Author: banpei (Page 32 of 318)

Timelapse drive to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

May 15, 2016 / banpei / 0 Comments

Welcome to this timelapse video of my drive from Santa Cruz to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The timelapse drive will start at my hotel in Santa Cruz, drive down highway number 1, stop at Monterey and then drive down highway 68 to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Laguna Seca Raceway is famous for its corkscrew corner which is considered to be one of the most difficult corners on any circuit in the world. The corner has a steep drop in the shape of a corkscrew. The circuit also has been made famous by Gran Turismo. Continue reading

Unmolested Nissan 240SX [Down on the Street]

May 6, 2016 / banpei / 1 Comment

Welcome to another Down on the Street video!

Unmolested 240SX

I found this unmolested Nissan 240SX in Santa Cruz while driving towards the beach. I stopped and jumped out of the my rental car and shot a short video. Unfortunately nobody was around and I couldn’t make any inquiries about it.

Drift car

With unmolested I obviously mean it has not been converted into a drift car. It is even rarer to find a bone stock S13 than a tuned or lowered one. Continue reading

Mazda MX5 NB I.L. Motorsport [Down on the Street]

Mazda MX5 NB by I.L. Motorsport [Down on the Street]

April 4, 2016 / banpei / 0 Comments

Welcome to another Down on the Street video!

Mazda MX5 NB

Today’s car spot is a Mazda MX5 NB with a very interesting body kit. I found it parked on the market square in my home town in front of the cinema. From a far distance I spotted the little MX5 and the closer I got the more interesting it became. I noticed the twin exhaust pipes and the wide flared fenders and decided it was definitely worth making a video of this car.

I.L. Motorsport bodykit

It took me a while to find the manufacturer of the bodykit and I only managed to find this picture of it. The bodykit has been developed by I.L. Motorsport in Germany somewhere in 2003 and thirteen years later there is nothing more I can find out about it.

Sex Spec Styling

The styling of the bodykit has aged a bit and it leans against what Marty and Moog from Mighty Car Mods call sex spec styling.

Toyota Carina Sports Graphic ’83 [unboxing]

March 23, 2016 / banpei / 0 Comments

Today I received a package from Japan so I thought it would be awesome to do an unboxing video for once.

So what was in the package?
– J’S Tipo from 1993 with a Toyota Carina GT TA62 vs Toyota Celica GT-R AA63
– Carina Sports Graphic ’83 brochure Continue reading

Toyota Carina wind deflectors [Yahoo Auctions]

March 19, 2016 / banpei / 2 Comments

Earlier this week I spotted a set of original Toyota Carina wind deflectors for sale in an auction:

They are interesting for me as these deflectors change the airflow around the windows and if you open your windows only an inch the air will be sucked from your car instead of having a big turbulence creating a racket of noise.

The deflectors weren’t entirely new and one of the rear deflectors even had a part missing: Continue reading

JDM Trivia #11: Nissan Cima Y31 Mirror Wipers

Nissan Cima Y31 Mirror Wipers [JDM Trivia #11]

March 11, 2016 / banpei / 0 Comments

JDM Trivia #11: Nissan Cima Y31 Mirror Wipers

When I thought the Japanese chindogu Side Wipers were the strangest thing that once used to be an accessory on a car I ran into this:

Mirror wipers!

Will that fit on my Honda?

At first I thought that this was another chindogu, in other words: a useless innovation. However a few days later I found my car in foggy weather and the fog created lots of small water droplets on my mirrors. Even the mirror heating option did not resolve this. Then I realized I was wrong: I need a set of these amazing mirror wipers on my Honda! Continue reading