Modified Magazine Sep-13

Street Cars Aplenty Another year and another Street Car Shootout is in the bag. I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate this event more and more as time goes on. I think it’s partly due to the increased commitment level of the participants and the extremely high level of competition going on. Add to that a truly diverse group of makes and models, and this year’s shootout was destined for greatness. Especially when the likes of an FD RX-7, an E36 M3, and a Chrysler Conquest are thrown into the mix. These types of cars are what we’ve always wanted to see in this competition, but finding ones built to a high enough level for the Shootout is never an easy task. John Lazorack, owner of the Conquest, was featured in…

Dispelling the Rollover Safety Myth When I first got into racing, and by that I mean taking my street car to autocross and time attack events, one of the more hotly debated topics in the paddock and on Internet car forums was whether it’s safe to use a four-point or six-point racing harness in a car that isn’t equipped with a rollbar or rollcage. I think most weekend warriors would agree that the lightly bolstered (and slippery, if leather) OE driver seat and three-point factory seatbelt provide little to no lateral support, so you end up having to brace yourself (with elbows, knees, and whatever else you may have available) against the door and center tunnel, as well as apply a death grip on the steering wheel. This can be…

What goes together better than Detroit and a pushrod V8? A road course and a shooting range, that’s what! Or least we think so, which is why we’re huge fans of the hidden gem just north of Detroit known as Waterford Hills. Built on the grounds of the Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club, where the members are mainly interested in firing their guns on the numerous shooting ranges found on this 200-acre property, in 1958 an infinitely wise board of directors decided a racetrack would be a good addition to their noisy outdoor pursuits. That’s right, Arizona (and Kenny Enterprises), you’re not the only state with a serious appreciation for firearms and race cars. Waterford Hills isn’t just a big-boy wonderland decorated with shotgun shells and corded race tires, though; it’s…

’13 Ford Focus ST I know what you’re probably thinking: Here’s yet another econobox hatchback prettied up with some fancy badging, bigger wheels, and a center-exit exhaust trying to look like it delivers better performance than its cheaper brethren. To that I say, “Hold on a minute.” The new ’13 Ford Focus ST is the exact opposite; it’s more about performance than it is styling and good looks. We haven’t seen much out of the Ford hot-hatch division in a long time. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but the SVT Focus was the last Ford that could be put in this category. And while countries like the UK have been treated to the Focus RS, we sat and pouted, quietly pondering why it never came to our shores. The wait…

$1.15 MILLION OF IMPORT RESPECT An iconic Toyota 2000GT recently set the record for the auction sale price of a production Japanese import. RM Auctions dropped the hammer at a staggering $1.15 million for the sleek Toyota coupe. Perhaps best known for its role in the ’67 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice, the 2000GT features a Yamaha-developed. 2.0L straight-six rated at 150 hp, a lightweight chassis, and plenty of wow factor. Rising Sun classic has lagged behind in the collector market. We like the upward trend on pricing and would love to see early Coronas going for big bucks in the near future. NSX ON COURSE The reissued Acura NSX supercar is keeping on schedule to make its showroom debut in two years time. It will be assembled…

OK, we’ll admit it. We originally planned to alternate on an annual basis between Street class cars and Race/Unlimited class cars as a way of satisfying our hard-core, go-fast readers and our more street-oriented readers, so this year should have been all about no-holds-barred, race-prepared machines showing us what they’re made of. But after the success of last year’s street car event, which generated more positive feedback from our readers and more entry requests from teams than the previous five Shootouts combined, we decided to stick with this format for the foreseeable future. And as you’ll soon see, we haven’t just decided to stick with Street class entries, we’ve also decided to broaden our horizons by inviting our first-ever European-made machine as well as our first ever V8-powered machine, not…