Following on from our recent article on Steve Kirk's conceptual drawings in Street Machine's Motorvation series we thought we'd bring you Japan's offerings along similar lines: 'Custom Dreaming' by Crazy Masaru.

 

My inability to read Japanese puts me somewhat on the back foot here, so the information I've gleaned is purely visual from the pages of Lightning Vintage Auto magazine where there is a Custom Dreaming section in every splendid issue. Cars are seemingly always domestic in origin (Japanese, that is) and themes are often influenced by American car culture with the likes of Bonneville styled RX7s, Cobra-ised Datsun Roadsters, surf bum Hiace vans and Suzuki Fronte Gassers! 

 

Brilliant lateral thinking here with a Lil' Red Wagon inspired Honda Acty pickup - the Little Little Red Wagon. 

 

Here's that Suzuki Fronte SS (Sport Sedan) drag racer I mentioned. A picture of the front shows a gasser stance, some Cragar-esque mags and the legend 22 cu in on the fender (22 Cubic inches is 360cc for those that don't have their calculators to hand). It's the clever touches like that that make these ideas so neat. 

 

This MS72 Crown looks good given the circuit racer treatment.

 

Another fantastic concept is this Fairlady, as mentioned previously it's been Cobra-ised (or Shelby'd, perhaps?). Again, my lack of Japanese language skill holds us back, but I can clearly make out the numbers '289' amongst the text, suggesting that Masaru has a V8 in mind for this creation.

 

Further info? Despite the Crazy Masaru moniker (changed to Funky Masaru in at least one issue) the credit for illustration goes to M.Nemoto. I've yet to find anything on the 'net about the artist or the illustrations, but judging by this picture from Auto Otaku's Flickr pages there was a display of the works at the Tokyo Nostalic Car Show this year. If you know more let us know.

 

 

There was I looking through some photographs of my trip to America last year when I found a few snippets of video. These videos aren't brilliantly filmed on expensive HD cameras and they're not filmed by a trained professional cameraman, they're filmed by me on a tiny hand held digital still camera. We can overlook that though can't we? What you'll see contained within each of them is a brief moment, a moment when my mouth was open, aghast at what I was seeing, feeling, hearing and experiencing, a moment when I was having to pinch myself to check I wasn't dreaming. I thought you might enjoy a little piece of that too.

 This first clip was taken about five minutes after I reached Bonneville Salt Flats, we'd driven all day and I wanted to have a quick look at the salt before we found a hotel and some food. We pulled off Highway 80 and went to the 'bend in the road' where the hardcore rodders and racers camp between race days. This is what we found:

 

The same evening we went into Wendover for a meal at the Rainbow Casino where the visual treats continued, the car parks were packed with push trucks and hot rods. As you drove around you could see salt on cars, in wheelwells and on the tarmac...tell tale signs of who had been out on the salt during the day. In the restaurant almost every table had a bunch of guys in matching team shirts proclaiming class speed records and sponsors names. This next film was taken just after midnight in the Rainbow Casino car park:

 

It's the stuff that dreams are made of. For our last video we're going onto the salt proper, past the bend an the road, through the puddle and out to where the action is. We've paid our money, tuned the radio to the commentary and it's time to hear the crunch of the salt under your feet with every step as the V8s rumble around you and scream in the distance as records are set and dreams are coming to fruition. This guy had it even better though...he had serious wheels, not a hire car like me...a hot rod. 

 

 

 

Some of you might be familiar with Charlie's excellent blog (http://racecarprep.blogspot.com/) which you'll find down there to the right along with some other choice reading, but we thought it might be nice to bring some of the Sierra's magic to RSM - especially whilst were basking in the joys of motorsport week here on your favourite blog. I was lucky enough to be invited to a pre-season test session by the man himself where I took the opportunity to snap a few pics and was lucky enough to find myself in the passenger seat for a few speedy laps of Brands Hatch's legendary circuit. Not only that he bought me a Coke and a Kit Kat, such is the hospitality of the man. Now he's got a few races in the bag I thought it would be a fine time to fire some mildly prying questions at him:

Name: Charlie Moseley 

Age: 37

Occupation: Head of Communications for a bank.

Other Hobbies: I collect Cuban posters.

Car: Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth RWD

Year: Built in the mid 90s from a Ford Motorsport shell to compete in Group N touring cars (Group N was mostly standard spec)

Engine: 2 litre turbo. It runs a restrictor to limit the air into the turbo as part of the regulations for the class it runs in.

Power: 280ish BHP.

Wheels: 16X7@ Compomotive eight spoke.

Tyres: Toyo R888 semi slicks

Suspension/chassis: shorter stiffer springs with Koni and Leda dampers

Brakes: Standard calipers with EBC red stuff pads. Discs are grooved and drilled standard size.

Car/cars/car history: Regularly stole my mum's Toyota Corolla GT, father's and friends 1.9 205 GTIs in the 80s. First car was a brown Allegro estate which I crashed chasing my friend in a 205 (1.6 this time). Then had sensible Micra which I sold and bought a 1970 351 purple Mustang when I was 17. From Mustang to Suzuki jeep then no hobby cars until a revival of interest led me to Datsuns, the 910 coupe and now I have moved onto racing.

Future car plans: I must must must own a Datsun 510 SSS coupe. I'm trying to get a job with a Japanese mobile phone company so I can take trips to Japan. I will own one! For racing I love the Cosworth for grunt and simplicity. Will keep racing them but may move onto a 3 door when I move on from the Sapphire.

Dream car: Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth race car.

Favourite crisps: prawn cocktail. It's my Ebay name.

Anyone you'd like to thank: Simon and David for the endless joy that is Retro Rides. The wife for supporting my stupid racing career/hobby. Everybody who has lent a hand at race tracks this year - both physical and moral support.

Results: Only managed a 2:1 I'm afraid.

 

Thanks Charlie!

You can catch Charlie and his racing antics via his blog or, if you can make it, on the circuit at the remaining rounds of the Toyo Tyres Racing Saloons (TTRS) race series listed on his blog.

 

 

It's the RSM Linklog 'Rmad Special' - catchy title, eh? I've been handed the retro reigns for this week as HoTWire is busy preparing his trusty Sunny for the Retro and Sportscar Action Day at Castle Combe. Let's get on with the links then, shall we?

All this talk of the South American 'rebaixados' scene has got me thinking about obscure Brazilian oddities again and one of the most iinteresting places to trawl through and learn about stuff you've never heard of is the Brazilian's ebay equivalent Mercardo Livre, our link takes you straight to the classic car section:

http://veiculos.mercadolivre.com.br/carros-antigos/

Well that passed an hour or so didn't it...Gurgels, Pumas, Saveiros and the like. Let's have another from that side of the world before we don our world explorer outfit (a rather fetching pith helmet and light khaki suit in my case) again and head off elsewhere. You don't need to be a GM afficionado for this one and you should be able to work your way around without a translator relatively easily with brochure scans, wallpapers and some great links falling to hand after a few well chosen clicks:

 www.opala.com

Time for a video I think - in Australia now, where I'm told you'll find pairs of black lines and circles up and down every street. I believe 'hooning' is the word. Well here's a top level Torana (and those Aussie's certainly build 'em clean) making some of those tell-tale tyre tracks:

www.burnoutsunlimited.com

..which lives up to it's name admirably. It's unlikely to win any design awards but more than makes up for it with event coverage, features and pages and pages of burnout pics 'n' vids. It's horsepower heaven!

Before you all accuse me of favouring the V8 side of things from our Antipodean chums I shall redress the balance with the awesome publicatation known as Fast Fours:

 www.fastfours.com.au

One should find plenty to entertain oneself, including some pretty interesting engine transplants. 

That's all from me folks, normal service should be resumed next week.

Not content with travelling eight years into the past I've modified the time machine to travel thousands of miles too - in this case it's leapt all the way to the land where the world's wackiest automotive modifiers live - Japan. Think that statement is an exaggeration? Read on...

Those familiar with Young Auto magazine will know that it usually sports a not-particularly-attractrive young 'gal' (their words not mine) on the cover, but this issue is an exception. The big '20' on the front is a clue, this is their twentieth anniversary issue. What does that mean for the reader? It means that the first (or last, depending on whether you're used to reading magazines backwards or not) twenty pages are dedicated to showing all the covers of the previous issues. Here's the page for 1998:

Yep, that's a 240K and those are Hayashis! Believe me about the craziest cars now? Here's some more gems:

 

How about this Celica which is ticking all the Bosozoku boxes: crazy bodykit, upswept exhaust, reworked lighting, subway ring...it's all there. I almost hate myself for liking it. Pretty radical you'd think...until you see this:

 

I can't read the text but what we do know is that it's got four rows of seats including the rearmost row which located in what appears to be a trailer! Whether the gigantic 'X' at the back is a spoiler or an exhaust isn't clear. Enough sillyness I think, how about some tamer (but still riding high in the cool chart) vehicles?

 

  Just how smart is this Celica liftback? I wouldn't usually go for red, but you won't hear any complaints from me! 

 

 
Ah, much calmer. I've no idea what's under the bonnet, but I'm happy to believe there's some form of Turbo'd modern lump from Nissan under the bonnet of this 610 wagon. Whatever the motivation there can't be many better ways of hauling stuff around.

That brings us to the end of another journey through time , tune in again soon - I'm off to Cardiff to soak up some rift energy.

 

 

I've just filled up the Mr.Fusion with garbage, so we can set off on another journey into the past. It's April 1985, if you could pull yourself away from your new Tetris game then you might well be popping to your local newsagents for a copy of the popular car modification magazine Street Machine: 

Once you'd stuck your new tax disc holder in the windcreen of your radically designed Ford Sierra you might have been wishing you'd gone for that front-driven Cavalier instead, then you could fit some of the fantastic new 'GMS Bodystylers' bodykits available from your neighbourhood Vauxhall dealers. Not only could you get the kits, there were 'wheel trims, graphic striping and tailblazer rear reflectors' too: 

 

Stylish. I know what you're thinking; this is the April issue, and that's some kind of joke? Sadly not, but this is: 

The monthly custom profile was on the newly released (January '85) Sinclair C5. This example had a steering wheel fitted in place of the standard under-knee handlebars - suggested motivation was a fork lift truck powerplant. Oh, how I laughed (actually, as a thirteen year old at the time I was confused rather than amused). Elsewhere in the issue the SM team slipped a peculiar entry into their review of 1985 kit cars:

Although it was  a joke at the time, they probably didn't realise there might actually be a market for such a thing in 20 years time...especially if it was a two door...and based on a Mondeo.

 

Turning to the classifieds, now is the time we really need to get the DeLorean to 88! Hmm, 1960 gullwing (that's the bootlid, not the doors!) Chevy Impala, MoT'd and taxed, good condition for eight-hundred notes? I'll take two! 

I know, you saw the cover and you want some of that V8 action...how about this Minor from the back page? The stance is a bit 70's but bodywork like that will never go out of fashion. Even today, with a mildly raised front end and some skinnier front rubber (for the 'gasser' look) that car could be a show winner. That's all from me for today, I'm off to find Biff's Almanac so I can change the future!

 

 

Things have sure changed since I were a lad. Unless your Mum and Dad were loaded your first car was going to be old - depending on the era you might have ended up with a Triumph Herald, an Escort, Mini, Cortina or even a Fiesta to call your own. These days a financed Saxo with a years free insurance is far from beyond the reach of today's new (or new-ish) drivers...a situation which, to me at least, is a real shame. Luckily Adam decided not to follow the crowd and took a more old fashioned route for his first foray into motoring freedom helped along the way by his petrolhead Dad and a whole host of internet-based buddies. The result? The super cool Polo you see here.  We caught up with Adam just before Wheels Day, took some snaps and chucked a few questions in his direction. 

Name: Adam Phelps 

Age: 17

Occupation: Studying Maths, Physics, Chemistry and DT

Other Hobbies: Guitars and music. 

Car/cars: Mk2 VW Polo C Saloon (1.05) Modifications: Coilovers, Banded CoupeS steels (13x7&8) with 175/50s, bucket seats, CoupeS steering wheel and dash, amp and speakers, chequered boot.

Future car plans: Finish 205 track car, finish Locost project, past that I'm pretty open!

Dream car: Ferrari 250GTO, SWB Audi Sport Quattro

Favourite crisps: Prawn Cocktail

Anyone you'd like to thank: My dad for encouraging and helping me with everything, and building up a formidable collection of tools over the past 30 years! Also all the Retro-Rides and other forum members who have inspired me, given me advice and sold me cheap parts. 

Those 'L' plates are gone now, by the way. Adam passed his test last week.  Well done Adam...see you at the shows!

 

 

Take a look at this picture:  

Depending on your interests there's a few points that might grab you. Old school BMX fans will have no doubt spotted ex-BMX legend and MOBO boss Andy Ruffell polishing off a pint, others may have been instantly scanning the street for early Estelles and Maxis but that's not the reason I'm posting it. Check out that T25! Some original livery can make an otherwise bland ride something really special - how much would you want to roll up at Bug Jam, Vanfest or even the Backyard Jam in that beauty? To take things further, how about a replica complete with appropriate aging and the occasional rat-look inspired detail? A couple of old school Mongooses (Mongeese?!) on the roof rack, faded paint, the obligatory lowered stance and maybe a set of BMX inspired rims; some five-spokes painted to look like (Skyway) Tuffs or Moon discs with a Motomag stencil! Perhaps you could apply the same principal to another vehicle...a Kuwahara Honda Acty (with a white to burgundy fade paint scheme from the ET bike!) would rule!

 

Finds

You might find the original Ammaco/Mongoose team bus, but it's unlikely. That's not to say that liveried vans aren't out there, find the right one and it could be your admission to the VIP room reserved for retro heroes. These guys are inside right now, sipping champagne delivered by busty bunny-girls: 

Q-Vans

The perfect disguise - Robin Beardmore's inconceivably cool GPO van replica packed a Fiat Twin Cam, but could've easily performed duties on the set of Heartbeat. Incidentally this van went on to win the 'Street Machine of the year' award albeit in it's later guise as a new-school turquoise roadster pick up. Take a trip to www.beardmorebros.com for the full story.

 

Something's Not Quite Right Here....

Taking Robin's example above and adding a humourous or clever twist might get you in our fictitious VIP room too, like the Rover V8 powered 'Royal Male' van, or the 'Bun In The Oven' pro-street MKIII Escort: 

I've always fancied a nose-in-the-air Bedford HA van with 'British Gasser' on the side!

 

Not Just Vans

There's no reason why you should restrict your ideas to just commercial vehicles, a 'Croydon Social Services' MKIII Escort Estate would still get you noticed. This Japanese Carina wears original fire service livery: 

Get your thinking caps on, and get into the VIP room. Whether you resist re-painting that barn find or mock up a humourous rat-wagon rollin' with the retro scene's A list could be just one cleverly executed idea away.

 

Back again?

Of course you are...who can resist another dose of wheel hunting? It's time for part three:

Mooneyes Speedmaster: Muchos hot rod flavour in this one from Mooneyes, and not unlike the Salt Flat Special from American Racing. It's the Moon rim we're choosing here though as it's fitments are more relevant to our wheel guide - it comes with 100 and 114.3 mm PCDs (both 4 and 5 stud) as well as an air-cooled-tabulous 205mm five stud for you pre-'67 veedub types. There's no mega dish options here, just an attractive design that seems to work on everything - sizes consist of 5x15, 6x15 and 7x17. There's a splendid selection of finishes too with rather fetching combinations of cast and polished available. UK based retro dudes will be pleased to know that there's a UK supplier in the form of the chaps at  www.roadhouseretro.com.

 

HD RSB: 

  These mighty fine specimens are RSBs by HD Wheels, they'd look just about perfect on any old school J-ride which is handy because they're available in a 4x114.3 mm PCD...but wait, there's more - they make them in 100mm too, sizes  are either 7x13 (0 offset) or 7.5x15 (0 or 35 offset) the 15" is also available in a 5x114.3 although sadly only with the 35mm offset. I can see a set of thirteen inchers working especially well on a Polo where you'd usually find a nice, but common set of ATS classics.

Hayashi Street Fin: 

Rims don't get much better than the Hayashi Street Fin, this classic from Japan has graced a plethora of rides that've had me drooling for years. There's good news and bad news here though; the good? You can still buy Street wheels brand new. The bad? The only place I've ever found them is on Yahoo Auctions and on Hayashi's own Japanese language website (www.hayashiracing.com). Diameters are 13, 14 and 15 inch with widths of 5 to 10. One word of advice though - if you do roll Hayashis...go wide and go deep.

Techno Racing 'Phantom':

Awesomeness! You're looking at Hayashis remake of the Techno Racing Phantom wheel - without a doubt one of THE wheels to have if you're  暴走族 (translation: 'gang of hot rodders'/Bososuku). They're not cheap and actually buying a set might be a bit difficult but a few mouse clicks on Hayashi's site in Japan verifies their existence. Go to http://www.hayashiracing.com/yayoi/yayoi.html and choose from a selection of 14" rims spanning from 8 to 12" widths with a selection of huge dish-creating offsets.

Sakura: 

 Considered to be the ultimate wheel by many fans of the Japanese nostalgic car scene the Sakura (cherry blossom) is a legend. Aside from a regular listing on Japan's Yahoo Auctions site and the page on Hayashi's site, information on availabilty and exactly how limited the production run is isn't clear. Sizes are exactly the same as the Techno wheels, but there is an important difference - colour...the choice is between gold or pink although I think anyone who would choose gold may have missed the point! 

 

That rounds up part three, but you can't say it didn't end on a high note! Hopefully we'll be returning with part four soon, don't forget to let us know if you find anything!

 

 One of my passions is old car mags, they're like a time machine that you can use for inspiration or reference. This is part one of our Retro review series where we fire up the scanner and take you on a most excellent (intentional Bill & Ted reference) journey into car modifying from back in the day. Buckle up scenesters...we're going back...way back... It's 1969, Ford dealers will sell you a brand new MkII Cortina, British people still thought that penny begins with a 'd' and that pound begins with an 'L' and this is the month that the Americans (allegedly) walk on the moon. Back on earth car enthusiats in England are looking to Hot Car for the latest in car tweakage. Isn't hindsight a great thing; 'wings' on F1 cars? Thank heavens they put a stop to that, once four wheel drive is adopted by the teams downforce will be a thing of the past, relegated to a mere blip in motor racing history, phew!. At least UK hot rodding is thriving, it's getting hard to tell a UK car from it's US counterpart...is that an Opus or an authentic Bonneville racer? Three year old 18,000 mile Downton tuned Mini in immaculate condition for less than a monkey? (that's five-hundred quid) - I'll take it! I'll have that Riley too, as it happens.  How about some new rims? "Some 5.5Js for the Amazon sir...of course, they're seven an' nineteen. VAT? On car parts? Are you mad?" What about some new-fangled deluxe aluminium wheels for the missus' Cooper? That's all folks, we'll be making like HG Wells again soon though, see you there! - cue cheap special effects/cheesy synthesised music.