Issue 86

December 2008
Issue 86

Who could have predicted just a couple of years ago that we would start to see a growing interest in equipping Jap cars with engines from across The Pond? Yet, not only are they here, but cars such as Apex Performance’s Nissan Skyline (see p18-22) are proving that it’s a modification with merit. I, for one, welcome the innovation – where would we be if nobody had ever pushed a boundary, tried something a bit different, or had the conviction to step outside of the norm and risk incurring the scorn of others? Thankfully, the concept of an American powerplant in a Japanese car has been helped by the performance of the Apex team throughout this year, hence the deserved place in the Red Bull Drifting World Championships in Long Beach, California. So, instead of asking ‘why?’, let’s start to ask ‘why not?’

Something that has been causing us equal measures of worry and pleasure in the Banzai office this month is the growing number of fully restored cars that are making their way into the scene. The worry is mainly caused by the realisation that cars we still think of as fairly recent, an example being Gerry Brady’s 1994 Civic (see p80-90), are now hammering on the door of neo-classic status! We must be getting older… The pleasure comes from seeing the care and attention that goes into a nuts-and-bolt rebuild and the immaculate final result. Gerry’s restoration hasn’t just taken the Civic back to an ‘as-new’ condition, though. A thorough and detailed raid of the Honda parts bin has enabled him to build a highly modified yet unmistakeably ‘Honda’ Honda. That should be music to the ears of the many dedicated Honda fans amongst you.

Small cars are continuing to make a big impression on me. A carbon wide-bodied Toyota Vitz with 200bhp (see p94-97) sounds like an exciting track day proposition – a shame, then, that it has been built over in Japan and is unlikely to be seen over here anytime soon. It’s another example, though, of how big doesn’t necessarily mean better. However, we can take pride in the knowledge that one of the rarest and most recognisable Kei cars ever made – the AZ-1 (see p38-42) – was born right here in Blighty. Steve Elmes is the custodian of a virtually standard and show-winning AZ-1, a little treasure that is believed to be just one of five examples in the UK.

Enjoy!

Andrew Biddle, Staff Writer

In the December 2008 Issue..

What lies beneath
Apex Performance re-evaluates where it was going with the development of its drift-spec Skyline

Essex boy
The Autozam AZ-1 is an ultra-rare Japanese oddity from the early Nineties – developed in Essex

Object lessons
These drift-spec S13s from Power Vehicles show how you can go crazy when the tuning world is on your doorstep

So fresh and so clean...
This Impreza WRX redefines the word immaculate

The wicked switch of the east
Sacha Peiris of Wicked EP Racing had his work cut out to achieve his aim of a big power EP82 GT Turbo for his company demo car

Round Six -  The Final
The winner was more or less decided but there was still plenty to play for in the Time Attack Series

Gerry and his pacemaker
Rebuilt from a bare shell into arguably the best EG Civic in the UK, this is Gerry Brady’s 245bhp 2.4-litre masterclass in Hondamentalism

Blitzing the Vitz
Prepare to defy gravity in this track prepared, carbon wide-bodied Toyota Vitz RS from Japan’s G-Force Racing Factory

History in the making (PT 3)
We chart Honda’s accomplishments through the ’80s

Who are...Powerstation?
We head to PowerStation to find that despite a massive HQ and a shelf full of trophies, they’re an approachable bunch

A healthy attiude
The Suzuki Swift Attitude special edition gets a makeover of the aftermarket kind

Dark Forces
The final round of the Toyota Sprint Series saw 39 cars buzz around the Teesside Autodrome in the dark!

Greetings from Santa Pond
JapShow Finale chimed a poetic bell as weather conspired to turn the season-ending show into a damp squib

The Magnificent '7
SoCal custom builder Ben Abutin has turned this FD3S RX-7 into a magnificent show car with a race-car spec

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