Well today is apparently the 60th Birthday of the beloved Volkswagen Camper Van. How true this is I’m not sure, but considering the influence the humble Volkswagen has had on yours truly it’s only fair we celebrate, just in case. So what better way to do so, than by posting four stunning pictures of four of it’s best known evolutions. Five more years and it’ll be able to get a BUS pass… get it? I’ll get my coat!
Right, after sifting through the pictures I was having somewhat of a hard time deciding which ones to post up. Which is when it struck me that using the age old method of the Top 10 system might just work. So here we go, my Top 10 cars from The Modified Nationals 2010. There may be some controversial choices in there but I’ve tried to keep the choices are varied as possible as well as choosing from a lot of different budget ranges. So sit back, relax and please feel free to debate my choices.
10. MG ZR
9. Carbon Fibre Honda Civic
8. Fiat Punto
7. Datsun Sunny Estate
6. VW Golf R32
5. Vauxhall Corsa B 5-Door
4. Z-Cars Mini
3. HKS Nissan Skyline R34
2. Vauxhall Corsa D
1. CarAudioSecurity Subaru Impreza
Well today I headed to Peterborough for the Annual Modified Nationals show. Now, I have to admit, I was slightly apprehensive as the Mod Nats does have something of a reputation for being a plastic tat fest galore (that can be taken one of two ways). Now while there is still an element of this kind of thing I was pleasantly surprised to see a really good amount of high quality, really well modified cars on display. There is no doubting the influence Euro or Cleaned styled cars are having on the UK scene at the moment as the place was rammed with them. Now while some elitists hate this, I’m all for it, I’d much rather attend a show full of cars like this than one with just a couple of gems amongst the plastic and neons. So, here is a sneak preview of what turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable show. More pictures up tomorrow and the whole gallery will be on the flickr by the end of the week.
When was the last time you saw a Mk3 Golf GTi looking this good? In recent times the GTi has become over-looked in favour of the beefier VR6 and the easy power of the Mk4 1.8T and TDi’s. Hell, even low spec Mk3′s seem to be in higher demand than the GTi. So it’s always nice to see someone still flying the flag for the classic GTi badge. This one, owned by Edition38 member Jas started out as a very clean 8v with a very nice spec, including factory Leather Interior, Morette headlights and a set of very rare optional extra 5-spoke Alloys. However, not one to be content with owning such a minter Jas soon had the car sitting closer to the tarmac thanks to a set of compulsory AP Coilovers. After a seemingly endless stream of wheels, including a set of genuine BBS LM’s and a set of Borbet T’s Jas finally settled on the timeless choice of BBS RS’s with matching black centres. Is there any car these wheels don’t work on? However, it isn’t the wheels, the stance or even how immaculate this car is that does it for me. No, for me and this is a strange one, it’s all about those Red Trim stripes. They hark back to the GTi’s golden days of the Mk1 and 2 when the Golf GTi was the Hot-Hatch to own, in fact, if you look at the likes of the Peugeot 205 GTi or the Fiesta XR2, most Hot Hatches had red trim. It’s a retro feature that is both subtle and but also full of impact. I love this car and simply wouldn’t change a thing.
Well, as promised yesterday it is time for your second dose of Purple Goodness. As you can probably tell, this RX7 is the partner car of Logan Noel’s Subaru Legacy I posted yesterday. Both represent Drift Union at various North American and Canadian drift events throughout the year and are quickly becoming recognised for their unique and aggressive styling choices. The RX7 is owned by Shawn Browne and along with the Legacy it has recently been under the spray-gun to receive it’s insane colour change. Who would of thought violet would work so well on such aggressive looking cars? Packing what I would guess to be atleast 10in wide rears under those frankly fat arches this car has to have one of the best stances of any Drift Car in the world. The amount of rubber those arches must shred has to be insane. But hey, all the best drift cars are uncompromising, no other motorsport holds the importance of styling higher than drifting. And it has to be said, the majority of the time, it’s those at the grass-roots of the sport that seem to be the ones that continue to push boundaries. So when it comes to these two cars which would you own? The Legacy still stands out for me, sheerly for it’s uniqueness. But then you look at the FC, with it’s super-aggressive looks over that classic body shape and that too becomes irresistible. Damn it, you shouldn’t have to choose, both cars are insanely cool and I would say, two of the best looking drift cars out there. Props to both Logan and Shawn.
Now, if you’re a regular visitor to the Hellaflush blog you will have undoubtedly spotted awesome Subaru Legacy. I try not to make a habit of reposting anything I spot on some of the bigger blogs, simply because if I’m posting the same stuff as them there would be no point in you visiting Fully-Sick. However, to every rule there is an exception and this is most definitely worth a massive exception. Firstly I have always been a massive fan of the first-generation Legacy, one of my earliest memories of Rallying is that of Colin McRae hooning around in the Rothmans sponsored Legacy RS. That car always looked the part. Secondly I feel like the Legacy has become like the forgotten sibling to the Impreza, despite being the better looking car, but I guess with the Impreza’s motorsport credentials that is no surprise. However, it’s always nice to root for the underdog. So from that you can probably understand that I was somewhat excited when I spotted this little number on Hellaflush. The car has been built by Logan Noel, one of the guys behind the excellent Drift Union blog. As you can probably tell, the car has been built as a dedicated drift car and is apparently a regular sight at North American and Canadian drift events. It started out as a Legacy RS packing the 2.0 Turbo boxer engine and was of course 4WD. However due to it’s forthcoming use as a drift car the Drift Union lads converted it to RWD with apparently very little knowledge on how to do the conversion. The finished product looks brilliant, not only does the left of field choice of car make it stand out, but also the look and sheer aggression of the thing too. I would love to see more Legacy’s given some proper treatment, right now they are shockingly cheap to buy, with many being broken for the engines to be used in Air-Cooled VW’s. So, forget about Impreza’s and join the Legacy. Oh, and just a side note, Drift Union also run a matching Mazda RX7… but more on that tomorrow!
This is the sort of thing you want right now. Cruising along the Sea-Front, windows down with the 8-track playing The Beach Boys. This Hillman Minx Estate belongs to Retro-Rides resident owner of all things cool and British, Seth Kennedy. It has been Seth’s daily driver for some time now while he worked on his rather special Triumph Herald. During it’s service it has been impeccably behaved, travelling around London with the effortless cool that only a classic car can provide. To reward the car for it’s great behaviour Seth decided that a new set of wheels would be just the ticket. But not just any wheels would do. The wheels you see here are something of a custom effort, made up from a variety of different wheels. Inspired by some model wheels Seth purchased back in the mid-90′s these have taken some time to build up. Based on the baskets of some 1970′s fake wire wheels the wire cover was removed to leave just the smooth bowl of the basket. Once the wires were removed the brand new ‘Spinner’ centre caps were imported from America and then after a bit of work fitted to the baskets. To finish them off Seth fitted some chrome valve covers and painted the thin white walls onto the side wall of the tyres. The results are unique and astounding, to take a quintessentially British family car and make into something that would look perfectly at home cruising around California is no mean feat, but Seth has pulled it off with style and ease.
