Jonathan Chow 1/21/18 Jonathan Chow 1/21/18

Japan Trip / Rides 2

Second half of my ride-specific pics.

Oh look, the perfect car for everything, aka RS4 Avant.

S class rocking a full Lorinser kit!

Japan has some strange cars, but never would have expected a modded XKR! Looks like it would have come straight out of a catalog from the late 90's.

Tokyo is definitely the place to be for some perfect condition Euro classics!

This 901 seems more fitting going to a meet at Venice Beach than cruising Tokyo, but it works there too!

Admiring the beautiful bikes in this city when suddenly a wild Dodge Ram van appears!

American cars are far from popular in Japan, but whenever you spot one, it's always an interesting model.

Something timelessly classic about the Toyota Century.

Shy little guy

I think I'm in love...

And on the very last night, near our place, I finally ran into a proper R34 GT-R, though I spotted some interesting mods. It has some aggressive venting on the passenger side of the bumper but not the other side. But then it's also rocking Endless calipers and what appears to be BBS RE-MG wheels (!!!), so who am I to judge?

Jonathan Chow 11/26/15 Jonathan Chow 11/26/15

2015 LA Autoshow

Every year around Thanksgiving I try to make it to the LA Autoshow, the best car show in the US. Here's just a brief highlight of some of what was shown this year.

A Volkswagen interpreation of the Mystery Machine

Jonathan Chow 8/23/15 Jonathan Chow 8/23/15

Car Spotlight / Audi 200 Quattro Trams-AM

Here was one of the more interesting cars we saw at the Monterey Historics, an Audi 200 Quattro used in the Trans-AM series. In the 1988 season which it was entered, the Audi dominated the series winning 9 out of the 13 races on the roster and failed placing podium only twice. After the '88 season had ended, AWD was banned and Audi moved onto IMSA's GTO class with the newer 90 Quattro. You know you've done things right when they change the rules to kick you out.

This car's dominance in Trans-AM would only be a taste of things to come as these were still the early years of Audi's road-racing experience. Even when they would eventually drop their AWD platforms for the sake of abiding series regulations, they knew how to put together a properly running vehicle, an efficient and determined team, and spot some of the best drivers around.

That's not to say that the cars didn't have their own personalities. Coming straight from the Group B monster, this highly boosted 5 cylinder has a very distinct sound and will definitely be remembered as one of motorsport's great engines.

Another distinct quality is the extremely loud chirps of the blow-off valves. Sure nowadays they're associated with obnoxious Subaru & Evo owners looking to race anyone they can agitate. But back in the 80's, turbocharging was a big deal (I mean, look at what Ferrari & Porsche put out that decade) and to hear the wooshing and chirping over the roaring V8's from the rest of the field was something special to experience.

And let's not forget those amazing BBS turbofan wheels that were all the rage. They're still super cool to see, with or without the mesh designs on top.

May not be as legendary as it's successor, the Audi 90 Quattro, but with those wide hips and that ultra-German livery, it's still an icon all of it's own.

Jonathan Chow 5/29/14 Jonathan Chow 5/29/14

In The Moment / A Euro Rally Rivalry

Seeing these two Group B legends side by side in the States is something you just can't forget about. The biggest question, which would I go for? Nah, who am I kidding, I like Audi but I'd take that Lancia in a heartbeat!