Month: December 2013

   

What Are Your Car Plans For 2014?

Right, that’s Christmas done with and all the family stuff out of the way; now I can get back to writing about cars. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, it’s just I love cars more.

2014 is only a few days away and I know what I want to achieve car-wise (nothing else really concerns me enough to think about a change), so with this in mind, what are my fellow auto-lovers up to? Are you in the middle of a build, considering new modifications, or even buying a new car?

The biggest box I want to tick is the NEW CAR category. As you know from my previous posts, I have a thing for the Skyline R32 GTR, so I want to sell my WRX and find a clean example, preferably black. I want to make it look evil, staying away from the whole ‘murdered-out’ matte effect.

I also want to take drifting to the next level, but as the R32 is AWD like my WRX, and it will be too nice to crash, I’ll have to think about a cheap second car, one I can just repair with rip ties and not worry about it.

Secondly, I hope to post a lot more and even add some DIY photos/videos of any mods I undertake.

Thirdly, keep reminding myself that, whilst I’m trying to boost Gargling Gas’ profile, I have to write articles for auto publications so I can pay for stuff.

So what are you guys up to in 2014?

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And This Is Why We Love Cars…


I’ve already touched upon the subject of non-car people and how they just don’t get why we love and even share a relationship with cars, but after watching this clip on a superb e28 M5, I thought it a great example backing up our side of the argument. There shouldn’t be an argument, but when your parents and wife are non-car people, it wears thin putting up your side of the story.

Mum: “Bloody hell! How much do you pay in tax and insurance?”

Dad: “Performance cars are too expensive to run.”

Wife: “That looks hideous”.

These are the sort of comments I face when buying another car. I mean, do I question my dad’s penchant for fly fishing and antiques? What about my wife and her two horses? They need feeding and maintaining just like a car. Just because they use a car purely as a means of transportation doesn’t mean I don’t get a thrill every time I put my foot down.

Anyway, here’s a damn good reason us car lovers worship the motor car.

   

I Used To Be Indecisive But Now I’m Not So Sure

GTR32
I’m sorry for that ridiculous title but it sums up one of my many character traits. Anyone who knows me well would be fully justified in saying phrases like “when he gets a bee in his bonnet” or “it’s just another one of his five minute wonders”.

I’ve been toying with the idea of another e46 M3, an EVO VI or even a WRX STI, but now I’m totally smitten with Godzilla. Not the computer laden modern versions like the GTR R34 or R35, but the Nissan GTR R32.

Okay, so the R33 and onwards boast more technology, but I love the retro styling of the R32. It has aged well, unlike the R33, and its simple lines really appeal to me. Black on black makes it look extremely evil, too – another massive bonus.

I’m a big drift fan and wanted a car I could occasionally be a little silly with around bends. My WRX is hard work because of its AWD. The EVO would suffer the same, where as the Beemer would cost a fortune in both tyres and and any transmission or clutch issues.

Yes, I have a bee in my bonnet, but this is one five minute wonder I hope lasts an age.

 

   

Not Quite A Sleeper Wagon But Still…

Here at Gargling Gas you’ll often find posts on wagons (estates) with either sleeper qualities or the X factor that pushes them from being a boring family-mobile into an uber cool ride.

The wagon pictured above looks like most wagons touched by the brand’s performance division. You know it probably has a V6 or V8 and is capable of producing 300+ bhp, however according to Brabus, this 850 6.0 Biturbo iBusiness is the “fastest and most powerful luxury sedan in the world”.

And I believe them because the stats are ludicrous, the sort of figures you’d expect to see on an F1 car.

Batman couldn’t handle this car but Darth Vader could… just. This Brabus 850 is based on the 2014 E63 AMG, with the Biturbo increasing the  5.5-L S-Model V8 to 5.9-L. This means you receive 850-bhp and a tarmac-creasing 1,069 ft-lbs of torque. All of this mechanical anger is transfered to the ground via a seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission, and to prevent it from exploding, the torque has been electronically limited to 848 lb-ft. Not to worry though as 62-mph comes in 3.1 seconds – they’ll certainly be no “are we there yets” from the kids. Should you feel the need, you can also hit 217-mph – that’s faster than a lot of supercars!

So whilst all the badges, exhausts, rims, disks and callipers suggest performance, they don’t suggest 850-bhp. So I guess in some respects this is a sleeper of sorts… just on an entirely different level.

   

A Volvo Geography Teachers Don’t Drive

Yep, Gargling Gas has a massive love of powerful wagons, especially ones that can slide and kick up a load of smoke.

Take this Volvo 240 Wagon, for instance. What was once a vehicle fit for families or corduroy and tweed clad teachers has been modified into the beast you see above. This creation was thought up and built by Marc Huxley, who operates as Huxley Motorsport out of Worcestershire, England.

Take a look at the article and excellent pics and understand what it takes to turn something innocuous into something completely evil.

More Wagon Action

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A Little Education, Culture & Total Carnage

If you are able to sneek away from the Saturday night Rom Com with your significant other, grab your mobile device, kickback on your bed or hide in the toilet, and behold this 94 minute movie on the origins of drifting.

Outsiders Japan Movie is filmed by the guys at Driftworks – and they know a thing or two. With 10 years sliding cars, Phil Morrison and James Robinson hit Japan and soak up the culture, the filmmaker Al Clark capturing the vibe through his discerning lens.

If you want to go straight to the action, start the vid at around the 30 minute mark. After watching the entire movie, it only makes me want to go to Japan even more. It looks like quite an intense and surreal experience, and I think a couple of weeks would probably be enough… but, then again, they feature a hi-tech heated toilet, so maybe a little longer?

   

More Sleeper Action

If you follow my blog you’ll come across some sleeper posts every so often. You either get them and understand the need to drive a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or you simply can’t understand why you would dumb a performance vehicle down. Remove the badges, grills and actually disguise the big exhaust? What, are you crazy?

No.

You see, there’s something smug about out-dragging a Porsche in something deemed only fit for a run to the shops. I love this concept and will build one at some point in my life – perhaps dumb down a wagon of some sort.

To any readers into this sleeper business, I was happy to find the latest edition of Mighty Car Mods on YouTube. These funny Aussies know a thing or three about building a sleeper, and Marty has revealed his new Subaru project. It’s a wagon (with the help of STI components) that can already hit the 1/4 mile in 11.9 seconds. The aim is to make it even quicker, to hit the 11 second mark – that’s damn quick for a wagon they affectionately call “Gramps”.

Check out Gramps and tune in to see what this rather affable vehicle will be capable of.