The beauty and awe of precision driving!

Happy New Year!  I realize I've been pretty slow to post new content on my blog in recent times, but have been busy and waiting for something special to share with you.  Now I've found it!

Even amongst car enthusiasts, I've found that sometimes there isn't enough appreciation for truly skillful driving.  Many of us enjoy watching smoky burnouts or racing from a highway speed roll, and of course there are a lot of drag racing enthusiasts out there...but when it comes to precision driving it's really hard to compete with what it takes to road race for time, similar to a hill climb event.

I stumbled across this video and was blown away.  It shows the methodical preparation and skill required to compete in a rally stage, and the kicker is the guy is driving one of the harder sports cars to manage...a Porsche 911 GT2.  This is a car that doesn't tolerate fools, and many a driver has experienced that the hard way since it offers rear engine placement, rear wheel drive, and no help of any electronic nannies or stability control systems to manage its 500 hp.  An average driver cannot handle a car like this even near it's limits, so it's always a treat to see a real pro doing what the car is meant to do.

If you have the patience, wait for the end of the video where they show what types of techniques the driver uses.  Very impressive stuff, and the clips of him driving the car in the snow are extraordinary!

A friendly reminder to share your passion of cars with others!

Part of what makes the car/motorcycle lifestyle so much fun is the ability to share it with others.  That being said, here is a fun video about why sharing the love of cars can be fun for everyone involved!

Some days are better than others being a car enthusiast!  :)

Which of course poses the question.  Who is luckier?  This young woman for enjoying her first ride in a Porsche Carrera GT, or we as viewers for getting such a nice treat for being able to enjoy the moment with her?

Fitness and nutrition update

It's about time I wrote my first blog post about fitness and nutrition, right?

I'm not really sure what the holdup has been to write this post, but I'd say the biggest issue is that nothing of significance has changed lately in my training regimen.  During the summertime months I tend to be more conscious about not carrying as much body fat, but to be fair I don't think my annual fluctuations are significant enough to really worry about.  Like most other fitness enthusiasts I know, I tend to make a bigger deal out of these things than the average person, so the unfortunate end result is that I found myself taking in less nutrients, keeping my weight down, but then agonizing internally about why nothing seemed to be changing with my workout intensity or my ability to make gains.  So, effectively I sabotaged my own results.

Just as I tend to sympathize and get along well with automotive enthusiasts, I find that I'm drawn to fitness enthusiasts as well.  For anyone who has put in the hard work required for training, diet, and the sometimes self-loathing that seems to go along with it, these people become kindred spirits, as well as sources of inspriration.  It's true that we workout to feel better overall, but there comes a level of frustration with training that is hard to explain to the non gym-goer.  Most people exercise to achieve goals, and those goals can be difficult to attain at the best of times, impossible at the worst of times.

As I've told some of my best friends, one of my greatest life regrets is that I stopped exercising with any regularity between the ages of 25 and 32.  I wish so much that I could have those 7-8 years of my life back to dedicate to fitness, since building a solid foundation takes time.  Of course I'm glad to have re-discovered it in 2006, but I cannot stop wondering where I'd be today if I didn't give up all that time.  I have become quite happy to serve as a source of information for co-workers, friends, and even a few gym buddies who want to get more serious about their own fitness goals, and I must say it's a real privilege to be thought of as a source of knowledge in that domain.

The first question most people tend to ask is along the lines of "what is the secret to getting in better shape?".  Of course I would have been one of the people asking that question just 8 years ago, so I do really understand and appreciate the spirit of it.  But, the answer I like to give tends to catch people off-guard despite its simplicity.  The answer of course, is that there is no secret.  The pursuit of better fitness and health must be a lifestyle to be truly effective, and you have to figure out a way to embrace the lifestyle in order to truly succeed with it.  Suffice to say that the person at the gym complaining about being there and wishing they were somewhere else isn't going to be the most successful in attaining their goals, yet you may be surprised of how many of those people are out there in gyms across the world.

I do have a few funny stories to share along these lines, but want to save them for a later blog entry.  I should add the disclaimer that I am not a certified personal trainer nor a nutritionist, and do not consider myself an expert.  However, I do like to share what I know and hope that some of my experience and attitude about health and fitness might help others!

The Nissan Juke, and why it represents all that is wrong with modern cars and design

It's actually pretty embarrassing to write about the Nissan Juke at all, but since Nissan UK is trumpeting a current project to design and build a Juke R based on the actual Nissan GTR, some thoughts have been racing through my mind that I feel like sharing.

On the face of it, the Nissan Juke sounds like a pretty reasonable car on paper assuming we can all agree that affordable cars do need to exist.  It offers a direct injected 1.6L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine, a 6 speed manual (FWD models only) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), 188 hp/177 tq, and a reasonably light curb weight of about 3000 pounds, and I believe pricing starts under $20,000.  Given those basic stats, it actually sounds like a pretty fun car.

UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY SEE ONE THAT IS!!!!!!!

We've all made jokes about how someone or something may have been hit by the ugly stick, or maybe fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.  Well, even those sayings are way too kind for the unbelievably hideous Nissan Juke.  In fact, and I rarely make statements this bold, I would say that the 2011 Nissan Juke is the absolute ugliest new car available (that I know of) in the USA today.  Please prove me wrong and dethrone it if you know of anything that's genuinely worse!

So, as a car enthusiast I definitely see the merit of economical cars.  Car guys need wheels to get them to and from work, and it can be very satisfying and fun to drive a car that you can push to the limits and not even go very fast.  However, that doesn't mean that we want to buy ugly cars even at that price point or level of intent.  I have a similar running gripe with hybrid cars since nearly all of them look grotesque and seem to announce "hey, look at me, I'm driving a completely bland and emotionless car that only exists to show that I care about the environment and not about driving".  

Plenty of car guys do care about the environment, so we should set the record straight there right now.  However, I absolutely do not care about the environment enough to drive a ridiculous looking car.  My idea of a responsible car for commuting is something like my current 2003 Lexus IS300, which has a sweet and smooth 3.0L inline 6 engine, a 5 speed manual and limited slip differential, and has eye pleasing styling that has weathered time well.  Where new cars are concerned, the 2011 BMW 335d is my idea of a car that would be fun to drive, looks terrific (ie:  doesn't stand out for the wrong reasons), and is fuel efficient.  Car guys shouldn't (and won't) give up on driving attractive cars just to be fuel efficient, so build us some more cars that actually look worth a darn and we'll seriously consider them.

Automakers, stop penalizing us by only making fuel efficient cars that are funky or look horrible.  I can promise you that we won't buy them.  Unfortunately for me, plenty of people seem to want to buy them...but I'll continue to spend my money elsewhere and support cars that are actually made for people who enjoy driving...and I hope you will too!

Don't just listen to me though, go take a look at this madness for yourself.  I can already assure you that no amount of power or traction is going to make this car worth anything because, as I heard many years ago, you simply cannot dress up a turd.  :)

Nissan Juke R, video 1:

Nissan Juke R, video 2:

Some random thoughts about exotic cars

Exotic cars.  Just the mere thought of them is enough to get pulses racing, blood pumping, and the hair on the back of most guys' (and some girls) necks standing up.  Those sensuous machines from Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and even the good old US of A can really get us worked up, particularly if you're a car person!

When I grew up I didn't really have any ability to see these cars in person as I was raised in a smaller town in eastern Washington state.  Occasionally my mom would take me to Europe to visit relatives and, where most people were taking pictures of famous statues and monuments, I'd always make time to take pictures of exotic cars when I spotted them.  It's actually pretty fun to look back in my family photos and find random Ferrari or Porsche pictures...it brings back terrific memories!

As we get older, we may find that the dream of owning an exotic car doesn't really materialize.  Most of the time this is due to simple economic factors.  Let's face it, how many of us can justify to purchase a car which costs more than homes in some areas?  I remember, even after buying my first home, when driving along in my modified Toyota Supra I noticed a then-new Lamborghini Murcielago coming up behind me on the freeway.  It was hard to take my eyes off the rear and side view mirrors as this orange spaceship of a car pulled up alongside me, then passed me and headed away on a different freeway ramp.  And, the truly funny part of that memory, which no young child would feel, was the unbelievably odd sense of liability in case I happened to damage that persons Lamborghini while driving!  I mean, here I was in my modified $30k car and a guy right next to me was driving a near $300k car!  I'm sure my insurance company would drop me in a second if I caused serious damage to that car, and what car guy could sleep at night if they damaged a Lamborghini besides!

Now that I'm older yet, and have spent a good 10 years of my automotive life building up Toyota Supras into being more powerful than stock Lamborghini's, I seem to have found a new found respect for exotic cars.  These days my fun-car is what I'd call a semi-exotic, a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo, used of course.  I now find myself being able to attend and participate at car events where real exotic cars do come out to play.  And, after a couple years of being able to attend these meets I can say that I have a very different appreciation of exotic cars than I used to.

You see, in my experience the car guy on a budget (like your fearless writer here) tends to prize some special quality in his or her cars.  It's hard to have the total package but we may yearn for a car that stands out of the crowd, or a car that is really powerful, or a car that handles very well, or maybe just a car with a really nice sound system.  That is the beauty of being a car person...you can strive towards whatever you want.  I'd personally focused on cars which I could make extremely fast, hence the long-term fixation on modified Toyota Supras, a car that has only recently been eclipsed as the most modifiable and fastest tuner cars in all the land.  However, one thing I was really missing all those years was the feeling of owning a car that really had presence.  Not just presence for car guys who knew what it was, but real honest-to-goodness exotic presence, which a car either has or doesn't have.  It's hard to build presence in the aftermarket, although not impossible...but roots are hard to hide.

I can tell you now from firsthand experience that there is nothing like the presence exuded by a high strung Italian car, whether you're a big fan of them or not.  When you hear the sound of a glorious V8, V10, or V12 Italian engine fill the air, it's something extremely special about it.  The wild colors, the sleek lines, the sometimes fiery temperaments, there is something really special about exotics.  Many of us will not get the chance to call one our own, but all of us should have the chance to get out and view these exquisite creations.  They are machines built of passion, not purpose, and that passion always comes out when you are among them and the owners who care for them.  When you see a real exotic car you tend to think of them as being more than just a car, they are akin to rolling objects of art which look and sound incredible.

I encourage all of you to seek out a local exotic car meet.  Go spend some time near these machines, meet the passionate (and often extremely friendly) people who own them.  Although this thought will sound odd, when I think about the current state of the world and what we do to each other, with all the wars and corruption, famine and misfortune...it's really hard to take.  However, when I see what beautiful things people are capable of creating it really boggles my mind and goes some way back to restoring my faith in people and the future.  Don't believe me?  Go check out some of these cars and get back to me!  :)

The C7 (seventh generation) Corvette...what we know so far

The future of the Corvette is coming, but not soon enough for many enthusiasts, since the run of the current generation C6 variant has spanned from 2005 to 2012 and counting.  We know that the upcoming C7 Corvette will be coming in model year 2013 or 2014 at this point, and we're also fairly sure that it will still be a front engined, rear wheel drive V8 powered car.  Other that that, plenty of speculation remains.

As a former Corvette owner, I truly and desperately hope that they finally take some time to really bring the interior upscale.  I owned a 2004 model Z06 once upon a time (2006 actually) and although I loved the car from the point of view of performance and styling, I honestly ended up selling the car over its interior.  In fact, I still find myself pining for the sweet, high revving LS6 engine and the unbelievably convenient heads up display (HUD) which should be standard in every performance car.  If GM keeps the original formula mostly intact and significantly upgrade the interior, I predict a clear winner.

The current speculation has GM going to a smaller displacement (5.5L) V8 engine, but this time outfitted with direct fuel injection, cam within a cam timing tricks, and higher compression to land somewhere close to 500 hp on the base model.  Even better is that the car is set to retain its manual transmission option, even moving up to a 7 speed manual option.  The entire car might be a little lighter than the current C6, which is of course welcome news to me!

So, the wait will be with us for some time to come, but I'm hopeful that more pictures and details emerge at a steady rate to keep us excited and optimistic about the Corvette's future.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll find myself behind the wheel of a C7 model in the future?  I always remain open to these cars as I do have fond memories of them!

I leave you with a picture of my previous 2004 Z06!

Motorcycles and why they can help to bring friends together!

Well it's about darn time I wrote a post about motorcycles right?  I've only been riding myself since late July of 2010 so consider myself a rank amateur, but I am really excited to have discovered the joys of riding motorcycles and wish I would have trusted myself to enjoy them at a younger age.

Just this past weekend I had a great opportunity to visit an old friend and go for a motorcycle ride together.  Although we do sometimes get together and chat about cars or fitness, motorcycles are another shared passion of ours...so it was damn fun to get together work on some bikes (hint...you're always working on bikes!) and then take a short ride together.

To help sweeten the deal, this was my first opportunity to ride an Italian motorcycle (Ducatis in this case), and it's definitely a very memorable experience for your first chance to experience a couple of them.  Although all motorcycles can be stimulating, the added 'wow' factor of riding Ducatis was even more exhilarating!  The sounds and sensations they give are definitely a bit different from the Japanese and British bikes that I'm used to, so it was a really fun treat overall!

One thing I find particularly interesting about motorcycles (and clearly my friend as well) is that I don't mind sharing the experience of them with a friend.  Meaning, if a car guy were to ask to borrow my sports car, I'd probably only extend the offer to a best friend...whereas I don't feel the same level of apprehension with a motorcycle.  I actually spent some time pondering that distinction, trying to figure out what would make it different since the act seems inherently the same.  Here's the best I could do so far.

1.  Motorcycles are a sub-set of motorized vehicles, and require special endorsement (showing that you care enough to specialize in 2 wheels...kind of a semi-elite group in a way).
2.  Motorcycles can put up with more abuse and are cheaper to maintain/fix (most cases).
3.  Motorcycles are inherently more risky or dangerous, meaning it's a lot less likely that someone is going to do something blatantly stupid when riding one.

Obviously this list could be extended, but it was an interesting thought exercise for me nonetheless.  This post wouldn't be complete without a couple of pictures of our experience, and I wanted to share the custom battery mount we fabricated on the fly when we would up with the wrong battery size...we weren't going to be denied on a nice weather day!