Banzai Magazine

FIRST WORDS
Welcome to our first issue of 2012; and though I’m typing these words in late November, I still can’t believe that the past year has flashed by so quickly. For the Japanese still recovering from the terrible Tohoku earthquake that occurred back in March, 2011 will likely be viewed as a year to forget. So it is with great relief that we find the Japanese car industry enjoying some renewed zest as the New Year sees the final launch of the much-hyped and frequently delayed Toyota/Subaru rear-wheel drive coupe collaboration.

Smartphone-obsessed members of Generation Y may not care much for cars (apparently, they take up time that could be better spent sending text messages) but for the rest of who prefer to interact with people and objects in real-life, these siblings could be the biggest things to hit our scene in living memory. Created from the outset to be modified and individualised, even components such as the ECU were apparently designed to be easily remapped by tuners, while the rest of the car focuses on light weight, a low centre of gravity, responsive handling and driving fun. Which is precisely what enthusiasts having been crying out for since the demise of almost every sports car in our marketplace. Maybe the realisation has just dawned that not all of us want to penny-pinch our way from A to B in a personality-free mobility system.

You can be sure that most of the pre-production Toyota GT 86 cars briefly test-driven by Japanese journalists during the recent Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival at Fuji Speedway are now in the hands of tuners, who will be rushing parts through development for the forthcoming Tokyo Auto Salon. Do not underestimate the importance of these cars within the aftermarket, because I think they could single-handedly turn it around. I just hope Toyota and Subaru can find it in their hearts to price the cars in such a way that normal people can afford to buy one.

Joe Clifford, Editor

FEATURES

THE THRIFT STORE RACER
From 30th Anniversary minter to stripped-out, turbocharged nutter, Matthew Solly’s 300+bhp Civic Type R is a lesson in bargain sourcing and elbow grease

MILLENNIUM FALKEN
One third of Team Falken UK, Paul Cheshire left behind his S-body roots for 2011 and climbed behind the wheel of a 600bhp V35 Skyline

TWIN PEAKS
It’s a battle of the giants as we give Subaru’s two halo performance cars a back-to-back comparison

SCENE CITY
The SEMA show in Las Vegas still celebrates the good old-fashioned tuning scene, so sit back and enjoy part one of our two-part coverage of this annual mega-show.

BANZAI CAR OF THE YEAR
Twenty-two of the finest UK cars featured during 2011. Who wins? You decide… and win a year’s free subscription in the process

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER
Custom-made from top to bottom, Mark Biggers’ sleek new R32 Skyline GT-R racer looks the business whether on paper or in the flesh, and has potential race winner written all over it

LAST ACTION HERO
The Civic Type R is dead. Long live the Civic Type R Mugen 2.2, the triumphant exit for the FN2 and the incredible K20 engine

HOT PURSUIT
Sunny weather, a laidback vibe and scores of VIP themed rides made Lexus Pursuit in LA the biggest and most spectacular event in the Lexus scene

SHAKOTAN SLAMMER
If this is what ‘Broken Britain’ is all about then count us in. We catch up with Mark Finnegan and his awesome but downright ludicrous RB30-engined shakotan Skyline

EAST COAST CUSTOM
East Coast meets Far East as New Yorker David Emig realises his unwavering vision of a hardcore JDM-style street-tuned Impreza WRX STI