It's Danny Choy's Birfday

Happy Birfday!

Mule Motorcycles

What caught my eye the most in this video weren't the motorcycles, but the twinkle of excitement and curiosity in Richard Pollack's eyes when he described how completely his bikes consume his mind. While others would rather avoid roadblocks, Pollack's work would only be half as fulfilling if he didn't get to experience the frustration of problem solving and the joy of finding the answer.

Winter season is tinker season. Have a wonderful holidays everyone!

Check out more from Murphy Karges here.

Big Buick in Little China

My father takes a long time to buy a new car.  I mean a loooong time.  He'll think he likes a car and will sit there debating on whether he likes the car enough to buy it.  Sometimes, before he gets a chance to buy it, the next generation is already getting a refresh.  Then, of course, he doesn't like the restyle.  Since he didn't buy the car that he liked when it was still likable, he doesn't buy the car and we're left as we are today with my dad hunting for a new car... still.

With this preface in mind, I took over the task of finding a car for my father.  Here's him in a nutshell:

• almost 60
• drove Mercurys for the past 40 years
• owns a single cd that he listens to around Christmas
• usually listens to news radio
• wants a soft, comforting ride
• car needs to get from a to b safely, reliably, and inexpensively

Hmmm... what company embodies the perfect car for the mobile geriatric?  BUICK!

Ebay Finds: The Old World

It's pop quiz time!  What happens when you mix the French and the English?  Usually, the answer revolves around centuries of war, the U.S. sending GIs to save both from the Germans, or a bunch of people with funny accents mocking each other's culinary skills.  However, this isn't one of those times.  Today, we bring you an Ebay find that is as pretty as Kate Middleton and as stalwart as Charles de Gaulle. 

The Pembleton Brooklands is a kit car built in England that can accommodate a myriad of small engines.  A quick Google search will find most variants are powered by 2-cylinder boxers or v-twins.  This particular example is powered by the motor from a Citroen 2CV.  With a respectable 29 horsepower powering the 900 lb car, it sounds like a blast to drive.  Read the full history of the car on the eBay listing.

The Boys of Crewe

I've heard cynics call Bentley nothing but a big and expensive Volkswagen. The next time I hear that, I can punch the person in the nose. Why? Because Peter Cope, Technical Support Engineer of Bentley Woodshop.

You see the aluminum, the glue for the aluminum, the glue for the wood, the glue for the wood,the glue for the wood, the glue for the face veneer.

Credit goes to the Vimeo channel "Cool Hunting" for sharing the insightful video!

Gestation of an Amateur Photographer

Nine months ago, I picked up my first real camera hoping to capture some really kickass photos for FPH.  At first, I thought it was going to be easy.  How hard could it be to aim at something and hit a button?!?!  Was I ever in for an awakening!  Not only were my pictures stagnant and off-color, they didn't illicit any emotion.  Now I don't confess my pictures are frame worthy and should be hung over a fireplace.  However, I do feel I've learned a lot since I unboxed my Nikon back in March.  Knowing that I still have a lot to learn, I present, what I think are, the best pictures of 2011 in chronological order.  Enjoy!

P.S. Some of the pictures get cut off on the right side due to formatting issues.  Click on them to view in large format.

The Saratoga Auto Museum

What if I told you that within a state park located somewhere in the middle of New York lies a bottling plant that holds a treasure trove of some of the most iconic cars in international motor racing?

Last week, Danny Chin and I embarked on a road trip that brought us to the Saratoga Automobile Museum. Lucky for us, we arrived on a cold, damp, and gloomy Wednesday. The museum was completely empty and ours to enjoy! Inside, we found an eclectic collection of not only automobiles, but paintings, photographs, and sculptures as well.

To celebrate 60 years of Porsche in North America, the Saratoga Auto Museum is currently featuring an exhibit dedicated to the iconic German automaker. From a selection of Porsche 356 coupes and convertibles loaned from private owners, to the Porsche GT1 and Porsche 961 LeMans endurance race cars provided by Rennsport, here is a video I've created (hashed together) to share my favorite cars on display. Enjoy!



In order of Appearance:
Porsche 904
1966 Porsche 906
1967 Porsche 910/6
1972 Porsche 911
Porsche 914-6 GT
1998 Porsche GT1-98
1986 Porsche 961
1981 Porsche 928S
1981 Wingho Autos W3 Triposto
1987 Porsche 959
Porsche Carrera GT
Porsche 356A Speedster
Porsche Gmünd Coupe
Porsche 356 S90
Porsche 356C
Artwork by George Frayne
1951 Ferrari Bardahl-Special
1950 Allard J2

Shameless Plug

Check out some of my more artsy photos as well as a few more teaser pics from the upcoming roadtrip video!

Danny Chin's tumblr

The Archives

"Good things come in small packages"

 Standing at a less than menacing five feet, seven inches in height has resulted in listening to the aforementioned phrase on numerous occasions.  It was a pretty annoying thing to hear as a high school kid who wanted to play football instead of the trumpet.  However as time progressed and adulthood set in, there was a realization that being well below six feet tall has advantages like fitting comfortably into low roofed sports cars as well as better power to weight ratios on motorcycles.

With an ability uncommon for their small stature, there are some in the automotive world that embrace this kind of mighty midget sentiment.  Those that quickly spring to mind are the original Mini Cooper, racer Perry McCarthy, and the Brawn GP team of 2009.  FPH's roadtrip through central New York discovered another one of these anomalies that is more breathtaking than its diminutive size would lead you to believe.  This amazing place is the International Motor Racing Research Center located in Watkins Glen.

One Lap Of The Original Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit

We went on a little road trip to Watkins Glen this week and the above video is of the old 6.6 mile racing circuit of 1948. Danny Chin did the driving in his Mazdaspeed 3 and I rigged a Sony Bloggie video camera tethered to a stand from a GPS unit. At normal speeds, the lap can be completed in approximately 9 minutes on public roads. We decided to speed up the video to convey a better sense of speed.

Celebration!! Oh F*CK!

Hey guys, we wanted to make something special for our 2-year anniversary on December 8th, but video editing is more difficult than I thought and the hotel's internet is incredibly slow. Oh, And our anniversary is actually December 6!

We've got some videos and cool stuff to show you guys in a couple days and it may trickle into next week.

For now, TGIF everyone and have a great weekend!

Teaser: Where's FPH Going?

Stay tuned!

The Art Of The Perfect Pit Stop

The Team Red Bull's performance this season has been nothing short of dominant. Adrian Newey's design gave the RB7 performance where it mattered and right out the gate, it has been lightyears ahead of any of the competing Formula 1 cars. What's more, Sebastian Vettel's talent behind the wheel earned him a total of 15 pole positions, one more than the previously held record by Nigel Mansell in 1992. Simply, not once did Red Bull Racing ever lose a grand prix to another opponent due to a lack of outright pace.

But Red Bull isn't invincible and a race can be won or lost by tire choices and pit stop strategies. A well oiled pit crew can save a team's race and a bad wheel gun could tear their race apart. If a Red Bull gets caught behind a McLaren and has trouble completing a pass even though its capable of turning a faster lap, the team might rethink their strategy and dive into the pits a lap early to rejoin with fresh tires and clear air. At the same time, if the McLaren does get passed and has trouble taking back the position from the Red Bull or trouble maintaining the gap, he may follow the Red Bull into the pits and hope that new tires or a quicker pit stop can send him ahead again.

Here are a selection of pit stops, some perfect and others disastrous, that display the importance and dynamism of what an array of mechanics must do within 4 short seconds.


The first video examines Force India's pit crew and the roles of each mechanic. Note that the 2009 season was the last season that permitted refueling during a pitstop.

Ebay Finds: Because Race Car

How would you like to own a Porsche that's cheaper than a Carrera GT, rarer than a Carrera GT, has racing pedigree like the famed 917, and is connected to the current American Le Mans championship team?  Well, here's your chance to own a piece of Porsche history.  For sale on Ebay is a Porsche 962 powered by a 700 horsepower Andial 3.2 liter turbocharged flat-6.  This particular car competed in the IMSA GT class in the mid 80s while other 962 with smaller displacement raced and won in Europe.



The history of the 962 is quite fascinating and I would do it no justice with a summary here.  Google it at your own leisure and check the ebay posting.

Toyota 86: I am Iron Man

Iron Man was a great movie. It starred the second-best (behind Xavier) damn Marvel superhero of all time; it was performed by the talented cast of Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrance Howard, and Gwyneth Paltrow; and most of all, Iron Man was great simply because it was directed by fellow Queens native and Bronx Science alumni, Jon Favreau.

I knew I had to catch it but, unfortunately, I couldn't find the time until its very last week in theaters. By then, everybody and their grandmother had already seen it and raved on and on about the movie. Best movie ever! Blew my mind! Shit was bananas!

By the time I went to see it, I've been fed a month's worth of buzz and entered the theater with unjustified expectations. It was a disaster. What could have been a life changing cinematic experience turned out, at moments, to be slightly boring. Somehow, the movie was just too predictable and it almost seemed like I've seen it before. Because of the great number of people that couldn't stop talking about it, Iron Man was ruined. I barely enjoyed it.

I'll go straight to the point. The Toyota 86 is my automotive Iron Man. Ever since the FT-86 was first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2009, we've seen so many concept variants and it's been reported, speculated, and promoted so relentlessly in so many different mediums (auto shows, magazines, blogs, twitter, forums, spy photos at Nurburgring, Gran Turismo 5), I've honestly grown tired of it.

Do I Feel a Draft?

Any fan of racing knows what drafting is.  This most basic of techniques is used in everything from carts to Formula 1 to gain a speed advantage over the leading vehicle.  For the uninitiated or the less scientifically inclined, here's a quick explanation courtesy of Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle.  Even if you already know what drafting is, a 23 year old Nicole Kidman is always fun to watch.  Skip to 1:20 for the technical analysis of drafting. (Warning: NSFW)

The Ferrari 250 LM

Penned by the late, great Battista Pininfarina, only the first Ferrari 250 LM was fitted with the 250 engine, while the rest of the 30 odd models were powered by the larger 330. In 1965, the North American Racing Team privately fielded a 250 LM, driven by Jochen Rindt and Maston Gregory, to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To date, it remains Ferrari's last overall victory at the world's most famous endurance race.

This one isn't it. But it's still damn sexy!


Ferrari 250 LM #6045 from GridStars on Vimeo.

Check out more videos from Gridstars.

Smoke em if Ya Got em

Drifting is a strange sport to me.  There are rules, a podium, trophies, and champions like any other form of motorsport but there is also an ambiguity that determines which champion stands on that podium with the trophy.  The points are given out subjectively based on style and there's no clear concise way to determine that style.  While I don't quite understand the sport as well as grip racing, I have to admit it's a superhuman display of car control that I can't help but be amazed at.  Here are some prime examples.

Flappy Aftermath

A big thank you to all that participated last night's first ever Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitational. It was a great turn out and a supremely entertaining night.

Congratulations to racer Clint_Mills. Enjoy the Lotus Elise, you earned it!

Special thanks to the Swift brothers for their devastating pace and their lack of team orders, to Zeggawong's support all the way from Australia, to Omar and Chin's Lewis Hamilton/Felipe Massa antics, to W for flying back in time to make it for the tail end of the night, to Syed of IEDEI for joining us and adding a bit of class to the grid with his classic Alfa Romeo Giulia, and to many others that joined our lobby, albeit briefly.

The Competition

For those of you competing in the GT5 Invitational tonight, here is your competition! Good luck and we will see you all in just over an hour.

Danny Choy A.K.A. Capn_Chimichanga

Danny Chin A.K.A. Anduril218

Kyle Swift A.K.A. ROADWARRIOR721

A Tribute To Sergio Scaglietti

May your soul love on forever within the greatest Italian sports cars the world has ever seen.

Sergio Scaglietti, standing 8th from the left, beige coat

It's a bit... okay it's not that great. But it's nice to just play Scaglietti for half an hour.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Flappy Paddle Head's Christmas List

But it's not even Thanksgiving, you say! Well, that's exactly the point. The only thing more American than consumerism is consumerism now. Chin started off with a number of presents suitable for children-- intending to infect the little ones with the love of cars at as early an age as possible.

However, when shopping for a car enthusiast that is already so hopelessly obsessed with automobiles that it's as essential as the air he/she breathes, I've made another Christmas guide to make your holiday shopping easy.

"I was born to race and win." -- Lewis Hamilton

After the last grand prix at Abu Dhabi, there's no question our Lewis is back. Don't mess!
 
Credit to YouTube channel, 2011lewishamilton!

Kidding Around

Around my neck of the woods, the atmosphere of the holidays is slowly creeping in.  The leaves have already changed from their lively greens to their vibrant reds and yellows.  Chilled air revitalizes and energizes with the first step outside.  Pumpkin spice is the flavor of choice for everything from muffins to coffee.  And parents everywhere are worrying about that perfect gift for their children.  Hit the jump for FPH's thoughts on what should be under the tree on Christmas morning...

Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitational UPDATE: Prizes Betch!

click to enlarge

We saved the best for last. Announcing the prize given to the overall race winner of the upcoming Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitational: the very car in the picture!

We may be getting a little ahead of ourselves here but we're so excited about this project that we're already making plans for our next GT5 invitational. Known for its laser sharp handling characteristics, we have chosen to feature the Lotus Elise as the "official car" for the next event.

As you can tell from the picture, I've taken the liberty to give this particular Elise some mods. No expenses (Gils) were spared. At first glance, you'll notice the Racing modification, which applies to everything including aero, maximum weight reduction and carbon fiber, fully adjustable suspension and titanium racing exhaust. What's more, I've thrown in an exhaust manifold, intake manifold, racing air filter, stage 2 engine tuning, ecu, chassis reinforcement, and a set of racing softs. Finally, I gave the Elise a layer of matte black paint to finish it off (a rare color to get a hold of in this game). The figures on this animal are 261-hp, 720-kg, and 549 PP. Be warned, this car has zero miles on the odo and that means no shakedown tests have been conducted. Colin Chapman would be proud.

Now that everyone knows what's at stake, here's a reminder of the race details:

• The Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitation will be held on November 26th, and will begin on EST 10:00pm until approximately 12:00am midnight or later. Our room will be conveniently named FLAPPY PADDLE HEADS. 
• The Miata I will be using next week is the 1989 Eunos Roadster, tuned to 202-hp, 152 lb.-ft. of torque, 870kg, 437PP.  Tune your beast accordingly.
• Circuits we'll be racing include Toyko R246, Suzuka, Laguna Seca, Trial Mountain, and Deep Forest.
• Shit just got real.

Add us on PSN (Playstation Network) with "FPH" written on the body of the request. Find us at:
Danny Choy: capn_chimichanga
Danny Chin: Anduril218
Kyle Swift: ROADWARRIOR721
Dan Weimann: SaintMonday

I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Good luck! 

Now and Then

The other day Danny Choy posted about the Ferrari California from both past and present.  It got me thinking about what cars have endured over time or have spiritual successors in the market place now.  This inevitably led to a lot of Googling and drooling.  Sit back and enjoy!

In a Nutshell

This is why I love cars.

5dmkii HD upload test from sean jay on Vimeo.

California Dreaming

While many journalists from various blogs and publications are out covering the LA Auto Show, I'm cooped up in New York. I am not pleased.

But maybe I can one-up them anyway. After all, you don't have to be in Los Angeles to catch some California sunshine.

"The Way the Big Wheel Spins"

Take a minute and think back to your younger days before you were allowed to drive.  What was your first set of wheels?  For many, that first taste of the open road was embodied in the Big Wheel.  The Big Wheel was a sweet bike to start with.  A low center of gravity meant those three wheels stayed glued to the road as long as you didn't overpower the plastic front wheel.  The low slung cockpit made the sensation of speed feel illegal.  The child sized motor only needed to be fed with Kool-Aid and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  You could go anywhere on that thing, even to your friend Timmy's house down the end of the block.  That was the life... for awhile.

Inevitably, things like growing became an issue and the Big Wheel just didn't fit anymore but it was a great way to cut your teeth before your first real bike...

Lancia Stratos HF In High Fidelity

This banshee needs no introduction. Check out these awesome videos of this mid-engine rear wheel drive Italian sports car that won three consecutive Rally Championships from 1974 to 1976. It's also the very first focus driven vehicle designed specifically to tackle the World Rally stages.

If you can't feel the endolymph vibrating within your eardrums, then you haven't turned the speakers up enough!

Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitational UPDATE: Race Lobby & Time Confirmed

In T-Minus 2 weeks, you will be invited to participate in the most sensational GT5 racing event ever! This will be Flappy Paddle Head's first event and we look forward to elbowing other drivers right from turn 1 hosting a fun night of clean racing and good fun to thank our viewers and long supporters.

Our event will be held on November 26th, and will begin on EST 10:00pm until approximately 12:00am midnight. Rather than make the room private and have everyone scrambling to friend me on PSN network in order to join my lounge (although we'll all be BEST of friends by night's end), we will hold our room at the open lobby. Our room will be conveniently named FLAPPY PADDLE HEADS so none of you should have any trouble looking for us.

Till then, let us remind you to check out our last post regarding vehicle restrictions and track selections of the event. Also, keep a look-out for our next update as we will announce the prize for the winner of the night!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

eBay Finds: The Weird, The Wonderful, The WTF

eBay is a great place to research classic car prices, look for that next project, or just find something that is completely weird and foreign.  While all the above are easily found with a few mouse clicks, it seems the gathering of strange and obtuse are at an all time high this time of year.  Click ahead to see what was too weird for Halloween and had to be unloaded two weeks later.

It's New to You

We've talked ad nauseum on here about other countries getting sweet cars while we're stuck here with the lame versions or no version at all.  So we won't get into that again.  BUT,  Now there's a way we can at the very least voice our opinion!  An online petition has been started to change the exemption from 25 to 15 years.  Sign it here.

I'm Not Drinking Nissan's Kool-Aid

Automotive Coelacanths

Human beings have been on this planet for a very small part of its existence.  As a result, there are still millions if not billions of species that have come and gone without man having ever seen it living.  Once in awhile, nature throws a curveball and creatures who have no right to still exist are found in the oddest places.  Like a the lobe-finned coelacanth fish that was found in a fisherman's net in 1938, there are still automotive technologies out there that are being served up way past their due date.

Rotary Engines

Rotary, or Wankel, engines have been around for less than a hundred years but have garnered the attention of almost every major manufacturer.  Used in many types of cars, motorcycles, boats, and even airplanes, the incredibly smooth power unit built a reputation for its compact size, simplicity of design, few moving parts, and high power to size ratio.  Unfortunately, the Wankel never won any popularity contests in the US, a country that prides itself on copious amounts of torque and happens to be the biggest consumer of the car until recent years.  However, Mazda, a company that never made anything that resembles a muscle car, stuck with the Rotary first in its Cosmos then RX series of sports cars.  It also won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Like anything that doesn't have a large gene pool to choose from, the Wankel is a shadow of its former self.  With CAFE laws constantly increasing the efficiency of motors, there's no place for this relic which uses oil as a seal.  Hopefully, Mazda can evolve the design and show everyone the second Loch Ness monster.

Four-Wheel Steering


Back in the 90s, money was flowing, turbos were spooling, and the Japanese R&D machine was churning out cars with four-wheel steering.  Nissan had its 300ZX twin turbo.  Mitsubishi countered with its 3000GT VR4.  And Honda said,"Sure, why not" with its Prelude.  In theory, these systems were glorious inventions.  Low speed maneuverability and high speed handling were both enhanced with the penalty of a little added weight for the system.  However, these steering systems were not consistently used by all manufacturers.  Additionally, some systems only aided in low speed maneuvers while others catered to high speed driving.  These inconsistencies would leave drivers wondering how they ended up rolling down a mountainside instead of sticking to the apex as if it were a tar pit.  Some manufacturers like BMW and Nissan still offer this technology as an option but it will most likely end up on the endangered species list.

Continuously Variable Transmissions


Invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1400s, patented by Mercedes Benz in the 1800s, driven by the apathetic in the 2000s.  At inception, the continuously variable transmission seemed to be the perfect transmission for the foreseeable, miserly, fuel starved future.  Its variable gear ratios allow a motor to work at its optimum rpm for max torque and therefore max mpg.  It's just too bad that an engine operating in one part of the rpm range sounds AWFUL!  Oh yeah, it wasn't mainstream until the 90s and everyone is accustomed to the feeling of normal cogs.  Yet, Nissan has kept with this technology and it would seem that CAFE laws and the need for ever increasing fuel efficiency are helping this rare transmission survive.  It may end up being the cockroach of the automotive world.  It's not the sexiest thing but may outlive us all.

Rear Engines

Nothing really needs to be said about this.  Porsche has been the most stubborn car company and kept the motor aft of the rear axle since primordial times.  That being said, the 911 has been around for over 50 years and has won races that whole time.  Yes, it's bizarre and doesn't make sense but the same can be said about the platypus and it's still around.

Live Rear Axles

When thinking of live rear axles, two really sweet rides come to mind.  No, one of them is not a Conestoga wagon.  In no particular order, they are the Roman chariot and the Ford Mustang.  While the chariot helped the all conquering military defeat barbarian hordes all over Europe, the live rear axled Mustang is proving a worthy adversary for the best European muscle including the M3.  Tuned to perfection over the course of a few millennium, the solid axle can duel at the dragstrip as well as the road course barring any alligator-like ripples in the pavement.

Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self

Halloween weekend I found myself in the middle of a Nor’easter in western Massachusetts.  Luckily, my car was up on its maintenance and handled the snow without a problem.  Looking ahead, we’re approaching the Holiday Season which means a lot of traveling through less than perfect weather conditions.  Here are a few easy things that you can do to ensure your safety on the roads this winter.

Isle Of Man: Talking Heads

For a race with so much history, I think this is the first time I've got to experience the voices from all the people of the Isle of Man-- the riders, the race marshals, and the residents.


Tourist Trophy, Isle of Man from Carwell Casswell on Vimeo.

Flappy Paddle Heads GT5 Invitational UPDATE: Car (hp/kg/pp) and Tracks Announced

Buenos noches, amigos!

Here's an update to our November 26th Gran Turismo 5 invitational. After a couple of trial races online, we've found the Mazda Miatas the most fun and most exciting. We find ourselves racing harder while the grid can remain closely bunched. In karting, if a driver makes a slight mistake, he'll find the rest of the pack disappearing into the horizon.

As a benchmark, the Miata I will be using is the 1989 Eunos Roadster, tuned to 202-hp, 152 lb.-ft. of torque, 870kg, 437PP.  Tune your beast accordingly. If folks wish to choose something different but comparable, that should be fine. But keep in mind, if I see any of you sailing away in your tuned R34 GTR, you won't be eligible to win the prize. So be a good sport!

As for tracks, we'll be choosing familiar and fundamental staples to ensure everyone can acclimate quickly to the changing tracks throughout the event. Notable circuits we'll race include Toyko R246, Suzuka, Laguna Seca, Trial Mountain, and Deep Forest.

That's our update for now. We'll announce the exact time and duration of the event, the name of the race lobby, and will reveal the prizes in our next series of updates. Also, feel free to let us know what additional info you would like us to provide.

Hope everyone's having a pleasant weekend so far!

Harlem Shakes

from: http://www.sntrl.com/nyc-life/nyc-nights-vraceworks-meet/

Take a step back, and you'll realize that Hip Hop has had quite a long love affair with cars. Pathfinders sitting on Lorenzos, boomin' 1000 jigga-watt sound systems in Flo-Benzies, hydraulic lowrider '64 Impalas, lifted Chevy Caprices, Escalades on Dubs, what have you.

Hell, CarEnvy did a whole Fiesta-VS.-Countryman review in G-speak. I dare anyone to try to write a review in the tongue of any other sort of subculture. Punk Rockers from Liverpool? Please, it just isn't the same.

But let's face it. To us, an Olds Cutlass on spinners is a subject of ridicule. We hate Dubs. Tweeters and Subwoofers are tossed in the name of adding lightness. Hip Hop and whatever the mainstream media enjoys putting on display doesn't represent us. Real car enthusiasts never TiVo "Pimp My Ride." We're not even disappointed because we expect it all to have little-to-no contribution anyway.

But we're wrong. I am wrong. From Vimeo, I came upon some footage posted by Henry Rojas' of a VRaceWorks' Harlem Meet (yes, that Harlem), chock full of clean JDM tuners from a Civic Si-R fitted with a Garret turbo, rare and tidy Integra Type-R's, S2k's, to even a silver MK IV Toyota Supra and a Nissan GTR. Not a single whistle tip. More than that, the whole event just looks so well organized. The cars are well prepped for photoshoots, the attendees and photographers are all genuinely supportive and respectful to the cars and its owners. I've never been more pleased about being wrong!



TGIF, everybody!

Just Add Water!

Racing is demanding. Racing in the rain is doubly so!

Teutonic Tuesday

Welcome to the first and possibly the only Teutonic Tuesday!  We've scoured the internet... ok, we've scoured about 100 pages of Vimeo for the best videos of German cars.  We've taken a more artsy route with our video choices and decided to showcase very well executed films instead of straight car porn.  Without further ado, here are the films:


MRC WIDEBODY S4 from MRC Tuning on Vimeo.



Ben Thomas' B5 Wagon from Speedline Film Werks on Vimeo.



Tribute to BMW e30 M3 EVO II by sixrun from SixrunDIGITAL on Vimeo.



The SLS Experience from Clashproduction on Vimeo.

Summer should get a speeding ticket.

It's officially over! All the snow that has fallen this past weekend made me realize that I won't have a chance to wear chino shorts, boat shoes and panama hats until next year. Why did summer have to go so soon?!

Yet, all the same, it's always nice to reflect on good times. Without further ado, here's my summer grab bag, a combination of DSLR and camera phone, MCB style:

 

 

American Swagger

Over the past few years Ford has become a proud American institution.  While all the other American car manufacturers were taking government hand-outs, Ford was bootstrapping itself back to profitability.  By selling off Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Volvo, Ford found the capital and focused resources to improve quality across the board.  It also killed off the Mercury sub-brand which existed only to create carbon copies of Ford branded cars.  The Focus and Fiesta are considered cool by those in the know and the Ford Evos concept is a glimpse at what's to come.  However, there's still a fly in the Ford ointment, Lincoln.

Fast Bikes Slow [1000 FPS]

Thanks to incredible frame rates, we get to appreciate what makes these bikes race bikes and what makes these men professionals. Some of you have probably seen these videos already, but I believe its worth having another look. The devils are in the details and the details have never been more clear!

2013 Joisy GP!

OH EM GEE!

I've always wanted to attend a Formula 1 race, but with all the hotel and travel expenses on top of the ticket itself, I never had the funds to make it a reality.

Sometimes I'd wonder how nice it'd be if they renovated Watkins Glen to modern standards, but this? An outrageous street circuit right across the Hudson River? I'm loving this to bits. Comon', you've seen my past posts?!

The new Grand Prix at New Jersey for 2013 is beyond my wildest dreams, and more than I could ever ask for. As more details of the track start to surface, I've collected three videos that demonstrate the circuit's layout.

Have an awesome Halloween, peeps!

Augmented Driving

Imagine this situation: you're driving along the interstate at a decent clip when all of a sudden the skies open up, brake lights glow bright red, traffic slows rapidly, and your GPS just spouted off some inaudible set of directions.  Your reaction to this is probably a stab at the brakes, a flick of the wiper stalk, and maybe a couple of downshifts.  Now, what about that set of directions?  Looking over at the 3.5" Garmin that's 3.5 feet away will only take a split second but that traffic is getting close pretty quick...

In a few years, all that will be a non-issue with Making Virtual Solid's True3D heads up display (HUD) for GPS.  Their new HUD acts much like augmented reality applications that are widely available on iPhone and Android devices.  By exploiting parameters that the GPS unit already uses, the system can overlay pertinent information directly onto what you see out your windshield.  If you've played the racing game Forza, this type of interface will be instantly familiar like the racing line in the game.  While this HUD will make travel easier and maybe even save some fuel by avoiding the need to backtrack after missing a turn, it will most importantly make driving safer.

Announcing The Flappy Paddle Heads Gran Turismo 5 Invitational! [PRIZES TOO, Betch!]

Earlier this month, Danny Chin finally bought a Playstation 3 console. To celebrate Danny Chin's financial irresponsibility (and that of our fellow PS3 owners as well), we're reaching out to our fans in our very first Gran Turismo 5 invitational!

The goal of the event is simple. We love cars, love Flappy Paddle Heads, and love to share our enthusiasm. Although this is the first event, and everything feels a bit like an experiment, we hope that through racing and having a good time, we get an opportunity to thank many of our readers for visiting our blog and supporting us in general. How exactly will we thank you? Race winner of the night will get a sports car, specially prepped by FPH, to add to their virtual garage! Other prizes will be available too and we will continue providing updates in the upcoming days.

The event will be held a month from now, on November 26th, which align perfectly with the last race weekend of the F1 season in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hopefully this will give you guys enough time to respond to us (details below*), as well as enough time for us to work out the details of the event.

One things for certain. You guys better perfect your race craft... because shit just got real.



* Add us on PSN (Playstation Network) with "FPH" written on the body of the request. Find us at:
Danny Choy: capn_chimichanga
Danny Chin: Anduril218
Kyle Swift: ROADWARRIOR721

2011 Saab 9-5. Swan Song Or A Phoenix Rising?

A couple months back, I wrote a post about Saab. As I've mentioned, I was never familiar with the marque. Yet, similar to the way a person can never look away from a train wreck, I couldn't leave Saab and its imminent bankruptcy well alone.

What will happen to an all-but-terminal company when its CEO, Victor Muller, sells his creation, Spyker Cars, just to see the new 9-5 realized? What will happen to a company that has passionate and loyal fans but a tiny, and shrinking, customer base?

I've presented a couple questions in my past article and after so long, not only have they all gone unanswered, but every so often, the questions would come to haunt me. I couldn't leave them alone.

What does the brand stand for? What sets Saab apart? Who are Saab buyers today? What's the one thing the company can do to turn it all around?

There was only one way to find out. I had to drive it.

Ciao Marco

For the third time in just over a week, the motorsports world is mourning the loss of one of its own.  MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli lost the front-end of his San Carlo Gresini Honda RC212V and careened across the track amongst a tight field of riders.  While trailing riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi tried to avoid Simoncelli, there wasn't enough track and they collided with the downed rider.

Never one to back down, Marco was a talented rider who could take the fight to anyone.  Fellow Italian Luca Montezemolo, President of Ferrari, put Simoncelli's abilities into perspective when he said,"I was very impressed by his speed, talent and the determination he showed this year. His qualities reminded me of Gilles Villeneuve and now, fate has chosen to link them in this tragic fashion."  Montezemolo's thoughts are supported by Marco's career highlights of 2009 250cc MotoGP World Champion as well as podiums in the premiere class in only his second season riding the 800cc motorcycles.

While a fearsome competitor on the track, Marco never lost sight of the importance of life and always kept a cheerful disposition.  Valentino Rossi had stated on twitter that Marco "was like a youngest brother.  So strong on track and so sweet in normal life.  I will miss him a lot."  We're right there with you, Vale.  We'll all miss Super Sic.  Ciao Marco.

Long Live Rusty Slammington

What is Rusty Slammington? It's just as its name describes; an E28 BMW 5-series with rusty sheet metal and a slammed wheel and suspension combination. It Draws inspiration distinctly rat rod and German Bosuzoku. What's more, the engine is a Toyota Supra 1JZ-GTE. Really, Rusty Slammington shouldn't exist. There is no car quite like it, before or since.