Sonic

Mazda 323 SP20 is a beaut steer for 30K, i know cause i drive one when not in my Skyline. Very quick, and handles well... Otherwise buy a Falcodore-Camgna

It's interesting to read this topic. Has anyone seen the wheels magazine with the red RX-8 Mazda on the front? New GT-R pic is in there. Except it's not from MagazineX like they claim. It's from Nissan Design. One of the guys there is a heavy-hitter in Jap auto industry. Speed magazine has a big article on the R35 Nissan GT-R, and yes Australia IS getting the car, not sure whether it will be in American spec (5.4L 305kW 540Nm NA V8 with optional Auto) or Jap/Euro spec (VQ35DETT of claimed 206kW, more likely 220-260kW). And Speed also has a scoop on the wildest & fastest production car to come out of Japan EVER. It's not a Nissan, Toyota or Suzuki. You'll have to buy issue 8 of Speed to find out...:uh-huh:

It's as much a motor sport as drag racing. It's not in the same class as the Le Mans 24hr or Nurburgring 1000 (that's the 1500m freestyle, right?) but it's more fun than holding the accelerator flat for 15 seconds without steering... Each to their own. I suppose you go out on the weekend and use your WRX like it was intended? On forest dirt roads? Give you a break? I haven't met a Rex driver worth giving on to...

You might want to keep an eye on www.urbanracer.com it's a yank site that's drag oriented but does show drifting...

It's Escort Cosworth, and if you've never driven one you're missing out BIG TIME! Better balanced than the awesome RS500 Sierra Cosworth (Grp A touring car) and nimbler due to its rally commitments. Very nice, does handle better than R32, but Jeremy admitted in an interview he doesn't like GT-Rs or Supras.

not now but 2004. I work in an industry that is close to all this kind of news.

Hmmm. Not really the same as club-level racing. You can do both but drifting is like burnout comps: you really need to set the car up specifically for it. Some of the Jap tuning houses and drivers i've talked to through work reckon it's murder on cars and a full rebuild is needed after 1 season of pro competition. You chew tyres and make friends with panel beaters and diff and gearbox specialists... Remember: a drifter used to be another name for a bum/homeless person/vagrant...

Yes. There is a championship for it. More motor sport than burnouts or dyno shootouts. Yanks want to put it on ESPN as there is now a US-D1 championship slated for 2004. 8 rounds (so far) of action, mostly on the west coast, but with 2 Florida-based rounds looking to join in and a proposal from Hawaii to get involved.

Get a 45kW Laser. At least they top out at 60km/h so WHEN you f--k up, it won't hurt as much. Although you might be killed by an out-of-control 4WD

Floody, i live in Sydney but deal with modified cars from Melbourne. From what i've managed to grasp (this is relating to old-school V8 Aussie muscle cars) you carry your report which has power:weight on it (incl dyno sheet) like an engineer's report so when the cops pull you over, your engine no. VIN no. and plates all match up and they can't do anything about power:weight UNLESS you've modified the car in a defectable way. Just like having an engineer's report in Syd. or QLD

I've seen a Ferrari 360Challenge with CIAO number plates Then there's a brown SL/R Torana with 8ENUFF a blown 7L '57 Chev with 2TUF4U (that was a while ago) Ford Galaxie with BAD069 QIK069 on a Vette BRUTUS on a Dodge Ram pickup I like the Pioneer plates MUSL Mitsu Lancer from QLD with IVG63 (4G63 is the Evo engine) CGMFLY on a RB30ET-powered LC Torana CMY327 on the same LC when it had a 5.4L Chev GTRRRR on a black R32 from Sydney WOGBOX on a Valiant MIS05L on a VS Clubsport being driven by an awesome chick YTRY on a 600kW SARD R33

Link? as in internet? Nah not on 'net. The Japs love to get their hands on hot engines (they bought up a few E46 BMW M3s and investigated tuning them). Trick with XR6T is that it doesn't FEEL fast, until you look at the speedo/time sheet and go, "faaaark, it;s a 1700kg family slush box!" JUN are being secretive bout the specs of the engine, but apparently it's already past 900hp with single large turbo and head work. Block modifications are next but i dunno what they're doing. Don't think you'll get to 1500hp as the Falc 4L is still designed as a family/comfort block unlike the RB26DETT/2JZ-GTE which was designed as a competition/tuner engine...

ooops that's 2000km i've done... You know that JUN in Japan have bought one to modify? And an XR8 and 6T have exactly the same rear-wheel kW figures? If you pop the bonnet and remove the top 1/2 of the air box on one when it's on the dyno you liberate 30kW. Spend $2000 with APS and you get 309kW @ flywheel as well... There is a rumour the proposed GT-HO will have a 6cyl version as well... Ford saw over 450kW in the "hard-tuned", stock bottom-end mules...

Ok, after clocking up over 200km in one, i will go on the record as saying the Falcon XR6Turbo is the only car that will make me trade both my cars, and a mate is even - shock- thinking of putting the R32 GT-R in the garage for "weekend-only" use and buying a Falc Turbo to drive daily. I've had the chance to run one against all other Falcoden performance models and it's the best (better than XR8 or GTS 300 Coupe) That's my opinion which counts for 3/8 of stuff all though...

I had a lady in a 4WD back into the grill of my car (damn high-mount towballs!) and she admitted to hitting it. Then when the bill for the grill (which had to come in from Japan) landed on her doorstep she denied it was her car and claimed she was elsewhere at the time... Our solicitors chatted for a while (it's the principle of the thing!) and she agreed to pay different quote. So i got a mate to fabricate a new, custom mesh grill which was twice as expensive and she had to pay it. Revenge is sweet!

Well they paid the repair cost, even they have comprehensive insurance coverage... It was just a crying shame he got the car back after a total strip-down respray that took a bit over a month (the dude was slow. Good, but slow) and only had it for 3.5hours before it was being loaded onto a tow-truck... He saw the error of his ways and sold it after he got it back (another month, although this time he got an insurance loaner-car!) and bought an R32 GT-R...

I love the V8s (had a tidy HJ GTS Monaro) and the Jap/Euro 6s but p-platers in VNs really irk me. On top of that, where i am there is a common perception that you don't restore old Jap cars unless it's an RX2/3/4 Mazda. On top of that, my old GT-B has a 2.5L Gloria straight-six in it (forefather to the RB25) i'm always getting comments off my Torana SL/R 5000-driving mates about milk and orange juice... My reply is "only cheap wine comes in 5L"

Hey guys, Just want to say love V8s and Skylines and that there is a Nissan Skyline that can't out-handle a Holden (oh, alright. It's a Prince Skyline). I know cause my '66 GT-B Prince can't keep up with Torrie XU-1s 'round corners. Older 60s Yank and Oz V8s are no competition but the smaller, nimbler Torries eat the ol' GT-B... Mind you, it's funny to watch their faces when the 2.5L 6-cyl blows straight by their 3.3L 6-cyl on the straights...

Hey guys and gals, sorry to hear about everyones' misfortunes... Although it could all be a lot worse: a council front-end loader pushed its bucket into a mate's car (JZA80 Supra) after it had just come back from getting a $8000 respray in custom candy that morning. We nearly cried...