I’ve never been a big fan of “Add ons” on cars. If I have a car for the pleasure of driving, and the exhilaration of speed… I don’t want any frills. AC? Nope… Full interior? I’ll keep that on a daily driver… A suspension setup that doesn’t jar me to death? Nah, I’m good…

I like the clean look on cars, nothing too outrageous… as far as performance, I want it to be the utmost in all areas… no matter the set back. So what is this obsession that molds me? I’ll sum it up real easy for you…

427 Shelby Cobra…

To me this is THE pinnacle American car. Its everything I could ever want. There are no frills, no gimmicks. No awesome sound system, the exhaust takes care of that. No AC, its a convertible. Just pure, white knuckle, rectum shrinking, foot shaking, adrenaline pumping, ass whuppin performance. Thats the entire purpose of the car. Now, I love my Nissans, but this is the goal of any car I build. I want to replicate this amazing machine… no, I want to best it… and one day, I want to own it…

Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of a lil’ coupe called the Hyundai Genesis… RWD, turbo asskicking lil’ coupe it is.

Hyundai did what everyone wished car companies would do. It released a cheap, fun, sport, fast, turbo , RWD vehicle. One may ask “Mr. Gorrira, why would this piss you off?” Well first off, don’t call me Mr. Second, because Nissan was about to pull a Santa Claus and do what Hyundai did.

The Nissan Silvia, if you have ever been to ANYTHING auto related, you’ve seen an S13 or any other S chassis. They’re great for drifting, track, auto X, anything you wanna throw at it. They’re cheap, and have one of the most extensive aftermarket support groups ever (Kind of Nissan’s “Civic” so to speak.) Nissan decided to continue the Z’s legacy, and the impact was evident… the Z’s are the most sought after sports cars on the market… then the plan was hatched to do the same with the S chassis. Nissan then dropped the plans, and I’ve been pissed every since…

Nissan could have been the company that gave everyone what they wanted, a cheap, turbo, RWD fun car… but they didn’t, now the Genesis has all the glory. The Genesis proves that the Silvia would have done great, but its a little to late now. Even if Nissan decides to release the Silvia now, they will be following, not leading… which never has been great for sales.

I hate to say it, but Nissan fucked up good this time…

In cars, this happens quite often, mainly because of popular media. The first Fast and the Furious started a whole new wave of car types. Mainly the cars that have added the wings, stickers, neons and loud ass exhaust while successfully not altering horsepower. Now I’ll admit, cars work like any other desire… they mature. I remember first wanting a “Tricked out” ride. I would design it in my head: The neons, the crazy paintjob… all of it. That all changed when I went to my first racing school. I became addicted to speed, and after that… none of the other stuff seemed to matter. The more I drove the more I learned, and the less anything but performance seemed to matter. Don’t get me wrong, I still like good looking cars… but I’m not one to go insane on stickers and paint.

If you want to see some of these trends in action, go to any car show, drift event, etc. You see people doing whatever they can to make themselves “fit in” without thinking about trying skill… skill will gain you respect, not your drift charm or your 20 foot exhaust. I’d much rather see people being original, its YOUR car… design it how YOU want it. Even if other people don’t like it, you do, and isn’t that all that matters? Stop trying to run with a crowd and just be yourself…

All in all, to sum everything up, I’ll leave you with a short statement

“Originality, and performance before beauty…”

To me, its always been like this: The car is 20% of the equasion, the driver is 80%. Simple. I’ve no use for ABS, TCS,PS or any other acronym thats thrown in a car. I just want the basics, I want the car to move…and I want to control it, even if I have to fight with it. I used to love watching the races on the Speed Channel when I was little. If you watch the inside cam, or just the front wheels of the cars in a race… its not gentle. They are fighting with it every step of the way. The wheels dance and swagger simply to make the car turn right… Lovely isn’t it?

I know alot of people will blast me for this say “The technology helps drivers get faster…” Ok…

One: No it doesn’t… example? Go to youtube and type in “Ayrton Senna and Michael Shumacher”… watch how skill back in the day stays foot and foot with the new tech of the cars. Another good example… Rod Millen’s record up Pikes Peak held for over a decade, and was only beaten by a guy with a “Technologically advanced car” recently… oh did I mention that when he took the record by a second ,75% OF THE ROAD WAS PAVED… Enough said.

Two: “Helps drivers get faster” Exactly, it “Helps” them… its not them. To me, to be the best driver possible you should understand every inch of your car. You should be able to predict and control it…

That and these “Aids” actually hinder you if you ask me. ABS… ok I’ll make my point with this one. Which do you think would stop you better? Consistant constant pressure? Or your brakes “Clapping” on and off of your rotor? Hmmm.. Tough one.

So, how do you eleminate TCS? Learn throttle control… How do you eliminate ABS? Learn how to brake. Power Steering? Trust me, it’ll build up your arm strength real quick (My Z is the first car I’ve owned with PS). All and all, if you want to be a great driver… Drive… don’t count on anything else to control your car other than your feet, your hands and your brain. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a broke guy with a laptop.