Taking a break from the barrage of exotics we’ve had lately, this Honda S2000 CR caught our eye in the parking lot at the Radnor Hunt Concours. This is the ultimate version of the Honda S2000, built in the final stage of production. As GT3 is to Porsche 911, Club Racer is to Honda S2000. Anyone who got in on one of these is probably doing pretty well.
-Nick
Many good things in life fly just under the radar. Like the other day when I went to lunch at work, and noticed a bright blue Hyundai Elantra parked out front. The color caught my eye, but I figured it was just another Elantra. Then I noticed the wheels, the slightly aggressive body styling, and the dual exhaust tips protruding from the diffuser-looking rear valance. I thought to myself, “Damn, Hyundai is really trying to make the Elantra look like a performance model.” I saw the word “Sport” displayed on the back, and the subtle “Turbo” badge on the front grill. That prompted me to get out my phone and Google the Elantra Sport over lunch. What I found out was very intriguing.
Continue reading Hyundai Elantra Sport DCT Review: An Unknown Gem
Most people seemed to agree that the KIA Stinger GT looked enticing when it first broke cover. I also heard many people say they’d buy one and de-badge it so no one would know it’s a KIA. With its wonderful proportions, the Stinger GT looks even better in person than it does in photos, and the fact that it’s a KIA doesn’t bug me in the slightest. I’m someone who likes to give credit where credit is due, and this could well be a home run for KIA. Let them have their shine.
I’m very curious to see what pricepoint KIA will place the Stinger at. I think it’s obvious they need to go lower to compete with the likes of the BMW 4 Series, but how much lower before it’s too low to be seen as a genuine competitor?
-Nick
I saw the rear 3/4 view first, and I thought it might be an Alfa. To my surprise the headline said “KIA.” KIA, as in stupid dancing hamsters, KIA, as in obnoxious salesmen, surrounded by colorful balloons, trying to hard sell the shit out of you. KIA, as in the econo-box of econo-boxes. WTF, right?
But really, those of us who’ve been paying attention, aren’t too shocked. KIA, and parent company Hyundai, have been drastically redefining themselves in the past few years. My last memory of KIA is actually of driving the mighty K900 at Pebble Beach a few years back. I actually liked the car itself a lot, but KIA hadn’t done enough with its brand to be making a serious BMW 7 Series rival. $70,000 for a car with a KIA badge was, and is still, a bad joke, but it showed their ambition, and I definitely loved that.
Now we have the KIA Stinger, a bonafide sport sedan with some serious credentials. One thing I love about Hyundai/KIA’s approach in recent years, is they like to bring a bazooka to the gunfight. They really do their homework when developing a new model, and they aim to win.
Over the last few months, Al has been constantly talking about the idea of selling his Mazda Miata and buying some cool old American car. He’s been on craigslist like crazy, and has been continually messaging me and many of his other friends asking our thoughts on the possibilities.
I recently got a great new job, which brought with it a nice little pay increase, so naturally I’d been thinking of getting some new wheels. I’ve been missing my old Miata like crazy since I sold it a few years back. It’s like there’s been a hole in my soul that can only be filled by one thing. I needed to get myself another Miata!
So, a week or so ago, when Al sent me some links of cars he was looking at, I floated the idea. I said, “You keep talking about selling your Miata to get something else, and now I’m looking to buy a Miata. Let’s make something happen here.”
Al brought the car by on Saturday morning. I took it for a quick drive, looked it over, and I was sold. We went to the DMV and did all the paperwork.
I paid Al with cash money, but he wasn’t about to go to the bank. No, we were going to check out a car right away. I’ll let him tell the rest tomorrow.
I’m going to live with my new Miata for a few weeks before I do a proper article on it, but so far, so fun. It sure as hell isn’t perfect, but it isn’t trying to be, and that’s the whole point.
It is a delightful little machine!
-Nick Walker
The Mazda Miata is now a hard-top targa, complete with flying buttresses!
Mazda calls it the Miata RF Hard Top Convertible, with RF standing for “Retractable Fastback.” Essentially they looked at the Porsche 911 Targa, thought it was a good idea, and here we are.
But is this really a good idea?
Continue reading 2017 Mazda ND Miata RF, a Skeptical Reaction
I’ve been waiting for the Japanese luxury brands to go turbo for a long time now. They’ve been keeping their cars pretty simple for years, and that’s great for reliability, but in the end, the turbo European cars were faster, a lot faster. Well now it seems the tables have turned. Infiniti has finally joined the turbo game, and they’ve brought a ringer.
Their new 3.0L twin turbo V6 comes in two flavors, one with 300hp and one with 400hp. The first will compete directly with the existing sport sedan pack, and the second will blow them away. Even with the German’s conservative horsepower claims, none of their offerings reach the 400hp mark. That means the high-output Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 I drove here is some very serious business.
Continue reading Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review: Turbocharged For Your Pleasure!
The Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, and Toyota GT86 are all basically the same car underneath. A popular fun machine at an affordable price is an appealing thing, and they’ve sold pretty well.
Most car enthusiasts will wind up wanting to modify and upgrade their cars, tailoring its experience for their own personal tastes. There are many ways to go about modifying a Toyobaru 86 variant. This is my own take and advice on the best way to go about modifying the car intelligently and cost-effectively.
Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments…
Continue reading Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, and Toyota GT86 FA20 Tuning and Modification Guide
The Philadelphia Auto Show was lively this year, with many of the newest releases on display.
I must admit that I am completely in love with the blue Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio you see above (it’s stick too). I also got my first look at the new Fiata (124 Spider), Cadillac XT5, Honda Ridgeline, and the oh-so-sleek Volvo S90. I also got a good look at the new Toyota Prius, which was regrettable on the eyes.
There are a lot of great new cars to be excited about!
Enjoy the gallery.
-Nick
Continue reading Highlights from the 2016 Philadelphia Auto Show
This is a classic Datsun Sunny 1200 pickup and it is a JDM wet dream.
It has a custom front clip, made to look like an original Skyline GT-R, and it has an SR20DET engine under the hood with a big ass turbo on it. In terms of “cool,” this Datsun is just dripping with it, and once again, Jay Leno proves he’s probably the luckiest guy on Earth.
Enjoy!
-Nick
This Mitsubishi Evo was clean as hell. It looked a lot like that ridiculous Time Attack Evo from Forza Motorsport 3 that may have been the cause of a broken controller.
I’m not sure exactly what mods were done to this car, but it looks like one of those deadly Evos that might just be able to embarrass some pompous fool in a Ferrari.
Either way, it’s level of stance was on point for me. It’s low and flush enough to look great, but there’s still a little bit of room for the suspension to move.
The one question I really want to know, though, is:
Is that wing really functional for the car’s performance?
Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading Stanced Mitsubishi Lancer Evo at First Class Fitment
Yes, folks, this is a real production car, not a concept car. Lexus dropped a bomb on the North American International Auto Show, and they call it the LC 500.
What is it?
The Lexus LC looks to be a luxury sports car somewhere between the small Porsche 911 and the huge BMW M6. It appears Lexus has taken the inspiration behind their mighty LFA supercar, and has distilled it into a more approachable, more affordable, sports car.
The price for the LC 500 will be around $100,000 when it goes on sale, right on par with the Porsche and Bimmer.
Mind Over Motor 