I founded the Australian INfront in 1999. It’s my greatest achievement to date, my biggest mark on the wall.
I walked away from it many years ago (and started up JDMST). INfront’s popularity dropped off hard but thanks to Damien and Zann INfront is back. It’s only the beginning too, it’s a true rebirth. Focus is strong and I’m hoping the Australian Design Community will take us back in.
Last weekend Suga and I headed up north to Nelson Bay to celebrate Jon’s B’day. Jon and Kay had hired a super pimp beach house for a week (unfortunately Suga and I could only stay the one night). Much fun was had, great food, conversations, beach time and Saturday night was a killer night of consumption (I’m having a hard time keeping up with Gen Y!).
Suga and Mac’s RX8.
Smith’s 156.
Gee’s CRX (I love these cars!). He had no aircon in it, and it was the hottest day of the year so far. Him and Caroline were literally in a sauna all the way.
Unfortunately there was a huge accident on the F3 and we were held up in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour (poor Gee and Caroline).
The house!!!!!!
The view.
The lounge room, which we didn’t spend any time in at all (we were always on the balcony outside).
The view out the back.
Introductions all round.
The fridge had this very cool quick access panel (damn I should have bnought one of these!).
It was stinking hot so as soon as we settled in the boys went for a swim which was only a 3 minute walk down the road.
Smith on the BBQ. Not sure what it is about the water, but every single time I come out of the ocean I am absolutely starving.
It got a little cooler as the sun was setting. Every single person in the house got wasted (and then some!). I was the 2nd person to pass out (weak yeah?) and when I got up the next morning some people hadn’t even been to sleep yet?!
The girls, what better a way to wash the hangovers away with a swim at the beach.
Christina’s Grandma’s funeral was held last Friday at Macquarie Park.
I found the park itself interesting. It was a huge well kept parkland with lot of parking, a few chapels for services, a cemetery and a crematorium, function rooms, a cafe, florist all in one place.
The service and burial went well, if not a little rushed. I love the idea of making funerals easier on families by having an all in one venue/service like Macquarie Park provides, but having a strict 45 minutes in the chapel before being kicked out to a crowd of people with another hearse waiting to get in for the next session felt horrible.
Christina designed these lovely funeral leaflets.
The Locks.
I got a message from my mate Ben today to go for a snorkel. Beautiful day and I hadn’t seen Ben in over a year (time really does fly) so I dropped everything and headed out to Clovelly.
Clovelly beach was packed so we did Gordons Bay next door (which I’ve never done before).
Ben has a great pad around the corner from the beach (cheers for the pie mate!). He’s also engaged and getting married (hey I’m in the same boat bud!).
First dip for 2010! Water was so perfect and vsibility was pretty good, saw a few big blue gropers, one which had a barb from some idiot who tried to spearfish him.
I was running super low on fuel in the Civic (perfect beach car!), 445km/35litre tank isn’t bad at all! I filled up on my way home but realised I didn’t have my wallet on me (which explains why Ben had to buy me the pie!). Der!!!
So embarassment. I had to fill it out, then go home, get my wallet and come back to pay.
Ben got me this pressie too, it’s chunky. It’s a belt buckle but I’m already trying to figure out how I’m going to get it onto a bike, or my Civic (lol).
My Thule fairing came in today. It’s a lot more complicated than I thought it would be, so many bits in the kit which almost makes the $130 (shipped) price seem a little more justifiable.
FittED.
I stickered it up in a hurry (laugh hard guys and gals I’m so laughing with you! lol).
I also got a set of these gold valve caps. I also have them in green and purple to suit my moods lol.
Ivory Pearl. The first thing I noticed about the car was the fantastic colour.
Interior is a really comfy place to be. When the car starts up a little hazzard comes on and a Japanese ladies voice comes on and says something to me. I have no idea what she’s saying but it sure sounds sexy! :lol:
Ah crap one of those dodgey foot handbrakes! I’ve already forgotten to lift it off a few times today. And what’s with the ION thing? I assume it’s the AC filter? And oooh yeah VDC off = ?
Slushy goodness. Works great in auto actually. Heaps of power everywhere. Bit slow to react on the highway when you mash it and the tiptronic mode feels silly so I’ll just leave it alone. What does the shift lock button do though?
Bose stereo with built in 6 stack CD player + MD player + iPod dock with wheel controls but FM only goes to 90FM (JDM yo!).
Super simple dash, almost too simple. Note low KM’s.
After the RTA raped me on tax I took some crap RTA carpark shots.
19’s look so small on it huh? At least they’re forged Rays rims.
Super fat bolt-on spacers would make a change.
Strange front.
Chunky rear. LED lights are awesome.
After selling the Jazz I contemplated driving the ED Civic for as long as I could. It’s a super fun car to drive, has AC and I’ve set it up to carry my bikes too.
All along I’ve been secretly haunting carsales though. I was looking for something that could carry the bikes (but since the ED Civic can do that I wasn’t so strict on this). I wanted an automatic transmission (lazy goodness). I wanted it to be powerful that could do 0-100 in 7 seconds (I’ve been haunting that 0-100 column in Motor/Wheels magazine indexes!). I wanted something I wouldn’t care too much about (shopping mall parking dings etc). I wanted some modern comforts (HID’s, AC, nice interior).
I’ve considered so many cars:
– R34 GT-R as a daily? So long as I didn’t mod it (yeah right) I thought it might have worked… but what about parking it in shopping centres? What about the paranoia issues? In the end logic prevailed.
– IS200 was on the list for a while, looking a bit old now but nice looking car, Lexus quality but not enough power.
– IS250, same as above.
– MX-5 NA or NC. The NC came close. I always did love Christina’s NC (I did love my NA more) and I often wished her NC was a manual. Punchy engine, great handling, roadster life! In the end I just didn’t think I was ready to return to MX-5’s again.
– Subaru Forester XT. Perfect for what I want really, but damn it’s so so so ugly.
– Subaru Liberty tuned by STi. I got so serious with this one that I went out and saw one. I saw this at the Sydney Motor Show in 2005 and it was a bit of love at first sight. I saw it in the carpark, perfectly clean inside, outside had some slight panel issue at the rear (nothing major though I don’t think) but the magic just wasn’t there.
– 350Z/RX8/M3/330ci they all did my head in.
I then stumbled on the V35 whilst watching a BMI DVD (hey it does well on Tskukuba!). I’ve always liked them from the rear, but not so much from the front. I’ve read 0-100km is 6.2 seconds and after spending hours on this 51 page thread on “what you hate about your G35?” I decided that interior rattles, bad blind spot and electric seats don’t have memory were things that I could live with (what a bunch of whingers!).
I hot carsales, saw that there were so many V35’s out there. Some were so cheap too and some looked a lot like dealer adverts in the private sales section. I considered an older silver one – cheap + sussy + wheels + tyres = done. After more research I liked the last facelifted models the most: Nicer interiors, nicers exteriors (no Brembos though so sad), newer car, projector HID. I considered the 370GT for a few minutes, even emailed an importer to ask if there was any way I could get one in way below the $50k asking price (time waster!) but $50k was out of my budget (this replaces the Jazz with the Jazz money).
So I spotted 2 2005/06 facelifted models which feature (over older models):
– Automatic but the 2005 auto models have the same 280HP as the manuals
– Revised front bar
– Revised rear bar
– Leather seats standard
– Aluminium (not plastic!) center console
– Bi-xenon headlights
– Revised LED tail lights
– OEM Rays forged wheels (19×8 fronts, 19×8.5 rears)
– Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A tyres
– Sport-Tuned suspension package
– Viscous LSD
– Drilled aluminium pedals
– Bigger brakes
One was a dealer but the other was a private sale. I emailed both and got a quick reply from the private sale. A few emails and phone calls later I had it all sorted and today I was out there closing the deal.
Previous owner was an honest guy, he recently had the car serviced and also fitted factory front and rear splash guards that he ordered from the US.
The car has not been modified in any way apart from an iPod control module that allows you to use the factory CD controls (on the wheel) to control your iPod. It also charges your iPods battery. He also had the windows tinted.
There are 3 key marks on the car (shame really, one of them on the drivers side is pretty long too) and wheels have kerb scratches but apart from that she’s super clean.
I’m super happy with the car, feels so great driving it around. She’s punchy and she’ll happily chirp the wheels before the traction control feels the need to kick in.
I’ve just insured it full comp with Just Cars and it cost me as much as the Jazz did (Jazz was modified though I suppose). I feel broke, but happy. New plates next then maybe coilovers, 20inch wheels + tyres.
Pretty sad day for Christina yesterday as her Grandma passed away. She died of old age and had been suffering from Dementia for a while now. At 1am in the morning she had fallen into a coma and she never woke up.
Christina’s Grandma was like a baby again. She didn’t recognise anyone and all she wanted to do was eat! It’s almost like going full circle. Luckily for her and the family she didn’t suffer or die from a sudden death (I think passing away in sleep is something many of us wish for).
PS: Interestingly no-one really knows how old she was and she passed one day earlier than the anniversary date of her husband’s death.
The CBD was dead on new years day. All the shops were closed and the streets smelt like garbage but hey Din Tai Fung was open!
I forgot to mention that Christina bought me some Oakley Gascans for Xmas (I’ve been wearing fake ones for a year or so now). They’re awesome. She optioned them with polarized lenses (my fave!) and you can see in the above pic that the authentic Gascan lenses sit further away from your eyes. A good thing because I have long lashes (haha).
Yesterday Jamie and Richie + friends hit Mums place and made some fresh Pizzas.
They were awesome, why can’t Pizza joints make great Pizza like this?!
Matt (CoffeeBoss on JDMST) just made a great post on JDMST. I can’t link to it as you have to be a registered member to read the car diaries on JDMST so I thought I’d paste it in here:
2009 – a brief retrospective.
2009 was a great year for the Roadster and I, and we just managed some good track time (and times) as well as hitting some new circuits (Marulan a few times, and I finally spent a day at Oran Park).
For 2010 the plan is to cross some drives I’ve been meaning to do for some time off the list, including the legendary (amongst NSW drivers and car magazines) Oxley Hwy.
Some more enhancements are planned as well, including a much needed muffler upgrade.
However, 2009 has been most significant for a close friend of mine, Karl. Karl nearly lost his life in a bicycle accident only a few weeks ago. This event has put some things into sharp focus which I feel compelled to mention here in this thread.
You see, Karl is one of those random guys you meet through car circles (the Renaultsport gang, actually) who goes on to become a good friend outside of car circles. Karl’s Cliosport had a typically French dummy spit on January 3rd of 2009, when it’s gearbox catastrophically failed when we were driving back from our first outing at Marulan. The car was rendered undriveable, and was sold.
Up until this point, Karl and his Clio had become something of a legend in our circle. You see, back in 2007 when I was modding the Lexus IS200 and talking about doing trackdays with all of my mates, it was Karl who got jack of all the talk and started doing Circuit Club days.
It was at this point that I realised that I didn’t need to make this mod or that to my car before I hit the circuit, I should just stop stalling and go out there and drive. It was a defining moment in this enthusiasts journey when I first hit the track ,as it started a complete shift in the way I drove, and how I looked at the car.
Karl’s attitude to his driving and indeed to forums began to permeate my actions. You could summarise it thus: less talk, more action.
Chroist, imagine how long my posts would be if Karl hadn’t influenced me?
Karl’s journey this year has been nothing short of epic. Since losing the Clio, he has done a track day with me at Marulan in the MX5 Racing NC Roadsters, and a day at Wakefield with Chris Barry’s PRB Clubman (and his Elise). He has spent quality time behind the wheel of a host of cars, mine included.
He also started the year as one of those naysayers of the MX5. (Yes, I have to point this out!). Oh, he loved poking fun at my hairdressing ways. He’ll be taking delivery of his next car very soon… a Mazda MX5 NA8 Clubman. In Laguna blue. One of the rarest flavours of NA available in Australia.
Karl and I went to look at this car a few months ago. Stepping out of my car and into the driver’s seat of a high-mileage NA8.. well, let’s just say that I wasn’t prepared for greatness. 45 minutes later, Karl had to pry the keys from my hands, I was having waaaay to much fun. It really is testament to the determination to the whole Light Weight Sports concept – even today, after stepping out of a late model MX5, the NA Roadster still puts a smile on my face, every time. Yes, I suspect that Karl’s actions will continue to influence my own in the years to come.
So that’s really what this post is about. Props to Karl. One of those cool car guys that, through actions alone, influences the actions of those around him.
And, in a small way, I hope that some of my actions in this thread can inspire the same. Don’t worry too much about your car’s offset, or what swaybars your going to get. Just get out there and enjoy driving the thing!
Everything seemed to be last minute for NYE this year, plans fell through and I got a few SMS’s from mates who weren’t sure what to do. Perhaps we should have had the usual party at our place but two of Christina’s good mates Kay and Caroline had found a great spot at Watsons Bay, at the park, right at the front. They had set up a tent there since 11am! We decided to check it out. Suga and I got there at about 5pm, great view and a pretty big crowd. 9PM fireworks were spoiled by a few low hanging clouds but the bit fireworks at 12 were great, throw in a few dramas (wouldn’t be NYE without them!), booze, adventures and it turned out to be a fun night!
Here are a few hazy pics:
I love sunset light.
Little bit windy but the rain held out.
Suga.
Moi.
Caroline and Kay.
Suga + me.
The girls.
Countdown!
Quick everyone do something with their fingers!
Me, Suga, Richie + Jamie.