Imports

[Keef]

Ah, Bwag's car in drift mode at Winged Warriors in Indy last weekend:

This guy I know, Cody Tobe, actually crashed into the winning RX7 when it spun. Screwed up his radiator support and dented the rear wheel well of the Rex, but they both kept running.

Here's the third place 240 of Bill Cook:

The first place FC of Mike Feiock, dude was kicking ass hard all day:

This dude was there...

And of course the big 350Z. Risky Devil guys. Yes, the local guys drift with their bumpers off because they're broke dicks lol.

 

[Joey D]

 

[WeinerSchnitzel]

 

[Philly]

Maybe it's the wheels or the angle, but I don't really like that Jetta.

 

[MasterFocus]

FROM PERFECT BALANCE
EDIT: @Joey: What are we looking for on that Cooper? I might be missing something but it looks like a stock S with a lip kit? Maybe a different bumper but it takes up such a small amount of the front of the car that isn't not really so noticeable.

as stated in the very first post of this topic:

this is a thread for import lovers, if any one has pics of some nice imports so feel free to post

so, correct me if I'm wrong, but anyone can post any car they want, stock or not... 💡

 

[Joey D]

EDIT: @Joey: What are we looking for on that Cooper? I might be missing something but it looks like a stock S with a lip kit? Maybe a different bumper but it takes up such a small amount of the front of the car that isn't not really so noticeable.

It's extremely clean.

==========

 

[Time_Attack]

 

[eSZee]

It's extremely clean.

==========

Those wheels on that car, just ughhh.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I think they look good and I consider BBS wheels overused.

 

[-Fred-]

I think they look out of place on anything made after 1995...

And just because we haven't had enough 9000rpm rwd roadsters lately...

Amazing. Downright amazing.

 

[Glubags]

Some serious emotions, you must take what you believe in very seriously.

No emotions, just facts and experience. While I do hate to see someone put down the effort made by hundreds of dedicated companies and enthusiasts with such an inaccurate statement because he/she seems to think Japan is the automotive holy land, I can agree to disagree when it's obvious there's no wiggle room, so that's what I can do here.

For what it's worth, I'm obviously a huge fan of Japanese R&D (it gave me at least 75% of my car, after all), but I'm not so wrapped up in it as to believe their products are leagues better than American offerings. My car's an amalgamation of parts from all over the planet--no allegiances. All I feel is that you did a disservice to a lot of good people by saying we Americans tend to ignore aero. In unlimited classes in any American club or event, aero is always the primary focus. Also understand that the SCCA/NASCAR vehicles you've posted have to abide by very strict regulations, which include restrictions on aerodynamic parts. It's not that they don't have 300 vortex generators and diffusers and airfoils all over the car because they're ignoring it, it's because they need to be class- or series-legal. Those rules exist to cap the car's capabilities in the name of safety, not because we're just too lazy to worry ourselves with the likes of calculating stall angles or finding the most efficient drag/downforce compromise for a given track. 👍


But anyway,

And hurray for more S2000s 👍 👍

 

[Azuremen]

I think they look out of place on anything made after 1995...

They look so similar to Style 5's that I more or less think BBS rims like that should on be on E3x BMW models, and maybe some E28 goodness... maybe.

 

[speed junkie]

No emotions, just facts and experience.

This whole time you've been trying to prove me wrong at something I didn't say. You sure have been dying to use all your "facts and experience" on someone haven't you. Either that or there was

Some serious emotions, you must take what you believe in very seriously.

While I do hate to see someone put down the effort made by hundreds of dedicated companies and enthusiasts with such an inaccurate statement because he/she seems to think Japan is the automotive holy land, I can agree to disagree when it's obvious there's no wiggle room, so that's what I can do here.

You seem to disregard the fact that there are people that do things better than others. I am not here to pull you out of your world where "everybody wins!!" And is it not so obvious that Japanese tuners seem to put out some of the most fantastic works of machinery you have ever seen? And no I'm not blocking out what has been done in America, I am generalizing and when generalizing, majority wins.

For what it's worth, I'm obviously a huge fan of Japanese R&D (it gave me at least 75% of my car, after all), but I'm not so wrapped up in it as to believe their products are leagues better than American offerings. My car's an amalgamation of parts from all over the planet--no allegiances. All I feel is that you did a disservice to a lot of good people by saying we Americans tend to ignore aero.

I'm a huge fan of R&D period. It just happens to be that it is done much less in America than in Japan or Europe. By generalization and majority then yes, Japanese products ARE leagues better than American products. Again, it has already been covered. Also, I am no fanboy. Like I said I like R&D PERIOD. As a matter of fact, when it comes down to racecar engineering, the British and Germans have been ahead of the game for a while.

And for the record, my car has more parts from America and Europe than it does Japanese parts.

While Europe had F1 and it's constant technological advancements, America had stock car racing...The simple fact of the matter is that, in general, motorsports under the FIA governing body in Europe and Japan has far surpassed what is the norm here. This is true since the 60s. It is a simple matter of influence.

In unlimited classes in any American club or event, aero is always the primary focus. Also understand that the SCCA/NASCAR vehicles you've posted have to abide by very strict regulations, which include restrictions on aerodynamic parts. It's not that they don't have 300 vortex generators and diffusers and airfoils all over the car because they're ignoring it, it's because they need to be class- or series-legal.

Always the primary focus? First of all the only event in America that has an unlimited class is the Time Attack series which, may I add, is not governed by the SCCA. And even in that, the Japanese are still far ahead in aero development simply because they have the motorsports technological infrastructure and resources required to develop the pieces they do. Why doesn't America have the same thing? Because they have SCCA and NASCAR, both heavily based on Spec classes. Like I said, it's a matter of influence. All of those involved in those spec classes have grown to ignoring it, that is simply what you would do. Not ignoring it would mean complaning about it every day and knowing that the restrictions will never change as they haven't since the founding of the SCCA. Anyone involved with aerodynamics revolves around where their work is needed. It is simply a fact of life. It is what it is. IF tomorrow all of these regulations were, all of a sudden, removed then everyone in these spec series would start sticking huge wings on, going by "rules of thumb," and by "what the other guy is doing." Give it an extra 5 or 10 years for the industry and motorsports-related infrastructure and resources to evolve and, slowly but surely, you'll start to see a closer and closer relation to motorsports in the rest of the world and less and less of the common sheetmetal-bodied cages with big blocks and Hoosiers.

Those rules exist to cap the car's capabilities in the name of safety, not because we're just too lazy to worry ourselves with the likes of calculating stall angles or finding the most efficient drag/downforce compromise for a given track. 👍

Realy? Who knew that if these cars went any faster their safety cages would be hindered unsafe!



Contributing:

 

[Joey D]

 

[Jim Prower]

Responsible for the strict regulations - and probably the FIA ban on movable aerodynamic devices.

Responsible for rewriting rules of what is now our largest series.

Responsible for connecting countries in a matter of hours.

Care to tell me again that Americans ignore Aero?

The Japanese simply have rules that allow greater freedom in aerodynamic devices. This likely stems from their rather liberal Silhouette rules of the early '80s...which, some teams admit, they didn't know much then. As well, because their tradition is formed on road courses, downforce is more important, and drag less. (These cars would likely have much higher top speeds with cleaner bodywork. In fact, there was a separate Fuji/Suzuka variation of the GT-R and NSX last year to reduce drag.)

Our oval track tradition (which actually stems from the fact that states wouldn't allow us to run on open roads in the early days of racing like in Europe, thus we took to Horse Racing tracks - typically 1-mile ovals made of dirt...blame the state and local governments of the 1900s!) requires a different focus on aero - low drag. Indy and stock cars don't have wild wing and horn setups because that'd slow us down.

As for the SCCA, remember, it's club racing. Some classes can get quite prestigious, but at it's core, it's guys who don't have huge money or sponsorships, barely get national exposure, and don't have half the budget of some of these tuners who get tons of exposure throughout Japan, and the rest of the world, thanks to a series of internationally distributed video magazines, sponsorships on real national-league and international-league race cars, and the like. As well, yeah, the tech regs are tight. Thank guys like Jim Hall and others who pushed the limits further than the organizers would like. For that matter, Japanese aero rules are more liberal than EUROPE'S. The FIA wouldn't DREAM of allowing a GT300 or GT500 car run in any of their series - that's why the FIA GT GT-R looks like this...

and not THIS

Furthermore, the GT Association is supposedly to be adopting FIA rules...((which I somehow doubt)) in the near future, so get ready to see those aerokits drop off like flies...

and I'm calling the Nismo GT1 and Calsonic Impul GT-R enough to remain on-topic.

 

[motortrend]

^ I agree
Now for some pictures

 

[Keef]

So this guy wants to buy my good RPF1s...

 

[mazdaman]

Any one seen this car

 

[Keef]

Hopefully they can launch better than whatever car they're competing against or they might lose on the top end. There's no escaping brick aerodynamics lol. Perhaps an xB wasn't the greatest car to choose. Pretty sweet though.

 

[mazdaman]

Hopefully they can launch better than whatever car they're competing against or they might lose on the top end. There's no escaping brick aerodynamics lol. Perhaps an xB wasn't the greatest car to choose. Pretty sweet though.

That's true in what you are saying but seriously who do you
know have a 10sec Xb? Maybe if they turbo it and make it
Rwd they'll run faster.Lets wait and see if they do come to
their senses and go Rwd and turbo.

 

[Revheadnz]

I almost can't believe I'm saying this but that looks like it needs a big GT wing. Not for handling but just to balance out the look of the car. Perhaps I'm just used to seeing the GT1 kit with a wing. *Wonders what it would look like with Spoon hardtop*
Looks better rolling though for some reason.

 

[speed junkie]

Care to tell me again that Americans ignore Aero?

In aviation? Maybe not. In motorsports? Certainly yes!

For that matter, Japanese aero rules are more liberal than EUROPE'S. The FIA wouldn't DREAM of allowing a GT300 or GT500 car run in any of their series - that's why the FIA GT GT-R looks like this...

and not THIS

I agree with everything you said besides this. All FIA governed series have different regulations. In the case of Super GT, the FIA GT series cars are not their European equivalent, DTM cars are. And with that in mind, have you seen the body work of this year's DTM cars with the new "quarter panel" design?

I think the equivalent to the FIA GT cars in Europe in terms of aero restrictions would be Super Taikyu.

 

[homeforsummer]

Awesome Renault Spider pics up there, Speed Junkie 👍

 

[Glubags]

Hats off to Jim for understanding... guess I'll have to ignore SJ after he took my "agree to disagree" post and tried to keep arguing for his inaccurate statement. Oh well.

 

[Joey D]

 

[speed junkie]

Awesome Renault Spider pics up there, Speed Junkie 👍

Yea I didn't even know they existed/what they were (besides seeing them in the few clips on the GT3 ending movie) until a couple days ago. Awesome cars they are.

...guess I'll have to ignore SJ...

Very well.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yea I didn't even know they existed/what they were (besides seeing them in the few clips on the GT3 ending movie) until a couple days ago. Awesome cars they are.

I've wanted one ever since they came out about 14 years ago. Was Renault's answer to the Lotus Elise. Didn't sell very well at the time because it was expensive and a bit heavier than the Lotus, but the last laugh is with the people who did buy them, as the cheapest you can find them for is about £15k here now, wheras Elises start at about £6k for a ropey one.

One of Renault's best ever designs. And made by Alpine, as far as I'm aware, so it had heritage too. And the engine from the Clio Williams, one of the best hot hatchbacks ever.

 

[speed junkie]

Yea I'm assuming no more than maybe a couple made it to the states, if at all. I love these kinds of cars

You will probably enjoy this, it was all I could find on youtube in terms of full footage.






These things produced some very close, exiting racing 👍

 

[mazdaman]

Very well.

Did they really need to put a drag racing wing on it?

 

[Bram Turismo]

Hopefully they can launch better than whatever car they're competing against or they might lose on the top end. There's no escaping brick aerodynamics lol. Perhaps an xB wasn't the greatest car to choose. Pretty sweet though.

Well I also bet it's running many horses less of what the competition was running. I thought that thing was getting of the line quite neat, it looks fantastic as well! 👍