The HellaFlush/Fatlace crew flew from California to Japan to put on this show last year. Their movement is all about wheel fitment and stance. The culture is a mix of car shows and hip hop and it was a big hit in the land of the rising sun.
I’m not going to do my usual number of posts today because I’d like everybody to focus their attention to this video released by the Nissan Newsroom. It’s a 20 minute mini-documentary about the GT-R development team’s experience at this year’s 24 hours of Nurburgring. I know it’s a lot to ask of your internet browsing time, but please trust my judgement on this one if you have enjoyed the content of this blog. The documentary has a backdrop of racing, but I wouldn’t say it was about racing. Instead, it’s a truly moving record of a group of engineers and mechanics who have the utmost passion for the development of the automotive pride of Japan. The GT-R development team entered the 24 hours of Nurburgring as a separate entity from Nissan’s factory racing branch, NISMO. Their goals were not to produce a special race car for the event. Their entry was a 2013 GT-R Track Package that was mostly production based. The team used the race to expose the GT-R’s weaknesses at higher speeds and more importantly to grow the skills of the engineers and mechanics responsible for the car’s development under harsh conditions. They knew that they would have to become better at building GT-R’s if they were going to meet the hopes and dreams of their future customers. The GT-R program is unique in that it has continued in full scale development even after the car was released. That’s why the new 2013 model is almost incomparably good when put next to the first 2007 GT-R. In the end, the failure of a 12 cent c-clip prevented the team from having perfect race results, but they were more than successful in growing the teams ability to shape the future of the GT-R. Head over to our Facebook page to discuss this video with other Flux Auto fans.
Here’s some leftover footage from this year’s 86 Day at Fuji Speedway by the same guy who brought us the Pit Walk video. 86 Day is observed every year on August 6th to celebrate the history of the Toyota AE86, a lightweight, rear wheel drive enthusiast car of legendary status in Japan. This year was a little different because the AE86’s were joined by the Toyota GT-86’s for the first time (that’s what the Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ are called outside of the US). About 150 cars participated in the parade led by The Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya.
Some days I feel like I sift through an endless sea of crappy car stuff on the internet trying to find gems to post here on the blog. I worry about being able to tell the difference between just hitting a drought that day or if I’m just becoming jaded and hard to impress after being exposed to a massive volume of content. That’s why it was refreshing to come across this video from Sam Smith of Car and Driver today. He takes a 1967 Lotus Elan and Mazda’s MX-5 Super 20 Concept for a spin out at Laguna Seca for all of us to enjoy. Smith discusses why the Elan was a significant car when it was produced and which of its successful aspects inspired Mazda when they made the first MX-5 Miata. The discussion ends up touching on what the true definition of a “driver’s car” should be. I’m glad to see there are still automotive journalists who are not too rock star to appreciate lightweight sports cars with modest power. It’s still somewhat of a mystery to me why so many people love the Mazda MX-5 but cry bloody murder about how the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ don’t have enough power. That’s the difference between road racers and forum “tuners,” I guess. There goes the jaded part of me talking again. Enjoy the video:
The RAUH-Welt Begriff story is a pretty amazing one. The organization started off as a street racing team in Japan which then turned into a tuning shop whose work became a worldwide sensation a couple of years ago. Lucky for us, they also caught the attention of a talented videographer named Luke Huxham of Maiham-Media. I’ll let him tell you the RWB story.
Meet the heart and soul behind RWB style, Akira Nakai.