Autoblog

It was the early 1990s when Subaru went into the Porsche business. It wasn't nearly the pseudo-Porsche the Nissan NX 2000 was, but it could have been the result of a tryst between a 944 and an erstwhile 911. The SVX looked like a space capsule, and it teamed the brand's famed (even then) AWD prowess with a newly-developed flat-six. The price was high, squaring the SVX off against such awesome rivals as Supras and 300ZX Turbos, not to mention ponycars, which promptly blew the doors off Fuji's left-turn from the XT.

flatsix92, also known as Rob, dropped a few pix of his '92 SVX into the Flickr pool, and we took the bait. Of course, the car's not stock. It's hard to have a Subie coupe and not mess with it. The transmissions in these cars are apparently a weak link, but Rob's car had it's cog-swapper replaced before he got the car. He did fit a shift kit to the autobox, though, and while he was under there, he tossed on a Stebro stainless exhaust and custom wound springs. There's other tweaks, and that's one of the beautiful things about these cars, the enthusiast base is large and very supportive. The SVX was absurdly expensive for a Subaru in those pre-Impreza STi days, and in light of their short-lived transmissions, you can likely find these cars cheap. What we want to know is where does a college student (studying industrial design – good, minoring in video editing – run – that's what my degree's in, and look where it got me) pull together the scratch for books, tuition, a formerly 30-large coupe full of stuff to fix, upgrades for said coupe, and oh yeah, food?

Two more pix after the jump, along with instructions on how to get your car featured as a reader ride.

Our obsession of all things automotive extends far beyond the latest and greatest that comprises the majority of what you read. That's one of the reasons we've brought back the Reader Ride, so we can showcase what the majority of us roll on a daily basis. Today's ride is exactly the kind of thing we're into; a rather staid means of transport that is well loved by its owner. Flickr member thefultonhow through up three shots of his '92 Infiniti G20, along with a detailed description of life with his 'G,' and after reading his story, we couldn't help but feature it.

Purchased new by his mother back in 1992, the G20 survived the rigors of daily driving at the hands his mom, and also provided of means of learning for both his brother and Mr. Fultonhow. After 169,000 miles of dutiful service, the stock mill decided to liberate a rod while his brother was behind the wheel, and after a series of attempts at selling the G20, he decided to perform a heart transplant in his grandfather's garage. The only catch: he'd never done anything like it before.

Armed with a factory shop manual, endless patience and nearly a month of his life, he replaced the spent motor with a JDM SR20DE, mated to the stock five-speed manual. After a series of fits and starts, the SR finally came to life and after 4,000 miles everything seems to be going strong.

He's kept the upgrades to a minimum in an effort to stay within the bounds of the H-stock autocross class, with plans to install an aftermarket stereo, some new wheels and some R-compound tires mounted on the stock rollers for competition.

We're love this kind of stuff, so make the jump to see a few more pics and learn how to submit your own ride to our Flickr pool.

We're a mere five days away from relaunching our Reader Ride feature, and by the looks of it so far, we're off to a cracking start. We've amassed over 30 new members in our Flickr pool, with many accompanying their pics with a detailed explanation of where the car is from, its history and what mods have been performed -- others, not so much. There are several rides floating around the pool that are begging to be chosen (we're talking to the owners of the Audi S2, 911 Targa, and VW Corrado, specifically), but will remain unloved until we get at least one descriptive sentence.

As for the the RR format, we've decided to highlight three vehicles per week, posting one on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a vote at the end of the month that allows you to pick your favorite from the group. We think it will work, and we've got faith that the submissions will continue to flow in.

That said, if you haven't done so already, follow the directions after the jump to throw your own ride into our Flickr pool. All we need are three photos and a brief description of the car, and you're whip is almost guaranteed its 15-minutes of fame -- or infamy.

They go on vacation, they never write, they never call, bupkis is what they send as communiques from the front. Our three erstwhile podcast participants, John, Damon and Alex, have pulled it together this week after far too long a hiatus. We proudly bring you Autoblog Podcast #70. Forty minutes and fifty-five seconds of crispity-crunchity Autoblog punditry. John admits to shabby Alero repair right off the bat, but things quickly move on to how perfect the Audi S8 is. You weren't going to use that $110,000 on anything like philanthropy, anyway, so pony up for the Panda Bear upholstery, you'll be glad you did. You could use your S8 to jet-set to Altamont and catch the 24 Hours of LeMons when it comes back around. Damon was there live blogging it this time, but we're going to be campaigning an Autoblog car in October. We hope.

Turning our gaze to the Roundel, BMW has officially officialized the 1-series coupe. With real snort under the hood of even the base model, it appears that this car may have found some of the DNA that the 2002tii left kicking around. Will the styling be off-putting? Will it poach MINI buyers? Is the price too high to attract new people to the brand? Stay tuned. The breathlessly awaited and endlessly promoted Transformers movie finally hit screens, and Autoblog was there. Alex plays film critic and offers a solid analysis (Let's not get carried away, Dan - AN) which boils down to: awesome, until the people start talking. Oh yeah, it's full of not-so-subtle advertisements and product placement, too. Who cares? It's TRANSFORMERS! We should warn you - if you want to avoid the spoiling about the film, skip from 17m 10s to 28m 35s, and you'll be good to go.

We wrap up with a couple of quick ones: iPhones top the list of status baubles for teenagers, and cars are way down. At least if they don't have a car, they won't be using the iPhone while they should be driving. It sounds to us like a serious issue with priorities, though. Speaking of coveted items, a forum member managed to snag some very nice spy shots of the new Challenger in the wild. We can't wait for the 2009-2010 Musclecar Smackdown. Maybe it'll be just as short as it was nearly 40 years ago, hopefully not. Lastly, the Reader Ride is returning. We love featuring your cars, so be sure to look for the post about what to do.

See you next week!

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The votes have been tallied for this week's RR of the Day poll, and we're this close to calling for a recount. The winner with some 600 votes under its belt (28%) is the mildly-modded 2001 Audi S4 of Julia Howard. The S4 had some pretty stiff and very interesting competition, which makes this relatively ordinary ride such a surprise victor. The very sharp 1967 Chevy Impala SS made a run at the title gathering 488 votes (22%), while the Euro-only 1984 BMW 745i Turbo also put up a fight earning 482 votes (22%). My personal fave from last week, the Holden GTO conversion, captured a respectable 367 votes (17%), and the Volkswagen Rabbit tugged on some nostalgic heart strings to the tune of 243 votes (11%). The voting was much closer than normal last week and returned the second highest number of total votes yet for a RR of the Week Poll with 2,180 ballots cast.


Total Votes: 2,180

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: Cars of the '80s!
Break out the leg warmers and your old Atari 2600, because we're going back to the '80s for our next RR of the Day theme. All next week we want to feature glorious cars from the decade that brought us the rise of Kevin Bacon as an actor and synthesized music as an art form. If you have a vehicle that originates from the 1980s, submit it to our Autoblog Flickr Pool to be considered for a RR of the Day feature. Man, it's gonna be a rad week.

We couldn't find a better way to kick off our autocross-themed RR of the Week than showcasing one of the most potent cone-assassins available, the Mazda Miata. Certainly, the two killer photos of Alex Renner's Miata in action made for eye-candy of the highest order, but as soon as we saw the intercooler peering within the Mazda's maw, we knew this had to be Monday's submission.

Alex's '95 Miata is located in Chile and has been perpetually under the wrench since it was purchased in 2002. The aforementioned intercooler provides a steady supply of cool air to the blown 1.8-liter four, as pumped by a Mitsubishi TD04-13T turbo. Naturally, all that additional oxygen needs the appropriate amount of fuel, so Alex enlisted the aid of a Walbro 255 LPH fuel pump that sends the explosive stuff through a JimB fuel rail and feeds 330cc injectors. An Apexi SAFC2 and a Greddy PfofecB boost controller, coupled to a Vortech FPR, handle the computing duties and the whole process has been wideband tuned to create a reliable 12:1 air-to-fuel ratio. Spent air and fuel is sent through a BEGI cast exhaust manifold and out of a custom 2.5-inch turboback exhaust.

According to Alex, the Miata puts 210 HP down to the wheels at 6,500 RPM and 212 ft.-lbs. of twist at 4,500 RPM. On the handling side of things, Mr. Renner went with Tein coilovers that lower the drop-top over a set of 15x7 Rota Slipstreams, wrapped in Pirelli Pzero C tires. Behind the front rolling stock is a set of Wilwood calipers, providing pressure to 11-inch discs via four pistons. The inside gets more race duty details including a HardDog rollbar, Momo seats and steering wheel, and a video camera mount so Alex can relive his weekend excursions (we're waiting for a YouTube link Mr. Renner).

A modded Miata driven in anger is exactly the kind of vehicle (and driver) we're looking for this week, so follow along after the jump to see some of Alex's opposite lock action and get directions on how to submit your own RR of the Day.

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: Cars of the '80s!
Break out the leg warmers and your old Atari 2600, because we're going back to the '80s for our next RR of the Day theme. All next week we want to feature glorious cars from the decade that brought us the rise of Kevin Bacon as an actor and synthesized music as an art form. If you have a vehicle that originates from the 1980s, submit it to our Autoblog Flickr Pool to be considered for a RR of the Day feature. Man, it's gonna be a rad week.

The last generation (B5) of the Audi S4 was a force to be reckoned with. The twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6, coupled to the automaker's legendary Quattro system made the S4 one of the great sleepers to come out of Germany. Unfortunately, the combination of misplaced weight, a high sticker and a duo of finicky K03 turbos made it a car for only the most dedicated of quad-ring enthusiasts.

However, one enthusiast by the name of Julia Howard, has pined away for the understated Audi since high school and was finally able to buy this example in 2004. It wasn't made clear whether Julia installed her go-fast bits personally or the previous owner added them, but the combination of power and handling mods gives her ride the distinction of being today's RR of the Day.

The turbo'd six's breathing duties have been enhanced with a trifecta of APR tubing, including a bi-pipe, down-pipe and turbo-back exhaust. A MTM Stage 3 chip handles the air and fuel ratios and an RS4 clutch has been fitted for extra bite. The Tanoga short shifter and H&R coilovers are installed to ensure Julia can get every tactile sensation while behind the wheel, and the BFGoodrich T/A KDWs, mounted on the stock rims, keep grip during prolonged G's.

Overall, Ms. Howard has kept her S4 in clean condition, not drawing attention to its high powered potential, insuring less attention from the cops and more attention to bone-heads that challenge her at stop light drags.

All this week we'll feature unrelated rides that catch our eye, but we're returning with a theme next week and that theme is "Best Autocross Car". If you've got a hot AutoXer, join the Autoblog Flickr Pool and submit your ride for consideration. More detailed instructions can be found after the jump.

Damn! This is the first time we've been late in our Reader Ride duties, as you should've seen this post sometime on Monday, and we're beatin' ourselves up over it, really. Then again, it was pretty clear as soon as this week's RR of the Week poll began that the 1966 Porsche 912 would be in the winner's circle, and so it is. Said Porsche received 786 votes (42%), or more than double the car that got my vote, a 1986 Chrysler 5th Avenue on steroids that garnered 344 votes (19%). The remaining three cars were very close in the voting, with the autocrossing 1999 Honda Civic EX Coupe getting 262 votes (14%), the 1988 Jeep Cherokee named "Blowby" attracting 239 votes (13%), and finally the Final 500 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora receiving 220 votes (12%).

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We're totally in love with this week's group of reader rides. They each have their own unique qualities that make them special and interesting, and from the comments you showed that you all thought so, too. But now it's time to pick RR of the Week, a distinguished honor only one vehicle can drive away with. Will it be the Final 500 Oldsmobile Aurora, the Jeep Cherokee that won't ever call it quits, the Porsche 912 with a bigger motor out back, the Honda Civic and its autocrossing owner, or the monster Chyrsler 5th Avenue that eats Mustangs for breakfast? Decisions, decisions. Remember, if you don't vote you can't complain about who wins, and what's a blog without the ability to complain in the comments?

RR of the Week
	Final 500 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
	1988 Jeep Cherokee "Blowby"
	1966 Porsche 912
	1999 Honda Civic EX Coupe
	1986 Chrysler 5th Avenue
Free polls from Pollhost.com

We feel bad for the other reader rides that had to go up against Chuck Goolsbee's well-known 1965 Jaguar E-Type. Not many cars can compete with the E-type in a popularity contest, and this week's poll proved just that. Chuck's Jag easily earned the honor of RR of the Week by capturing 44% of the vote (758 votes). Murden Mitten's 1968 BMW 1600 gave the Jag a decent fight, and any other week could have found itself atop the podium, but this week it earns second place honors with 30% of the vote (518 votes). The truly unique RX-7 rotary-powered 1978 MG Midget landed the third place spot and the final podium step with 12% of the vote (206 votes), while the two late-model vehicles, the 2003 BMW 325i and CNG-powered 2001 Ford Ka XR managed 9% (148 votes) and 6% (107 votes), respectively.



This was a very strong week of competitors, with a lot of vintage metal that stirred the nostalgia in all of us. We'll see if we can keep up the good picks for you this week, starting with the Final 500 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora featured today. Will your car be the RR of the Day tomorrow? Not if you haven't submitted it, yet. Follow the jump for more details on how to submit your ride.