Tag Archives: Japanese Cars

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2015 Elks Lodge Car Show (Lodge 2414) General Gallery

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2014 Super Snake

This past Saturday, I was in a conundrum. I knew that the local Elks Lodge up the street was putting on a car show, but I wasn’t sure if they’d let me put my Miata in the show. I decided to just drive it over and see what would happen. I was the first guy to show up in an imported car (there was already a Toyota Truck in the show) but they let me in for a few bucks and I gladly obliged, hiding the Miata, in all its scratched-up, four-cylinder glory, in between a few Corvettes. For my efforts, I was rewarded third in class for import cars–which came with a nice $25 gift certificate to the local Italian establishment, Mama Rosina’s.

In all, this was a very well-done show. While the variety of cars was a bit limited, the people made this a very friendly, neighborhood-type show, with people from all over the local area coming out to show off their best cars. We had everything from a 1956 Bel Air (that was all original and awaiting restoration) to a late-model Maserati GranTurismo, C7 Stingray, and a 2014 Super Snake that shook the ground on startup. Enjoy the photos from Riverside Park in Piscataway, New Jersey. Continue reading 2015 Elks Lodge Car Show (Lodge 2414) General Gallery →

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Auto Idolatry

MotorWeek Looks at Buying Japanese Classics

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Fancy buying a Nissan Skyline GT-R or an old Silvia? With the import ban ending on late-80s/early-90s models, that is a realistic dream. MotorWeek takes a look at what it takes to get your hands on such a car, and it costs less than you might think. Enjoy!

-Nick

Car Shows

A small selection of photos from the NJ Miatas Spring Meet.

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NB Orange Fiber Fender Front

As most of you know, I bought a 1993 Mazda Miata a few months ago for dirt cheap, and I immediately joined a few groups to get into the community and meet other people who own Miatas. The first meet of the season for 2015 was last Sunday, and here’s my five favorite Miatas from the event. Many more cars were featured than those here–but these five absolutely caught my eye. Enjoy the short list–more photos from this event will be coming very soon. Continue reading A small selection of photos from the NJ Miatas Spring Meet. →

Car Games

For $6,800, Would You Buy An Elio or Something Else?

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Elio Motors Price Game

Our article on Elio Motors has been getting some decent buzz, and it’s inspired me to do a special, Elio Motors edition price game.

This is just for fun, but it’s also meant to illustrate the reality of the Elio’s $6,800 price. There are no other brand new cars even close to that range, and there sure as hell isn’t anything that will touch 80 MPG.

But with all that said, pretend you have $6,800 ready to spend. Do you buy yourself an Elio? Or do you scour the used car classifieds and find something a little faster or more practical?

See our picks below, and share yours in the comments…

Continue reading For $6,800, Would You Buy An Elio or Something Else? →

SHOWCASE

What a feeling…Miata!

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Miata Front

I’ve got announcement for you, dear reader.  The mild-mannered, straitlaced side of the Mind Over Motor duo has let his hair down a little bit.  A few months ago, after a few stiff drinks and a hangover to rival Dionysus, I made the executive decision to get an NA Miata.  I bought one so I could get better at driving stick (I wasn’t bad when I bought it but this is the only way to improve consistently when you haven’t driven stick your whole life), as well as to have a second car to drive around when I want a go-kart for the road.

It’s in great shape–far better condition than the last Miata Nick had.  It’s a 1993 model with a new stereo and a new clutch, and it needs a little work. It’s a great car so far.  While the little 1.6L DOHC four isn’t a ball of fire, 2200 pounds make life easy for it off the line and it feels sprightly up to 75MPH.  The brakes are effective and the clutch feels very strong–it’s more than up to the abuse of a driver who’s new to manual transmissions (I hope).  No real leaks, and the only issue is that it’s lacking a limited-slip rear differential.   It also needs tires–the all seasons occupying the little 14-inch wheels need to go.

Flip up headlights, bright red paint, and a chassis and transmission to die for?  It’s going to be an interesting ride.  Stay with us, as a full review is coming this summer when the weather warms up. Continue reading What a feeling…Miata! →

SHOWCASE

Subaru gives Roadkill some money…chaos ensues.

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When it comes to making lemons out of rotten lemons, Roadkill does quite a job. From supercharging a Chevy-powered Jaguar early on, to doing an engine swap on a ’68 El Camino in a parts-store parking lot in Reno, to dumping a motorhome-worn 440 Chrysler V8 into a rusted-out Dodge Charger shell, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan work for Hot Rod Magazine and Subaru brought them a few Legacy sedans to compete against in three separate contests–a barrel race vs a beat-up Ford Ranchero, a rallycross race between a Legacy 3.6R and the “General Mayhem” (a beat-up 1968 Dodge Charger with a smog-choked 440 and worn-out axles), and a road race through an abandoned neighborhood against a turbocharged, Chevy V6-powered Datsun 240Z with more rust than sheet metal. I don’t want to reveal the ending–the video is worth watching. Go ahead, take an hour, and watch the video, it’s worth the time spent.

-Albert S. Davis

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Happy Birthday, America! Today, we celebrate burnouts.

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Nissan 240SX LS1 Burnout Side

Hello everyone, and welcome to Independence Day. On this day in 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia to mark the birth of our great nation, the United States of America. And on this day in 2014, I would like to feature some of the best burnout pictures we have from the CF Charities Supercar Show last month in Warminster, Pennsylvania–just a stone’s throw from Philadelphia. The burnout may not be distinctly American, but few other automotive gestures are quite as fitting in this great nation as stepping up to the plate and spinning the rear tires into a pulp of rubber, smoke, and mayhem. These great citizens, some of which brought a few foreign cars (this cementing this American smoking institution as a great melting pot), were more than happy to show off their tire-shredding skills. Everything from a slightly crunchy BMW E36 coupe to a hard-boiled Ford F-350 dually packing a 7.3L PowerStroke turbo diesel V8 (with copious amounts of added diesel soot) took part, and much fun was had by all. Enjoy the photos, and happy Fourth of July. Continue reading Happy Birthday, America! Today, we celebrate burnouts. →