Carlos Lagos brings us something special on this week’s episode of Motor Trend Ignition. He gets to test drive the only left hand drive Mazda RX-7 Spirit R in the world. The Spirit R was Mazda’s way of commemorating the end of production for the 3rd generation FD3S RX-7. The last 1500 cars off of the production line received special upgrades to make them Spirit R’s. The car that Carlos gets to drive is a left hand drive model that a Mazda executive had converted to a Spirit R. He goes on to talk about how the harkens back to when the Japanese built cars that focused solely on driving pleasure.
We’re a big fan of racing on dirt here at Flux Auto. There’s just something to be said about the skill required to go fast when you don’t have traction. It gives some artistic flavor to the science of speed. That’s why I thought this video was pretty interesting. Road & Track took IndyCar driver Alex Loyd and put him in a full fledged wingless Sprint Car. High five to whoever thought up that idea because Loyd’s lifetime of carting and formula car racing formed bad habits when it came to going fast around the dirt oval. We get to watch as he figures out the drift technique from scratch.
Here’s pictures from this morning’s Raleigh/Cary Cars and Coffee meet. This takes place every month on the first Saturday starting at about 8am in the morning at Waverly Place in Cary.
What is the difference between a good car review and a bad car review? Anybody can get into a car, mash the throttle and then report back saying that’s it fast and it looks good. That does nothing to convey the driving experience to people who don’t have the privilege of driving that same car. If I wanted to know that a car was fast and looked good, I’d just read the 0-60 specs and Google some pictures of it. I watch car reviews because I’m curious about a car’s essence. I want to know what the designers’ philosophy was for the car and if they succeeded in achieving it. How does the car speak to you as a driver? What does it take to master it? Being able to put those sensations into words and video separates the good car reviewers from the people who are wasting their time. If I can’t drive the car vicariously through you, then you’re not doing your job. I bring all this up because evo Magazine just posted the best review I’ve seen of the McLaren MP4-12C. Henry Catchpole picks up the car at the McLaren Factory and takes it for a leisurely road trip to Monaco. On the way, he takes the car through some of the world’s finest driving roads in the mountains of France. You’ll see that it’s a dream drive right from the opening scene of the video. Give him 12 minutes of your time and you will know exactly what it feels like to have an MP4-12C as a dancing partner.
This is the story of the Zombie Rabbit. It’s what we all envision when we take on project cars: rescue an old clunker from the crusher for $400, take it home and rebuild it with the help of your friends and the community of people who also loves that kind of car. The owner, Joel, cut his teeth working on this car learning how to weld and even upholstering the seats himself with old leather jackets. That’s something we can all appreciate. Long live the Zombie Rabbits of this world.
