The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Car of the Day: VeilSide RX-7
The real JDM machine.
by Justin Kaehler

June 13, 2006 - A Fast and Furious movie just wouldn't be complete if it didn't have a bright colored car wrapped in an extravagant body kit. Nine times out of ten, these garish cars are the brainchild of some old movie executive that thinks he knows what the kids want to see on the movie screen. This explains why this film franchise has had cars that looked like anime covered cotton candy and Louis Vuitton handbags. However, the Fast and Furious car you see here wasn't created on some movie back lot... no, this RX-7 was built by VeilSide Japan. The RX-7 you see here was built by VeilSide for the 2005 Tokyo Auto Salon. Those of you that attended this show (like we did) are probably scratching your heads right now as you can't remember seeing this car at the VeilSide booth. It was there, only it was a dark red. We'd show you a picture of it, but the only one we have was taken by a crappy point-and-shoot digital camera, and as such it's all blurry. We'll get you guys next time...

Anyway, Universal bought the car as-is and then went to work changing it up for the movie. The first thing to change was the paint: the original red/burgundy paint was ditched for a more movie-friendly bright orange. And after that... well, that's about it, actually. This RX-7 got to keep its VeilSide Fortune kit, which is probably for the best as this kit is one of the most extravagant and exotic kits in the world. This Fortune kit changes every line of this rotary ride save for the front glass, side glass and the roof. This means that the front fascia, front fenders, hood, doors, rear fenders, rear window and rear fascia have all been re-done. However, the VeilSide kit is so well-made, those not "in the know" would have a hard time telling that the entire car has been re-skinned. Those not "in the know" will also have a difficult time telling that this Fortune kit is seriously wiiiiiiide. In fact, this Fortune kit makes this RX-7 almost a foot wider than its stock sibling. With an extra 5-6 inches on each side, a stock wheel just won't fit, so VeilSide bolted on some very wide 19-inch Andrew EVO-Vs to all four corners. Just how wide are these wheels? Try 9 inches wide up front and a full 12 inches wide in the back. These are some seriously massive wheels, kids. Take a minute to take a gander at the lip on the rear wheel -- one can practically live in that thing.

Sitting right behind these Andrews is a Rotora brake system complete with massive discs and four piston calipers. With a body kit this wide and rims this big, any sort of fender gap would be a huge no-no. As such, a full set of A'PEXi N1 coilovers was installed. Not only do these A'PEXi pieces eliminate any unsightly fender gap, they also tighten up the handling. With all of the body pieces and "bling" found on this car, it would be easy to assume that this RX-7 is all show and no go. Well, you'd be wrong. Remember, this is an award-winning Tokyo Auto Salon car, so the rotary engine under the hood is as tricked-out as the exterior. The factory turbos were ditched in favor of a larger HKS T04Z unit. This HKS turbo sends its charged air down through the custom-made VeilSide intercooler piping to the V-mounted HKS intercooler. Waste gasses, on the other hand, are sent into the atmosphere via a VeilSide titanium exhaust. As this RX-7 started life as a Tokyo Auto Salon vehicle, its interior is actually pretty tricked out (unlike the interiors of the rest of the Fast and Furious cars we've been featuring). Alpine audio equipment is all around this car, from the 8-inch monitor in the dash to the custom-enclosed amps and woofer. This car's occupants are held in place thanks to the VeilSide D1 race seats, but only the driver gets to experience the tactile pleasure that is the Sparco steering wheel.

The original interior of this car was a true one-of-a-kind. From what we remember, the interior alone cost over $20,000. However, that kind of coin is just pocket change to Universal, so they went in and spray-painted over the whole thing. Take a close look at the e-brake boot and the dash to see remnants of the interior's original color. Even though this car was "destroyed" for the movie, it still came out looking pretty decent. We wouldn't have spray painted the interior or painted the car bright orange, but Universal could have done a lot worse. We could have seen this car outfitted with 20 pounds of neon lights and an extra 30 pounds of vinyl...If you want to see this WeilSide-equipped rotary rocket for yourself, check out The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift when it hits theatres this weekend. If you can't wait, then go on and click on the Media Gallery below. Enjoy!

Skyline Supremacy - Nissan Skyline GT-R

709 Wheel HP--Daily Driven, As Only The GT-R Can
Spawned from years of video game exposure, swapped underground videos and a handful of imported specimens, the legacy of the Nissan Skyline GT-R is stronger than ever. With the last whispers of the R34 barely passing from our lips and the 2008 GT-R looming on the horizon, this is the age of the Skyline. This is especially interesting when you consider that the car has never been mass-produced in the United States and has ceased production overseas. To put it simply, an entire legion of American youth bows down to a car that they have never touched, driven, sat in, spat on, keyed or raced against. This begs the question to be asked--is the Nissan Skyline GT-R stronger as a car, or stronger as a legend?

Spurred by an immense catalog of aftermarket turbocharger upgrades, suspension parts, exhausts, body kits, brake upgrades, intercoolers and engine hard parts, the tunability of a GT-R means you could build yourself a supercar limited only by your imagination. Want a 1,000hp drag car, a torque-laden road racer or one of the most aggressive street cars ever? The Skyline GT-R can deliver. It's this penchant for upgrades that makes the Skyline so appealing to today's customized youth market.

When Wen Lai began searching for a fun car to build a few years ago, he kind of already knew that a GT-R would live in his garage. As the former Sales Manager for A'PEXi, Lai knew the potent capability of the GT-R and it's RB26DETT twin-turbo engine. During the late 1990s, A'PEXi built and campaigned a 1,100hp drag car known as the V-MAX GTR, which was a rear-wheel-drive, tire smoking, fire-breathing beast. Driven by the now-ubiquitous Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada, the V-MAX would go on to break numerous records in the quarter mile at Palmdale, Calif., circa 1999. Fitted with a flurry of A'PEXi parts, designed and fabricated in-house, the V-MAX was a lesson for all A'PEXi employees in the brutal nature of Nissan's "R" badge.

Just around the same time, the-now-defunct MotoRex Inc. began the long, arduous process of Skyline certification for importation purposes. In swaying the NHTSA and DOT's favor and approval, MotoRex had to crash a few GT-R's as well as sift through a mountainside of paperwork. Believe us, if you think it sounds bad, you'd be crying if you saw the aftermath photos of a couple crash-tested Skylines. But the end result was sweeter than some could imagine--fully street-legal Skyline GT-R's. Once the Skylines began pouring off the U.S. docks, everything began to fall into place for Lai. The skies parted, the heavens aligned, and Lai found himself the owner of a U.S.-legal R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R.

Produced from 1995-1998, the R33 chassis-coded Nissan Skyline GT-R was a technological marvel. Packed with a twin-turbocharged inline-six engine capable of pushing quad-digit horsepower numbers, the R33 also brought the ATTESA-ETS all-wheel-drive system and Super HICAS four-wheel steering. Unfortunately, for serious performance drivers, those options meant extra weight. A beefy cast-iron engine block, all-wheel drivetrain, and snaking turbocharger actuator system means that the R33 GT-R weighs more than the short bus to fat kid camp. Nothing that a little bit of 21st century technology can't fix though.

NISSAN SKYLINE

ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND STEERING ENGINE; 2.6 LITRE TWIN TURBO HORSEPOWER; 505@6000 RPM TORQUE; 444 FT LBS@ 5500 RPM TRANSMISSION; 6 SPEED MANUAL 0 TO 60 IN 4.1SECONDS ¼ MILE IN 12.1 SECONDS TOP SPEED 180 MPH COLOR; HOUSE OF KOLOR, PLATINUM PEARL BODY KIT; C-WEST TIRES & WHEELS; 19” TOYO TIRES & HRE 446 POLISHED WHEELS AUDIO & VIDEO; CLARION RADIO AND TV JBL AMP INFINITY SPEAKERSPROPRIETARIO: BrianANNO: 2002

La nuova EVO VIII MR (Mitsubishi Racing) è l'ultima nata in casa Mitsubishi/RALLIART. E' stata presentata a fine Ottobre e con grande stupore di tutti, la Mitsubishi ha annunciato che la Subaru con la sua Spec. C aveva creato un auto veramente competitiva. La risposta da parte della casa dei tre diamanti non si è fatta attendere costruendo un anti-Spec. C: la EVO MR.

Il tetto sarà in alluminio per risparmiare ben 10 Kg. ed i cerchi avranno un nuovo design.

Gli interni sono stati rivisti nei colori. Come si può notare, il volante ha un color fume'. Anche i sedili saranno più scuri. L'elettronica è stata riprogrammata a favore della trazione e della potenza del motore.


Le novità sono in parte già state scoperte ma l'attesa maggiore forse è per il nuovo turbo, ancora più grande che garantirebbe una maggior potenza e coppia se elaborata.
I test non si sono fatti attendere e le attese non sono state deluse portando la nuova EVO MR ad un livello superiore rispetto alla Spec. C.

MITSUBISHI EVO ENGINE:

2.0 INLINE HORSEPOWER 280 @6500 RPM TORQUE 215 @ 4500 RPM TRANS: 5 SPEED MANUAL 0 TO 60 IN 4.9 ¼ IN 13.8 SECONDS TOP SPEED 140 MPH COLOR: HOUSE OF KOLOR LIME GOLD GREEN BODY KIT: D.A.M.D TIRES & WHEELS 18” TOYO TIRES & MONTEGI RACING WHEELS BRAKES: BREMBOPROPRIETARIO: PearceANNO: 2002 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDERENGINE; 3.0 LITRE HORSEPOWER; 210 @5500 RPM TORQUE; 205 @4000 RPM 0 TO 60 IN 6.7 SECONDS ¼ MILE IN 15.5 SECONDS TOP SPEED 140 MPH COLOR; HOUSE OF KOLOR PAVO PURPLE BODY KIT; SHINE KIT TIRES & WHEELS; 20” NITTO TIRES & LOWENHART WHEELS AUDIO & VIDEO; PANASONIC CD AND TV LIGHTNING SPEAKERS LIGHTNING AMPS VOLK RACING STEERING WHEEL SPARCO SEATSPROPRIETARIO: PearceANNO: 1970

Toyota Celica Supra Fast and the Furious Car Pictures

This 1995 Toyota supra from the film "the Fast and the Furious" achieves 0-60 in 4.2 secs thanks to an awesome straight six engine that produces over 650 BHP.A 100 BHP shot of NOS.helps bring up the 1/4 mile in under 11 Seconds.

Looks are thanks to Stillen wide-mouth front valence and side skirts, Rod Millen rear wing and Lexus headlights under supra cowls.

Internal additions include Clarion ICE, in dash, TV/CD 6in wide-screen TV in passenger dash, a variety of speakers, a 2 Phase audio amp and a Sony PlayStation.

Toyota introduced the Celica Supra in 1979. Its styling was based upon the popular Celica liftback design, but it was both longer and wider. It was the engine, though, that made the Supra stand apart from the Celica.

The Supra's 2.6-liter inline-6 engine was the first Toyota production engine to be equipped with electronic fuel injection. The Supra was available with both a manual and automatic transmission, and came standard with 4-wheel-independent suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes.

Except for the addition of luxury items such as optional leather-trimmed seating and automatic climate-control, the Supra remained unchanged until 1981. In that year, Supra was given a 2.8-liter single overhead cam engine, a revised 4-speed automatic transmission and final drive gearing, and was optionally available with a new Sport Suspension package.