By Jeremy Allan Glover

When you think of classic Japanese supercars, one of the first ones that come to mind is the Acura NSX. It has styling that to this day looks modern… and with a mid-engine rear-wheel drive platform, it has just the right kind of amazing set-up that screams: I’m gonna tear up this track!

When Eric of RickDesign set out to build his own supercar, he decided to base it on this incredible platform. His idea was to create an NSX that looked completely different, but it had to have a modern supercar feel to it.

The first step of the process was the design stage. The entire car was drawn out by Eric himself with all of the aspects he had envisioned such a car should have. He took some visual cues from a variety of top models such as Koenigsegg, Ferrari and Saleen (to name but a few) and thus armed, the classic NSX went from being relatively tame…. to completely extreme …and Eric’s dream car started to really take shape. Every body panel except for the roof was removed and reworked by hand. This was no off-the-shelf body kit. This was a total car build, where, over the course of six months, each new custom-made body panel was fit and finished to make it look as if it came out of a factory.

One of the unique aspects of this car is its use of features borrowed from other vehicles. The head lights are actually from a Mazda MX-5, and the tail lights came off of a Lotus Elise. This new supercar was now nine inches wider and a half-foot shorter than what the NSX used to be. It was also now topped off with a stunning matte yellow paint job that was specially mixed for this project.

With the much sought-after looks taken care of, it was now time to focus the attention on all of the other details that make a supercar….well, super. For the handling aspect of it, the NSX was sprung on a Standard Suspension R5 coil-over kit that would ultimately allow it to hug the twisties with a grip akin to that of a gorilla not wanting to part with its first food in three weeks, while at the same time, giving it that low-slung look every supercar should have. This new set up will now connect to the ground on some custom HRE 595R wheels running 19-inches in the rear and 18-inches in the front Michelin Pilot rubber. The crazy speeds that this beast will be churning out will be well scrubbed off using a 14-inch big brake kit supplied by Standard Suspension.

With so much detail already put into the car, it was time to talk engine. A Paxton supercharger was mounted onto the engine along with some low-compression pistons, 750cc injectors and a few other go-fast goodies that make this car push out 525 hp, which is more like the power a car like this should possess. The sound this thing makes now is crazy; with the whistle from the supercharger combined with the deep resonating exhaust note coming from the cd sport exhaust….just wild!

It is pretty amazing to see what kind of car can be produced with the right kind of love and attention to detail, not to mention a lot of hard work. This car may not be for the purists who feel that an NSX should be left untouched, but either way, there is no denying this car is a masterpiece.

This NSX has been to a number of car shows including one of the biggest of them all, SEMA, in the Standard Suspension booth at last year’s show. But this is no trailer queen. This car does get driven and driven hard, which in my mind, makes it that much more impressive.

Congratulations to the guys at RickDesign for pulling it off. Eric now has his supercar.

Canada is soon to lose the RX-8 and Lancer Evolution X

Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Mazda and Mitsubishi Canada

Jeremy Clarkson said it best when he uttered, “I just can’t help thinking that…cars like this will soon be consigned to the history books. I have this horrible, dreadful feeling that what I’m driving here, is an ending.” Those were the words he spoke a few years back while driving the Aston Martin Vantage V12. His sombre mood was due to the mounting environmental issues, government regulations, and a growing nanny state that will soon spell the doom of the performance car. At the time, I thought Mr. Clarkson was being rather melodramatic, as he can so often be. However, today those particular words ring in my ears with rather more intensity and sadness.

Now, I’m a firm believer in environmentally responsible vehicles such as Fuel Cell, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. However, when the small percentage of motorists who enjoy vehicles for more than just transportation start to lose the vehicles they love in the name of government regulations and corporate devotion to new environmental technologies, I can’t help but feel both cheated and betrayed. And already, it looks as though we will soon lose two iconic performance heroes to the new world order. I’ll happily commute to work in my Nissan Leaf, I think it is a great day-to-day car, but come the weekend, I want to rip into the mountains, bounce the rotary engine off 10,000 rpm and produce masterfully trained heel-and-toe downshifts entering corners.

Both the Mazda RX-8 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution rate extremely high on my favourite performance car list, and both are currently slated for discontinuation in the very near future.

The soul of Mazda is its Zoom Zoom philosophy, and that is most concentrated in the RX-8 and its rotary engine. It’s a magnificently visceral engine that is one of the few engines left that begs to be beaten within an inch of its life, while the low-slung rear-wheel drive body is one of the great communicators with the driver’s senses. In other words, it’s one of the last true driver’s cars left. Unfortunately, one of the characteristics that makes the RX-8 so great, seems to be the issue that will soon spell its doom.

The Euro V emissions standards have already killed off several smaller performance compacts over in Europe, including the Civic Type R and the 2011 Ford Focus ST. As the RX-8 will not pass these regulations for 2012, and with so few examples being sold here in North America, the writing is all but on the wall. It’s just unfortunate that the emission rule makers can’t make special exceptions for such ow-volume vehicles, much like they do with commercial and heavy-duty trucks, which do not have to comply to current emissions standards. However, that too is about to change. Regardless, Mazda will not extend the RX-8 into the 2012 model year, but it is quite possible that a replacement may take its place, as Mazda has been performing quite a bit of R&D with hydrogen and diesel powered rotarys, and there is even talk of a return of the RX-7.

While there may still be hope at Mazda, things are not looking so good over at Mitsubishi, as it looks as though the brand will be turning its back on two decades of motorsport dominance. The Lancer Evolution was the first of the exotic killers, and made the sport of rallying what it is today. The constant evolution of the breed has made the Evo the last shining example of Mitsubishi’s dying glory days. The Evo was always something special to me; as a rally driver, it was the pinnacle I had hoped to achieve, and I was always in a state of bliss behind the wheel of Mitsubishi’s greatest weapon.

The Evo’s demise is not so much dictated by bureaucratic regulations as it is by public opinion. Mitsubishi is going through some tough times as of late, and in an effort to form a new identity, it is putting all its eggs into the electric basket. As such, all R&D finances will be focused on Electric Vehicle technology, and the Evo will be left to die once the lifespan of its tenth generation runs its course in 2013. Mitsubishi has hinted that the Evolution identity may continue with hybrid technology, but let’s face it, a hybrid Evo, just isn’t an Evo.

And so, with great sorrow, I pay tribute to two cars that held a special place in my heart. I may have only had a few chances to drive each of these, but both left a lasting impression on me. Unfortunately, as Mr. Clarkson says, I’m afraid this may only be the beginning.

Story and photos by Jeremy Allan Glover

The Mitsubishi Evolution cars have always been known as hard core …and pretty much street rally cars. Since the Evo 1, they have been much sought-after impressive cars that give a crazy bang for your buck. They have been in dog fights with the Subaru STi since they were first launched, but sadly the Evo was not available in Canada up until a few years ago. When Gary B found out that the Evo 9s were now legal to bring here, he started his search to find one. He got his silver Evo 9 from California (a long way from his home in Quebec), and that’s when the fun began.

From the moment he got his car, Gary had a goal – to have a 500-horsepower street-legal car that he could drive everyday to work and also be able to take to the track, beat on it and then drive it back home without having the worry of something letting go. Gary wasn’t about to start ordering parts off eBay to jerry-rig on to it to obtain what he wanted. No, instead, he brought his car to Boivier Mitsubishi to have the engine built up by Max and Simon Losier, two guys that are used to building rally cars.

The engine started out as the stock 2.2 and then had most of the best upgrade parts thrown at it, such as a Forced Performance RED Turbocharger that’s been ported and coated, along with a ported and coated exhaust manifold. ARC, Brian Crower and ARP are but a few of the parts manufacturers participating on what is a fairly long list of engine mods done to this car. The whole set up is controlled by a Vi-Pec standalone ECU system that was precision-tuned by Sebastien Guay from Precision EFI to put down an impressive 498 wheel hp….maybe not 500 but close enough!! Since Gary wanted his car to be street legal, the stock exhaust was kept on the car to keep the noise down. The only problem is a 500-whp engine does not like pushing its 28 pounds of boost through a stock exhaust. The solution was to have a dumb pipe or, as I call it, a loud pipe. Using a QTP Exhaust Cut Out and remote switch meant that as soon as it’s pressed, the car gets loud. Violently loud, thanks to directing all of that rumble straight out of the Bushur Racing 3 inch Downpipe.

It’s great having that much power but if you can’t put it to the ground reliably, then it’s not worth anything. Gary knew that and didn’t want to risk having his drivetrain blowing up on him under all that power. So he sent it out to John Sheperd for a full drivetrain overhaul. A Sheptrans Stage 2 transmission was installed, one that is fully customized using parts from a few different generations of Evos in order to make the ultimate Evo transmission. Along with the tranny, a Sheptrans transfer case and upgraded rear diff were installed to make sure it would be bulletproof, with an Exedy twin-disc clutch mated to the assembly.

The car is lowered on a set of D2 Coilovers sitting on some Volk/Rays TE37 SL 18×9.5 +22 wheels wrapped in Nitto Invo tires. Behind the wheels you can see the Brembo brakes with DBA rotors that ably bring them 500 horses to a stop. Both exterior and interior of the car are also far from stock, but in a more subtle way. A handful of carbon fibre parts from RexSpeed and Silent Edition Customs can be spotted if you look in the right places. A Seibon carbon hood and an OEM JDM rear bumper were added to complete the look.

The Evo’s rally heritage ensures impressive performance, but when you factor in being AWD with four doors and a decent trunk, they also figure as being quite practical. This one pushes the practical factor to the limits by having as much power as it does while still being able to be driven on the street as if it was stock (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Gary had a plan in mind and stuck to it and as a result, he’s built one of the nicest and fastest Evos in Canada.

Ringing out a rally-prepared Fiesta

Story by Budd Stanley, photos by Jordan Allan

It is one of the most exciting and exhilarating forms of sport on the planet that sees everyday commuter cars become airborne rockets dancing between immovable trees and horrifying cliffs at break-neck speeds. Rallying combines motorsport with adventure tourism and extreme sports in a clash of vehicle meets scenery. Not only is the sport an incredible test of man and machine, but it also tests endurance, character and will. So when Ford offered journalists the chance to rip a rally-prepared Fiesta through the forest-lined stages of the Dalton, New Hampshire based Team O’Neil Rally School, I and many other journalists jumped at the opportunity.

However, as a long time rally driver myself, I know that the battle is not just confined to the stages, but usually engulfs the entrants well before and after the race takes place. Hours spent prepping a battle-scarred car for yet another test of durability, coupled with the several sleepless days required just to travel to the starting line, is exhausting enough, but then the real fight begins. Ironically, in the pampered life of an automotive journalist, full of first-class flights, five-star hotels and gourmet dining, Ford’s Fiesta Rally Experience would give us the full experience of being true rally drivers.

Our passion for the sport would be tested by dim-witted travel agents, incompetent airlines, two tornadoes, loss of communications, a flight to the wrong airport, failure to collect a rental car, a 420-km taxi ride to the right airport, more waiting around for a late ride and finally 41 hours of no sleep. Thanks to three separate decisions to press on, rather than give up and head home, we finally made it to the Team O’Neil grounds, a mere hour-and-a-half late. We were dirty, smelly, sweaty, hungry and sleepy, but the scream of 1.6L naturally-aspirated engines echoing through the forest instantly extinguished any thought other than to get down to work with the job at hand.

Ford is rather proud of its little Fiesta, and for good reason. It’s been dominating the markets over in Europe and is now taking North America by storm, as well. While it may look like just a little econobox, the Fiesta is really Clark Kent, a little rally pit bull without the decals, fog lights and number plates, itching to get out into the forest and tear up some gravel. In Europe, the car is the class of the international Super 2000 field and competes for the world title in the WRC class. Even in the States, ridiculously powerful AWD versions of the Fiesta fight for national titles and X-Games gold, most notably popularized by Ken Block’s series of Gymkhana videos.

Throughout the day, we slowly fine-tuned our skills and raised our speeds, and dare I say, I fell in love with the Fiesta’s loose surface prowess. As students, we were taught the finer points of left-foot-braking, and how to properly set up and negotiate a gravel corner at speed in the school’s fleet of Fiestas. I’ve had my way with a great many rally cars in my day, and in terms of fun front-wheel drive rally cars, the Fiesta has proved itself a masterfully competent base for the beginner looking to get into the sport.

As with any form of motorsport, it’s best to start at the bottom and work your way up, which means running in a production class to start. Then, when you want to step up and play with the big boys, Ford has a kit, the R2, which turns a standard showroom Fiesta into a national title-contending Group 2 car, complete with seats, harnesses, roll cage,  top-level suspension, brakes, a race-tuned engine and even a proper racing sequential gearbox. It’s a package that will likely see the entire class slowly become a one-make series due to its competitive price and huge performance numbers.

Despite the lack of sleep and the road trip from hell, playing in the dirt with the Fiesta turned out to be a great experience, one that has me second-thinking my choice of car for the upcoming season. The quality seat time under the tuition of the school’s instructors proved to me that a FWD car can be just as fun and fast as the RWD cars I’m used to.

Photos and text: Jeremy Allan Glover

Honda S2000s are a popular choice for somebody looking for a RWD Japanese car. They are fun to drive and like most Hondas, the aftermarket part support is endless. The S2000’s are pretty fast stock… but when you run your own tuning/dyno shop, a stock S2000 just would not do it for the guys at JS-Tuned. If you’re going to build a car that represents a shop, it has to be over the top.

The biggest transformation of this car is in the crazy engine set-up. Starting out with the stock F20c engine (a high-revving 2.0L), a long list of parts were installed to beef up the engine so that it would be reliable when the big Precision 6262 turbocharger was installed. With that done and all tuned up…this baby now dyno tests putting out an insane 565 whp. Remember, that is out of a 2.0 engine! Putting down that much power, the drivetrain also needed to be modified in order to not self-destruct when the boost kicks in. A few of the added parts include a differential donated out of a 350z with a Nismo LSD, strengthened axles, and a Bully Stage 4 clutch to connect it all. This car is now a beast and sounds absolutely amazing when on boost.

The exterior of this car is also on point with the crazy engine. Nothing too crazy…but with just enough nice parts added, this beast now sports a new sleek look. One of the nicest features on the car that makes it stand out from the rest is the Mugen hard top and Mugen front lip. Today’s style is to have your car as low as possible with a wheel/tire set that combine to offer that perfect stance.  The 18 x 9.5 front and custom-made 18 x 11.5 rear DAI Autobahn wheels wrapped in BGF KDW rubber really make that happen. Slammed with a Standard Suspension R5 coilover kit, this is now one sick low and wide-looking ride.

What’s nice about this car is that it’s not just a showpiece for the shop. This car gets driven… and driven hard. It’s a car that’s gonna see all kinds of K’s logged on the challenging ‘uneven’ roads of Quebec, be driven to the drag strip and raced all day, and then brought to the drift track to have some more fun sliding it around the curves. Did I mention it is driven hard?

Car: Honda S2000 AP1 Turbo from JS-TUNED

F20c 4 cyl STOCK motor

565whp & 409wtq @ 24.5PSI

3mm head gasket by Inline Pro

ARP head studs

Custom vented valve cover

Aluminum catch can

JS-tuned front-mount v-band manifold

Precision 6262 turbocharger

Synapse Engineering 50mm wastegate

Stainless 2.5″ intercooler piping

Vibrant couplings and clamps

Yonaka intercooler 26x9x3

HKS ssqv v3 blowoff valve

Three-bar map sensor

Yonaka radiator

Mishimoto diverter plate

Password JDM fender bolts

Relocated battery (trunk)

Relocated fusebox

Custom aluminum turbo heat shield

Three-inch turbo back exhaust in stainless double tip

Intercooler cryo2 spray bar

AEM electronic boost controller

Injector Dynamic 1000cc injectors

Walboro 255lph fuel pump

AP1 S2000 6-speed transmission

CVtech rebuilt driveshaft

Custom JS-tuned differential upgrade 350z/g35

Two-way Nismo LSD

Upgraded 600hp axles

Bully Stage 4 clutch kit

Mugen front lip

Mugen hardtop

Seibon carbon fibre hood OEM style

AP2 headlights

AP2 front bumper

OEM Honda sidestrikes

J’s racing rear diffuser

Muse-style rear wing

DAI autobahn wheels 18×9.5 front, 18×11.5 rear (custom)

BFGoodrich KDW flame thread tires

MT slick 26x10x15, for drag racing

STD R5 coilover suspension

Neuspeed swaybar kit, front and back

Brembo upgraded discs

Hawk HP Plus pads

Password JDM rear license plate bolts

Custom HID upgrade from S.O.S. HID

Alpine head unit

Sony Explode 1200wt amp

Sony Explode 12″ subwoofer

Alpine rear speakers (custom)

Alpine front components and mids

AP2 radio cover

Red/black interior

Grand Prix white paint

Auxiliary radio control system.

Future mods: wide body over fenders by Spoon, roll cage, AEM water meth kit, upgraded transmission, and some race gas for the track.

Thanks go to….

JS-TUNED

CSM Autosport

Racing Piping

Carroserie 445

Auto Jag Plus

HAS Auto

JAG Imaging

WaxBoX

Story and Photos by Giancarlo Pawelec (AutoMotoFoto)

With the introduction of the first Nissan GT-R in 1969 at the 15^th annual Tokyo Motor Show, the gears were set in motion for what could easily be called the most cult-followed performance vehicle in history. Originally, Nissan’s GT-R (designation PGC10) was a four-door sedan marketed as a fun daily driver until the more sportier coupe version (designation KPGC10) debuted a couple of years later. To the surprise of many and similar to the Shelby Cobra legend of European exotics hunted down on the track, the GT-R has again struck fear amongst higher priced supercars.

The lucky owner of this reincarnated and sinister-looking GT-R is Jeff Waye of Massachusetts, USA. Like many enthusiasts during their selection process for a daily driver, a few key points had to be met. These must-haves included reliability, fair price point, appearance, and ultimately the smile left on one’s face after a spirited drive – also known as performance. Without much hesitation, Waye quickly snatched up a 2009 Nissan GT-R (R35) and after a few weeks of daily use, handed it off to Scott McIver of Kaizen Tuning LLC in Acton, Massachusetts for what would be a tasteful tweak of the already amazing V6 twin-turbo Godzilla.

The first order of business dealt with the exterior as it is sometimes labeled bland compared to previous generations. Without much thought, Waye threw down the American green and possibly his arm for some of the most rare parts out of any aerodynamics catalogue. All factory skirts were swapped in favour of carbon fibre pieces from Zele Japan. Further Zele carbon pieces include the hood scoops and front grill. Seeing as the exterior theme consisted of carbon weave and the OEM gunmetal paint, Waye continued his shopping list with an Esprit Japan rear spoiler and nose duct. The final carbon product to go on the GT-R was the AMS Performance full carbon fibre roof replacement which is said to be one of two ever produced and provides a nine-pound  savings, both form and function in one!

As if these exterior tweaks weren’t enough, Waye converted all lights to LED and installed a Rexspeed air duct system that feeds air directly into the side coolers and brake passages. The final touch was something that even the Kaizen Tuning team didn’t expect. Waye had the entire vehicle re-sprayed with a custom flat seal grey paint giving it a completely new appearance and a menacing one at that.

Now that the look-fast goods were installed, it was time for the Kaizen Tuning LLC team to do what they do best – make this GT-R scream with power! In order to extract much power from the already amazing VH38DETT engine, Kaizen Tuning ordered parts that would remove any restriction from airflow. A much larger intercooler from Forge replaced the smaller stock unit and, mated to larger piping from Harman Motive, allows the 3.8-litre to get a cooler charge. The next to-do came in the way of bumping boost levels with a set of Forge Motorsports actuators, six Injector Dynamics 1000cc fuel injectors, a pair of Go Fast Bits blow-off valves, and an HKS EVC boost controller. Releasing the hot gases from the power-bumped twin-turbo engine is a combination of Harman Motive downpipes and mid-pipes (both of which have been ceramic coated) that feed into an HKS Legamax exhaust. The unique burble exhaust note from the exhaust piping and muffler is truly something to drool over due to its reasonable sound level during regular throttle input and race-screaming music when wide open. Like with any engine modification, tuning is of the essence. Forged Performance chose to use the tried, tested and true AccessPort from COBB Tuning that resulted in an astonishing 540 AWHP @ 6,800rpm and 512 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800rpm. That is nearly a 100-wheel-horsepower gain from the factory benchmark, and it is still daily driven!

With great power comes great control, or rather the need for it. The factory suspension setup from Nissan is quite possibly one of the best from any manufacturer, allowing it to sprint from 0-60mph in 3.2-seconds with launch control, and hit 0.96G on the skid pad. Waye kept things simple with the advice of Kaizen Tuning so as not to mess up the computerized suspension controls of Godzilla. As such, a set of Swift springs replaced the stock units providing for a slightly lower stance. Stiffening any lateral movements on the two-ton mammoth were a set of Stillen swaybars found at front and rear while Whiteline suspension endlinks finished the job. For the rollers, Waye, unlike many, kept the factory-tuned (yes, tuned) wheels from Nissan that were engineered by Rays Japan (makers of Volk Racing, Gram Lights, and other high-end track-spec rims) only to paint them a custom black and replace the lug nuts with titanium pieces from Titek.

After all the modifications were completed and the crew at Kaizen Tuning LLC waved goodbye to Jeff Waye as he got into his refreshed Nissan GT-R, the question remains: did the slight tweaks take an already incredible car to new heights? Truth is, unless you drive it yourself, one will never know. What is known is that with the carbon fibre additions on the exterior, massaged power plant and stiffened suspension, this GT-R can easily get medieval on any of its supercar rivals including the fancy European exotics. With the addition of another 100-horsepower and the all-wheel drive, it is without a doubt that any prancing Italian horse or bull could ever keep up to this modern-day Japanese legend and look good doing so!

Owner: Jeff Waye (GOTZIRA)

Location: Wayland, MA, USA

Vehicle: 2009 Nissan GT-R (R35)

Horsepower: 540 AWHP @ 6,800 rpm

Torque: 512 ft-lbs @ 4,800rpm

Dyno Type: Mustang Dyno

Dyno Sheet Included (Yes / No?): N/A

Club / Team Affiliation: Kaizen Tuning LLC

Exterior

- AMS Performance Carbon Roof

- Zele Carbon Side Skirts

- Zele Carbon Rear Skirt

- Zele Bumper

- Zele Carbon Hood Scoops

- Zele Carbon Grill

- Esprit Carbon Wing

- Esprit Carbon Nose Ducting

- Custom Flat Seal Grey Paint

- 3M Flat Clear Film

- Rexpeed Side Ducts

- Rexpeed Side Emblems

- Custom LED Lighting

Interior

- Factory OEM GT-R R35 Interior

In Car Entertainment

- Factory BOSE Audio System

Wheels / Tires / Brakes / Suspension

- Custom Painted OEM GT-R R35 Wheels

- Titek Titanium Lugnuts

- Swift Springs

- Stillen Front Swaybars

- Stillen Rear Swaybars

- Whiteline Suspension Endlinks

Engine

- HKS Legamax Exhaust with Custom Ceramic Coating

- Harman Motive Midpipe with Custom Ceramic Coating

- Harman Motive Downpipes with Custom Ceramic Coating

- Forged Motorsports Actuators

- Harman Motive Intercooler Piping

- Forge Front Mount Intercooler

- Forge Washer Bottle

- Injector Dynamics 1,000cc Fuel Injectors

- HKS EVC Boost Controller

- COBB Tuning AccessPort Custom Tuned by Forged Performance

- Forge Overflow Tank

- (2) Go Fast Bits Blow-Off Valves

Sponsors

- Kaizen Tuning LLC.

Special Thanks

- Scott McIver and Chris Luciano at Kaizen Tuning LLC, Sharif and Ryan at Forged Performance

Future Modifications

- Forged Performance upgraded turbochargers and fuel system

Learning the Fine Art of Racecraft

Story and photos by Budd Stanley

This part of the magazine is primarily dedicated to the modification of one’s vehicle to either make it look the way we want, sound the way we want or to go as fast as we can make it. Now, in terms of performance modifications, we’ve talked all about the value of good tires, suspension, alignment, ride height, brakes, balance, weight, aerodynamics and all sorts of things you can do to your car to make it go faster. However, there is one thing I’ve yet to touch on, one of the most important parts of the performance equation, that of driver skill.

Now, you can have a ridiculously fast car out at a track day and quite easily find yourself being made a complete fool of by much slower vehicles that have no business passing a car with three times their power. I myself used to rally race a measly 110-horsepower, 2WD 1985 Toyota Corolla, and it wouldn’t be uncommon for me to go out and beat a 300-horsepower Subaru WRX STi or Audi TT. On gravel or in icy conditions, these cars had a massive advantage over me, but their drivers did not have the experience to get the most out of their vehicles, and thus, their $80,000 race machines were being passed by my rusted-out old $5,000 Corolla.

So, what’s the best way to rectify this situation? Well, you can do what I did, start at the bottom with the slowest car, and over several years teach yourself to whip that car to within an inch of its life, or better yet, you can take a driving school, and learn in a weekend what it took me a year to figure out on my own.

I attended one of Morrisport’s Advanced Driving clinics out at Mission Raceway to freshen up my racecraft, with Porsche lending me a rather special vehicle for my track driving tuition – the all-new Carrera GTS, a higher-performance version of the Carrera S, for drivers who want a higher-performance 911, but still want the pure driving experience of a 2WD car. Finally, I would have a proper weapon to compete; finally, I was the one in the 400-horsepower car. However, now I needed to learn the proper skills so that when I hit the track, I could get the most out of the car.

Morrisport’s instructors put us through an extremely informative hour-long classroom session, teaching us the basics of car performance, handling, braking, driving line and seating position. From the classroom, we headed out onto the track where we handed our keys over to our designated instructor. For the first five or six laps, the instructors drove our cars around the track, allowing us to do two things. First, realize just how fast the car is capable of going, and how much lateral and braking force it can withstand before it starts to loose grip. Second, it allowed me to study what my instructor was doing to make the car go faster. Everything from the way he sits, where he is looking on the track and the inputs that he is putting into the controls.

After five or six laps, we pull into the pits, and trade seats. Now I’m behind the wheel, and trying to remember everything I’ve just learned in the last few hours. My first laps are ragged and slow. Mixing what I’ve taught myself about racing on loose surfaces is only hurting me on a sticky tarmac track. I’m braking too hard and erratically, I’m getting on the throttle too soon, and I’m just too darned excited. We pit as our group’s session is now over, and have an hour or so to go over my performance.

In the car, when the instructor is teaching at speed, I found I was concentrating too hard on the road to take any of his instruction in. Resting in the paddock, we go over what needed to be done. Brake earlier and smoother, carrying it into the corner. Wait a little longer to roll onto the throttle; drifting may be the fast way through a forest stage, but on the track, it loses you valuable seconds. And finally, relax, stop gripping the wheel with all my might, and put that energy into my left foot to keep me stabilized in the seat. I spent the rest of my off time going through these fine details in my head, visualizing what I needed to do.

Come the next on-track session, it was all me behind the wheel, and I began letting go of my rallying habits and utilizing my newfound skills. Each lap became faster and faster, my line better, and the grin on my instructor’s face bigger and bigger as the art of racing was finally becoming clear. While we did not have any timing devices on hand, the extra g-forces that I was able to put the car under, and the increasing top speed I was able to achieve on the straight, proved my speed was increasing exponentially. I was finally driving a top-level car, yet I was starting to reel-in cars at an even higher level, cars like 911 GT3s and the manic 911 Turbo S that I had on my great drives series to Mount St. Helens. However, I learned one important fact, that even after several years of racing, I still have a lot to learn.

At the end of the day, I was almost quite angry, really. Why didn’t I do this sooner? The value of proper driving skills is easily the most important performance investment you can make with a car. It allows you to ensure that no mater how powerful your car is, that you will be able to get the most out of it. Not only that, but it also gives you the confidence to pull the car out of an emergency situation if ever needed. If you ever plan to take your car to the track, which is the only place you should be driving it in anger, be sure to improve your car’s performance, by investing in a driver-training program.

HPA Motorsports builds something special out of the only VW Scirocco to hit our shores

Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of HPA Motorsports

When you think of “Supercar Killers,” the Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX STi inevitably come to mind. And as potent as these cars are with high-strained turbocharged engines and active AWD, they are limited by the regulations of the rallying championships that they have been specifically designed to dominate. Therefore, while they will put up a heroic fight, to actually put one of these cars head-to-head against the likes of, say, a Lamborghini Gallardo, may not be a sound choice. However, Marcel Horn, the top man at Surrey-based HPA Motorsports, has done just that with his latest creation, a fire-breathing twin-turbocharged VR6-powered AWD Volkswagen Scirocco.

While it may be exotic just to see this car here in Canada, the Scirocco is technically nothing more than a handsome, squished and stretched version of the VW Golf that returned to the European market three years ago. Unfortunately, the Scirocco has yet to make it here to Canada, but Horn, with special connections inside Volkswagen, managed to gain access to a Scirocco body and get it into the country after much bureaucratic hoop jumping. This special build would be a halo project to commemorate the company’s 20^th year of building mental VW and Audi vehicles.

Following the Scirocco since the Iroc Concept, Horn knew the car would be ripe for massive performance modifications. HPA’s fame stems from a unique project they created many years back when they managed to shove a VR6 engine and AWD system into the reintroduced Beetle. And if that wasn’t enough, they went ahead and twin turboed the vehicle, just to make sure it was taken seriously. Since then, HPA has become specialists at building special edition turbo VR6 AWD vehicles such as the R32 Golfs, TTs and other manic road terrorists from Wolfsburg or Ingolstadt.

Horn learned that the Scirocco would never be built with AWD or a V6, which, with their unique experience and the car’s Euro-only design, gave them the chance to build something that’s never been done. In fact, this is a one-of-a-kind car, the only Scirocco in North America and one of two other turbo VR6 AWD Sciroccos built by the company in the world.

The project as a whole took 14 months of planning, communications, logistics and of course lots of paperwork, to get the shell and additional pieces into the country. A donor vehicle was acquired with the suitable 3.2L VR6 drivetrain, complete with DSG gearbox and AWD system that HPA began to swap over. However, not before they did some special tweaking, of course. With its vast knowledge of the drivetrain, HPA has a warehouse full of proprietary goodies to get the most out of both the hard and software.

First was HPA’s own FT565 Turbo kit consisting of two Garrett GT28RS turbos with custom housings and HPA’s own intake manifold and twin intercoolers connected to both ends via silicon hosing. Coupled to that, they added a water-methanol injection system and custom-tuned the ECM so all the bits were communicating clearly. With the gearbox, HPA added its Stage-3 DSG clutches as well as giving the gearbox electronic brain the special treatment as well. After a week spent on the in-house Superflow AWD dyno, the crew was able to eek out an amazing 565 hp.

However, this car ain’t just about going fast in a straight line, so HPA put a fair amount of development into the handling side. Working out a mathematical equation that took into account the car’s extra girth, width, wheelbase, and pitch and yaw balance tendencies, HPA came up with a set of damper and spring settings to optimally dial into a set of KW Suspension R32 Golf coilover housings, complete with pillow ball mounts and an HLS hydraulic lift system.

Big speed requires big brakes, and the Scirocco is well-endowed with a setup that would have a Porsche blushing in shame. Again, right off HPA’s shelves is a standard kit featuring massive eight-piston calipers clamping down on equally impressive 365-mm discs, front and rear. To wrap those big brakes, HPA called on long-time partner BBS, who suggested the CM, a wheel only available in Europe and used for Porsche fitments. Amazingly, skimmed with 265-mm wide tires on the rear, the wheels fit without rubbing any sheet metal, something unheard of in the VW/Audi world as the best most can manage is 235-mm.

Esthetically, the car wears Rieger front and rear bumpers and side skirts, stylishly incorporating both Audi R8 and Ferrari Scuderia accents to help make the Scirocco just that little bit more exotic. However, HPA has gone much farther than just bolting on some aftermarket bling. To make the AWD system and fuel and water tanks fit, a fair bit of cutting and welding was also called upon in the rear. Like the Ford Mustang, VW has made its vehicles very similar over the years with interchangeable parts, so HPA didn’t have to change any major bracing or framing, only reworking the sheet metal to allow the proper clearances for the additional hardware.

With the project completed, the Scirocco was packed up and shipped down to California for testing by Road & Track Magazine, which happened to have a Mercedes AMG SLS also in attendance for testing purposes. During 0-60 mph testing, the test driver couldn’t believe the car’s capability, pulling three straight 3.2-second 0-60 pulls and a quarter-mile time of 11.4 seconds at 122.7 mph, beating the SLS. As staff members were now clamouring to get a ride in the car, the Scirocco then put the SLS to shame once again through the slalom with a 72 mph run to the AMG’s 71 mph result.

After testing with Road & Track, Horn packed up the car and moved on to Texas for the Texas Mile. Upon arrival, a flock of cell phones all of a sudden shot up and began to close in on the trailer like seagulls on a piece of errant bread crust when the Scirocco saw first light. In a parking lot full of half-million-dollar Bugattis and Lamborghinis, it was the lowly VW that struck the crowd into awe. Despite the exotic company that HPA’s creation was in, it was the Scirocco that was the most exotic of them all. It’s a car that everyone there knew what it was, but never get the chance to see in real life. Couple that with the show the car was about to put on, which only made it that much more special.

The first round of cars down the mile, saw the big boys have a go. The 1,500-1,600 hp twin-turbo, methanol-injected Ferrari and Lamborghini 250-mph machines lit the strip on fire, but the more standard vehicles were having a harder time. A Gallardo was struggling to pop off a 160-mph run, finally cracking the mark on its last run when the Scirocco went out and laid down a 170 mph pass right out of the box, so to speak.

Now obviously, beating up on standard exotics with a highly modified vehicle may not be altogether fair, but the fact that HPA has taken what is essentially a timid four-banger, and turned it into a full fledged supercar, is testament to HPA’s specialized experience with the VW brand and its own professionalism. The Scirocco has the full package – brakes, power, grip, 0-60 and handling. As such, it is one of the most significant vehicles of HPA’s existence, which is saying a lot as the company has several high-quality cars, such as a Golf R32 it built five years ago that won several top awards at SEMA and was even featured in the Grand Turismo 4 video game franchise.

So as a final warning, supercars and exotics beware; there is a killer that roams the streets. And while it may wear the thin disguise of a compact hatch, it is fully capable and prepared to make a fool out of you. The HPA Scirocco is a car more worthy than any other of the designation of Supercar Killer.

Quick Facts:

2010 Volkswagen Scirocco

HPA FT565 Twin-Turbo 3.2L VR6 Engine

GT28RS-based turbos with proprietary housings

Twin competition air-to-air intercoolers

Quad Bypass stainless steel exhaust

HPA Stage 3 DSG clutches and software

Water-methanol injection

Haldex all-wheel drive system

Switchable rear differential

Rieger Body styling package

8-piston calipers, 365-mm front & 335-mm rear discs

KW Clubsport 3-way adjustable coilovers

Integrated heads-up display

Wirez Signature amp kits include full-size ODC copper power and ground cable, as well as speaker cable and premium RCA interconnects. Accessories like spade terminals, wire ties and a grommet are included in all.

Text by Dave MacKinnon, Photos by the Manufacturers

I was just trolling the 12V Insider forums when I stumbled across a discussion of mobile electronics installation wiring guidelines. I have to admit, this is one of my favourite topics, and one I have spent some significant time researching. It is also critically important to the performance, reliability and safety of car audio products.

The Bassworx BSAK5 kit includes 17 feet of power and ground cable, along with speaker wire and an RCA interconnect. Accessories to complete the install, like spades and a fuse holder, are included.

Modern car audio amplifiers are capable of consuming significant amounts of power, as are devices like high-wattage lighting and winches. Because cars operate on a low voltage (~12V) direct current (DC) electrical system, these large power requirements coincide with large amounts of current being drawn. To explain this, let’s dive right into some math. Don’t worry, it’s not hard.

Power can be calculated many ways, but in this case, we are going to look at the product of Voltage (V) and Current (I). The equation is Power = Voltage x Current, or P = E x I. Let’s say we have a pair of headlights that consume a combined total of 110 Watts. We will also assume for this example that the car’s voltage is 12V (it should actually be closer to 13.6 when everything is running properly). We know P and we know V, so we can determine I. I = P ÷ V, or I = 110 ÷ 12, or 9.167 Amps of current.

When it comes to audio, things are worse than you think. Let’s say you bought a big amplifier to run a pair of subwoofers. These days, 1,000 Watts is not unreasonable. Where it goes south is that the amp consumes more power than it produces. We’ll assume a good quality, high-efficiency Class D amp in this example, with an efficiency rating of 83 percent. If it were a Class AB amp, we’d assume efficiency around 55 percent. So, to get 1,000 Watts out of this amp, we need to feed it 1,204.82 Watts. Next, we calculate how much current that amp draws by dividing 1204.82 by 12 to get 100.4 Amps of current. To keep life simple, we’ll call it 100 Amps even.

The iConnects i4600K 4-gauge kit includes 18 feet of power cable, 3 feet of ground, 30 feet of speaker cable and a 16-foot RCA. They rate the kit as being compatible with systems up to 600W, and use 100-percent OFC cabling.

This seems relatively simple, except that most cars have alternators rated for 65-85 Amps, small batteries and small wiring. The result is an inability to supply the amplifier with the power it needs to produce the power you want.

Streetwires ZeroNoise5 Amp kits are 100-percent OFC copper and meet CEA-2015 guidelines. The super flex jacket allows for easy cable manipulation for easy installation and excellent reliability.

You have to know I am setting you up for something – it’s just my way. Flowing 100 Amps of current through a conductor can cause problems. Why? Because all conductors have resistance, and when current flows through something with resistance, power is wasted. That leads us to our second equation. Power (P) is the square of Current (I) times Resistance (R), or P = I² x R. Now, just how important is the size and quality of the wire you use in your installation? Let’s let the math decide.

If we try and power the above amp with a 17-foot length of good-quality Copper 8AWG power cable with a resistance of 0.0007162 Ohms per foot, let’s see what happens with respect to the math. That resistance number, by the way, is the maximum allowable resistance per foot for a piece of 8AWG cable as per the CEA-2015 Mobile Electronics Cabling Standard document. So P = (100 x 100) x 0.0007162 x 17 (feet). That works out to 121.75 Watts of power wasted in the cable. Want the bad news? You need a ground, or return path to the battery, and there are connections to fuses and so forth along the way. For the sake of this example, we’ll just double the cable length. So now we have 243.51 Watts wasted in the power cables.  If you want to put that into a number you can relate to, go put your hand on a 100W light bulb and get back to me.

We can also calculate how much voltage drop that represents at the end of the cable. We know the current is 100 Amps, the resistance is 0.000716 Ohms/foot and we have 34 feet of cable. If we multiply all those numbers together, we get 100 x 0.000716 x 34 = 2.435 Volts. So now, our poor 12V electrical system is only supplying 9.56 Volts to the amp because of cable losses. Think you need bigger cable? The recommended minimum cable size to handle 100A of current is a real 4 AWG cable.

Stinger amp kits are available in a multitude of configurations with 8, 4 and 0 gauge cables. Stinger uses premium nylon braiding instead of split loom to protect the power cable for a very clean and professional look in its 6000-series kits.

The maximum allowable resistance for a 4 AWG cable as per CEA-2015 is 0.0002835 Ohms per foot. I’ll save you the trouble of dropping that back into the equation and just do the math in a spreadsheet for you. Our power wasted in the 4 AWG cable drops to 0.963 Volts total, so we have just over 11V at the amp. If you are like me, and are now a bit obsessed by the math, a worst-case 0 AWG cable has a voltage drop of only 0.38 Volts, and that’s my idea of good power delivery.

We’ll revisit this another time, but let me leave you with this scary thought. Not all cables are created equally in terms of size and material. Copper Clad Aluminum conductors are less expensive, but have about 30 percent more resistance. Add to that the fact that some companies don’t manufacture cables to meet the AWG (American Wire Gauge) size guidelines, and the resistance of the cable can go up even more.

The impressive 1/0 AWG Premium Power Connection System from JL Audio is rated for 200 Amps and includes 20 feet of 1/0 power cable, a distribution block and 4AWG power and ground cable – enough to install two amplifiers. JL extends the warranty on its amps by a year when installed with these kits.

No matter what accessory you are installing in or on your vehicle, please do it with good-quality cables and good-quality connections. The performance and reliability will pay off in spades!

The future will soon be going beyond simple ECU Flashes

Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Porsche, Ferrari and Formula One

Today’s technology has allowed tuners to get massive gains out of the common turbocharged engine. As many manufacturers are turning to turbocharging to produce both high power output and emissions efficiency, tuners are making the most of the onboard computers to bump performance to incredible levels.

It wasn’t so long ago that the sport compact tuner employed his trade much the same way as his hot rodding rival, only working with high-strung four-cylinders rather than big-block eights. Engines were broken down, ported, polished, honed and massaged to get ideal airflow. Machining of the head, deck and ancillaries increased valve size and compression, while bigger cams, intake and exhaust manifolds created fire-breathing dragons. However, with today’s cars being crammed full of computers, the art of tuning has lost most of its romanticism, as a laptop and dyno seem to be able to do more in a few hours than weeks of wrenching and machining in the garage could ever do.

However, as the automotive world continues to evolve, the way tuners, and now even manufacturers, get the most out of their cars is making another large evolutionary change.

When one thinks of hybrids, the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight or Chevy Volt rarely conjure up images of breakneck speed. Speed is a realm held by Porsche 911s, Ferrari 599s and Formula 1 cars. However, the times they are a changing’ as even these thoroughbreds are producing their own hybrid versions, utilizing Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, aka KERS, to give an added boost in power when called upon. Contemporary hybrids like the Prius and Insight use an electric motor connected to the car’s gearbox that directs energy from deceleration or braking conditions to charge batteries. Then, under acceleration, this current is reversed back to the electric motor to aid in forward propulsion. It works well to lower fuel consumption, but the added weight of the batteries and electronics steal any kind of performance fun you may be able to get out of the system.

As racing fans will know, F1 has brought back the KERS system for 2011, which is a mechanical version of the electrical systems found in the Prius and Insight. Instead of storing energy in batteries, the KERS system directs captured braking energy to turn a small flywheel, which can spin at up to 80,000 rpm. When extra power is required, the flywheel is connected to the car’s rear wheels adding its energy to the gasoline engine’s power. In contrast to an electrical KERS, the mechanical energy doesn’t change state and is therefore more efficient.

As this technology accelerates, both Porsche and Ferrari have utilized hybrid systems to offer the driver increased power in upcoming high-performance vehicles such as the Porsche 918 Spyder and 911 GT3 R Hybrid, and the Ferrari 599 HY-KERS. Ferrari has integrated the electric motor into the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, mounted below the car’s centre of gravity. The system returns over 100 hp, supplementing the V12 engine under hard acceleration, and it can even operate under full electric power for the daily commute.

Porsche has done things a little differently, utilizing both systems and separating the motors. The 911 GT3 RS Hybrid racer uses two electric motors mounted to the front axle rather than the gearbox. Power is shifted back and forth to a stand-alone flywheel storing energy mechanically as rotational energy. The driver is able to call up extra energy from the charged flywheel generator with the push of a button, directing energy from the flywheel that is being slowed down electromagnetically. This gives an additional 160 hp to the front wheels.

The 918 has electric motors on the front and rear axle with a combined additional output of 218 hp. These charge a small lithium-ion battery cell, much like standard hybrids. However, better battery technology allows the system to be lightweight and more efficient. This also allows the car to run under electric power alone, with a range of up to 25 km.

It’s all fascinating technology that is speeding (pardon the pun) its way towards us. Inevitably, the tuner market will soon be jumping all over these hybrid systems to give traditionally-powered cars a KERS advantage, or possibly even upgrading the technology itself to provide a bigger punch. Whatever the future of tuning holds, the fact is, today’s environmentally-based hybrids will ironically have a role in the way we make our cars faster.