on one, you would have an extremely hard time finding oEm parts for it, much less quality performance products and accessories, unless you decide on bringing back the Altezza taillights, which we highly suggest against.

Build a winning show car once and consider yourself lucky. Build a winning show car two years in a row and you're James Lin, founder of Team hybrid, who's won backto- back Scion Tuner challenges, defeating three other teams in the invitation-only competition. This year's winning car was the latest addition to the Scion family, the xD, the all new replacement of the discontinued xA hatchback. imagine the hurdles involved in tuning a car when there aren't any commercially available parts. Another obstacle was the fact that Team hybrid is purely a car club and not a pro-level shop with a garage available 24/7 or warehouses full of inventory. But setbacks rarely stop winners, so James solved the problem by outsourcing the development of parts as one-off pieces and relying on loyal sponsors who were eager to jump aboard the proven winner's ship.

It's silly to think that the Soulja Boy dance is still popular in 2008, the Spice Girls have sold out venues across the country and people actually believe Knight Rider is still relevant twenty-plus years after we done forgot about it. What's not silly, however, is the everlasting love we all have for the car that arguably carried the tuning industry on its shoulders, er, fenders and forged an unbreakable bond between man, car, and the neverending pursuit of modification. That car is the honda civic, and Vinnie Kahn is an example of a man who's willing to test his mettle to realize that modification chase.

There are times when I wish that I could always be behind the wheel of a true sports car like a Subaru STI. case in point: my return trip to Los Angeles from the mazda Raceway Laguna Seca after test driving the new five-door hatchback. Had it not been for American Airlines canceling my flght and postponing the next available until much later that afternoon, I would have never hopped into an Avis rental (a Kia Spectra, mind you) for a forgettable sprint down california's main artery highway. Talk about a piece of crap without any balls; my rental was the complete opposite of what the STI stood for: relentless power on tap, ultra handling and looks that get more "oh snap" faces than the "ha, he's driving a Spectra" looks I got for the four and a half hours it took for me to cross into L.A. county. Just for the record: yes, you can make it from Monterey to Los Angeles in under five hours, but had I done it in a STI, it probably would've been under four. In all fairness, comparing the STI against a tattered Spectra is probably not an ideal comparison between two cars-it's the proverbial apples and oranges tale if I've ever told one. however, it truly does require an absolute pile to make you appreciate a fine specimen of a car.

The phrase "droppin' dimes" was popular during the heydays of mobsters, when ratting fellow gangsters out to the Feds was an increasingly fashionable trend, especially among those who didn't want to get raped in jail. It referred to the act of actually dropping a dime into the public payphone, which is what it cost to make a call back then. The phrase eventually manifested from its origins of snitching to the more positive example of enlightening; providing an assist, if you will, especially about things that everyone needs to know. Enter Fred Chapman and his '96 EK Honda Civic hatchback, this year's foremost Droppin' Dimes candidate.

Pop quiz: What do J-pop idol Ayumi Hamasaki and this Masquerade Subaru WRX STI have in common? Give up? They both started life with faces that not even their mothers could love. Just as Ayu-chan owes most of her success to the skilled hands of her crack team of plastic surgeons, this WRX can now enjoy a successful run as a stunning show car, thanks to the creativity of a small aero shop in Japan. As much as we'd rather talk about the woman, Super Street is a car magazine, so we must spend the next paragraph talking about the car you see here.

In the days leading up to our Super Lap Battle finals, the question on everyone's minds wasn't whether HKS would break the overall track record or not, but by how much. This red Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, adorned with flashy, attractive HKS signage-dubbed the HKS Racing Performer CT230R by HKS' engineers-has already broken several records in Japan, and it only seemed fitting for HKS Japan to bring the car here to do the same. But this very extraordinary car couldn't have done what it has with any ordinary driver; this is the reason why HKS placed their trust into a driver who has performed consistently for them over the years. This special individual is Nobuteru Taniguchi, and as you can see, there is no one better for the job.

The true beginning of this story goes way, way, way-OK, not that far back, but back to the time when Datsun 510s and Mazda RX-3s were running around Los Angeles in the early '80s. Koichiro Kanda was fascinated by all the cool cars tearing up the boulevards in his area, dreaming of someday fixing up one of his own. At the time, he didn't have a lot of money and this only allowed for minor mods on hand-me-down cars.

It's no secret that any car labeled "Lexus" represents a milestone in a tuner's career. It's a crossover, if you will, from childhood to adulthood, from boy to man, from... uh, you get the point. It seems to have the style and presence to tempt young boys out of their Hondas, Scions and Nissans and into something much more grown up. Chris and Joan Chan are such lucky converts. Both have either owned or experimented with Integras, 240SXs and Scion tCs before deciding to build out an all-out VIP platform, this 1991 Toyota Celsior, better known to us as the Lexus LS 400.

It Can Do A 9.9-Second Quarter Mile And Loves To Time Attack - And Get This: It's Just Warming UpWhat do you do when you have already built and successfully competed with what is quite possibly the most powerful Mitsubishi Evo the world has ever seen? Simple, really: Start from scratch and build another one-except with this one, you make it even lighter, better and faster. And that's exactly what Clive Seddon, the respected Evo guru from England-based RC Developments, has done.