Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Close Up: Spoon AP1

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Way before the build of the iconic Grand Prix White AP2 demo car, Spoon had built their AP1 race car.  The S2000, hailed as one of the greatest roadsters ever built.  It would seem almost sacrilegious for the masters of Honda tuning to not bless one with their precision.  A few years ago I got the chance to visit Spoon and see for myself the craftsmanship that went into this build.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

News: F1 – Vettel back to back podiums at Suzuka

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After 53 exciting laps at Suzuka, Vettel once again unleashed his true talent, and came out on top.  This makes for Sebastian’s second consecutive podium finish here at Suzuka – a feat that puts him among the types of Senna and Schumacher.  The Red Bull’s RB6 chassis was unstoppable at the Japanese Grand Prix today, and it showed with a one – two finish to claim a now total 426 points for the RBR-Renault constructor.  Rounding up the podium was Webber for RBR and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.  With his second place finish, Webber remains championship points leader for 2010, and Vettel moves to 3rd; 14 points in tow.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Encounter: Shibuya Vitz

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So I’ve returned!  It seemed like such a short trip, and honestly, I didn’t get as much material as I would have liked.  On a side note though, my friend is on his way over the Pacific as we speak, and has promised to send some Encounter shots.  The first day after we arrived, we took a short trip to Tokyo and as we were walking around Shibuya looking for some good grub, I caught this little RS shooting by.  I’m not too educated in Kei cars, but they are still a very big scene in Japan.  The super-compact Toyota Vitz is popular among Kei Tuners.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Feature: JCCS Celica GT

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Before I set sails across the Pacific, I thought I’d revisit a car from JCCS.  This 2-door, hardtop Celica GT coupe stole the show for me at JCCS.  This model of Celica was first made in the 1970’s and heavily influenced by the late 60’s, early 70’s Ford Mustang.  A cheaper alternative to Toyota’s sports car, the 2000GT, the Celica became massively popular.  This particular one was in great condition.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Locale: フライラット, 町田 – Fly Rat, Machida

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Thought I’d break up some coverage of JCCS with a little look at the Fly Rat used car & part shop in Machida, Tokyo.  This is literally right next door to the Up Garage in Machida, so it was  a no-brainer to go check it out.  Fly Rat is part of the やまや山口株式会社, or the Yamayayamaguchi Group in Japan.  The parent company of both Fly Rat, and Jon Flat; both used and new car dealerships and parts dealers.  This location had a few cool looking rides, especially this pristine R32 rocking over-fenders on both the front and rear.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Event: 6th Annual JCCS, Long Beach V.2

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On to round 2 of the JCCS coverage.  Like I mentioned in the previous post, engine swaps are all to common at this show;  and this coupe is no exception.  This is Steve’s car.  Steve drove 2,000 miles from Alberta, Canada to show at Long Beach.  This is the way I like to see cars; put to use!  As if that wasn’t special enough, Steve had something out of the ordinary at the disposal of his right foot.  How does 260 ft/lb.’s of torque sound?  Yup, a 4.0 liter, V8 taken from a LS400 sits in place of the stock engine.  I got to talk to Steve for a little bit, and to my surprise, he said that the first generation UZ engine fit rather easily in the bay.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Event: 6th Annual JCCS, Long Beach V.1


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The warm sun, the cool ocean breeze blowing through the trees;  Downtown Long Beach makes the perfect venue for just about any get together – and the 6th annual holding of the Japanese Classic Car Show is no exception.  Without a doubt JCCS is the show to go to to see the best in classic Japanese cars.  Datsuns, Toyotas, and Mazdas from the 70’s and 80’s are littered throughout the grounds and parking lot.  Some are daily driven, and some have been restored to show quality; there is definitely something for everyone.  Take this Corolla for example; old school parts, executed with modern drift styling.  It took me about 2 hours to walk through the show, and I tried to get a little of everything.  Some photos will have a more retro look (i.e. warm temperatures, desaturated);  I did this as a throw back to the era of the cars.  Hope you enjoy!

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Motor Sports by Narita Dogfight

News: US F1 Austin Track Layout Revealed

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People who know me will tell you I’m somewhat ‘obsessed’ with Formula 1; and with F1 being the absolute pinnacle of motorsports, it doesn’t go without reason.  So when I logged into Formula1.com today and saw that legendary track architect Hermann Tilke, along with the race organizers, had revealed the new Austin layout, I was pleasantly surprised.  And man is it a good one!  The natural elevation changes are being put to great use, especially in turn 1; a wild, uphill hairpin to start the race.  Many of the other corners take ques from legendary circuits around the world, increasing the anticipation to see this track completed.  F1 has been gone from United States for 5 years now, and many of us American fans are dying to see it’s return.  Now if we could only get a team up and running by 2012 as well.  Click past the break to see more pics.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Encounter: Tokyo Street Evo

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We were walking around some prefecture near Roppongi Hills in Tokyo one afternoon while my friends wife was getting her haircut.  While crossing a pedestrian bridge I spotted these kids J-walking across this huge street.  I thought it was pretty cool because you could see Mori Tower perfectly in the background, so I snapped a few pics.  Later on I saw this Evo in the shot!  I didn’t even notice it at first…

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Event: Nisei Showoff 2010 V.1


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As you can imagine, summer days in Los Angeles can get pretty hot; and the day of the 10th annual Nisei week car show was no exception.  I have to say I was pretty surprised when I heard the announcement that this show would make it to it’s 10th year.  In 2009 it had been slated off due to real estate issues, and development was supposed to start on the old parking lot the show takes place on.  However, the car gods once again blessed us with one more year of show stopping, automotive eye candy.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Encounter: Lonely MM:21 R32

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I stumbled upon this lonely Skyline during a walk one morning.  The hotel we had been staying out was very close to Sakuragicho Station, which is in the みなとみらい21 (Minato Mirai) area;  a large urban development by the water.  This place is famous for many things, including Japan’s former largest building the Landmark Tower.  This morning we were walking along the Red Brick Warehouse and saw this guy sitting all by itself in a parking lot.

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Automotive by Narita Dogfight

Locale: UP Garage – Machida

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If you’re a Japanese car enthusiast, there is one thing you know you’ve always dreamed of doing once in Japan; and that is to visit as many tuner shops and stores as possible.  I’m no different.  I’ve wanted to visit an Up Garage for some time now, and a few months ago I finally got my chance.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an affliction towards used parts.  Maybe it’s the history that comes along with them; or maybe it’s because I’m fiscally responsible (read: cheap).  There’s no better place to go bargain hunting for JDM car part goodness than at an Up Garage.

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