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Quick Spin – ’83 Audi ur-Quattro

The road snakes this way and that, hoping to outrun you on the next bend. It changes direction, comes up and down, tightens radius to the right and sharply snaps to the left in a rising hairpin. Trees fillet the sunlight, playing tricks as to if the road surface is damp or merely shaded. There’s a smattering of fallen leaves leading up to a blind crest; it might be followed by a long straight, a break in the trees, or a gravel filled sweeper.

How better to get acquainted with such a car?

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A View to a Car – BMW Films: The Escape

It’s been fifteen years since the debut of The Hire, a series of short films featuring BMW’s product line. On the surface it’s a group of shorts centered around a wheelman (played by Clive Owen) who happens to favor Bavarian sports-cars. But a closer look reveals twisting plots, well choreographed stunts, and production value not seen in many feature length films.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzUFCQ-P1Zg&w=560&h=315]

BMW’s product has changed quite a bit since 2001, but that doesn’t ruin this video’s focus on it. I didn’t quite have my license when the original series was released, but it certainly brought the brand to the front of my mind. And while I haven’t been taken with what’s on dealer lots lately, maybe BMW Films can rekindle that interest with this new set coming out. Be sure to set aside a good ten minutes for The Escape, and use fullscreen!

(If you somehow missed The Hire, you owe it to yourself to see all of them. You don’t have to be a BMW aficionado to appreciate a good car vid, of which these all are.)

Spotted – Toyota Corona

I’ve always had a leaning toward older cars. As a kid I drooled over the FD RX-7, Corvette ZR-1, and E36 M3 that were then new. But I’d have equal, if not more enthusiasm for the odd Audi 4000Q, Nissan Maxima (4 Door Sports Car!), or even the humble Toyota Corona.

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Powered by Dreams – Engine Swaps

There are enthusiasts that can never leave well enough alone. A car might be perfectly fine stock, but once we catch sight of the same car with some tastefully done mods it’s all downhill. Then there’s the engine. It starts with an intake, maybe a header, but then you come across a magazine where someone managed to marry two unexpected ingredients.

It’s all good and well to commit to whatever stock lump is taking up space under the bonnet. But once the what-ifs start flowing, even I tear off into Neverland to build all the things I would if my wallet, significant other, or the California Air Resources Board would allow it.

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A View to a Car – Dajibans at Ebisu

Say Van to someone in the U.S. and most folks would picture Stanley Steemer commercials, Chris Farley, or awkward church retreats. And while I love the idea of large vehicles being thrashed for fun, my imagination usually stops at big sedans.

As shared by NoriYaro, the Japanese have no such lack of imagination.

Tow rigs for track toys aren’t rare in the U.S., but it isn’t often you see them joining the grid for hot laps. Some of these Dodge vans (Dajiban to the locals) actually look pretty sweet with their slightly lowered stance, blacked out hoods, and oddly appropriate looking Watanabe wheels.

I doubt we’d be allowed to enjoy something like that on our tracks, but it sure does look fun!

Craigslist Surfing – Quick Picks

Filtering only for manual transmission and a max price of a few thousand dollars, Craigslist presents vehicles that few others will cross shop. You get rare MX-5 Edition Miatas, automatic 240SXs that are somehow drift ready but “never abused”, Fieros that ran the last time they caught fire, and RX-7s whose owners insist they pass smog but won’t do it themselves.

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Spotted – Lotus Elan +2

Mazda could have done more with the ND MX-5 RF.

It just feels so…half-assed.

I get it. There’s budgets, getting type approval, and avoiding corruption of the MX-5 né Miata’s core mission of lightweight, uncomplicated fun. But they could have done more.

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Photo Courtesy: MotorTrend.com

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A View to a Car – Office Tomitaku S30 Z

An oldie, but an absolute goody.

What I enjoy most from an engine is the last couple-thousand RPMs in its rev range, and the immediate application of the throttle after an upshift. Often I’ll find myself downshifting in traffic, or holding onto a gear a little longer just to experience it. It’s the induction noise that gets me, and there’s a lot of it here.

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Image Courtesy: Mike Garrett via Speedhunters
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