The Ratty Alfa: Chris' Driven GTV

Chris’ ‘71 Alfa is a car that is difficult to ignore, whether you like it or not. I had wanted to get some camera time with it for a while, so we met up in the little town of Woodside for a photo session.

There are a lot of conversation points within this car, but if you talk to Chris, one thing becomes evident more than anything else: he drives the shit out of this thing. From road rallies to for-fun trips and everything in between, this car sees more pavement than your average. He’s humble about it, too. He’s not here to win awards or park his car behind a plaque. He simply wants to drive and have fun.

I recommend you follow him on Instagram to see what he gets up to. Find him at: @71gtv

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these photos from our shoot!

From LA to the Bay: Johnny's New R32 GTR

New beginnings sometimes come to us in the most unexpected ways.

First, a quick rewind: I met Johnny because of Z cars. We found each other on Instagram, and I fell in love with his SR powered 240z. Over a few DMs, my boyfriend and I planned to meet up with him at a local In-n-Out, as one does these days. We immediately hit it off! It was so exciting to listen to him talk about his long history with the Z, the various setups, motors that he blew through, and chasing times at the track. The first time we met in person, he took me for a ride in the Z, and it's something I will never forget. It was so inspiring to me, and he was (and still is) one of the biggest sources of help and advice for my Z car needs. He even helped me search for my own Z for months until I found "the one." Over the course of the last couple of years, we've become close friends, and we often meet up to grab tea, hang out, and talk cars!

Unfortunately, his S30 had a run in with some large debris on the freeway several months ago. Because damage to the car was so substantial, Johnny struggled with his options. Buy back the totaled car and rebuild it, or start somewhere entirely new? He ultimately decided to part out the car. (I'm actually purchasing some parts from him, so pieces of his Z will live on in mine!)

With this obstacle in the road, Johnny slightly retracted himself from social car events. It was pretty sad to see him move on from the Z, but I know that one day he'll probably own another. In the meantime, he was also preparing for his wedding in May. With so much planning and life changes going on, it was stressful. Then, one day he messaged us with an idea: he wanted to either buy a new Lexus to daily drive, or go big and shell out to import an R32.

As you can see, he made the right choice...

Johnny made this purchase and imported the car through International Vehicle Importers, who was amazingly helpful during the entire process. They're true professionals who definitely know their stuff. To make things legitimate, Johnny went ahead and spent the extra cash to make the GTR entirely California legal. Yes, CARB compliant, State of California approved, 100% legal. It's as if the car has been here its whole life. This is actually pretty rare, as many people don't want to spend the money or take the time to make their import California legal. The whole process happened within a matter of months. The time to successfully import and legalize a vehicle can vary, but Johnny was pleasantly surprised when it took less than the expected six months.

We originally thought that the car would be ready to come home some time this summer. However, while we were at Bimmerfest during the last week of May, Johnny messaged us: "What are you guys doing this Sunday?"

The car was ready for pickup in SoCal! Without hesitation, Dustin and I made sure that we could be there for the pickup. Johnny and a few of his friends hauled down i5 early that Sunday morning, and we eventually met up in LA.

This R32, they told Johnny, was the first one to drive off of their lot. If a car isn't state legal, they don't allow you to drive it away. A trailer is required.

Johnny's GTR is an amazing, glorious machine. I'd never ridden in an R32 until the day we brought it home, but it's pretty close to what I thought it would be. The car is so smooth, and feels extremely solid. One particularly special part about this Skyline is that it's a TH1--which makes up around only 4% of R32 Skylines.

The technology of the R32 is actually really rad. It's a crazy balance of everything you need or want, and nothing you don't!

I have to say, riding across California in an R32 was pretty fun. It's not something I thought I'd ever do, so it's a memory I'll cherish for a long time (even if the speed sensor was pinging the whole way home!). We're so happy for Johnny and his newest addition to the automotive family. It's great to see him back in a car that he truly enjoys. Be sure to follow him on Instagram @TH1GTR to keep up with the build progress and other updates!

535 Reasons: Eric’s 1982 911SC

The first time I saw Eric’s bright red 911, it was sitting under a car cover in the back of his garage. The circumstances under which we met were rather funny—through a mutual friend who basically set me up to buy Eric’s E38, which wasn’t even for sale at the time. (My car can be seen in the background of a few of the following photos!)

I remember asking to see the car, and he took me back and uncovered it. It was by no means ready to drive. At the time, he was progressing on the build and still had a few items to figure out. He told me that he had built the car with his father, and the longer he spoke about it, the more I wanted to know. In 2004, he and his dad bought the car essentially as a clean slate. Intended to be driven on the track from the start, the P-Car was enjoyed with its 3.0 foundation up until 2009. Then, it was swapped out for a built 3.6L. Additional changes were made aesthetically with 930 front fenders and RSR rears. I made sure to request that he tell me when the car was back up and running, because unquestionably, I wanted to see it again.

Last week, he did just that. I received a text letting me know that the Porsche was photo ready. I was anxious to see the car again, as it was so buttoned up compared to the last time I saw it. I made my way to Eric’s house in the same BMW that I bought from him. There, in the garage, was the vibrant red of the 911, right where my seven series was parked before I purchased it.

The car had just been outfitted with new CCWs, a stout 9.5” in front and 12.5” in the rear. He explained that he was waiting on some adjustments from CCW, as the fitment (mostly in the rear) was insanely aggressive, and not all that track appropriate. On the flip side, it made for fantastic photos!

The 535 doesn’t just look good in pictures, though. Eric says that he’s at the track every chance he gets. “Any time NASA or TMR hosts an event,” he said, “I’m likely there.”

Luckily over the course of the build’s timeline, there haven’t been many issues. This has permitted Eric with the opportunities he hoped for to accumulate more seat time. He described an incident where they lost fourth gear at a Thunder Hill, but that’s really been most of the trouble outside of waiting during downtime.

The rear bay holds a treat for anyone who enjoys pure, vintage oriented details. Armed with PMO carbs, RSR cams, and a whole bunch of other goodies varied between RSR / 964RS varieties, I can imagine that the car not only sounds great at the track, but holds its own as well. It weighs in at about 2,380 pounds and sends around 325 HP down to the ground.

One of the most noticeable parts of the car’s exterior for me is the number 535, which is seen repeatedly in multiple areas. Since I couldn’t make a distinct connection to where the number would come from, I asked Eric. He told me that in 2010, his father passed, and that’s when he assumed full ownership of the Porsche. “The number 535 originated from my dad racing his 1959 356 in the 70s,” he explained. “I wanted to pay homage to that, and therefore, 535 has been ‘our’ race number.” This was very touching to me. I know I’m emotional, but to carry on a build in memory of a loved one with whom you started it struck me on a deeper level. To me, it is a demonstration of dedication and passion.

When all is said and done, I think that this is a great build, and I hope that I’ll be able to see it in action some time this summer! If you’re in the Bay Area and you attend any track events, make sure you keep an eye out for this car. Eric is a truly genuine and passionate person, so to talk to him about his craft is nothing short of exciting!

Be sure to follow him on his Instagram (@eeesondeliqus) to see future updates and photos of this rad build!

Office of the Day: Porsche Cup Practice at Laguna Seca

A couple of weeks ago, I headed down south to Laguna Seca Raceway to photograph some of the Porsche Cup practice that was happening that Friday. Part of my Motorsport team from Performance Technic was at the track for the whole weekend with a Spec E46, so I wasn't without company.

I didn't go to Laguna with any sort of goal in my mind; it was more of a "for fun" trip. Sometimes I forget that not everything has to be monumentally important to be worthy of photographing. I'm so used to having a checklist of things to get done in an hour's worth of shooting. Things are usually a bit faster paced. There's a kind of relaxation that I get when I take my time and shoot without an agenda. I always find myself fascinated with the buzz of the paddocks, and it's exciting in general to see all of the teams interacting with each other and with their cars.

The paddocks weren't the busiest since it was early on practice day, but there was plenty to look at. It was around 10:30AM, and many of the cars were already on track by the time I arrived. The majority of the cars in the paddocks were for SP911. New cars are great, but old cars are better. The solo Porsche under the canopy shown above was at rest with no one in sight, so I just took some photos in passing. As I walked farther down the aisle, however...

This whole pack of P-Cars was sitting between a couple of trailers. The blue RSR on Forgelines was probably my favorite one there, but I also can't help but love the off white + green stripe livery of #29. A few more details of the RSR...

I continued my walk as cars started exiting the track and rolling in for their in-between check ups. There was a handful of racers coming in for fuel, while everyone else headed back to their paddock stalls. I couldn't help but take a few too many photos of the Clubsports that were running around.

From here on, I've just added photos of the variety of cars I saw while walking around. The Spec Miata and Spec E30 classes were practicing that day as well, but I figured I would keep this blog mostly Porsche related.

There was no shortage of Porsche goodness that day. I tend to gravitate toward the vintage cars, as I mentioned earlier, so I was happy to see so many of them out there. Unfortunately, it's hard to get a word in with anyone actually working on a team since the schedule is so busy. Regardless, it's fun to watch and just take photos.

Review: Turtle Wax ICE Combo!

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve actually managed to keep up with blogging. I’m going to attempt to get back into it in the coming months, so bear with me.

The focus of this blog is simple: combine multiple products from the Turtle Wax ICE line and tell you what I think! In this example, I’ve combined the ICE Spray Wax, Interior Cleaner and Protectant, and their newest product for 2016: M.A.X. Power Car Wash!

Seeing as California is still struggling with its terrible draught, I only get to thoroughly clean my cars one every few months. It’s not really fun to see your neighbors frown at you when they see you running the hose water on your car… That said, my daily commuter, this BMW 740iL, was filthy, to put it lightly. Covered with a thick coat of dust and bugs, a good wash was definitely needed.

Before I go further into detail about the results of this combo, let me explain the science behind the M.A.X. Car Wash. The idea is to have a wash soap that, quite simply, has layers. These layers operate on a variable pH scale. A good way to think about it is to compare it to cooking. When cooking from scratch, there are sometimes specific ratios of ingredients you must combine. This car wash is no different! For example, adding 3 oz. of wash to one gallon of water provides a more Moderate level of clean. This is more for light dirt and other remnants from commuting. This is the most pH-neutral layer. The middle layer, which is about 6 oz. per gallon of water, is a more potent one (Aggressive). This increases the pH levels so that you’re able to clean more inset grime, like stubborn bugs. The final and most powerful layer, Xtreme, is a whole 9 oz. per gallon of water. This is the amount you want to use when you’re trying to remove problematic stains, like sap or even hard set dirt or brake dust on your wheels. Pretty cool concept, right?

Well, as cool as it sounds, it produces the results to match! I have to admit that I was surprised by the amount of suds the soap produced. I’m used to extreme bouts of bubbles, but this was a bit more mild on that front (which I didn’t mind). The M.A.X. wash feels thin and slick, not slimy and syrup-like. It made contact with the paint easier in my opinion. As far as removal goes, I didn’t have to drown my car to get the soap off—which, again, is great for conserving water. I have used thicker soaps in the past that just didn’t seem to come off unless sprayed with an obscure amount of water.

Once I had finished drying the car, I applied a coat of the ICE Spray Wax. This wax is meant for more casual use, and doesn’t take nearly as much time to apply as the other waxes that the ICE line offers. It’s great for quick cleaning, or even for those who might be a little intimidated by pastes or other compounds. After I had waxed the car panel by panel (which took quite a while—do you see how huge this car is?), I was extremely happy with the result. Not only did my paint shine brilliantly, but it was such a clear clean. There were no swirls nor residue to be found; that’s what you want from a good wax, after all!

On to my interior… This is one of the most stress inducing interior colors— next to pure white— that I can imagine. Dirt shows up immediately and I need to be aware of clothing (like dark wash jeans) rubbing off on the seats. The ICE Interior Cleaner and Protectant worked wonderfully to scrub out dirt that somehow stained the side of my passenger headrest. It also worked well for wiping down the leather dash (which I’m paranoid about keeping in good condition).

One of the parts of this process that made me happiest was how nice my wheels looked after! I had scrubbed them thoroughly with the M.A.X. Car Wash and coated them with ICE Spray Detailer to finish. The wash really did a great job of breaking down the immense layer of brake dust I had accumulated.

Ultimately, I’m very excited with the combined result of using these products together. My car is 15 years old, but you wouldn’t think it! It certainly isn’t perfect; but it just goes to show that if you take that extra measure and maintain your vehicle, it can look great even decades down the line. By no means am I a professional when it comes to detailing and car care, but the products that Turtle Wax offers give me the confidence to take charge of my car’s cosmetic health!