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I love sports cars!

2004 Subaru WRX-STi

My current daily driver. 300 HP 2.5-liter flat 4-cylinder. Intercooled turbo-charger. 6-speed tranny. All-wheel-drive. 0 - 60 MPH in 4.6 seconds.

Mods so far are braided stainless steel brake lines and Hawk HP Plus brake pads. I have a set of SSR Competition wheels with Dunlop SuperSport Race tires for track days. Next will be suspension mods including front and rear sway bars.

It's a BLAST to drive. I can carry two kids in the back every day and take it to the track showing up some of the best exotics around.

WRX-STi

SSR wheels / Toyo Proxes RA1 tires for track days. Pictured below are the Dunlop SuperSport Race tires I tried out. Turns out the Dunlops didn't hold up very well and were destroyed with just two track days. Back to Toyo Proxes RA-1s!

June 2007 Update:

"I done blowed it up!" Yep. I blew the engine on the STi! It's in the shop now to be broken down. Then we'll decide how to rebuild it.

July 2007 Update:

The reason it "done blowed up" was the oil pick-up tube BROKE! Apparently this was a design flaw in the early STi builds. The tube breaks at the joint with the flange. So, no oil going to where it should go ---> engine failure.

Here are some pics:

Here's what the pick-up tube would look like intact.

Here's the pick-up tube separated at the break.

The two separate pieces.

Here's the engine being rebuilt on a stand:

August 2007 Update:

Got my STi back, finally! I'm suffering through a 1000-mile engine break-in. This car wants to GO!

December 2007 Update:

After noticing my oil pressure steadily dropping, I took the car back to Japtrix. They couldn't find a reason, so they dropped the oil pan to inspect the pick-up tube. GUESS WHAT!!! It was cracked and almost completely broken... AGAIN!!! Despite many similar stories on the internet, Subaru continues to deny there is a design flaw. Subaru reportedly is claiming the only way the oil pick-up tube could break is by a direct impact. Ummmm... How does that happen INSIDE THE OIL PAN???

A search of www.NASIOC.com reveals a number of other STi owners who have had the EXACT same failure.

I've talked to Subaru, and they've started a "report." We'll see if I hear back from them.

Oil pick-up tube assembly:

Crack close-up. HOLY COW!

Going around the tube, 90-degrees at a time.

Pretty sure I could finish ripping it apart with my bare hands.

Amazing, isn't it?

New mods:

Tanabe turbo-back Medallion Touring exhaust (cat-less) - Sounds GREAT! (scroll down for video) Has a nice growl while it's not an obnoxious "fart can" exhaust.

Wiseco forged pistons

ACL racing rod bearings

Cobb AccessPORT engine management - Stage 2

Gauges: Defi - boost, oil temp, EGT. Autometer: oil pressure, wideband AFR.

The turbo-back exhaust + AccessPORT Stage 2 reflash = 350 HP (est. at crank)!
(I'll be doing a pro tune, so we'll see what the dyno says regarding AWHP.)

Some pics of the gauge set-up:

Video of exhaust:

Photo of how my stereo was stolen at the Subaru dealership:

2005 Lotus Elise

It's Chrome Orange. Options include: Hardtop, Lotus Sports Suspension (Sport package), and Starshield protective film.

Engine: Toyota 1.8-liter 4-cylinder, 190 HP.

Tranny: 6-speed manual

The Elise weighs only 1975 lbs according to the specs in the manual. I weighed it with a full tank of gas at the track and came to only 1950 lbs. Being so lightweight is what gives the Elise its performance.

It is so low to the ground that while sitting in it with the door open, you can reach your hand out and easily touch the ground.

Having driven Formula cars at Skip Barber's schools, I can say this is the closest thing to a street-legal racecar. The handling on this car is simply not comparable to any other production street car. The steering wheel and feedback are just perfection. I've had it at the track only three times at this point, and I am a long way from fully exploring its capabilities. It is definitely a "momentum" car. It's not a horsepower car that can be drag raced down the straights. But, it shines in the turns like no other car on the planet. Furthermore, the incredible braking capabilities of this car allow you to go far deeper braking before the turns.

Being a mid-engined car, you have to be mindful of lifting (the throttle) in turns. Braking needs to be done before the turn or you may end up swapping ends. However, when the car gets loose, it is easily corrected as long as you don't hesitate... correct... pause... recover. But the pause is VERY short... or you'll just swing the other way. I'm working on getting some in-car track video on the videos page.

At the dealer...