Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Fast Car

The Porsche 911 is sort of a default-option sports car for a lot of people. But that happens for a reason. They shift a lot of units, because they’re damn good cars. And the lesser 997s are looking like tremendous value at the moment. ‘Lesser’ is a loaded term. It’s easy to get caught up in the lunacy of the GT3, the laser-guided terror of the Turbo, or even the everyday mischief of the C4S. But the Carrera 2 is still a formidable machine that most of its peers would struggle to keep up with on the right roads. Indeed, many prefer the so-called base model for its relative simplicity and uncluttered purity. It’s the classic 911 formula: that swoopy, generation-spanning profile, with a perky engine sitting over the only…

That’s right people. In 2018 Players Classic went from a one-day event into a full on show weekender. A lot of people questioned that decision but they’re not questioning it any more. It was absolutely the right thing to do. It might not be the biggest show on the calendar but it’s without doubt one of the best. In fact, it is the best. There, we said it. But what makes it so good? Well it’s a mixture of things, from the entry wristbands to the venue. There’s something about Goodwood that sets off great vibes: the place is nice, there are trees and grass, it’s clean and perfectly kept, it has heritage. It just makes you feel good. Then there are the cars. Every show these days proclaims variety…

REVO RV019 WHEELS, £1199 (SET) UK tuning god Revo has just launched this new 19-incher and, apart from being a stunner right out of the box, it’s interesting to see the unusual approach to wheel design taken by a firm more renowned for its uberquality performance parts and software upgrades. Although these motorsport-style RV019s look damn slick, and are available in four tasty finishes, it’s pretty clear they’re mostly about enhancing the performance of the cars they know best. You see, instead of taking the more typical route of designing wheels in multiple diameters and widths, and specing them to fit the maximum number of motors possible, Revo has been far more focused by sticking to a single performance-orientated 8.5x19-inch size, and only making it available for late model VAG…

The Baumgartner Brand Schiltach (BBS) RS is so revered and sought-after in the modern show scene it’s attained full-on legend status. While wheel fashions ebb and flow, the RS is a perennial constant; for some it’s nothing short of a way of life. “Girls love it. Then they find out a fat ginger bloke drives it and always have this weird look of ‘why?’” When BBS produced their first three-piece wheel for dealer car applications back in 1983, the RS retailed as a £1,500+ option on new cars, which was a shit-ton of money back in the early ’80s. But that option box kept getting ticked. This wheel design was like some kind of drug. It wasn’t just VWs and BMWs that you found them on either: Nissan, Chevrolet, Mazda,…

Philip Egans’ Acty This isn’t something you’re going to see everyday and that’s exactly why we invited Phil along. He’s got a long history of weird and wonderful car builds and his juiced Honda Acty is his latest. He’s even got a matching T-shirt. Now that’s dedication to the cause. Mark Harris’s 180sx We absolutely love this flipping awesome S13. Mark is close to letting us shoot the car for a full feature but is currently contemplating a custom roll cage. Whatever he decides to do, we can’t wait to get it behind the camera. Although the photographer probably won’t thank us for challenging their skills trying to extract the amazing colour from the images. Mk3 Supras This car has been overshadowed by its younger brother, the Mk4, for many…

There is always that one person who will always try to be different. Truth be told, I think it’s built in our DNA to be different. To want to stand out among the crowd. To be recognised for taking the path less travelled and being successful at it. The idea of being different resonated with every member in the Liberate Car Club, located in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. Of course, taking the path less travelled will always present interesting obstacles which will test your desire to truly be unique. Your platform isn’t popular among the enthusiasts, which means there will be lack of aftermarket parts for your car in terms of modifications. If your platform happens to be a few decades old, you could also run into problems with…

Skiving Off Part 4 You thought us FC monkeys were pretty adapt at skiving off to the workshop or (in Jules’ case) for a round of Golf? Well, it looks like our ‘professional’ advertising team are quite good at being shirkers too. Just have a look at what goes on with our boys Dave and Martin when the rest of us are out of the office. Naughty naughty! Internet Shopping You know when you find an absolute bargain online but, as soon as it turns up, you realise you read the listing wrong? Well, our Midge does that a lot. Check out the smallest 24mm Snap On spanner in the whole world. Numpty. Instabook King It takes more work than you might think being an internet celebrity. Nowadays our Glenda…

Next month we will have officially produced 399 issues of Fast Car magazine, which means we’ll be one issue away from our 400th edition. To mark this very special occasion we will be producing a collector’s edition of the magazine, giving away some free gifts and filling the pages with the best feature cars in the world. The question is, should this stunning Rocket Bunny E46 be a part of it? “SUN’S OUT, GUNS OUT. UNLESS YOU DRIVE A CONVERTIBLE, THAT IS, IN WHICH CASE ‘SUN’S OUT’ ‘HIDE MEANS AWAY INSIDE YOUR CAR JUST LIKE YOU DO IN WINTER’ THE .” Seriously. What’s wrong with people? It’s one of those facts that always gets thrown around, that Britain buys more convertibles per capita than any other country. That may or…

Is it just us here at FC towers, or do all the important, successful people seem to be getting younger and younger these days? From Olympic athletes to chart-topping singers, it appears the world is now dominated by people roughly half the average age of that in our office (and we’re pretty certain it’s got nothing to do with us lot getting older). Chris, the owner of this tidy Type R here, is one guy who’s experienced just how talented the latest generation is. After suffering from the car variant of writer’s block when modifying this silver hatch, he benefited from a fresh pair of eyes to kick-start the project once more, in the form of his talented nephew, Connor. And by working as a team, they’ve really managed to…

Of all the niche and not-so-niche trends on the global tuning scene, there’s none more gangsta than the VIP look. We’re talking massive luxury saloons, panscraping stance, blingin’ rims, eyewatering camber… (although there is actually a bit more to it than that). Known domestically as ‘bippu’ (Japanese for ‘very important person’), VIP-style originated with the Yakuza. The bosses of organised crime syndicates wanted big flashy cars, but knew rival gangs and the police would be immediately suspicious to see them in European luxury cruisers. So instead of rolling in top-flight Beemers, Mercs or Rollers, they set about up-speccing JDM cars like the Toyota Crown and the Nissan Gloria. As the scene evolved, today’s bippu cars are characterised by high-end wheels with loads of dish, very low ride height, huge negative…

A project car never seems destined to be completely finished. It’s usually more of a moving target and magazine features are merely a snapshot on a timeline. That’s not the case with Sian Singer’s seemingly flawless MINI though, as she appears to be content. “There’s nothing else I want to do to it, other than take it to shows and enjoy it!” “Yeah, it’s finished,” she declares. “I can’t come up with anything else I want to do, other than take it to shows and enjoy it!” Looking at this brilliant and bright creation, sitting pretty on Alfa rims, it’s not hard to understand exactly why she feels this way about her beloved MINI. Sian’s car history began with a Mercedes 190E! Not your typical first car choice but she…

If there’s one thing about cars that never gets old, it’s stupidly fast acceleration. It’s also one of the most useful and usable performance aspects of any car. Top speed? Pretty pointless. Incredible cornering speed? Only useful on track. But acceleration, well you can use that almost anywhere – even without breaking the speed limit! Faster acceleration is a lot more than just adding power though. So it’s time to read and learn with this handy guide... POWER We all know if you’ve got more power you will accelerate faster. BUT, what’s the best ways to spend your money? Well first up, be it turbo or naturally aspirated, you can’t go wrong with a performance exhaust system. Don’t just get a cat-back system either, as on turbo cars the downpipe…

Nope. We’re not going to offer you half the trade price for your car, like those websites. Instead we want to give you the chance of being featured in the best modified car mag on the planet! So if you own a cool as a cucumber car you think is worthy of Fast Car, we’d love to see it. Please send a selection of good quality images and a spec, to jules.truss@kelseymedia.co.uk with ‘Feature Car’ as the subject. If we like it, we’ll get back to you to arrange a photoshoot. Simples.…

ADAM MCKAY’S ACURA RSX FC says : Where do we start with Adam’s boosted stunner here? Purchased as a bog-standard automatic Acura RSX (America’s de-tuned version of the DC5 Integra) over a decade ago, it’s been transformed into undoubtedly one of the finest examples of this coupé the world over. “I’ve been working hard to get it to where I want, with no help from sponsors and all paid for through money saved from my 9-5 job,” Adam proudly explains as we pore over the finer details of this absolute stunner. The body has been treated to the M&M wide arch treatment on the rear, with the front wings being pulled and slatted to match, and the whole thing has been set off with a generous helping of Lamborghini’s ‘Grigio…

Now in its 14th year, Classic Ford is an absolute goliath of an event. Held at Santa Pod Raceway, thousands of classic Fords of all ages and models descend on Podington for a day of strip, club and show action. Now, we’re not exactly into our concours Ford Anglias here at FC but we are extremely partial to well restomoded Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts, Sierra Cosworths, Fiesta RS Turbos and pretty much anything with a YB bolted in the bay. And the Classic Ford show never disappoints. Of course, there was a plethora of concours original metal for the old boys to reminisce over and this year’s event celebrated the Mk1 Escort’s 50th and the Sapphire Cosworth’s 30th anniversaries. Meanwhile, the Auto Finesse Show ’n’ Shine saw Steve Smith steal…

If William Shakespeare had anything to do with it, all love would be doomed. Look at his savage takedown of the concept of romance in Romeo and Juliet. You’ve got to keep your passion secret from your families because they want to kill each other, then you have to poison yourself, have a big fiery fight in a petrol station (although, now we think about it, we may be mixing up the original text with the Baz Luhrmann film there), and then die tragically. Doesn’t exactly fill you with hope, does it? So Luke Massy and his fiancée Faye have taken another path. Thumbing their nose at Shakespeare’s terrible advice, they’ve instead cemented their union the Plush Automotive way – by tag-teaming reality with a smashing pair of RS Audis…

From £600 STANCEPARTS LIFT SYSTEMS Here’s a fantastical idea from the rather innovative bods at Stanceparts. This new Air Cup Lift System is designed for all you guys who like to run a super-scraping static drop… but wouldn’t mind getting over the odd speed bump from time to time too. It’s like air ride, only it’s not air ride. Get it? (Not really, no – Initial G). In fact, it’s kind of the complete opposite because with this particular system you don’t drive your car with it jacked up all the time. Instead, the air cups fit to your coilovers, so you get all the hardcore performance benefits that come with those (making these ideal for both track cars and hard-used daily drivers). But, should you ever need it, you…

From £299 The guys across the pond at Kicker have always been notorious for their hard-hitting hardware. The clue is in the name: their products tend to kick like our Jules doing his best Karate Kid crane impression on a Friday night (after six pints and half a bottle of Jack Daniels - Midge). Still, even by their rather exacting standards, these new TB enclosures are what you might call a bit special. First of all, it’s nice to see the old skool bass tube making a comeback in such a 21st century way. Available in 8 and 10-inch configurations, these will put out the low frequencies like only a Kicker can. So, instead of incorporating a single sub (as is traditional in items of this kind), these tough ABS…

The sunburn had barely healed from Japfest Silverstone when we decided to hit Donington for another dose of vitamin D and Japanese car culture. If you’re a Japfest regular you’ll already know the reasons why it’s such an amazing event. And if you’re not, let us explain… Since the launch of the show series in 2005 Japfest has always had a fantastic Japanese car club following. It’s one of those shows where you’ll find the damn right rare mixed in with the popular. You’ll see Toyota Crowns rubbing shoulders with Honda NSXs, modified Nissan PAOs sitting next to Time Attack Skylines. It’s a Japanese car enthusiast’s heaven. There’s heaps going on, from track action, to show and shine competitions, trade stands to main stage entertainment. Mix that in with the…

You could be forgiven for thinking that upgrading your car’s suspension is only really going to give you a benefit in the turns. But actually, when it comes to getting your car away from the line in a hurry, suspension plays a huge part in your ability to launch aggressively and accurately. Take a look at any sorted drag racer and you’ll notice that suspension is an essential ingredient in its performance, because when you’re trying to get maximum traction, there are a few aspects to bear in mind. Luckily, many of BILSTEIN’s uprated suspension solutions won’t just make life better in the twisties, but will also make your next trip to The Pod much more fruitful, too – and here’s why… WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION Weight over the driven wheels helps…

The world is broken. It’s devastating, but it’s true. Even if you’re able to look past the melting ice caps and the dying bees, it’s really humanity itself that’s the problem. We just don’t seem to like each other very much. Have a look at your news app of choice and see how many of the headlines are positive, happy stories... two? One? None? No, it’s all hate crimes, stabbings and racism veiled as nationalism. Asinine celebrity provocateurs like Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins make a living from deliberately riling people online to get clicks. Social media is riddled with hate, with people’s default position being to criticise and belittle rather than support and celebrate. This isn’t anything new, not really. People have been starting wars and burning each other’s…