evo – Gripshiftslide

Japan Day 2 :: Daikoku Futo PA

Grant — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 09:32:31 +0000

After 36 hours in Japan we finally hit up some car action at none other than Daikoku Futo PA! This tiny car park in the middle of a man made island in the Yokohama harbor is a thing of legend. If you’re into Japanese cars chances are you’ve seen more than a few photos from this location. Here car owners from different walks of life all gather and soak up the experience that is Daikoku Futo any night of the week and during the day on weekends.

Staying in Yokohama meant the parking area was just 15 minutes from our hotel. So hurried back after dinner and set off on our adventure.

The very first sight we were greeted by as we drove down the long spiraling off ramp into the parking area. This ‘Tron’ looking BMW convertible that had light glowing from everywhere. We parked up and ran around like kids in a candy store.

I can’t explain the ‘fizzy’ feeling you get standing in this spot at night… The cars, the orange light and the sound of engines revving is just unlike any car meet at home. The scale of the freeway ramps that circle you create this theater filled with the sounds of cars entering and leaving the car park. It really is just massive!!

The amount of cars even on a quiet night like this was staggering, cars were coming and going all the time. It was impossible to keep up when shooting on a tripod.

These three where all friends.

We loved this bumper-less Crown. It was also refreshing to see a modified Crown after the sea of Japanese Taxi’s getting around Tokyo!

The wheels were on the smaller side for a car of this size bit it still looked great all together.

Our second night in Japan and we were already treated to the sight of a Hako Skyline.

It was beautiful!!

This matte green air-cooled Porsche was a very cool sight amongst all the domestic cars.

There was a small army of MX-5’s out in force.

I’ve only ever seen one or two cool looking MX-5’s together at home so it was awesome to see more than 5 at the same place.

This little dark green one was rocking some wide wheels on the rear. Photos don’t do it justice!

Our favorite MX-5 had to be this BN Sports kitted black number. The level of dish was high with this one!

There was a few Honda’s out and about too.

This little blue EG Civic was sitting stupidly low, it looked awesome from every angle.

The greatest Civic Type R in our eyes… The EK9. These things are just pure awesome!

Another Type R on the same TE 37 wheels.

Over in the corner some local bosozoku bikers were meeting and revving their bikes. When I got closer I realised they were playing songs. They had each made up their own song and began reciting them one after another simply using their engines.

This was one of the coolest aspects of the parking area, getting up close to these amazing machines/people I’ve heard so much about.

Old Suzuki’s and Honda’s seemed the bikes of choice and they all had their own personal touches.

Our personal favorite of the entire night had to be Kazuki’s flawless 86.

The subtle red glitter in the paintwork was beautiful. We were digging the mismatched wheels. Work Equips up front.

TE37V in the rear.

This is seriously one very cool street driven hachiroku!!

Not to far away we found some very nice looking Infiniti’s.

This FX was dropped on it’s airbag suspension while it was parked and had heaps of top end audio gear inside. The roof racks had a very cool flower wrap on them too.

The G-Series sedan was sitting low on a set of 3SDM 0.08 wheels.

These wheels looked the business gleaming away under the street lights.

As it turns out the Toyota Prius is one of the most modified cars in Japan, seriously every second one we saw had blacked out taillights, wheels and an exhaust. This one was a little bit different and certainly had a bigger budget then most sitting pretty atop a set of fifteen52 Tarmac wheels. This thing looked killer.

From big budget to low budget this ‘diy’ Legacy wagon would look at home at most grass root race events. The matte black paint and custom front splitter design along with the rear wing made for a menacing looking street car.

One of the few Supra’s we saw, this was definitely the more wild looking of the bunch. Check out the rear diffuser setup!!

The car park fell quiet for a short time, the silence was quickly interrupted by the unique burble of this Porsche arriving. The sound stuck out like a chip packet being opened in a church.

One for the rotary fans. This spotless white FD RX-7 was certainly worthy of a few photos.

The body kit seemed like a simple lip kit at first but became all the more extreme when you got closer. The rear diffuser alone was a work of carbon art!

A late and brief attendee was this Evo wagon, such a shame we don’t see more of these in Australia. I’ve only ever seen one in real life before this.

This Scion XB was pushing the camber out on the rear wheels, lots of character here. mismatched panels, rusted bonnet and stone chips galore. This was cool!

This tiny Suzuki Alto was just tucking these 14″ mesh wheels in the rear.

It had some patched up fender damage on the front from running so low around Tokyo’s streets.

Later in the evening another cool 86 arrived, this time a coupe!!

In the infamous two tonne black & white combination and on a set of Watanabe wheels… Perfect!

It doesn’t get much cooler than this, sitting behind an idling Toyota Sprinter in Yokohama.

There was truck loads of Toyota’s by this point. Check out the crazy fitment on this Crown.

This Chaser was in pristine condition and funnily enough had the loudest sub woofer I’ve heard on the street. It was ridiculous!!

It had a nice amount of dish too!

One of the toughest looking cars of the night had to be this black Nissan Cima.

The big chunky wheels set it off perfectly.

It’s hard to describe this car without using the word “gangster”…

Even more Toyota Crowns!! They’re literally everywhere here! We were about ready to call it a night before the police did it for us After a few too many cars got a bit loose when leaving the car park.

Then this arrived… The hero car of the night. a sky blue liberty Walk R35 GT-R.

The huge over fenders of the rocket bunny kit perfectly covered the massive rear wheels.

This thing was big!!

Seeing a car like this here in Japan was really a special moment for me, I stood still just enjoying it not even touching my camera for a few minutes before I felt the pain in my feet that comes from a 15 hour day of walking none stop.
So that was that we called it a night and headed back to our hotel.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Hankook :: NSW Time Attack 2013

Grant — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 06:12:41 +0000

It seems Australia is fast becoming the time attack capital of the world with so many ground breaking builds, passionate people and of course some truly great businesses supporting the scene.

The most recent race was the second leg of the Hankook Tyre Time Attack series, teams from all over Australia made their way to Wakefield Park Raceway, NSW for two days of flat out, foot to the floor racing against the clock!

Some of the countries highest profile cars were out to set some blisteringly low lap times, the BYP DC Integra is proof that knowledge is greater than money.
The BYP boys have built one of the most reliable and quickest cars around and it took out the number 1 spot at the last round of this series in Victoria!

Another serious Honda build also from Sydney is the newly completed JDM Yard DC5, this is an all out no expense spared build with strong focus on simple additions to the motor and plenty of aero mods.
The car still retains a naturally aspirated engine and is everything a die hard Honda fan would come to expect from a workshop such as JDM Yard!

After the odd Honda, Skyline or Subaru the rest of the field was of course littered with Mitsubishi Evo’s!!
The mighty AWD sedan is still one of the most potent packages to come out of the land of the rising sun, out of the Evo’s competing. Over 10 years separated the oldest from the newest model!
Proving they got it right back then and haven’t messed with it’s success since!!

Performance doesn’t come cheap, every car was packed full of the latest and best tech and gadgets. Check out the Haltech dash!!

Friends of GSS and all round cool guys, the Road Track Rally crew made the drive up from Vic with their very well put together street class Evo.

The team has been fine tuning and tweaking their Evo in preparation for the upcoming World Time Attack in October, Entering again in the club sprint class we hope to see the boys finish on the podium once again.

Now this was an interesting sight, a bright yellow Evo 6… We were in love!

Hiding behind the number plate was this very sneaky Billion cold air intake!! Also you can just see the edge of an oil cooler in a very snazzy anodized blue to keep the colour scheme going.

Out on track the little yellow Evo almost lifted a rear wheel flying flat out through the corner!!

As the BYP Integra was heading out you could see the determination in Benny’s eyes as he prepared himself for maximum attack, with cold conditions and wet weather setting in the early sessions were the ones to make count before things got wet!

After the first session the boys ran a respectable 1:02.7, still a few seconds shy off their best time around Wakefield there was still plenty of room for improvement. Weather permitting of course!!

JDM Yard were off to a good start with at least four turbocharged Evo’s still a few seconds behind them, their N/A Integra was well under the 1:10 mark and was consistently getting quicker!

Behind the wheel of the JDM Yard DC5 was of course Adam Casmiri who has helped pilot the car through some very quick lap times this year, the car is set to go under the knife again before WTAC.
No time attack car is ever really complete or finished, it seems even over just the course of a race day each cars goes through significant changes. Just as a golfer changes his clubs time attack cars go through different size tyres, damper settings and even minor aero adjustments.

It’s amazing how quickly the aero game has stepped up in Australia over the last two years, the Integrity signs Evo 7 has a setup that would have been consider over the top and very extreme just a few years ago.
Now nearly every car has had a wing/fin added to pretty much every panel to help lower those lap times, to the untrained eye it might look like a case of ‘more means quicker times” but each individual piece of aero has been painstakingly tested to ensure it is making a difference and improving the handling of the car at high speeds.

Chasing down the Evo’s was one very well put together Skyline from Victoria, John “Richo” Richardson has been taking his love of speed to the track for years!

His once very standard GTS-T R33 has taken on a heap of enhancements which have helped propel John to some super quick lap times, his Skyline is definitely not to be underestimated.
The heavy AWD system on a GT-R isn’t needed to drop those lap times, John constantly proves that with the right driver a nice RWD setup can do very, very well.

Between all the Evo’s we did enjoy the occasional fly by from Kieran and his 350Z, while not the most popular car to be using at a time attack event the car held it’s own with a very respectable 1:09.1!!

The only Mitsubishi out on track with only two wheels pulling it along, this tiny 1.5L FWD Ralliart Colt managed some very quick times amongst it’s peers. Nearly breaking into the 1:10 mark and below!!
It certainly made for a great show lifting it’s leg like a small dog about to do some business!

After two sessions it was time for many cars to come back in for a quick check up, oil change…

… And even some fresh tyres, this 350Z made full use of it’s sticky Hankook Ventus R-S3’s.

Showing the Evo’s that Subaru still has some pretty quick chassis was of course the big green hulk… The Autotech Engineering WRX.

Armed with some seriously wide tyres, huge Project Mu breaks and one massive wing, we were excited to see Bruce Banner transform into the angry hulk and SMASH those lap times!

Jason Naidoo proved that expensive aero and big budget builds will never be a replacement for an experienced driver…

Jason steered the subtler looking Xtreme Motorsports Evo 8 through a stupid quick time of 1:03.8!!

Hamish’s Ev0 8 was probably the most ‘streetable’ car in the club sprint class, despite the cars stock standard appearance it’s still good for a flat 1:08 lap time.
We wouldn’t mind driving something that quick to the shops for some milk in the morning!

The oldest car competing during the weekend was Owen’s 1977 Toyota Celica, after a long weekend the car smashed out a 1:10.5!!

The fastest Subaru on track, The Ultimate Tunes 99′ WRX. Jason wrestled with the pro class car all weekend and so close to cracking the sub one minute mark!!
The team finished on a lap of just 1:00.2!!!!!!

Even in factory form any Lotus is a force to be reckoned with out on the track, after Southern Motor Works tinkered with this Exige the volume had certainly been turned up to 11!!
Driver John secured 3rd in the open class with speedy lap of just 1:01.8!

Even though drivers were racing against the clock and not each other, there was plenty of overtaking happening given the short layout of Wakefield.

So how did the Hulk go? Jason scored 2nd place in open class just .2 of a second in front of the bright orange Lotus, the final lap was a not too shabby 1:01.6!

Adam and the JDM Yard Integra missed out on a podium finish, landing them in 6th place with a lap of 1:04.2.
With WTAC in the team’s sights the car has already been pulled down after this event in preparation, we can’t wait to see how this N/A Honda goes against the worlds best!

We’re happy to report that Darrin and the RTR Evo X finished in 3rd in the club sprint class with a 1:04.7!

The number one car for the weekend was Rick Bates in the Vsport/GoPro Evo X, Rick was the only driver who managed to break the one minute barrier… Not once, but twice!!
The final lap that scored him the win overall and for the pro class was an astonishing 59.9790!!

We’re wrapped that more and more is happening each year on the Australia time attack calendar, with support from companies like Hankook the future is very bright for all time attack racing enthusiasts.
Bring on WTAC and then bring on 2014!!
For the full results check out the Wakefield website.
http://www.wakefieldpark.com.au/bates-blistering-59-second-lap-win-nsw-time-attack.html
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.
All photos courtesy of Robert Mocchetti | Full Motion Photography

RTR :: JDM Style Tuning Dyno Day

Grant — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:47:35 +0000

A couple of weeks ago a few members from the JDM Style Tuning forums managed to sweet talk the guys from the Road Track Rally into having JDMST dyno day at their workshop, the attending list on the forum was full and the workshop was filled with some truly amazing Japanese machinery on the day!

With the even running all day, car came and went so parking wasn’t an issue in the tiny back streets of Dandenong.
We snapped a few shots of Reece’s Camry while there was no other cars or a crowd around it (which is a rare sight at a JDMST meet).

This car receives a lot of praise for it’s stupidly low ride height and aggressive offset.

The SSR MS1 wheels are a perfect match for this unique entry into the stance scene.

The wild card for the day went to Tim and his SR20DET powered Club Man, this lightweight open wheeler coupled with the performance of the punchy boosted Nissan 2 liter engine would be one hell of a handful under full throttle!

Once one the rollers the little guy belted out an impressive 152Kw at the wheels!!

While the boys were slaving away in the dyno booth the workshop was filled with some beautiful street cars, loving the Ralliart mud flaps on this Evo!

This Evo sits a little closer to the functional side of the fence with a not so unfriendly ride height, some very wide wheels to offer a little extra grip and a healthy amount of poke to the little punchy sedan.

Every time we visit the RTR workshop we are always so blown away by how clean it is!
Upstairs we found a set of Nismo wheels holding this wall up, we wondered if anyone would notice if they went missing…

The immaculate RTR Evo X is another mind blowing experience walking into this workshop hidden away in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs, We also crack a massive smile when we spot the GSS stickers on the bumper!!

Hidden in the back we found Trae’s Evo 7, now it seems it wasn’t actually there to go the dyno at all but in fact staying for a sleepover getting some things finished under the hood…

We’re not exactly sure what else could be done to improve this engine bay!!

Our favorite car on the day had to be this immaculate R34 GT-R!!

Bayside Blue and white wheels is a match made in heaven!

Shaun’s Skyline conquered the day with an impressive 292.8kw!!
More than enough for any fun street car.

All in all it was a great day out, very relaxed compared to the chaos of some of the bigger meets of late that have seen plenty of police trouble.
This was a breathe of fresh air and everyone who participated enjoyed testing the performance of their cars in a safe and legal manner and we’re hoping there are many more ‘activity’ based meets in the future as standing around cars in a car park can get stale.
Well done to the organisers and RTR for hosting such good day!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.
Photos : Andrew Nguyen | AN Photography

An Evolution To Make Darwin Blush :: Local Evo Meet

Grant — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:41:28 +0000

Last weekend, between a feature car shoot and a meet at Garage Cafe, I managed to squeeze in a small Evo meet Saturday night. With around 20-30 cars it wasn’t a massive event but the quality of the cars was very impressive!

Spotted :: GSS sticker on Jesse’s unhealthily clean Evo 7!
I just want to throw some dirt at this car, sorry Jesse!

I normally take most Evo’s for granted but this was the first time I have seen so many Evo’s together with no other cars around and I was certainly impressed!

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Darth Vader! Why aren’t there more black Evo’s? I don’t know…
They look great!!

A wild VW Golf appeared!!
It was looking very spiffy dropped on some colour coded BBS mesh wheels too!

I recognised this wild looking Evo! This car belonged to a friend in NSW but it’s now with a new owner here in Melbourne.

The new owner plans to do some tweaking under the hood, after he clears his recent minor defect…

Much, much cleaner without the badges!

After walking around for 15 mins I kept coming back to this Silver Evo 9…

Owned by Vinnie for a little over two years, he has set out to make his own perfect Evo.
After getting the car away from the group for some private photos, you can see why I was so attracted to it!
The exterior has been subtlety modded but everything works together to make it quite a standout car.
With a set of aggressive looking Varis side skirts, front lip and generous amounts of carbon accessories the whole way around the car, it looks pretty unique compared to 90% of the other Evo’s on our roads.

The body sits pretty damn low over the Rays wheels and the ride height is brought to you by BC ER Coilovers.
The front is a touch higher to save that beautiful Varis carbon front lip from eating too much pavement.

Perfect fitment!! TE37SL 18 x 9.5 +22 at all four corners!
Tucking under the rear bar is a ver. 2 full carbon diffuser from Varis, with carbon splitter fins too!
Poking out from behind that is a PE II cat back exhaust from Greddy.

Inside you’ll find a pair of leather Bride Ergo 2’s on some matching Bride rails, a heap of Ralliart accessories and one extremely cool HKS digital gauge module running through his DVD screen!!
Vinnie has a few plans to re-trim the interior to match the seats, expect to see some leather and red stitching soon!

Up front you can see the Cusco brace hiding behind the grill, under the hood there are just a few bits from Tomei and Gruppe M and Ralliart, all of which help make a respectable 223KW’s at all four wheels!
Shifting through that power is made easier thanks to a OS Giken STR twin plate clutch.
Vinnie is nearly finished with the exterior, so the next plan of attack will be increasing the performance and includes some new cams and some extensive tuning.
We can’t wait!!

Stopping Vinnie’s ride is a full package from Project Mu on all four corners, with SCR slotted rotors and B-Spec brake pads!!

We think this is one of the best Mitsubishi’s around! The Varis lip and side skirts transform this outspoken four door into a shouting track ready daily driver.

The Evo meet was cut extremely short by some unwanted attention from the boys in blue, we were kindly asked to leave as the highway patrol were now on their way.
The officers said that if nobody was doing anything silly (burnouts etc) then they would find something to do, “If no one is messing around then they’re going to start doing road worthies!”
So everyone called it a night and headed home, it really is a shame that a bunch of car nerds standing in a car park in front of a closed shopping centre talking about cars is seen as anti-social behavior.

More meets are planned and the Melbourne scene is truly alive and kicking despite plenty of attention from the local police.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

JDMST EOMM :: Hoodie Weather

Grant — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:49:50 +0000

On Saturday, members of JDM Style Tuning gathered at Docklands for their end of month meet. However, the weather was not on our side. In typical Melbourne fashion, the heavens opened and the rain just didn’t stop! That did nothing to dampen the spirits of all those that showed up and we were rewarded with a fine selection of JDM machines.

This guy was like ‘Damn I want me some cool JDM wheels!’
Baby Godzilla’s are becoming rare. It was good to see one that had been looked after so well.

A tastefully modified Liberty with a large exhaust system and burnt tips to set it off.

One of the greatest handling cars of its era; this Aw11 Mr2 was tough!

I’m a fan of these Honda pocket rockets! This well customized EP3 was sporting a nice set of BBS shoes.

Evo’s were by far the most popular car at the JDM meet. This example had many subtle carbon fiber add-on’s.

Toyota’s answer to the Intergra Type R-the AE111. A very under rated car that has a lot of tuning potential.

Mark III Supra. You could tell by the sound of it that it was hiding some extra horsey’s under the bonnet.

The Bolte Bridge is always a favourite for car meets and impromptu photo shoots.

STI monster. Something a little different to your everyday Rex.

Diahatsu Cuore with nice SSR Mk2 wheels.

This was the oldest and most striking Evo that turned up.

The Adidas sticker sets this Evo off! High performance branding on a high performance machine.

Mr Brig, Evo 7

Did someone say group shot?

With a feel of luxury performance, these Liberty’s have the best interiors and make a great daily drive with plenty of punch.

Despite the weather this meet was huge ! I have been to car meets where it is sunny and only half as many people show up!
It was impressive to see so many enthusiastic car lovers. We here at Gripshiftslide can only hope to see more of this type of thing come 2012.
– Grant