What I can go off about is what happened out in Chino, California recently. Well first, let me back up a bit.

It’s no secret that Chris and I have lofty goals for Motorfanatics. What most don’t know is how lofty those goals are. I’m talking a racetrack compound, airfields, space vacations, a bombing range, remote controlled everything, and a warehouse that Chris can sleep in to make sure he’s never to far from the smell of petroleum. I’ll be honest, many of these hair-brained ideas come during our regular indulgences of beer in a can, fresh from the Rockies, but the point is, we want Motorfanatics to grow to something more than our original title for the blog “2 guys website”.

Ok, back to the “event”…one of my fascinations in life is the airplane, especially military aircraft. So this weekend, the Planes of Fame Museum is holding their yearly air-show. One of the guest performers will be “The Horsemen”, the worlds only P-51 Mustang flight demonstration group. They are sponsored by the U.S. Military, and they are basically the Blue Angels, in P-51s. I set my eyes on them, and had planned to produce a piece on them specifically. Unfortunately for me, they couldn’t make the press preview event, and weren’t going to have enough time during the weekend to accommodate us smaller outfits. At first, bummer. But, that quickly changed when I got to the Museum on the preview day, and walked out of the hanger and saw 2 perfect P-51 mustangs sitting side by side.

I spoke with my contact at the museum, and he asked if I was going flying today….uhhh yeah, I can’t pass that up. He handed me a form, basically signing away any responsibility, and then he handed me off to a nice old guy, who only had 3 teeth, and a name strait out of a Jeff Foxworthy joke: Jim Bob. Seriously. So as I started talking to this character, he told me about how he grew up in the area and how he, the father of the 2 mustang pilots and another 3 guys, grew up at the museum. They volunteered in Jr. High school, they all fly regularly, and got to do some crazy stuff. They fly the vintage war-birds to air-shows all over the world, and early on, they would fly to a town and sleep in the back of these old museum pieces. I quickly became very comfortable with Jim Bob, and found out that contrary to his presentation, he was quite intelligent.

So the mustang pilots climbed into their planes, and we watched them taxi and take-off. It is a spectacular thing to hear the Rolls-Royce PV-12 Merlin motors and to watch these priceless pieces of American History roar to life. It gave me shivers to think of how many pilots did that exact thing roughly 70 years ago in Europe and never came back. I thought of the Tuskegee Airmen and the vital roll they plaid in the allied success. And I thought of how many soldiers on the ground all over Europe felt like they had seen the second coming of God when the Mustangs would show up to give air support. As the 2 mustangs disappeared over the horizon, Jim Bob asked if I was ready, and along with 2 other journalists, we climbed into an old Cessna 195 painted-up with military camo.

I don’t have a lot of time in small planes, but I love it. It just feels so raw and adventurous. For photo opportunities we flew about 2 miles to the hills above Chino, and quickly I heard the Mustang pilots on the radio. I still couldn’t see them, but I heard the leader tell our pilot to start a bank when he was over the tallest peak. Seconds after, we turned to our left, I looked out the right window, and saw my first close – up Mustang. Again, the chills set in. I said out loud, “MY GOD!”

That first sight was something I will never forget. Both planes where painted beautifully, but the closer of the 2 was an earlier model that had a bit more obstructive canopy. It was still an absolutely spectacular looking airplane. The blue-accented plane was the first to appear about 50 feet away. From that distance you can see right into the cock pit. You can see the pilot working to keep the plane a constant distance from our plane, with his eyes locked on us. You can see the light sparkle off the edges and chrome, and you can hear the roar of those motors, even with headphones on, inside another plane.

As the photo shoot wound down, and as we flew back to the air field, I thought about the experience. I’ve never been to war, never was in the military. Hell, I was asked to not come back to the boy scouts after the first den meeting. The point is that I will probably never know the sense of camaraderie that those pilots felt when these planes where in action, but I got a sense of it that day. I was proud of those planes and the 2 pilots. At first I wasn’t sure why because I have nothing to do with them. But they represent American history, and I’m proud of the guys who flew them when it mattered. The guys that stepped up when they where needed, and got it done. I have great respect and admiration for that.

Maybe that is why I love the P-51 Mustang. It’s more than a big engined, flying hot-rod; it represents all that I love about this country.  It was simple, purposed, fierce, graceful, reasonably priced and hugely effective. Maybe we should think about that as a country, at a time when we seem to over think, over spend, over complicate and under deliver pretty much everything. As Americans, we need to be more like the P-51, and with good role models for kids  extremely hard to find, maybe more kids need to learn about the P-51 Mustangs, and the pilots that flew them.

[View with PicLens]

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As a self-proclaimed petrol head and hybrid hater, I’ve told countless people to buy a diesel instead of a battery, and for the most part I like to stick to that mantra.  Until that is, something performance oriented comes about.  Last year, I had the privilege of  riding in a Tesla roadster and the relentless rush of acceleration just blew my mind.  This electric car thing just might take off I thought…until I drove a Prius.  Commuting appliances aside, the ride in the Tesla made me realize that electricity is inherently awesome for us performance enthusiasts.  Lately, electricity’s been getting a bad wrap from us performance minded individuals due to being chained to gutless gas engines, lifeless CVT’s, snail-paced acceleration, and handling so numb you might as well be steering with a joystick.  The Tesla proved to me that through all this depressing, lifeless mediocrity there’s potential in powering vehicles with electricity, and I can’t wait for someone to tap into it.

I’m rather confident that the first camp to put out an exciting gas-electric hybrid will be Honda.  The new Honda CR-Z production concept reportedly aims to be performance oriented.  How so?  To start, the electric motor will be mated to a 1.5 liter gas motor…that’s .2 liters larger than the anemic gas motor found the Insight, and while in itself isn’t exciting, it’s the electric motor and 6-speed MANUAL transmission that caught my attention.  Honda claims the CR-Z to be sport oriented, and offering the manual transmission is a promising start.  Drawing comparisons to the CR-X of the 80’s and 90’s are natural, and given Honda’s recent lack of anything resembling a sports car (minus the outgoing and outdated S2000) they’re due for something pretty stellar performance wise.  With all the hype around gas-electric hybrids, the CR-Z could be just what the doctor ordered for those of us fearing the death of performance is looming.

Don’t get me wrong, the CR-Z won’t shoot rainbows out the tailpipe while smoking a GT3RS around The Ring (there I go with the euro stuff again), but it is significant in the way it represents a new chapter for the gas-electric hybrid.  Uncorking some of the potential in electric motors for performance sake would be much welcomed from my end and with a three pedal control layout, I’m stoked. It’s also a three door hatchback and using my GTI as evidence, it’s clear I’m sold on that body style.  It releases in Japan this spring, and we should get it on our shores next fall.  A hybrid that’s fun and frugal? (I know, I hate that over-used phase too, but I like alliteration)  Sign me up for a test drive and maybe I won’t be a hybrid hater for much longer.

I’ve been a fan of kart racing for a while.  In karts, you’re virtually invincible as the center of gravity is essentially on the ground.  You can blast through turns at almost full throttle and really the worst thing that can happen is a spin-out.  The best part though about kart racing is it gives you an opportunity to really hone your driving skill.  Karts put you on the track, no suspension or power steering to get in the way…just you, driving.  Many professional race drivers start in karts and I can see why.  Dan and I have even thrown around the idea of shifter karts, and after today, I’m ready.

Shifter karts are quite a bit more extreme than the electric ones I drove today, but still 50mph an inch above the ground indoors is plenty fast, and enough to plant the seed for addiction.  For 23 bucks you get 14 laps, mandatory use of a full faced helmet and of course emissions-free electric kart race action.  It might be a little steep for some, but to speed junkies like myself, it’s definitely worth it.  It takes a while to get the feel of the track, find the right lines and proper braking and acceleration points, so your first lap times suffer.  Once you get the hang of it though, it’s a blast.

MB2 features full real-time electric lap timing so spectators can keep track of the action and at the end, they print out full performance stats for the drivers to take home and brag to (or hide from) your friends.  I ended up with the second fastest average lap time and the 6^th fastest lap time out of a field of 10 racers.  I spent my last 3 or 4 laps stuck behind some douche bags running slow side-by-side, otherwise I know my best lap time would have been stellar.  Now that I’ve got a feel for the track though, I’m eager and ready for more.  With the facility just 10 minutes away from the office, I may have to drag Dan down at lunch for some lunch runs soon.  I’ll get him addicted and then it’s only a matter of time until we’re members…and then well on our way to shifter karts.

Yes, there’s a few things on the list that aren’t cars and yea, we have a few random selections (we’re outside the box thinkers here) but because we’re MotorFanatics, we get stoked about anything with a motor.  The Sidewinder missile is more for perspective, but still to see that the Space Shuttle, which is capable of 16,000 miles per hour (no, I didn’t add extra zero’s there) has a lower power to weight ratio than the Toyota F1 car or even the 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1, a bike that most of us might be able to ride, is pretty cool to see.  To think that any of us could ride something that has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the friggen Space Shuttle is awesome, and it’s what makes being a  MotorFanatic great.  Don’t get me wrong, we still dream of being Astronauts, but could riding a Yamaha R1 give us the same sensation?  Well, maybe not. But still, the power-to-weight ratio is more, and it’s a really quick bike.  Yes please.

One of the best parts about going to the quarter wash is that I can meticulously clean the car to my beyond fanatical standards.  Sure I could pay someone to wash my car for me (and it seems most Californian’s do seeing as how there’s only one quarter wash in my area) but that’s like paying someone else to drink all your beer and punch you in the face at the end of the night so you wake up the next morning with the same effect.  Nope, I want to wash my own car and no stupid cramped apartment or lack of quarter washes will stop me.

The place I found looked like it had started life as a wagon wash in the gold rush era.  It was old as old could be, but it was laid out brilliantly.  Two rows of wash bays, followed by a row of vacuums, and finally in the back the pièce de résistance: a huge parking lot all in the shade for drying.  Feeding the hose and foamy brush some 5 bucks in quarters, I cleaned all the dust, bug splatter, and dirt that had been driving me nuts for the past week. Afterwards, I blindly made my way to the heavenly drying area resisting the urge to clear the windshield with the wipers (I really did not want streaks).  Once there, it’s like a car guy’s Mecca.

I pulled up next to this guy named Jack with a 55 Ford pick-up.  It was a clean, perfect driver that was nice enough to draw attention, but not something you’d be afraid to drive.  It was evident that Jack loved his truck, and as he dried and polished away on his historic gem, I got to work on my now brilliant red dubber.  Other guys started to fill in around us, all meticulously drying their cars as well with a quiet somber very much reminiscent of a Sunday morning church service.  Jack broke the silence with “I love coming down here, it’s meditative to me.”  I looked at him and nodded “Yep, that’s why I wash my own car.”

I’m not saying I’ve never taken my car through a quick gas station wash (touchless ONLY) just to get some grime off, but to me a true fanatic can appreciate an afternoon of quiet reflection scrubbing, drying, detailing, rubbing, shining, their ride to their perfect image.  Now for the next few days when I walk out to get in the car, I’ll see the spotless paint gleaming under a coat of McGuires Tech Wax, the wheels devoid of any brake dust, tires dripping wet with tire shine and I’ll smile.  Not only because it looks better than new, but I personally made it that way. See, to a true fanatic, it’s not just the destination.  It’s the journey.  And that goes for car washes too.  Anyone else with me?

Cars like the MINI Cooper, GTI, Mazda3, and Cobalt (SS turbo only please) give FWD a lot of street cred, yet I continuously see enthusiasts write these machines off for lack of rear wheel drive.  I’ve had the pleasure of driving all of these machines (owning one in fact) and I must say that the front wheel drive layout of all of them give a nice well balanced drive with minimal understeer and only gentle 4 wheel drifts when things start to get fun.  It’s just the way I like it…balanced, fun, and controllable.  Now, the reason for this post is that for the past week a video on youtube of Jason Plato making a remarkable save during a British Touring Car Championship race has been making the rounds (check it out below).

I think what’s so remarkable about this video is not so much that Jason saved the car in an almost unsaveable situation, but rather how he accomplished it.  It was the front-wheel drive layout of his race prepped Chevy Lacetti that in fact saved him as he hammered the throttle and let the front wheels pull him straight.  Try that in a rear wheel drive car and you would be kissing the tires faster than you can process which end is front.  While a lot of that comes down to driver skill and feeling the car, you have to give credit to the FWD layout and recognize that it might not be so deserving of the bum rap it’s earned from enthusiasts lately.

While the success of the Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo have made All-wheel drive that much more desirable in the past ten years, my preference still goes to the car that handles the best.  The WRX provides insane amounts of grip while accelerating through corners, however the AWD system adds weight that makes the car feel heavy and somewhat unsettled at times (in my opinion at least, whatever that’s worth).  Sometimes, it’s the simplest of things that work the best, and you can’t get much simpler than a smartly packaged FWD platform.

I know, here I go again.  I’m being the odd man out on these enthusiast matters.  From speaking out against rain sensing wipers to declaring victory for front wheel drive, I guess I’m just weird (yea, I do get that a lot!).  So what do you think?  Have I been watching too much Spongebob again, or is it possible that front-wheel drive could be “for the win”?

As I’m sure you are aware by now, I’ve got a 2009 VW GTI that I absolutely love to death.  No options, bare bones, switch gears with a stick and foot-clutch two door eye-burn red GTI.  Less to get in the way and less to go wrong.  Just the way I like it.  Before I chose the GTI, I read of these magical computer retunes that promised incredible performance increases, by nothing more than plugging a laptop into your car.  Skeptical, I wrote all that techno wizardry off until a Porsche, Audi, VW tuning company out of Alabama called APR caught my eye.

Their Stage 1 ECU upgrade is a computer retune that is invisible to dealers, adds anti-theft features, is switchable depending on fuel octane, and transforms your already awesome GTI into optimus prime.  Alright, so it doesn’t turn your GTI into optimus prime, but it does do all those other things.  APR was smart this year and offered a half-off sale right at tax time, so with a tax return burning a hole in my pocket in the exact amount of their flash, I made an appointment with my local APR dealer.

20 minutes with a laptop plugged into my car and I had a whole new animal.  An additional 40 horsepower and 80 (yea, eight-zero) pound-feet of torque were now on tap without even popping the hood.  The car drives exactly as it did…just with gobs and gobs of more raw POWER.  Amazing really.  I’ve been in tuned cars that idled horribly (if at all), belched smoke, or failed to entirely.  Not my car, not with the APR Stage 1 upgrade.

As I pulled out of the tuning shop and dropped the hammer on Ventura Blvd, the relentless rush of torque shoved me back into the interlagos plaid recaro seats and second gear came much faster than I could believe. I was instantly converted. Merging on the highway is a joy, passing is exciting, and red lights are actually welcome!  While I do actually understand the technical aspects of the flash (increasing boost, adjusting timing, etc) it is sill awe inspiring that this is what technology can do.  20 minutes, not a bolt turned, hood popped, wheel raised, just a computer with an Internet connection and a special USB cable and my car was transformed.

Technology…Fanatic Friend or Foe?  FRIEND.  Trust me, it’s definitely your friend.