Jamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #1
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NO PARKING
SERVICE & A DELIVERY ARE
TOP
s
r a C r e n u T n a c i Hottest Jama
yling. rmance or st fo er p r fo d r modifie Tuner car - a ca The top ten list of popular tuner cars that any tuner have anywhere in the world will likely have several recurring names. Arguably, many will be “hot hatches” because historically, the genre was almost designed for tuning. So which is the best tuner car? That could be the subject of a heated debate. CE” Spence Words: Leroy “I
The first few issues of JTM have featured a few exotic tuner cars like Supra and NSX but the average man’s tuner car is more likely to be a Corolla or a Civic. The recipe for a popular tuner car is simple. The car must start life as affordable, high-performance sporty, fun to drive and to modify. Simple! Each car on this list all earns its tuner status because Toyota GT Starlet of one reason or another. All of them have been a blast to drive since they rolled off the lot, but every last one reached another level thanks market). The Integra immediately developed a cult following, helped to a legion of loyal fans and home mechanics, who to this day still by the generally larger displacement engines (and more weight) than squeeze every last bit of horsepower and performance out of these was available in the Civic. machines. After the NSX-R, the next model to receive the R treatment was the An informal survey of the 10 Hottest Tuner cars in Jamaica (in no Integra Type R, a full year before the privilege was endowed on the particular order) are as follows: Civic. The rest as they say, is history.
Honda Civic
Toyota GT Turbo Starlet
and maintenance will continue to ensure it makes the top 10 but not top it.
Subaru Impreza WRX
One cannot have a debate with the Evo and not immediately mention its most appropriate rival, the WRX. Born and bred on the same playground and targeting precisely the same market segment, both sets of fans are prohibited by law to never utter anything good about the other. Oil and water don’t mix! Most onlookers at the quarrel now agree that the Evo is faster and easier to modify but the WRX is the more purist, driver car. Love it or hate it, the purring misfiring sounding exhaust note is easily the most recognizable exhaust sound this side of a Porsche 911 or screaming V12 Lambo.
Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit
The Golf practically invented the Hot hatch and several generations (Marks) on, still features on top 10s in Europe, US and other market. VDub owners love their cars with a cult following. Tuners love the fact that so many VW parts are interchangeable among its many models and the Golf remains the lightest and among the best In short order, this little car that could became a favourite on the drag most nimble thus, the natural recipient of the strip for its light body and boosted engine. Very few bothered to tune a tuner parts. Honda drivers didn’t invent the term “ricer” but for a time, the term was Starlet for cornering performance. One quick look at the short almost synonymous with the “Honda Boys” who slapped so called ‘go wheelbase, non-LSD and solid beam rear axle added to the massive Their torquey motors and simple design makes these cars tough, robust and very track friendly. I fast’ parts from catalogues off the Internet making a lot of theoretical relative torque was enough to convince anyone to drive straight. suspect the Gold will be on the list of top 10 hp numbers, lots of high revs and STP. tuner cars of all time. Nissan Sunny The Civic remains a favourite among Honda lovers and highly hated by I tend to agree that the SR20 is the best production engine but this everyone else. engine is as much known for its torque as its build quality. The calling card is that it likes boost as well as anything else out there in that displacement. This single fact and the resultant SR20DET makes the Toyota Corolla The best-selling car of all time is not the best tuner car of all times. The Nissan Sunny an instant killer in the average man’s tuner segment. testimony of many of Jamaican taxi drivers speaks to the durability and The chassis was nothing to write home about but any Nissan Sunny can VW Golf Gti desirability of the marquee. The Corolla name in its many variations be a sleeper in disguise. (DX, GTS, SR5, Levin/Trueno) have become over the years a fan favourite...well Toyota fans anyway. In the dark, post Supra and post Celica era, Toyota seemed to turn its back on low-profit performance Mitsubishi Lancer cars, going for profits margins instead. What they created was a line of Evolution boring but durable and granny-friendly grocery-getters of all confusing The Evo has now reached its 10th shapes and forms, with a few enticing engines sprinkled in with high iteration and arguably, Jamaica remains among the largest consumpotential for tuners. ers per capita anywhere in the world. The granddaddy 4AG inspired the 20v (Blacktop and Silver top) and VVT Indeed, since its introduction, we motors. While they never became as common as fans would like, their have become fascinated with this existence was responsible for a second lease on life for all Corollas and AWD 2.0L Turbo monster that was their cousins. The sound of a screaming blacktop is now as recognizable born on the rally tracks dodging as any on the road. trees, similar at times Jamaican roads dogging other lowly performance tuner cars. Honda Integra Not every tuner likes a hatch. During the hay day of the Honda Civic, a few of the Honda ‘rice boys’ desired coupes. Honda responded with the The Evo has the stuff to make it king Suzuki Swift GTi Integra in the ‘80s (Acura Integra and eventually the RSX in the US of this list but the prohibitive cost The Honda Civic joined the compact revolution in 1972 and for many years, remained a front wheel drive “hot hatch”. The model has always been known for good interior space despite overall small dimensions. Initially gaining a reputation for being fuel-efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly, later iterations have become known for performance and sportiness, especially the Civic Type-R, Civic Type S and Civic SiR and the VTEC engines best associated with the Civic’s dominance in the tuner market.
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The first real wave of ‘Deportees’ hit our shores in the early 90s. Turbos, once found in the odd Saab or Volvo, became commonplace in the hands of ‘ackee tree’ tuners courtesy of the used car market from Japan. The Swift GTi was then the king of the hill for performance pocket rockets but the GT starlet with its limitless displacement and turbo upgrades was quick to challenge.
Ford Escort
The
WAY
I See it by: Simone Carty
Ford Ecsort
Say “Escort” and the next thought will always be “old school”. The once mighty Escort has fallen from grace even in the UK where it has lost its legend and has since been replaced by the name “Focus”. However the Escort remains a tuner “cult” favourite with a few pristine examples remaining alive and kicking in Jamaica. A tuned MK1/MK2 Escort is a thing of RWD beauty with the sound of orchestras. If you ever attend a motorsport event and see a pristine Escort parked in the lot, observe how many heads stop and turn to admire. Nuff said!
Suzuki Swift
Until the 90’s the Swift GTi was among the best pocket rockets on the road, beating even the turbo charged stock GT Starlet in a fair, straight line fight and certainly on any stretch involving a corner. This 1300cc fully independent suspension gem remains one of the best looking older cars of the era. The peppy but fuel efficient motor, nimble handling and fantastic gear ratios were the stuff of tuner legends. The build quality was better than anything else Suzuki produced at that time, including the lower model Swift. The Swift took a hiatus for a few years but returned in the year 2000 and eventually reintroduced a VVT engine and effectively a GTi/Sport Line. Many examples now come turbocharged from Japan, re-injecting life into this old favourite.
No Parking did not rank these cars in order but we welcome your input. Submit your top 10 list of these or any other 10 cars you think should be included. We will tally and publish the votes. Please vote/email only list. Send emails to jtm@jatuner.com
You’ve made me into a Monster!
Life does not always turn out the way you plan it, no matter how careful or meticulous you are in planning it. The same goes with a simple trip on the road. You might encounter a few bumps and road blocks that you would never have foreseen. Your reaction, however, to these hurdles is of utmost importance.
The streets are not at all friendly. You started out as a healthy individual and all of a sudden you are struggling with high blood pressure, stress, schizophrenia, constant headaches, oh and not to mention, a filthy mouth. By the time you get off the road you are so tired you have no use for yourself or others. Is it really worth it?
Have you ever noticed the transformation of Bruce Banner in the very popular film “The Incredible Hulk”, how he started out as this beautiful character (nerdy, even)? As soon as he was struck with the unforeseen belt of life, his entire world shifted and his response to adversities changed. As a matter of fact, as soon as his ‘feathers got ruffled’, he transitioned into this big, green, dangerous monster! Unfortunately, I will have to liken myself to Mr. Banner for a minute or two.
It is extremely difficult at times, just to keep your cool, especially when you encounter some of the world’s most careless driving on the road. You stop and wonder to yourself if these people are for real, or did they miss something while learning how to drive? Depending on your mood at that particular point in time, you either scream what’s left of your sanity through the window or you just shake your head and continue your journey hoping that it will never happen again.
When I just started driving, I was a quiet girl who was always smiling. But then, “mi meet up pon a taxi man weh bad drive mi, star!” and then like a piranha, the green monster was unleashed, and everything in sight get knock! After the whole saga blew over, with my clothes all torn (hypothetically speaking), I am almost breathless. Back to normality. I wondered to myself, “What the hell was that?” or worse, “WHO the hell was that?!” Oh no! What a monster! I swear, this will never happen again!
Like the dangerous chemical that got into the system of Bruce Banner, the streets have managed to turn some of us into some kind road hog, some…road monster! But guess what? We can fight back.
That’s The Way I see it!
Then day two approaches. This time it’s the ‘chi-chi’ bus driver. “A weh di *@#$*@#?” Screaming and tearing my hair out because, “This is not happening!” I began to think. What happened to the girl I once knew? The girl whose behaviour was far from being close to ‘that’? That nice, little, always smiling, ‘holier than thou’ girl? It had become apparent that indeed, it’s a jungle out there. Not to mention some ditches and potholes that you suddenly swing from, drop into or just swear at. Especially after a close call, “Back foot! A weh da hole deh come from?” And then the government gets all the blame. Suddenly you realise the term “Road Angel” seems far from being attainable, much less maintained.
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Hilary P. Jardine OJ.,JP., inhaled Ja- Hilary Jardine is a proud father of 4 children, maica’s reggae-enhanced air for the 3 boys and 1 girl. The boys, understandably, first time in 1969. Despite living in Trinidad like fuel to a Walbro pump, were drawn into previously, he confessed that when he got here, the overt hospitality of the Jamaican populace convinced him – without a debate – that this is where he wanted to call home. “When I came to Jamaica, I immediately knew that here is where I wanted to live” he said. It has been home ever since. When a child is born, a gentle slap produces a shriek which confirms that the vitals are in proper working order. Apparently when Hilary Jardine was born in British Guiana (Guyana), he was slapped with a ‘10’ spanner! How else can you explain what has emerged to be an insane, mindless obsession with motor racing! Hilary Jardine, started racing bicycles in the country of his birth and when what was initially enough, proved too little, he graduated to motorcycles, buying his first, a Triumph, in 1954. His exploits and unconventional, self-taught tuning techniques earned him the nick name ‘The Mad Scientist’, a name which extracts laughter from the accomplished senior citizen. Professional duties airlifted him to Jamaica in 1969 and despite being surrounded by pristine beaches and tempting tropical delights, Hilary Jardine felt empty. He wanted to race his motorcycle, but, in his view, the motorsports scene was not a vibrant one. So, inorder to meet his weekend quota of racing, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the Jamaica Motor Racing Association in 1970. President Hilary Jardine and the association organized their first race meet in October of 1970. The event which saw motorcycles and go-karts doing the speed dance at the National Stadium was a resounding success. This led to an invitation to organize drag racing events at Vernamfield, Clarendon. Through the Vernamfield effort, a successful drag racing event was staged in April, 1971. The abandoned airstrip at Vernamfield at that time (in the 1970’s), was home to club-based events at which the ‘crowd’ and the participants were for the most part, members. Hilary Jardine found this disconcerting, he wanted to expand the experience to the average Jamaican. So, with that concept in mind and through assistance from Dennis Leon, Vernamfield was upgraded to support circuit racing. The venue then played host to several race meets which resulted in Jamaica earning prominence on the regional racing map. Competitors from the UK, USA Canada and the Caribbean thrilled the fans as they sought to ascertain the link between speed, distance and time. After 9 years (1970-1979) with the Vernamfield project, Hilary Jardine moved on and his next significant pit-stop was at the Alfred Chen built, Dover Raceway, St. Ann. Responding to Alfred Chen’s request, Hilary Jardine assisted Motor Sports Jamaica Limited with the staging of several race meets at the venue in the 1990’s. Despite the company being removed from the picture in 1997, Hilary Jardine’s umbilical attachment to motor racing has kept him at Dover, a bond which we continue to benefit from.
motorcycle racing. He glows, captured by a beam of pride, as he refers to the accomplishments of his sons Jan, Rory and Andrew. He (Hilary Jardine) recalls that his final competitive event was in 1979 and there were occasions when he raced with and against his sons! So, I can just imagine how traumatic and disorientating it must have been for his teenage daughter then, as she played the role of cheerleader for all 4! Love ignores logic at times, it discards rational thought, but, it also encourages perseverance, an admirable quality which Hilary Jardine has in abundance. Despite several adrenalinsapping and potentially spirit-decimating obstacles, Hilary Jardine’s commitment to motorsports has remained resolute. One cannot separate Hilary Jardine’s drive from his vision - “I wanted a Carib-
bean series. That was my dream,”
sports. It is as if he has an insatiable need to do more for motor racing. “There is so much more that I can do” he interjects, sounding almost disappointed. During our informal session, as the ice cubes bobbed and weaved, in their liquid, lemonade cell, created by a politically correct glass, I claimed success where many before me have failed. When asked - How would you like to be remembered - Hilary Jardine went silent! He readjusted his posture, eased his head back in slow motion and beckoned to rapidly disappearing vowels and consonants in order to formulate the erudite words expected. As he wandered through his thoughts, I returned to something he said earlier, “I have a sickness when it comes to motor racing”, he said, “some people have cancer, I have motor racing”. Hilary Jardine has benefitted immensely from the effort of others though and he hastens to recognize their input. He intimates, that the present JRDC executive is a good team. “Right now, I have a new committee of some youngsters and I tell you, promising, promising. That makes me feel good,” he remarked. His grandchildren, he says, brings a smile to his face, but, the work he does and that done by the JRDC, are directly responsible for creating infinite smiles at each race meet at Dover Raceway. Hilary Jardine’s selfless acts to promote motor racing in the region should never be forgotten. Hilary Jardine, if history insists on accuracy, will not be remembered as the insurance executive who was transferred to Jamaica in 1969. Instead, he should be honored in the traditional Jamaican manner, where respect for the elderly is priceless. So, when we express our appreciation for his life’s work, Hilary Jardine should be hailed for who he is – The Grandfather of Caribbean motorsports!
he remarked. Few events, with which he had direct involvement, may be viewed as pieces of the puzzle – he brought a team from Trinidad to Guyana (when he lived in Trinidad), the race meets at Vernamfield had both Caribbean and international competitors and his family-led company, Motor Racing Jamaica Limited, organized a race meet, dubbed the Caribbean Championship, at Dover, in the late 1990’s, which had both Caribbean and international representatives. When the Jamaica Race Drivers Club (JRDC) returned to the grid in 2003, Hilary Jardine, was asked to sit on the committee in an advisory capacity. His ascendency to the top step the Presidency - in 2006, added an additional 20 lbs of overzealous boost to the pursuit of his vision. The favorable track position gained, granted yet another opportunity to continue his dream. Motor racing, for Hilary Jardine, was never about a particular country in the Caribbean. He wanted Caribbean participation and as such the Caribbean Motor Racing Champion- [Nb. Dates and relevant names provided by ship (CMRC), the series, was reborn in 2006 Hilary P. Jardine] and it has not lost pace since. The CMRC race meet at Dover, has been Cecil Munroe Jr. and continues to be the jewel in the crown a must-see race meet. Hilary Jardine’s dream has become a major crowd attraction, an appeal which has only been surpassed by the April 2011, Doug Gore vs David Summerbell battle. As I spoke to Mr. Jardine in the tranquil, relaxed setting at his home, I couldn’t help but ask him who he thought was the best driver the Caribbean has produced. There was no hesitation. Despite his golden years, the speed his search engine displayed would embarrass Google! “There is absolutely no doubt that David Summerbell Jr. is in a class by himself, absolutely no doubt” was his response. When you talk to Hilary Jardine, what strikes you forcefully, like an uppercut from the then undisputed tyrant, Mike Tyson, is how unapologetically passionate he is about motorJamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #1
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Warning labels are often attached to an item to give the user a heads-up about the risks associated with use of the specified product. For instance, 1985 in the United States
of America, there was a testimony for record companies to place labels on music that included what was deemed “unsuitable lyrics”. In 1990 ‘warning labels’ were fixed to records to give consumers an indication of what to expect from the contents of these LP’s. I spent approximately three minutes pacing around Paul Fong’s Evolution, only to be disappointed with both Mr. Fong and Mitsubishi; I could not locate one label/badge/ sticker to indicate that “This product is not for the faint of heart.” Prior to my interest in ‘warning labels’, I felt brave and took up Paul’s offer to ride shotgun in the Evolution MR. *Sigh!* First gear was a mystery as we never stayed there long enough to experience the intricacies of its synchros. As my brethren ‘Skip’ from Advance Auto would say, “Me and first gear nuh friend, we just fling it weh!” I ended up having a one night stand with the Recaro body holster, being firmly planted by the g-force served up by the Evo, while the tachometer soared to redline. The acceleration provided by the FP Red turbocharger was flawless, it came on strong, while still providing a smooth, linear rise in power; the proverbial “poetry in motion”, as I would like to think. The MR, ‘labelled’ the “Silent Assassin”, has experienced quite a few number of turbochargers, namely the Garrett GT30R and the FP Green. The GT30R had enormous power production in the higher RPM range, but falling short in the lower region where Mr. Fong experiences most of his daily driving pleasure. “It was just not street-able enough,” Paul mentioned. FP Green was sought to address this issue. The overall performance was excellent; however, Paul knew this was not enough to propel the Assassin towards eliminating 11-second competitors on the quarter mile. The FP Red was perfect. The ideal weapon for a “Silent Assassin”, furthermore, it has a stock-appearance, quite capable of deceiving the weary onlooker, that is, until launch/ lunch time. Speaking of stock-appearance, Paul holds the record for doing 11.7 seconds on the MR’s stock turbo. In addition to this, his car has a record for doing 11.04 on the FP Red with the stock block. Now, that is efficiency at its finest. Factory rods and pistons with no machining done to the lower half of the 4G motor; I wonder if I can try that on my Honda, hmmm… An enormous amount of compressed air cooled by the ETS intercooler, is shoved inside the stock intake manifold. GSC cams, “Did you just say GSC cams–,” I interrupted with raised brow, “Why not HKS?” I went a step further trying to exemplify my prowess in the world of Evo tuning. “GSC is one of the preferred choices for 4G63T,” Paul replied with a double raised eye brow expression. There goes my chance of sounding like I know what I’m saying; straight note-taking from here on out. GSC cams ensure that as much of the dense O2 is allowed to enter the combustion chamber where stock pistons can compress the life out of it. Supertech valve springs withstand the longer duration of the cam, and fuel is delivered thru FIC injectors fed by a Walbro in-tank fuel pump. A boost-controlled AEM methanol injection kit is added to further enrich the combustive mixture; all sparked by a top-secret ignition system to close the deal on each stroke.
“The acceleration provided by the FP Red turbocharger was flawless, it came on strong, while still providing a smooth, linear rise in power; the proverbial “poetry in motion”, as I would like to think” Jamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #1
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ENDORSED EVENTS check out: www.jatuner.com for more information Jamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #1
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