Some fun was had today….
Posted: February 9, 2013 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: Blizzard, donuts, Mind over motor, Snow drifting, STi, Subaru, WRX 6 Comments »
Enjoying the snow here in the Northeastern US in my Subaru WRX STi. Went out drifting, and then did some celebratory donuts right in front of the house. Many performance cars have to stay in the garage during a blizzard, but rally cars are meant for this stuff. Snow drifting is surely one of my favorite things to do in this car. Hope everyone else is having fun today as well, wherever you are.
-Nick
Test Driven: 2012 Mazda Mazdaspeed3
Posted: August 30, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.3, 240, 263, 3, 4, 5, back, Car, compare, cylinder, door, Drive, driving, dynamics, Evo, Fast, four, front, fun, FWD, Hatch, hp, Japanese, Liter, manual, Mazda, MazdaSpeed, Mazdaspeed3, Mind, moded, Modified, motor, new, Nick, Over, pleasure, practical, Ralliart, space, speed, Sport, STi, stock, Transmission, tune, tuning, turbo, Used, vs, Walker, wheel, whp, WRX 1 Comment »
I have yet to meet an owner of a Mazdaspeed3 (MS3) who didn’t legitimately love their car. Something about the car seems to inspire people, they always have that “I know something you don’t” smirk on their face. Mazdas have always had a good sporting dynamic to them, but the enthusiasm that owners seem to have about this car goes beyond that. I have always known about the MS3, but somehow, while I’ve been out driving all sorts of fun cars over the years, it has eluded me. So recently, I decided it was time I take one out for a spin to see what these owners are so smug about. Read the rest of this entry »
Street Wars 8
Posted: April 23, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES, Photography by Dan Valanzola | Tags: 302, 350Z, 4G63, 8, AC, accord, airbrush, AMG, Art, Atlantic, Ball, Boss, C63, Camaro, Chevrolet, city, clean, Dan, drag, Dragon, euro, Evo, evolution, FD, Ford, GC, Genesis, Geo, GTI, GTR, Hatch, Honda, Hot Rod, Hyundai, import, Impreza, intake, Integra, Jersey, Lancer, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, Miata, Mind, Mitsubishi, Modded, Modified, Monster, motor, Muscle, Mustang, new, Nick, Nissan, NJ, Over, Photography, race, racer, Rotary, RX7, slam, slammed, slicks, Stance, STi, Street, Subaru, Supercharge, Track, Truck, tuned, tuner, turbo, Valanzola, VIP, VW, Wagon, Walker, Wars, WRX, Z 1 Comment »
Photo by Dan Valanzola
We were in attendance for Street Wars 8. The show was a lot smaller than last year due to organizational issues, but there were still plenty of quality cars to see. Photos are by both myself and Dan Valanzola. Enjoy the gallery. Read the rest of this entry »
Some photos from Friday at NJMP
Posted: March 3, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1, 1M, BMW, garage, Jersey, Lamborghini, M, Millville, Mind, motor, Motorsports, new, NJ, NJMP, Over, Park, Picture, series, STi, Subaru, WRX Leave a comment »
Subaru STi through the garage
We attended a driving event at New Jersey Motorsports Park Friday March 2nd. While we will have reviews of the cars we drove at a later date, here are some shots I took around the track. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »
Dodge Dart SRT-4, part of “Second Half America”
Posted: February 14, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2012, 2013, 2014, 300, 4, all, America, AWD, competitor, cylinder, Dart, Dodge, Drive, Evo, front, FWD, halftime, hp, Mind, motor, Over, Sedan, SRT, SRT-4, STi, turbo, wheel, WRX Leave a comment »
Motor Trend's rendering of the Dart SRT-4
Chrysler’s Superbowl ad with Clint Eastwood was a nice way to incite faith that the American auto industry will recover. Chrysler has shown much improvement in the last few years, and as soon as I saw the new Dodge Dart I knew they were on the right track. It is based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, meaning its European roots should make it much more attractive than the Civic or the Corolla, which are both shamelessly boring at this point. There is however another market segment that exists with cars in that segment, one where engines are turbocharged, suspensions are stiffened, and priority is given to high MPH over high MPG. Dodge has competed here before with their SRT-4 Neon and Caliber, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the Dart SRT-4 in the next few years. Prior SRT-4s were relics of first half America though, the one that had to be bailed out, so the question is now, what should the SRT-4 of the second half be like?
Read the rest of this entry »
Questioning Subaru’s ideas for the next generation WRX.
Posted: July 25, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 1.6L, 2013, 4, boxer, Championship, Flat, generation, H4, Mind over motor, new, Next, Rally, STi, Subaru, tuning, turbo, Turbocharged, World, WRC, WRX 8 Comments »
The proposed new version of the STI, unofficial rendering
Subaru has recently announced that the next generation of WRX and STI will be separate from the Impreza. They have said the WRX line will consist of two door cars and will have 1.6L turbocharged engines. This is in an effort to market the WRX brand as full on sports models, not just a fast version of a mundane sedan. So what should we make of this? Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Subaru WRX and STi (GD Chassis 2002-2007)
Posted: June 27, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints | Tags: 4, all, AWD, boxer, Car, Drift, Drive, engine, Flat, four, horizontally, Impreza, Market, Mind over motor, motor, opposed, overview, Perrin, pistons, Rally, review, Rims, Snow, STi, Subaru, turbo, Turbo XS, Used, Volk, wheel, wheels, WRX Leave a comment »
Me hooning it up in the snow in my beloved STi, and to think most people are scared to go out in such conditions....
If you are someone who has practical needs but also desires some serious performance, then you should look no further. Subaru’s WRX line offers everything you could want from a car. It offers all of the practicality, affordability, and reliability of any normal Japanese sedan but also with outstanding performance and handling that is sure to make your driving experience less about getting from point A to B and more about the area in between. Being an owner of an 04 STi I can attest to just how much fun these cars are. Also, if you live somewhere that has varying weather, no need to worry because Subaru’s all wheel drive system will handle even the worst conditions with ease. In a WRX snow is something to be excited for, not something to be feared or dreaded. I would even go so far as to say that if you don’t go hooning around in the snow in your WRX it is the same as if you never walked your dog, it’s just not fair. Read the rest of this entry »
The Turbocharged Revolution
Posted: June 25, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: automotive, boost, Cars, displacement, efficiency, engine, evolution, F40, Ferrari, M600, Mclaren, Modified, MP4, Porsche, STi, Subaru, Supercharge, technology, turbo, Turbo S, turbocharging, Value for money, WRX Leave a comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, well over 400hp from only 2.0L thanks to modifications 
There are still some people out there who say “there is no replacement for displacement”, then when their large displacement V8 Camaro or Mustang gets blown away by a little 2-liter Lancer Evolution they have a bit of a hard time explaining themselves. The truth is that in the industry there is a very direct “replacement for displacement” and that is a turbocharger. The purpose of any form of forced induction is to give a certain sized motor the power of a larger one. It’s true that a larger motor will make more power than a smaller motor if both have the same turbo/boost level/compression ratio, but that is not how turbos are used in the industry. In reality, they are used to make cars with smaller motors give similar performance to cars with big motors. Read the rest of this entry »
The STi’s Greatness, Fading Away
Posted: June 1, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: all, AWD, Cars, Drive, Mind over motor, more, New STI, STi, Subaru, turbo, wheel, WRX 1 Comment »
Subaru’s WRX has seen immense success here in the States since it first came to these shores in 2002. The car’s mix of practicality, reliability, and affordability, along with some very useable high performance makes it one of the best overall cars that money can buy. This includes the even higher slated WRX STi model that offers even more in the performance realm. The whole model line continues to see successful sales and a still growing fan base, including myself, so the issues I am about to bring up by no means imply that I dislike the cars as they are. I do however have some issues. Read the rest of this entry »
