Move Over Hamsters, Here Comes the Shadow Dragon
Kia Burn Concept
Just like Scion's limited edition runs on their line of cars, Kia has been releasing limited edition versions of the Soul like there's no tomorrow. Here we have the 3rd iteration of the Korean mini-car, the Kia Shadow Dragon Soul. Based off of positive feedback to the Burner concept displayed at the Geneva Auto Show , the car is now all black with tattoo-inspired dragon graphics liberally placed along the body. Standard comes 18in. wheels, custom spoiler, and leather seats and that's pretty much it. Kia prices the vehicle at $18890 with a MT...Human-szed hamsters still not included.
from Autoblog.com
Dear Ford…
(gonna keep this short, since we're. an import blog and all...hehehe)
I for one am glad that you finally decided to ditch the 1990 American Focus for something more inspired. Kudos. That is all.
-Tanker
Video Game Nostalgia: Auto Modellista (PS2/Gamecube/Xbox)
Auto Modellista, from Capcom, was probably my favorite game on the Gamecube. That's right, move over Capcom vs SNK 2, Resident Evils, Killer7 and Viewtiful Joe, I got some racing to do. I wasted many days going up and down Ura Rokko or Akagi hills with every car in my garage. And when that got boring, Infamous and I would battle our way up and down these same hills trying to get a good parallel slide going. I believe a whole summer went by just for that perfect slide. I thought what a great racing game because it was not arcade heavy like Ridge Racer, but no where near as complex as Gran Turismo. You built up your garage, opened new courses, and could customize, to a degree, every aspect of your car. What wasn't there to like, right? Well, what was once considered a Best of E3 game ended up getting panned by most reviewers - wonky controls, cartoony graphics, bad audios and just overall underwhelming. The game ended up being given the cold shoulder as it didn't sell well across the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. Shortly after all that, plans for Auto Modellista 2 were scrapped and Capcom has not stepped into the racing genre since. Which sucks, cause they had a decent foundation to build upon. Tightening up the physics alone probably would have saved the franchise, but I guess Capcom really took it personal. You can bet though, if Capcom has a change of heart and decides to look back into the Auto Modellista franchise, I'll be the first one in line...well there probably wouldn't be a line...to get my copy! -Tanker
btw - Infamous and I never got that perfect parallel slide. We were close a couple times, but those controls are pretty wonky...
Import Junkiez: Now On Twitter!
Ladies and Gentlemen...we have made the jump to Twitter. Which means when new posts go up, they should go up on Twitter too. That's the plan for now, but in the near future it'll come in handy indeed. We'll keep you posted when the time comes 
For now tho, you can follow us as we navigate through this social networking age!
Top Gear and the Lexus LFA
Check out Top Gear's take on the Lexus LFA.
At that price, I think I can settle for an army of GT-Rs. -Tanker
Honda Racing Not Dead?
Late 2009 Honda announced the end of the S2000 and unexpectedly pulled out from the next generation NSX development. Then to pour salt in the wounds of all Honda Heads they shut down Honda Racing. Or did they...
Shortly before Christmas Day, Honda announced that it'll be taking part in the GT500 series (huge in Japan) with the, Front Egine, Rear Wheel Drive V10, HSV-010 GT. Yes my friends, this is as close as we'll get to seeing a next generation NSX. The NSX and the GT variant were developed to debut at the same time, but we all know what happened after the economic bubble busted. That didn't stop Honda though, as they somehow were able to convince the Japanese Automotive Federation (JAF) to let them enter the HSV-010 GT without a production counter-part for this coming season. Now we can all just stare and watch, and maybe for a few seconds think that someday the NSX will return. Honda said it themselves...Power of Dreams. -Tanker
CR-Z Production Model Appears at NAIAS (updated!)
Honda debuted a production version of its CR-Z at this year's North American International Auto Show. Bringing back memories of the CR-X, which left North America in 1991, this CR-Z is nothing like the Si we said goodbye too. Instead, we get a Hybrid engine pumping out around 120hp in a car that can top out at 2800 lbs. That right there probably will put most Honda-heads asleep, but it'll be how the car drives that will keep there attention. Hope Honda didn't mess with that...
Pricing has yet to be announced. -Tanker
UPDATE: Seems the general buzz about the CR-Z is..."OOOOH! The return of the CR-X! 2800lbs is kind of heavy for a 122hp engine. Wait...35 MPG!?!" It seems this little hybrid has optioned itself into the territory of "What's the point?" When you got yourself a Civic that is posting up similar mileage and more power, why would a 2-seater hybrid pig be of importance.
Wagon Attack II
Back in high school, the guys would sit around and talk about the cars they would like after passing their driver's test. As expected, people dreamed of picking up a Civic, Integra, Prelude, Celica, or 240SX. I on the other hand was thinking Civic Wagon. I got clowned for wanting the odd-looking Civic that had been put out to pasture by Honda a couple years earlier. It came with 4WD, was compact, and looked very unique. I knew there was potential in these Wagons but no one believed me. Fast forward a couple decades and i come across RallyMatt's (Matt Johnston) Youtube video, Wagon Attack II. If only people knew...good job Matt, you made me realize how much I wanted a Wagon. -Tanker
Import Junkiez 2010
Welcome back to Import Junkiez! A lot has been going on behind the scenes here at Import Junkiez so we took a little break from the site for the Holidays. In that time a lot has passed us by, such as SEMA in November, the LA Auto Show this past December as well as the NAIAS that's going on as we speak. (Have you seen that Ford Focus?! Geez, finally Ford.) Not to mention this past week was CES and the introduction of the 3D TV hype machine as well as the introduction of the Google "SuperPhone", the NexusOne. For New Year's I was able to join 70k other Angelenos down in Long Beach, CA for Red Bull New Year: No Limits to watch Travis Pastrana jump his car off the Pine Pier onto a barge 200ft out in Rainbow Harbor. That was a good way to ring in the New Year...well the East Coast's New Year, we still had 3 hours till the West Coast actually saw a second of 2010. Good thing there were ample bars and demos to pass the time, like the DriftingX stuff along Ocean Drive. Fun.
Which brings us to now...we are now back, full of energy (thanks Red Bull rep for all the free Red Bull I could ask for) and ready to go to town with Import Junkiez. We did some upgrades to the back end of our site, so new stuff should be coming up on a regular basis...well as regular as it gets for us. :/ So sit back, relax and check out the site. If you want to comment on stuff we are pretty open about letting anyone comment. We just ask that you register first as to avoid the crazy spam that tries to creep in on a regular basis. The only rule is..."Make it a good first comment, or else we just might ignore you." Also, if you feel you got something to contribute (like articles, media, tips or constructive criticism) send a friendly email to ijunkbox@importjunkiez.com. I do enjoy reading emails as long as it's not my real job's email
I think that's it. Time for more posts! Thanks again for all your support and here's to 2010. Wait...where's my flying car?
-Tanker
GT5 Box Art Revealed
