SPEED HUNTER ISSUE 1

OCTOBER 2016

GLOBAL WARFARE

October 2016 / Rp.50.000,-

The Ultimate Drift Showdown

THE 101 JDM CLASSICS Legends from the land of the rising sun.

WEKFEST LA 2013 Throwback: Showin’ off in the LBC

LONE STAR HUSTLER A 1,100hp Lexus IS300 sleeper.

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CREDITS CHIEF EDITOR: Wildan Helmi EDITOR ASSISTANT: Emanuel Pratalaharja JOURNALIST: Dwiki Nur Irfan DESIGNER: Muhammad Iqbal

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TABLE OF CONTENT THE SMOKE SHOW IN SEATTLE

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KILLIN EM WITH CLEANLINESS

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THE JDM 101 CLASSICS

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GLOBAL WARFARE

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CHASING GRIP AT TSUKUBA

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LONE STAR HUSTLER A 1,100 HP LEXUS

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WEKFEST LA: IN THE LBC

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EDITORS NOTE

In this issue we are talking about modified cars, retro cars, car shows and drifting. The main issue is about Global Warfare, its a drifting competition.

The biggest shocker is about the cleanest BMW E30 and the sleeper 1,100 horsepower Lexus.

This magazine is made frome the website of SpeedHunter and we choose thebest ones and turn it into a category.

-Wildan Helmi

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THE SMOKE SHOW IN SEATTLE 8

After Formula Drift Round 6 at Evergreen Speedway in Seattle, the 2016 FD Pro championship is closer than ever. The top three drivers – Chris Forsberg, Fredric Aasbø and Vaughn Gittin Jr. – are separated by just 15 points.

As always, the stands were absolutely packed for one of the best events of the year, but for us it was some much needed relief from the Pacific Northwest heat. Here is a collection of my favorite images from the event with a few captions throughout.

Enjoy!

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It was great to see Tanner Foust behind the wheel again in his VW Passat.

He had a great Top 8 performance, which is a drastic change from how he did last year in the unproven platform.

Chris Forsberg is leading Fredric Aasbø by a mere five points, which for comparison’s sake can be made up in qualifying alone.

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Mad Mike is usually the last person to leave the autograph session. He always goes out of his way for his fans, and I think that may be why he has one of the biggest followings in drifting.

Daijiro Yoshihara took it pretty hard into the wall, but his team was able to repair the car before the Top 16.

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Year after year the stands sell out. It seems the Pacific Northwest really loves drifting.

Ryan Tuerck ran hard into the wall during the Top 32, but he was unable to move on or attempt to salvage the battle due to using up his five-minute time out call during qualifying.

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Ken Gushi is sitting in 5th place overall, but the only chance he has to catch up is if he wins both of the remaining rounds.

Tyler McQuarrie really doesn’t have much luck at this track. Last year he had an incident with Justin Pawlak at the very same spot.

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KILLIN’‘EM WITH CLEANLINESS THE ALL NATURAL BMW E30

Here at Speedhunters are not shy about our fascination with the radical builds that come out of Scandinavia. With wild engine swaps, complete drivetrain layout changes, the ability to do four-wheeled powerslides and other sorts of madness that toss convention completely out the window, we’re sure you can understand why too. In fact, you could pretty much call ‘Scandinavian’ its own genre of car modification.

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But for as much we love the insane driving and extreme engine swaps that Scandinavia is known for, we definitely appreciate the subtle and more detail-oriented machines this region is home to as well. Last year we found an especially clean AE86 Levin to demonstrate this other side of the scene, and now we’ve got an equally special BMW E30 to share.

This 1989 325i is owned by Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson and it has to be one of the cleanest E30s that’s ever appeared on the pages of Speedhunters. It might be 25 years old, but you certainly couldn’t tell from the BMW’s condition.

While we dig well-preserved old cars here, we weren’t attracted to this car just because of its condition. Nope, there’s gotta be more to it than that. And there is – much, much more…

Fredrik has always had a thing for E30s and acquired the car back in 2010. He then proceeded to do a few basic modifications before starting to restore the drivetrain and body. Originally he planned on just refreshing the engine and repainting a few body panels, but eventually he found himself giving the motor a ground-up rebuild and fully repainting the body. The more time Fredrik spent with the car, the bigger his ambitions grew.

Fredrik says his goal was to create a ‘new’ BMW E30 – restoring and upgrading key areas to his standards, without taking away from the attributes that made him love the car in the first place.

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Take the interior for example – there’s just something about the cockpit in Fredrik’s E30 that speaks to the ‘simple is best’ ideal.

There’s no crazy rollcage, no aftermarket bucket seats – nothing extreme at all really.

Instead, we are treated to a spotless and beautifully-maintained cabin, which save for a few suede upholstery upgrades here and there could easily have come from a BMW brochure circa 1989.

And that was the intention all along.

Perhaps it’s because I love the simplistic interior designs of the 1980s, but I could stare at these photos all day… The E30’s basic, but attractive cockpit is certainly one of the reasons these cars still enjoy so much popularity today.

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THE 101 JDM CLASSICS

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Throughout the next month I will be doing a number of “101” posts about different aspects of Japanese car culture and I don’t think there is a better place to start than with the classic car scene in Japan. After all, the Japanese tuning culture that is so popular around the world would not exist without these nostalgic machines.

While it has only been in the past few years that vintage Japanese cars have gained mainstream popularity outside of Japan, most of these cars have held legend status in their homeland for a while now.

Although I don’t consider myself on expert on classic Japanese cars, I have had the opportunity to visit many classic car events here and I have a pretty good grasp on what the scene is like.

I am going to outline some of the most popular models and talk a little about the status that some of these cars hold in Japan. Although American and European classics also have a strong following in Japan, for now I am going to stick with Japanese domestic cars.

Just like in other countries, the classic car scene in Japan is divided into many different sub-categories. Some owners prefer showroom restorations, some prefer modified street cars, some are into nostalgic auto racing, others prefer upgrading their cars with modern running gear like the American pro touring style. Of course you also have the whole bosozoku/ granchan/shakotan movements but we will be saving those for another post.

Nissan

If you look at the opening photo of this post, you will see that all three cars are Nissans. While you will find classics of all types in Japan, Nissan cars are by far and large the most popular. At many events more than half the cars you see will be wearing Nissan badges.

While they are not as popular as cars like the S30Z, Skyline, or Sunny, Nissan’s sports car roots can be found in the original Datsun Fairlady Roadsters. Since these cars are rarer and older than the more popular cars mentioned above, most of them are kept pretty original. There are some very active roadster enthusiast groups in Japan and there were plenty of gorgeous examples to be found at the 2008 JCCA New Year Meeting.

While on the subject of the New Year Meeting, it is one of the

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largest classic car events in Japan and a yearly tradition for many enthusiasts. I took many of the photos in this story at that event.

Toyota

As you would expect, Toyotas are the most commonly seen classics after Nissans. Although Toyota’s cars generally don’t quite have the following of cars like the Z and the Skyline, they are still quite popular among vintage car enthusiasts.

You can’t talk about vintage Toyotas with out mentioning the 2000GT. Although the “ni-sen” GT is popular worldwide for its gorgeous styling and is well known even by non-enthusiasts in Japan, the car’s high price and rarity kept it from becoming the cultural icon that the Fairlady Z is. The 2000GT is the original Japanese exotic car and its styling is timeless. For this reason there always seems to be a group of people gathered around 2000GT’s at car shows taking cell phone pics.

When it comes to vintage Toyotas, the early Celicas are some of the most popular. Compared to Nissan Z’s they are still quite rare and it always a treat to see a nice example like the one seen above. Just look at those fender flares, headlight covers, and Hayashi Street CR wheels. Both the early Celica coupes and the liftback or “LB” models as they are known in Japan are great examples of classic Toyota sports car style.

Of course you can’t leave out the vintage Corollas/Levins/ Truenos. The TE27 models in particular have a big following in Japan. At the 2008 New Year Meeting, Toyota was the featured marque and there was what had to be one of the biggest gatherings of pristine TE27’s in the world. There also a handful of restored racing versions that appear at the JCCA race meetings at Fuji and Tsukuba.

The Toyota Crown is another iconic Japanese car that is not really well known outside of Japan. As you can see, the ‘60s and ‘70s Crown models share styling with American cars of the same era. Vintage Crown owners are really into American custom car style and it’s not uncommon to see Crowns slammed on wide whitewalls or vintage style mag wheels.

There is company called Crown Classics that specializes in building customized Crowns which are often powered by modern Toyota engines.

Although fairly new by “classic car” standards, the KP61 Starlet is a very popular car among Japanese vintage car fans. Like its Nissan Sunny rival, the Starlet has rich history in Japanese motorsport and can still be seen often at Japanese racing circuits. The Starlets are not really old enough to warrant full restorations, but I have a feeling that these cars will become even more desirable in the future as they age.

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Mazda

While Mazda’s classic rotary powered cars are well known around the world, I have been pretty surprised at the relative lack of Mazdas at classic car events in Japan. I am not sure if this is due to poor sales figures when new, or because of the maintenance required for these cars, but I always expect to see more. The original Mazda Cosmo Sports, like the cars pictured above are popular, but more in an “exotic” way like the Toyota 2000GT. You do occasionally see vintage Mazdas and their rarity makes it very exciting when you do see one. This Familia Rotary Coupe was running in the JCCA Tsukuba Summer Meeting and as expected, its rotary sound stood out among its piston-engined rivals. It was with classic Mazda cars like this that rotary mastermind Amemiya-san began his love affair and lifelong dedication to all things RE. Without cars like this, there would be no RX7 or RX8.

Honda

Although Honda’s classics are usually heavily outnumbered by other makes, they still have a strong following, particularly among vintage racers in Japan. Doesn’t the low windshield S800 racer in the photo above look great? The vintage Hondas don’t have the same “street machine” following as the Nissans and Toyotas, but they have their own unique, race car-inspired flavor. The soul of Honda’s original sports cars like the S600 and S800 is still alive in modern Honda cars like the S2000 and Civic Type R.

Mitsubishi

Although Mitsubishi made some very interesting cars in the “golden” era of classic Japanese cars, the three diamond badge are not seen often at classic car events. It’s a shame because the vintage Mitsus like the Galant GTO are such cool cars. Like other Japanese cars of the same era, these Mitsubishis shared a lot of styling cues with American muscle cars. In fact, some of these cars were even sold in the United States where they were branded as Mopar products.

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GLOBAL WARFARE

THE ULTIMATE DRIFT SHOWDOWN A Nation’s Pride

Global Warfare brought perhaps the largest international drift battle since the inaugural Red Bull Drifting World Championship in 2008.

With 15 nations represented, it was certainly the largest event of its kind that Europe has ever seen. And what for? We’ve spoken ad infinitum about Ireland’s unbeaten winning streak in the past, to the point where even some of the Irish were hoping for the stretch to be finally broken, including IDC boss, David Egan.

You might think it’s strange that some were praying for their defeat, but the narrative is getting old and being beaten would ultimately benefit Ireland by forcing us to focus and improve after reflecting where it all went wrong. Year after year though, and the unbeaten streak continues to extend; a run of success that no other major drift series can boast. Not Formula D, not D1GP, none.

these guys and girls instead. There’s a bond between us that has been formed over the course of a decade, which is, for all intents and purposes, unbreakable.

For quite a few years, I’ve patiently waited for this defeat to come. Even recently, I was fully behind Forrest Wang finally taking the scalp that so many other drivers had tried, but failed, to claim. Forrest came close, to his credit, but the top step of the podium eluded him. It was only after Forrest’s defeat though, that I took stock of the situation. I’ve never really belonged to anything and the Irish drifting community is family to me. It sounds corny, but where others had their local sports teams growing up, I had

Whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran, everyone is immediately made part of the family. It’s this cohesion and togetherness that has made us so strong. We’re used to having to fight for everything, with drifting considered the outcast of the Irish motorsport community, itself the outcast of society in general. Nothing has ever come easy.

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With a small population – less than that of Manhattan – comes a minuscule resource pool. With limited access to finances, venues, sponsors and spectators, we’ve had to constantly think outside of the box. IDC in particular have had to be especially creative in this regard. The launch of IDC Nation was a master stroke. By launching a subscription-based service which hosted every event’s livestream, plus an awesome full length documentary, it allowed the series to expand its viewership worldwide.

The real beauty of this service though, is that the money raised from subscriptions are pushed directly back into the series by bringing over guest drivers and to support the drivers already competing as best as possible. The ultimate goal is to be able to pay a roster of drivers a wage to compete doing what they love; to give back to the very people who make it happen.

It’s probably obvious by now, but yes, I am incredibly biased on this matter. I think IDC is the best drift championship on the planet right now. It strikes that perfect balance of top level driving, but remains connected to drifting’s roots. Going into Global Warfare III, I was quite firmly behind the Irish, whatever was to come. I just don’t think anyone expected it to play out like it did…

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The Drifter Allstars Invision

More so than previous events where an outsider attempted to defeat us on home soil, I was particularly concerned about the quality of the opposition this time. Primarily, because I had seen the majority of these drive (in person) before, and secondarily, I had often touted a few of them as being capable of beating us.

Then there were those who had recently stepped up several gears; Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni being one who impressed all weekend. He’s really found a new turn of speed and aggression and opened a lot of eyes from the get-go on Friday evening practice.

Janis Eglite is someone whom I’ve been fond of for quite a while; he’s aggressive but knows exactly just how aggressive he needs to be. His twin-turbo LS-powered E46 is more than up to the task.

I said this in the preview, but Piotr Wiecek was the one that really scared me going into the weekend.

His aggression in battles is second to none and he’s beaten our champion, James Deane, on more than one occasion.

You might have expected some animosity between the rival camps, but I don’t think there was anything extra that the hosts could have done more to help the visiting drivers. This is Deane talking Wiecek through the course and making sure he understood the judges instructions.

Not for the first time, but by far on the largest scale, the contenders from abroad would all be driving their own cars. It doesn’t matter how good a borrowed car is, it still takes time to learn and to get comfortable with. By driving your own car, on your tyres, with your setup, there’s zero room for excuses by the time the event ends on Sunday evening.

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competition started in earnest. Some managed to struggle through, quite admirably.

Others were not so lucky. It’s hard not feel sorry for those who don’t even get the opportunity to qualify, especially after the countless late nights and significant expense involved in getting a car ready.

As tough as it is, that’s motorsport.

I would be quite interested in hearing what Formula D or D1 fans make of this grid?

I think there’s a good variety of style, a lot of which seems to be a natural evolution of what we first saw in Japan all those years ago. The 2JZ is the engine of choice for the vast majority of Irish drivers, along with those still committed to the RB series and even the SR20DET. The lowest powered car on the IDC pro grid is a 198hp BEAMS 3S-GE-powered AE86, which still puts up a fight far bigger than it ought to be able to.

The Drift Allstars side is an assortment of a little bit of everything, although turbocharged V8s are certainly at the fore.

It was a tough event on cars for all involved, with more than one weekend-ending failure before the

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Changeable conditions over both days of practice only increased the difficulty of learning the course for the newcomers, with one lap being dry and the next being slick with a brief but significant amount of rainfall. There’s not a single inch of forgiveness in this layout either, with a tough outside clip after a very fast and blind entry. Fredrik ‘FredOX’ Øksnevad wasn’t the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last to perform a little bit of landscaping at Mondello Park over the course of the weekend.

Post Saturday practice, there was certainly a realisation amongst the Irish that there was more than enough talent in the Drift Allstars camp to knock us off our perch. There was some comfort knowing that we still had Deane on our side, but from my own perspective, I felt we were putting a lot of pressure on one driver to protect the streak. Before the podium celebrations on Sunday evening, even ‘The Machine’ would fall foul of an uncharacteristic mistake that would see him defeated. This was anything but a typical IDC weekend in Mondello Park.

Coybig

Where Friday and Saturday had been unpredictable with regards to weather, Sunday was consistently dry all day, changing between sunshine and cloud cover, but with no rain in sight.

At this point in the weekend, there could have been no doubt as to what the judges were looking for. Two Irish judges, Kieran Hynes and Kevin O’Connell, would be joined by Drift Allstars judge, Olaf Commijs. Personally, I reckon Hynes to be the best judge I’ve ever seen oversee an event, and even his plea to the international guests was to listen to what he wanted from them, and that in truth, he couldn’t care less if the winner was Irish or anything else. The winner would be the person who could deliver what he wanted.

It might sound simple enough, but in the heat of competition, it’s all too easy to default back to autopilot and disregard the specific requests of the judges. Nine clipping points, eight of which were outside clips, made up the Global Warfare course.

Vehicle speed would be ascertained at the second clipping point, which would add or deduct points from a run depending if a driver was over or under the target speed. The time for talk, friendly or otherwise, was over.

Qualifying can be a little bit boring when you’re watching from a fixed position; it’s difficult to see a driver’s line throughout the whole course and to gauge how well one driver had done versus another. It was immediately obvious though that everyone was pushing as hard as possible.

On the start line, there was very little fooling around for the

cameras. Once the cars disappeared over the horizon from the start, all that could be seen was a trail of smoke rising and nothing else. It was eerily quiet, just the sound of cars idling with very little talk.

What I found to be strange was that a typical ‘banker’ lap was not enough to progress to the Top 32. Anyone who qualified, had to push for it. Wiecek debeaded a tyre on his first run, but somehow completed the course on three wheels and still managed to qualify 7th. Was the pressure showing?

Deane’s first qualifying run was the epitome of precision. It immediately put him top, where he would only be surpassed by his own second qualifying run.

After a tough start to the season, 16-year-old Jack Shanahan

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pulled off his own dream qualifying run with a doubleclutch-kick-and-flick-backwards entry. So happy was he, that he smacked the roof of his car in delight through the next set of clipping points. It was enough for second place by the time qualifying had ended, and an Irish one-two.

hard behind the Falken S14 through clip one. I couldn’t see through the smoke, but Vasiliauskas either suffered a suspension failure due to no fault of his own, or due to hitting Deane.

But the damage forced an immediate loss of control whilst Deane carried on as usual.

It had to be emphasised to some that an event isn’t won during qualifying, although it can certainly be lost.It’s the battles that count. In possibly the upset of all upsets, Wiecek was eliminated at the Top 32 by FredOX, who drove like a man possessed all weekend.

With a five-minute rule called, Vasiliauskas returned to the pits to make some sort of effort at fixing the car for his lead run.

Have no fear, as John Shanahan (Jack’s father) was first on the scene to assist in the repairs. John has an outstanding reputation for doing everything and anything to try get another competitor back on track. As someone remarked in the spotters area, he’s also the only man who can align a car with a hammer.

I gave FredOX a bit of stick before the event, but he proved me wrong and delivered time and time again throughout the battles. His shirt throwing skills do leave a lot to be desired though.

At the Top 16 stage, seven international guests remained against Ireland’s nine. Come the Top 8, it would be four versus four. It was at this point that the international drivers took their first big victory. Andrius Vasiliauskas would defeat current IDC points leader, Duane McKeever. I’d say it was a surprise, but it wasn’t; Vasiliauskas impressed on every run all weekend. He might have been unfamiliar to the Irish crowd before the event, but they won’t forget his name in a hurry.

Vasiliauskas would make it back to the start line, but couldn’t put in a controlled lead run and conceded defeat. By the time we had reached the final, Ireland was already assured of maintaining its unbeaten run. Vasiliauskas, however, would stand on the third step of the podium by beating Mike Fitzgerald in the runner-up battle.

It was however, the only win for DA in the Top 8. Deane would beat Eglite over one set of battles, Shanahan would send FredOX home, and a resurgent Mike Fitzgerald would narrowly beat the incredible Dutch driver Sebastian Fontijn, who was driving for the first time on proper semi-slick and 265 section tyres.

Fontijn was many fans’ favourite of the weekend, putting up a fight that no one expected. With a trio of Irishmen remaining, Vasiliauskas was the lone international driver with everything to do. Paired against Deane in the Top 4, he entered

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CHASING GRIP AT TSUKUBA

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Slippery when wet

Waking up at 6:00am and hearing the sound of rain hitting your window is usually not an ideal way to start your day – especially when you’ve covering a time attack event at Tsukuba Circuit for Speedhunters. Even knowing I’d have to get wet, the opportunity was one I was prepared to take full advantage of, and a few short hours later I found myself entering the main gates of the legendary circuit north of Tokyo, ready to see what the Hyper Meeting was all about.

For those who aren’t familiar with this event, it’s basically centered around the all-wheel drive monsters that Japan has been churning out for decades. But it’s in no way just limited to Lancer Evolutions, Subaru Impreza and the like. Shops such as D-Language, Shaft Auto Service, and AVO Turboworld to name a few, came out with their time-attacking machines and demo cars, and the common goal of breaking track and personal records. It’s this obsession that allows tuning shops to keep pushing that envelope and discovering if the outer limits are truly the limits.

Even though the rain was falling pretty steadily by the time I arrived, the turnout wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Such is the dedication of Japanese car guys! I initially came across a Subaru club line-up, which turned out to be part of a parade run at the end of the event. I was impressed at how much dedication to the brand the owners showed, some even paying homage by modifying their cars to resemble those of the 2003/2004 Subaru World Rally Team.

This should give you an idea of how wet the track was, but in no way did the slippery conditions stop the drivers from pushing their machines hard.

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Paddock Finds

After the Hyper Sedan Attack group finished their runs on the damp track, I decided it would be a perfect time to check out the paddock and take a look at the vendors and demo cars.

One of my favorite Lancers at event was this YR-Advance CZ4A Evo X. I really liked the 19inch, forged, one-piece RAYS Volk Racing G50s it was fitted with. From the front to the rear, I couldn’t find an angle that this car didn’t look stunning from. Unlimited Works never misses an opportunity to participate at a track event, and this time around the guys brought out their time attack CT9A.

The driver would make a couple of hot laps in the Evo IX, then come back into the pits to have the tire pressures checked and adjusted before heading back out for another attack. Running the optimum PSI can make all the difference when you’re trying to shave off milliseconds.

I just caught ZeroMax’s VAB WRX STI as it was exiting the pit lane after a quick pit stop.

The team’s other car was out on track at the same time as the Unlimited Work’s Evo IX, and there was a good battle going on between the two machines. It was like watching the classic debate unfold right in front of my eyes: which is better car for attacking Tsukuba – the Evo or STI? I’ll let you guys decide…

If watching time attack cars racing around Tsukuba isn’t really your thing, what about Kei cars? A group of Suzuki Alto HA36Ss battled against each other in a five-lap race which greatly entertained the audience. Kei cars are some of the cheapest and easiest ways to get into racing in Japan so they do generate lots of interest.

Moving towards the end of the paddock, I spotted a crowd gathered around a vehicle that seemed a little different from everything else in attendance. As I got closer, I realized it was the full carbon time attack Soarer from AutoBahn that Dino ran a spotlight on back in December. This thing is absolutely nuts, and with a rebuilt engine is now running in the 54-second range.

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The 54-seconds still isn’t quite enough for its driver Kunihiko-san, so the evolution of this Soarer is still far from being completed.

Work had a stand set up complete with an STI sedan to show off its performance-oriented M.C.O Racing Type CS wheels. There’s something so Takata NSX about this colour combo, don’t you think?

The Subaru Levorg is gaining popularity in Japan now that its big wagon brother has gone a little luxury and high-end. This new model does go back to the Legacy’s sports roots, especially when dressed up in Varis aero and with a set of Prodrive wheels slapped on for extra measure. But being CVT-only sort of defeats the whole exercise. Subaru sure is confusing at times!

AVO Turboworld brought out both its Levorg VM4 and ZC6 BRZ time attack cars. Due to the weather, the BRZ’s best lap was a 1’02x170.

The 57-second, TC2000 record-holding Suzuki Swift from the masterminds at D-Language was only on display unfortunately, so I never got to watch it in action.

Since the weather was getting better, it was only natural for the drivers to push their cars harder in pursuit of a fast time. But sometimes they would push to the point of no return. You never really want to see any accidents, but it comes with the risk of racing. Fortunately, no one was hurt in any of the shunts that happened on the day.

It was interesting to see how efficient the track staff were at cleaning up and making sure the track was safe before allowing other cars to race again.

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With the release of the ND Roadster, a group of enthusiasts also gathered for the Hyper Meeting.

It was a little random since the event wasn’t really centered around Mazdas, but what is Japan if not a little random at times, right?

They had some nicely customised examples too; this particular one you might remember from our Tokyo Auto Salon coverage back in January.

Speaking of random, who would have guessed that Tsukuba Circuit would be the perfect place for a picnic? Cars and food: the fastest way to a man’s heart.

As the event came to a close, the aforementioned parade of Subarus happened on track.

Although the overall turnout at Hyper Meeting 2016 was lower than expected due to the weather conditions, everyone still seemed to have a great time. And our coverage isn’t over yet – stay tuned for some spotlights on the cars that I thought deserved a little extra attention!

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LONE STAR HUSTLER A 1,100 HP LEXUS 36

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Welcome to Texas

If someone was planning a trip to the United States to take in some American car culture, the first place they’d probably think to visit would be California. It’s certainly hard to argue with that, because the Golden State has great weather and a diverse, thriving automotive scene. But there’s another destination they should consider before packing their bags, and that would be the state of Texas… They say everything is bigger in Texas, and whether it’s famous events like the Texas Mile, Tx2k or the amazing facility that is Austin’s Circuit of The Americas, the state’s love of cars and motorsport cannot be overlooked.

For me, Texas car culture brings to mind brutally quick late model streetcars that roam the drag strip by day and the highways by night. We’re talking Toyota Supras packing well over a thousand horsepower and supercharged Corvettes that wag their tails at triple-digit speeds. Sure, Texas isn’t the only place you’ll find these types of cars in the US, but it is the place where they congregate in large numbers and stretch their legs across the state’s wide open roads.

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This all brings us to Matt Owen – the owner of the 2003 Lexus IS300. We came across this car at Fatlace’s Offset Kings show during the recent Formula Drift Texas event, and it was our clear pick for the #FeatureThis prize.

Matt’s love affair with engines began as a teenager when he rebuilt and serviced lawnmowers for extra money.

Naturally, this interest expanded into cars and Matt quickly found himself building a turbocharged, engine-swapped, Honda Del Sol in his mom’s garage.

Later, he worked at a local shop that specialized in MR2s and other high performance Toyotas.

It was there that he developed a taste for fast Toyotas, and in the years since he’s owned nine different Supras and no less than 30 MR2s – most of them heavily modified.

Today you’ll find Matt at a workshop called T1 Race Development where he specializes in engine building and fabrication for Nissan GT-Rs making as much as 1,800 horsepower. Just the sort of crazy machine that Texas is known for.

While he might be intimately familiar with the GT-R now, Matt still has plenty of love for Toyotas – specifically, the Lexus IS300. When Lexus started importing the IS300 to the US in 2001, the idea was to take a bite from the BMW 3 Series market – and the IS has been a solid seller ever since. More recently, the first generation IS has picked up a strong following among tuners thanks to its compact size and bulletproof 2JZ powerplant.

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Enter the V8

Despite having plenty of experience with Toyota’s legendary turbo six, Matt has a particular affinity for fitting the IS300 with GM’s LS series V8s. He did it for the first time back in 2010 and has built several V8-powered examples since.

In August of last year, Matt was on Craigslist hunting for IS300 parts when he came across a rare IS chassis with a basic cloth interior and no sunroof. Immediately, visions of a racecar danced in his head.

He bought it, of course, and soon after began transforming it into one of the world’s fastest IS300s, with, yes… GM V8 power under the hood. This wouldn’t be just a simple swap, though. Matt’s goal was to make a splash at Tx2k – the crazy race gathering that happens in Houston each spring.

Given the performance figures he was aiming for it would take a lot to transform the Lexus from a mild mannered sport sedan to a quarter mile bruiser, but Matt ended up fabricating just about everything on the car himself.

The engine itself is a 5.3-liter aluminum block LC9 V8 that’s been massaged by the crew at Watt’s Shop for maximum performance and durability.

Among the V8’s many modifications is a bottom end that’s been beefed up with 11.5:1 Wiseco pistons and Scat rods, which sit below a custom-ground camshaft from EPS. The real story, though, are the power adders.

Boost comes from a custom twin turbo setup built around a pair of Precision 6266 turbochargers and a custom-fabricated Garrett A2W intercooler. There’s also a full MoTeC M150 engine management system to oversee everything.

Altogether, the package is good for an impressive 1,162 wheel horsepower and 936 pound feet of torque. Big numbers that come with the challenge of effectively getting it all to the ground.

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WEKFEST LA : SHOWIN’OFF IN THE LBC

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Let’s return now to the sun-drenched shores of Long Beach harbor for the second volume of my coverage from Wekfest LA 2013. Based on the reaction to my first post, these events will always bring out a lot of reaction – whether it’s from those that admire the style and attention to detail these cars have, or those that can’t imagine a car being built to do anything but go as fast as possible. Whatever your thoughts on the matter, it sure makes for some interesting conversation Let’s get to it Then again, it would be a huge misconception to say that all the cars at Wekfest LA were built for function over form. Among the Hondas in particular it seemed there were lots of aesthetically pleasing vehicles that had also been built with the track in mind. It’s a direction I see more and more cars going in lately.

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Another one of my personal favorites from the VIP selection was this blue and pinstriped LS400, dumped low on SSR Professor MS1 wheels. I just like seeing these cars done in what you might consider non-traditional colors.

On the other hand, I also really liked this LS which is still proudly rocking its factory two-tone champagne gold coloring. Pure 1990s gangster status.

For the real kyusha experience in Long Beach we’ll have to wait until JCCS in September, but there were still a few proper classics sprinkled in among the later model cars at Wekfest.

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Here’s a car that just seems like it was designed to start flame wars on the internet – an Evo 9 absolutely slammed over a set of Rotiform NUEs. Just as the white Evo will likely ruffle the feathers of the Mitsubishi purists, this dumped STI on Fifteen52 Tarmacs will probably do the same for the hardcore Subaru fans.

Here’s another one of those classic Southern California-style EF Civics from the Akebono Crew, wearing a set of old school SSR McLaren finned wheels.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a customized Acura CL. Pretty cool to see one of these USDM luxury coupes modified in a Japanese-influenced VIP style.

Although not quite as rare as the CL, it’s certainly not common to see a Z32 at a show like Wekfest.

This Z from the Low ‘N Slow Crew was looking just right on a set of five-spoke Work Equips.

The Equips really are the perfect wheel choice to accentuate the Z32’s aggressive, angular design.

Just another reminder of just how cool these cars can be when modified right…

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Taking the angular theme to an even more extreme level is this 1JZ-swapped Celica Notchback, also representing the Low ‘N Slow Crew. Always one of my favorite cars to see at events in LA. I know when the factory wheel specs for the new 86 were announced, many were concerned over the car’s high offsets and 5×100 bolt pattern. It seems, however, that owners have had little problem squeezing aggressively sized wheels under the stock fenders – as modeled by this Hot Lava-colored FR-S. Would you agree with me when I say that the BMW E36 is a car that has aged extremely well. They were cool when they were new, and they’ve only gotten better as they’ve grown older.

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