Make.Believe You Can Be a Real Race Car Driver
Dear Sony - Why isn't this ad on TV? Awesome clip - way better than what Sony's pushing out right now.
If you are not sure who Lucas Ordonez is: Back in 2008, Nissan and Sony held a competition across Europe to create a race car driver out of video gamers called the "GT Academy." The task? Beat 25,000 other gamers to the fastest lap in GT5 Prologue for the PS3. Twenty-two gamers had the fastest laps and were then given physical, mental, and driving challenges. The winner of these trials was Lucas Ordonez. He did pretty good in his debut at the Dubai 24hr 2009 by finishing 45th and 9th in class. He then went on to take 2nd place in his 2009 campaign in the Euro GT4 Championship. Impressive.
Hello Nissan Juke
What an odd little mini-SUV/crossover/compact car...
Designed by Nissan's studios in Europe, this car is very different from the norm. It's very Nissan, yet more quirky than the stuff coming out of Korea. Even though my first impressions of the vehicle consisted of things like "Buzz, your girlfriend! Woof!" or "No Nissan! Bad Nissan!," I tend to find myself drawn to the car. Maybe its the video...the music is so calming and the design just seems so much more appealing while spinning in circles. Although Nissan hasn't released the US-specs on this compact crossover, I'm sure we will all be hoping for the 4WD 1.6L turbo'd 4 banger that Europe is getting.
Nissan is planning to debut the Juke to America at the New York Auto Show. -Tanker
Forum Madness: 350Z Kit Gone Bad Saga Ends
Remember this? FORUM MADNESS! Quick Recap! Guy gets body kit. Goes to shop to get it installed. Ends up with this...
After a couple months, 100s of posts and a court case, the owner of the 350, Brian Gee, has finally got the kit the car deserves. Lets check in and see how he's doing... JUMP!
Nissan GT-R Spec V….. Please Make It to America
Even if this awesome car made it to america, you would have to be pretty rich to own one. It's rumored to cost $160,000 est. At more than TWICE what a normal GT-R costs, this is a bit out of hand. I need to find me some rich friends! LOL!
-infamousjj
Illtech’s “ILL” GT-R R35
Come on... ILL and GT-R R35 in one sentence... enough said. Enjoy! P.S. if anyone out there wants to get me a GT-R R35, I wouldn't hate you for it! LOL
-infamousjj
Infiniti Reveals the Essence Concept
So this is how the GT-R will look like in it's Infiniti garb...nice. Talk about a halo car...twin turbo'd V6 producing 400+bhp! With an electric motor pushing out 150bph.
Hit the split to see the presser...
Nissan 370Z Debuts…on a video game?
So it seems that we'll get a glimpse of the new Z from Nissan on the popular (but I don't know why) series, "Need for Speed." That would seem like a decent news story since most sites are reporting the great marketing aspect between video games and cars (see: Mitsubishi EVO) but looking through the comments on these articles, I think everyone is talking about it's "love it or hate it" styling. Which is alarmingly becoming the thing for auto manufacturers. The interior looks like it was recycled from last year's interior parts bin and those bommerang headlights/tailights - where was the focus group on that. I do like the retro nod to the old Z just behind the skyline roof, but other than that, other than specs, this is a car I probably would not want to be seen in.
Oh and about Need for Speed...not my game. Call me when GT5 comes out.
Forum Madness: Body Shop of Horrors
You have a 350Z and a kit that you want to put on it, what would you do? For most enthusiasts, I'm guessing they'll take it to the body shop. Especially if the kit needed to be paint matched. Well this 350Z owner decided to take his car to a local bodyshop here in SoCal - actually in my hometown: iDesign/Import Image off Fairway in Walnut, CA. Our owner, CrimsonRockett, dropped $750 to get the kit painted and installed on the car, then proceeded to wait it out as weeks passed by. Like most times I dealt with bodyshops, they'll give you a date to pick-up and end up maybe bumping it a day to a week. I was given 2 weeks to get my car fixed and ended up waiting 3 1/2 weeks. So that I would understand, but when waiting that long you would expect a pristine job right? And most places deliver that extra care, but this place in Walnut man, puts me at a loss for words. Especially when they do something like the picture below to tack on a side skirt.
You can tell the time they spent into this project since the woodscrews (wait what?!) aren't even in a straight line or evenly spaced. Even with that, it's not the end of this CrimsonRockett's problems: crappy fit, disaster of a paintjob with bad orange peel, overspray all over the car including tires and lights, misaligned body panels, missing parts, panel dings, more woodscrews and even found a piece of wood between the panel and woodscrew. Go ahead and join our owner, CrimsonRockett, at his home at my350Z.com and see more pics and more details about this story. Hopefully Mr. Rockett will be able to get his car back to snuff - another shop quoted him $4k to fix it all. Get iDesign/Import Image to pay it cause what you got was not worth $750. Beware of rabid posters who are quick to blame the victim. Come on, whether the owner deserves it or not, it should be as bad as this.
Forum Madness II: The Internets Will Get Yooz!
So from the forums that brought you The Case of the RSX Hit & Run (news story here; actual forum posts here), they bring you a follow up that's 10x better: The Case of Stolen Skyline featuring THE CLAW.
The story begins at a used car lot up in Canada where they had a Skyline up for sale. A potential buyer has been coming by regularly with intent to buy the Skyline. Unfortunately, the intended buyer claimed to previously own a Skyline that was in accident which also severed his two middle finger. Anyhow, in a rather odd move, the salesman decides to let the buyer go on a solo test drive. Not surprisingly, the car never comes back.
Not long after the Skyline owner posts his misfortune on the forums, we get people who have sited the thief, but you would think the car would have quickly been garaged and parted. Instead, we get pictures of the thief driving the car, followed by Facebook profiles and pictures, and not long after followed by the thief's location. Next thing you know the thief became known as "The Claw," the obligatory photoshopped goodness flooded the site, forum check-ins came by the droves, and all ended with various YouTube postings of the Claw's home arrest!!!
Indeed, it is dumb of the salesman for allowing a solo test drive for such a rare car. Yet is quite dumber on the part of The Claw for parading around in said rare car as if it were actually his. Man, remind me never to piss off Beyond.ca...they are doing pretty well in the pwnage category.
[CLICK FOR A LINK TO THE BEYOND.CA THREAD: 1991 Skyline GT-R Stolen!]
Hit the split for some of the hilarious photoshopped pics...
Why I Wish I went to the Tokyo Auto Show…
HKS Kansai
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Hmmm...this post was sitting on the deck, waiting to be posted for like months! I wonder why I never did. LOL. Anyhow, sorry for the delay in posts...got some stuff I want to roll out with the site as I am already tired of the layout theme. Well, as I start to re-design the site, it'll be hard to keep up with news bits and what not...so if anyone wants to help out give me a holler.