SEMA 2008: J-car Top Three

It's that time of the year again... SEMA time. Yep, that annual festival of chrome, dubious "aero" kits and iced-out 22-inch rims has rolled into Las Vegas again, and as usual there's more than enough Japanese modified cars to go around. By all accounts this has well and truly been the year of the GT-R, with the R35 popping up in virtually every stand (well, maybe not in the off-roader hall). Given the twin-turbocharged AWD monster's incredible turn of speed, bargain-basement pricetag and...

08/11/2008

Subaru To Exhibit STI-Spec Forester XTI Concept At SEMA

Subaru's new turbocharged Forester XT, while powerful, never really had quite enough grunt to qualify itself as a true sports crossover. Yes, it's moderately quick in a straight line but it certainly isn't going to burst your eyeballs in factory form. Show it a corner or two and it falls (or rather, rolls) flat on its face too, showing that despite being built upon the WRX's chassis the Forester is still some distance away from being the nimble CUV many think it is, or hoped it would be. ...

01/11/2008

Speculation: R&T Put Forth Honda "S3000" Rendering

Honda's S2000 is getting a little bit long in the tooth these days. You know it, I know it and Honda knows it. What we don't know, however, is when Honda will let the venerable AP2 S2000 retire and pass the baton to a newer, more modern sports roadster, nor do we have any idea what such a car will eventually look like. For a short while, Honda's OSM concept car was heralded by many as being a precursor to the next generation 'S' car, however with its CRZ-derived FWD hybrid powertrain and...

15/10/2008

Subaru To Enter WTCC?

In extremely belated news (sorry guys, I've been a busy boy lately), Subaru is apparently considering fielding a works team in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. While Subaru's motorsport roots lie firmly in the innumerable gravel-strewn rally stages that snake their way around the globe, recent moves to homogenise rules and regulations between the FIA's WRC and WTCC disciplines have raised the prospect that the Japanese automaker may soon take a tentative step into the realm of an...

23/09/2008

Smoking May Be Harmful...

...but when it involves a tyre-shredding 2JZ-powered S15 Silvia, it's simply too much fun to give up. Because it's a bit of a slow news day, I've decided to treat you guys to a video of one of the biggest smoke machines I've ever seen outside of Japan. It's Driftwork's new S15 drifter, which they purchased from Japan in full race-ready trim and with the 2JZ conversion completed. Suffice to say, the 427kW generated by that big Toyota six translates into a hell of a lot of smoke and I'm sure...

26/08/2008

Spoon NSX-R Update

Spoon Sports has announced pricing for their Type R specification USDM NSX conversion, as well as a little more information regarding the availability of the car. Spoon's LHD NSX-R is now available to order from Spoon, however pending approval from various US road safety and registration departments the cars cannot legally be driven on the road. Spoon are confident the registration process will be completed soon though, which is good news for those who don't want to confine their USD...

24/08/2008

Spoon To Convert LHD USDM NSXs to Type R Status

US-based Honda fanboys take note: the US arm of Honda specialists Spoon Sports has confirmed that they will be converting left-hand-drive US-spec NSXs into full NSX-R trim in the very near future. So, while the only Type R the US market ever (officially) enjoyed was the ol' DC2 Integra, American enthusiasts should be able to get their hands on a rebuilt LHD NSX in full JDM NSX-R trim soon. That means the cars will come with completely re-tuned suspensions featuring harder springs, stiffer...

21/08/2008

Subaru Plans Impreza Assault With Prodrive-Tuned WRXs

Subaru announced the introduction of two new WRX models at the recent British Motor Show, with both of them fettled by Prodrive to produce more power. A third model, based on the WRX STI and boasting 275kW, was shown off in concept form, although word about town is that it'll eventually make it into Subaru showrooms in the near future.The WRX-S is the baby of the bunch, and features a mild 15kW boost in power to 188kW thanks to some ECU and exhaust changes. Torque is up to 390Nm, while the...

25/07/2008

Stig Finally Lays Cold, Reptilian Hands On R35 GT-R

Some say that he has an irrational fear of drive-through car washes and that his heart is fitted with sodium-filled exhaust valves. All we know is that he's called the Stig, and he's finally driven the Nissan GT-R around the Top Gear test track...Simply incredible.[Source: BBC Top Gear][Video courtesy of Youtube]

21/07/2008

STI Spec C Spotted?

A mysterious Subaru WRX STI has been spotted putting in some laps around Germany's Nurburgring Nordschliefe, sparking speculation that the car is a development prototype for the upcoming motorsport-ready Spec C.Those white wheels and that reworded rear diffuser are perhaps the biggest clues that something is amiss with this car, and although it may not look radically different to the 'normal' STI, aesthetic add-ons were never the Spec C's forte. The alleged 'prototype' doesn't sport any of the...

19/07/2008

Sportback goes Sand-crawlin': Mitsubishi reveal MRX09 Dakar contender

Mitsubishi have finished development of their next-generation cross country rally car, the Lancer Sportback-bodied MRX09, which will be campaigned at next year's Dakar rally.Powered by a 190kW 3-litre turbodiesel V6 and boasting the same rugged 5-speed sequential gearbox and permanent 4WD drivetrain as the current Dakar car, the MRX09 is a Lancer in appearance alone. Even then, with those bulged guards and ginormous tyres the MX09 resembles a monster truck more than it does a hatchback - a...

18/07/2008

Smart + GSXR Motor = Short Wheel Base Sideways-ness

Words cannot describe how awesome this is, so do yourself a favour and check out the video after the jump.Pretty effin' cool, right? I know it's not a Japanese car but it's got an engine from a Suzuki GSXR, so it kind of qualifies. Besides, you need titanium balls to drift something that short, and how can you not respect that?[Source][Video courtesy of Youtube]

05/06/2008

Subaru Release Specs On WRC2008 Challenger

Subaru's new GH-based WRC2008 rally car has made it's debut at the Acropolis Rally of Greece, with many within the automaker's motorsports arm pinning their hopes of a return to Subaru's WRC heyday on the all-new contender. While the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) dominated the WRC series in the days of Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz, lately they haven't had much luck in rallying. Surprisingly, the SWRT hasn't won a WRC rally since 2005, a fact that many have put down to the age...

30/05/2008

Subaru Reveal Legacy STI S402

If you've ever had trouble trying to find a car that's just as good at clipping apexes at your local circuit as it is at taking the dog to the vet, then look no further: Subaru's Legacy STI S402 could be just the thing you need.After a lengthy teaser campaign, Subaru have finally released specs and pictures of the S402, which comes in either sedan or wagon flavour. This ain't no badged-up trim package either: the differences between the S402 and the regular Legacy are rather substantial, with...

16/05/2008

Say It Ain't So! 370Z Finally Breaks Cover

I wished upon a star, I hoped against hope that this wouldn't happen, but it seems that all the rumours were true: the new Z-car will feature those bizarre L-shaped headlights and those silly 'fangs' on its front bumper after all.Several images of the 370Z have popped up on the internet, supposedly taken during a recent Nissan event. Although half of the car is in shadow, you can clearly see the new Maxima-esque headlight clusters, while those fangs can be seen jutting upwards from the lower...

14/05/2008

Sneak Peek: Lexus LF-A's Interior Snapped

The folks over at Motor Authority have managed to get their hands on some spy pics of the LF-A's interior, which shows a close-to-final design that looks almost unchanged from that of the concept. The shots also show the top of the LF-A in detail, revealing the roof in all of its unpainted carbon-fibre glory (above). Carbon-fibre also extends into a great deal of the cabin too, with the top surface of the dash virtually covered in the stuff while the steering wheel and high-rise centre console...

08/05/2008

Subaru To Take On Nurburgring Enduro With WRX STI

Subaru have announced that they, like Lexus, will be entering their own close-to-stock car in the 36th ADAC Zurich 24 Hour Race, which takes place at the Nurburgring later this month. Subaru's entrant will be a relatively standard GRB WRX STI, with a full roll cage, racing brakes, race suspension, stripped interior and modified instrumentation being the only major changes. The motor is still the familiar EJ20, which aside from a modified crankcase ventilation system and a deeper radiator core...

07/05/2008

Swedish Speedfreaks Create 360SX

There's something about engine swaps that gets me all excited - particularly if they involve a ridiculously powerful motor being shoehorned into a tiny car or a motor from an entirely different manufacturer to that of the recipient chassis. This car ticks both boxes. Thanks to some enterprising Swedes, this S13 200SX is now propelled by the might of a 3.6-litre inline-six from an E34 BMW M5. Boasting 315hp from the factory, the S38B36 should have been more than adequate to get the S13 moving,...

05/05/2008

Spied: LF-A Heads Back To Nurburgring

After going back to the drawing board to address a few minor "engineering issues" (principally an unsatisfactory top speed), Lexus have taken the LF-A back to the Nurburgring to conduct further shakedown tests. Two new LF-A prototypes were spotted being unloaded from a transporter and getting pushed into Lexus' garage at the Nurburgring Nordschliefe, and the spy photogs from KGP were there to snap off a few frames of them . Not much appears to mark these out as being any different externally...

15/04/2008

Speculation: Evo X MR

Best Car magazine have published information on what they say is the harder-core MR version of Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution X. Engine output is said to be raised past 220kW thanks to an increase in boost pressure and an increase in breathing efficiency. The twin clutch SST six-speed gearbox also appears to be the shifter of choice for the MR, however BC say it will need reinforcement to cope with the added power. On the outside, the MR will feature a new front bumper, wheels and double-tiered...

14/04/2008

Scion To Campaign tC In Formula Drift

Toyota's youth brand Scion will be making their first foray into professional drifting this year, and will be making their debut in this (very attractive) Scion tC.As you can probably tell, this ain't your average tC. While the tC's you can buy from your local Scion dealer are the automotive equivalent of a pair of trendy sneakers, the RS*R drift tC is more like an ice climber's crampon-equipped hiking boots. Under the skin, the road-goer and the crowd-wower are two very different beasts: the...

10/04/2008

Subaru Halts Sales Of WRX, Legacy And Forester Due To Engine Issues

If you were planning on buying a new Subaru WRX, or any other Subaru using the EJ25 for that matter, you might want to hold off on your purchase for a while... The automaker has received a low number of complaints regarding big-end bearing failure on a small number of brand-new WRX's and has directed dealers to halt all sales until the cause is pinpointed and a remedy, if necessary, is found. The problem only affects turbocharged models using the EJ25, which means that all brand-new Forester...

10/04/2008

Show Us Your Tips! GP Sports Release GH Impreza Exhaust

No matter what you think of the new GH Impreza's styling, there's one thing about it that is undeniably cool: those quad tailpipes. Thanks to GP Sports, you can now put some extra inches into those pipes with their new exhaust/muffler system for the GH. We've got no idea how much these cost, let alone what diameter the pipe is (at a glance, it looks to be about 70mm), but we do know this: those blue tips are bound to give any show-car tryhard a raging boner. They are pretty cool though, and if...

09/04/2008

Straight From The Horses Mouth: Expect A GS-F

Lexus Australia CEO John Roca has all but confirmed that the marque will be releasing a sports version of their GS luxury sedan, in much the same vein as the IS-F.Rumours of a GS-F aren't new, but in a recent interview with The Australian newspaper Mr Roca affirmed Lexus' intent to develop the "F" brand as its in-house performance label, like Mercedes Benz's AMG, or BMW's M division. Interestingly, The Australian mentioned that the LS could also be in for similar treatment.The article made no...

08/04/2008

Say It Ain't So! Best Car Produce Ungodly GT-R Crossover Rendering

If there's one thing i find particularly abhorrent, it's the rise of the "performance SUV". You know the kind: the Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes ML63 AMG, VW Touareg V10. All are equally as useless as both performance cars and SUVs, all are driven by people who never use them in either capacity.

This segment has largely been the preserve of the major European manufacturers, but now Best Car magazine have produced a frightening rendition of what they say could be Nissan's own R35-based entrant into the high-performance SUV category.

I've gotta say, my heart did stop for a moment when I opened up Auto Otaku's homepage yesterday. It was a bit scary at the time, but the doctor says I'm okay now. I doubt this rendering is anything other than idle speculation, though. It's highly unlikely Nissan would be stupid enough to dilute the pedigree of the GT-R by basing a big, five-door AWD wagon on it, but then again their prestige arm Infiniti just might go for a car like this - after all, it's rich people who buy this kind of shit.


Let's hope Nissan limits their use of the PM platform to just the GT-R and the GT-R based sedan we reported on a few days ago. Wealthy soccer mums are already spoilt for choice as it is.

[Source: Best Car via Auto Otaku]
[Images courtesy of Best Car]

27/02/2008

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