There are just a few days left before the New York International Auto Show ends after this weekend, so let's do a quick recap of our favorite cars so that you can run over and skip to the good parts.

First off, we were pleasantly surprised to see manufacturers debuting and showcasing future production and concept vehicles, some that we were already aware of and others that we were delighted to be introduced to for the first time. Whatever your niche is, we've noticed more emphasis on cars that cater to individual markets, such as heavy-duty trucks, sport coupes and sedans with more power than most people would ever need, or track-ready exotics, to more daily-friendly hatchbacks or “urban mobility vehicles.” It’s a given that companies would showcase the car you need, but now more than ever, it’s about the cars we want or weren’t even aware we wanted. Here’s a rundown of our experiences at NYIAS:

NISSAN

Let’s begin with the “elephant in the room,” if you will. Nissan’s display booth stole the show with a family reunion of their most memorable Skyline GT-R platforms: the iconic 1969-72 2000GT-R “Hakosuka,” 1972-77 C110 “Kenmeri,” R32, R33 and R34 Skylines all in one room, along with the updated 2107 R35. While the only vehicle displayed that was slated for an actual production release was the 2017 GT-R, we were reminded that within the next 10 years or so, the very coveted R33 and R34 platforms that were there will become legal for import into the States without jumping through hoops, along with the S15 Silvia.

One thing we felt very honored to see in person were the legendary Takumi craftsmen at work, who were flown from the Yokohama Nissan plant to show to assemble an engine live. If you didn’t already know, they are the “four master craftsmen,” who hand assemble every single VR38DETT engine.

We covered the 2017 Nissan Skyline GT-R press release last week, and while it’s a beautiful looking, carefully-crafted car, the updates weren't over the top, but that's a good thing. Nissan's consistent in leaving things that aren't broke alone and the previous GT-Rs are a testament to that statement. That type of consistency is a great quality in a car company.

TOYOTA

Which brings us to our next car, the Toyota 86. Scion’s farewell is still very bittersweet; they came into the industry debuting at the very same auto show in 2002 and with news of the company coming to an end, the then-FR-S, now-86 was placed in the Toyota booth. Scion came into the scene with some debatable, yet refreshing designs that encouraged their customers to be different and emphasized self expression. Their annual Scion Tuner Challenge encouraged builders and enthusiasts alike to stand out from the rest and show the world what they had to offer, and it was a gateway for many people to make their passion their job. Scion will surely be missed, but its legacy will live on in several Toyota platforms, including the 86, Corolla iM, Yaris iA and C-HR.

Similar to the GT-R, the 86's "kouki" update keeps its general body shape, and the same naturally-aspirated Boxer engine that now comes with a little more power that likely to also come in the upcoming BRZ. The front end has been updated to make the car look much more aggressive and some new “86” details and emblems. We obviously weren’t able to take it for a spin, but we have no doubt that it will drive and feel like, if not better than, its “zenki” predecessors.

MAZDA

Although they're staged in different booths, we grouped the Mazda Miata/Miata RF together with the Fiat 124 Spyder because they all share the same platform. The soft-top Miata is currently on showrooms and available for purchase with a base price tag of roughly $25K. The Miata RF (or “retractable roof”) won two awards for World Car of the Year, and as “the globe’s top automotive design.” While it features the same drivetrain as the Miata, with a 1.5L or 2.0L Skyactiv four-cylinder engine, it will weigh 100-150 pounds more and cost about $2000 more... but it’s every bit worth it. There hasn’t been an aesthetically-pleasing, targa-style coupe that performs as well as it looks in a very long time, and that’s reason enough to be excited.

FIAT

The Fiat 124 Spider shares the same platform as the Miata, but has the heart of a Fiat 500 Abarth; that's a 160hp turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder engine. Its European allure features a completely different exterior with exotic lines and slightly more luxurious interior options. It's expected to perform similarly, if not better than it’s Miata counterpart, at a cost ranging from $32K-$38K. Are the differences worth the extra cost? That’s for you to decide...

HONDA

The Honda Civic made quite a buzz at its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and even though exact power numbers have yet to be released, the sporty exterior in combination with a large interior space, and the Type R version that's soon to follow, has us pumped. It's expected to look similar to this concept with some extra aerodynamic bits and boast at least 300hp from an impressive turbocharged, four cylinder engine. We’re expecting it to be priced closely to the Ford Focus RS, but there's speculation that the Type R may cost as much as $46K (which is slightly less exciting). Adjacent to the Civic prototype display was the turbocharged Red Bull Global Rallycross Civic, which gives future enthusiasts and consumers a glimpse to what a modified Civic could look like down the line.

INFINITI

The 2017 Infiniti Q60 might be overlooked because of all these other great releases, but we believe it'll be a serious contender when it hits the road in the next year or so. This new generation of Q will be taking on the Audi A5, Audi S5, Lexus RC350 and BMW 4-series. We’re confident it will look pretty close to this concept as it blends in perfectly to the rest of Infiniti’s current product line. The Q60’s curvy body lines and aggressive front fascia, along with its expected 400hp and 350lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbocharged V6 engine will definitely make it a force to be reckoned with.

LEXUS

Lexus' RWD, 5.0L, naturally-aspirated V8 LC 500 coupe isn't quite like the LFA but for a $100K price tag, you'll get the same 467hp engine found in the current RC F in a beautiful new chassis. Plus, with 2+2 seat orientation, it should rank right below the Mercedes-Benz S-class coupe, all while looking equally sport-luxurious.

ACURA

This is one of our personal favorites: Honda/Acura surprised us all with this release and it does not disappoint! Seeing it up close and personal, this car was everything and more; a beautiful wide-body, race livery and dry carbon detailing made it a sight to behold. The Acura NSX GT3 will meet FIA’s GT3 regulations, which means it'll weigh between 1200-1300kg (2646-2866 lbs), which is only around 300-500 more pounds than a Miata, but it'll be packing serious heat, somewhere between 500 and 600 horsepower. It features a mostly carbon fiber body, stripped interior, 6-speed sequential transmission (as opposed to its 9-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in the base NSX), and will be rear-wheel drive (as opposed to the base NSX’s hybrid all-wheel drive system to power the front wheels). We love that the GT3 keeps many of the key design features of the base NSX, and even though you’ll probably never see it on the street, you can bet Honda's fans will be cheering it on during the GT3 race series. There’s no released price tag for a project like this, but considering the base NSX costs about $200K and a Porsche 911 GT3 R costs about $490K, let's just say it’s "somewhere in between."

THE FUTURE

While this show featured tons of wonderfully engineered vehicles, the two vehicles I’m most hopeful for are the Nissan New Mobility Concept and the Toyota i-Road personal mobility vehicles. Having always lived in metropolitan areas, it’s easy to see the need for these electric vehicles that max out at around 18-25 mph, with a max range of 30-40 miles on a single charge. The four-wheeled Nissan concept holds two, and the three-wheeled i-Road fits one passenger in Japan and two passengers in Europe to meet vehicle specific regulations. The Nissan is currently available overseas in Europe as a Renault Twizy and in San Francisco as the Scoot Quad, and is expected to be available in showrooms across America soon. The Toyota i-Road is also expected to be released very soon.

Enjoy more outtakes from NYIAS in this bonus photo gallery below!

The 2016 New York International Auto Show was full of some awesome new OEM vehicles as well as a few things we weren't quite sure what to think about. Get the skinny with Motorhead Mama reporting in the video above.

Want more from NYIAS? Click here for Driving Line's full coverage from New York!

This late in the season, we knew we would need to head north to the high desert to catch the last of the desert wildflower bloom. So, we flipped through some of our trail guide books in search of some new trails to explore. The BLM had been reporting that the blooms were still strong in the north Mojave desert, so we focused on Kern County where the Mojave meets the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The promise of spectacular views along Bird Spring Pass caught our eye, and we loaded up the Jeep to check out the high desert trail.

The trail begins at the Dove Springs OHV area off California 14, 3.5 miles north of Red Rock Canyon State Park’s Ricardo Campground. The main entrance to Dove Springs OHV area is SC103, and that will lead you directly to SC94. When you reach the four-way intersection with a large staging area, continue on SC94 as it passes through the gate over the cattle guard and leaves the open riding area.

The 21 mile trail has a difficulty rating of 3 (out of 10) in Massey & Wilson’s Backcountry Adventures. The rating was given for the deep loose sand in sections of the trail, but there are also some rough and rocky sections that justify the rating. The beginning of the trail is well maintained as it travels through desert scrubland.

There are several interesting rock formations along this stretch of trail. When we spotted a path leading to one of the formations, we decided to stop and investigate. We were not sure if the path was made by animals or Indians, but we noticed what appeared to be caves for shelter. We were hoping to find some petroglyphs or morteros. We were being extra cautious watching for snakes sunning themselves, but we did not expect the overpowering whiff of skunk when we peeked inside one of the caves! We didn’t get sprayed, but it was obviously home to a skunk (even if he wasn’t home), so we decided that it was probably best to move on.

The scattered Joshua Trees were in various states of bloom at this elevation. Joshua trees are actually yuccas and they only grow in the Mojave Desert, typically at elevations between 2,000 and 6,000 feet.

As we got closer to the mountains, the trail got rougher. There were several sections with rocks greater than six inches, and one off-camber steep descent. A high-clearance vehicle and tires with good traction are a must through here. Thankfully, our Nitto Trail Grapplers had no trouble absorbing the terrain.

The trail then passes through a thick Joshua tree forest carpeted with tiny yellow flowers before it turns west at the boundary of the Kiavah Wilderness on SC120. It follows along the southern boundary of the Kiavah and the Owens Peak Wilderness areas for the rest of the trail. You can see that this road had been paved at one time; occasionally you can spot a section of old pavement.

The trail begins at an elevation of 2,600 feet and gradually climbs to 5,500 feet at Bird Spring Pass. At the top of the pass the trail crosses the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,560 mile long-distance hiking trail that spans the western United States from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. To the left, there is a nice spot to have lunch in the shade just a few feet from the trail marker. When we visited, it was windy and chilly, so we decided to sit in the sun.

On the right, a short distance from the PCT trail marker, you can see where through-hikers cache water for their journey. People known as Trail Angels also drop off high energy snacks and treats for the hikers. The supplies can save a life, so please don’t disturb them. If you’re feeling generous, leave some water or snacks to put a smile on someone’s face.

The view from up here is everything the guide book promised it would be- with even a peek of snow-capped mountains in the distance. It’s the perfect spot to get out and stretch your legs while enjoying the view. There is also a short spur trail to the south that climbs up to the communications towers on Wyleys Knob.

The next section made the entire trail worthwhile. The trail snakes along a very narrow shelf road with incredible views. It’s especially pretty this time of year with wildflowers lining both sides of the trail. There is only room for one vehicle, so if you meet oncoming traffic someone is going to have to back up. To the south of the trail is the Jawbone-Butterbredt Area of Critical Environmental Concern. We sure do have a lot of land designations in California.

The trail ends on the paved Kelso Valley Road, 10.7 miles south of California 178. This end has a sign informing that the first known passage by white men over Bird Spring Pass was in 1854. Turning right will take you to the town of Weldon and California 178. If you turn left there are a few trails to choose from that will return you to the Dove Springs OHV area.

One of the most talked about and controversial vehicles from this year’s Easter Jeep Safari was the 2016 Jeep Comanche Concept. A few weeks ago, we showed you the complete rundown of the seven concept vehicles Jeep hauled to the 50^th annual Easter Jeep Safari. We got to check out the Comanche in person and even spent a little time behind the wheel. We’re not sure if we love it or want to kill it with fire just yet, but it definitely has us captivated. Here, Chief Jeep Designer Mark Allen explains how they built the unique diesel pickup and why it’s hitting a nerve with so many people.

Hard Facts

Color: Beige Against the Machine

Engine: 2.0L I4 Diesel

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Crawl Ratio: 20.4:1

4x4 Performance:

• 16-inch Wrangler steel wheels
• 32-inch-tall tires
• Modified 10th Anniversary Wrangler Rear Bumper
• Warn 9,000lb Winch

Exterior:

• Wheelbase is lengthened six inches from a production Renegade to 107.2.
• Custom lower front fascia
• Satin black hood decal
• 5-ft Composite Cargo Box
• Mopar black fuel filler door
• Soft top
• Bed-mounted spare tire and vintage military gas can

Interior:

• Canvas seat covers
• All-Weather slush mats

See more action from the 2016 Easter Jeep Safari Here!

Drag racing season 2016 is here, folks. The 14^th Annual NMCA Ross Racing Pistons Muscle Car Mayhem was everything Xtreme and more at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, getting the NMCA Muscle Car Nationals off to a great start.

Take a look at the photo gallery above and check out the full race recap at NMCAdigital.com. Next up we have the 8th Annual NMRA/NMCA Borla All-Star Nationals April 7-10 at Atlanta Dragway.

Mobile apps can be a great help when off-roading in the back-country. Most of these function sans-signal and can be a good aid and back-up to other technologies we depend on when out wheeling. Here's 13 mostly free iOS & Android apps to aid in your next adventure:

1. Clinometer + bubble level | Android | free

2. Tiltometer – Off Road Gyro Clinometer | iOS | $1.99

3. SAS Survival Guide | Android and iOS | $5.99

4. American Red Cross First Aid | Android and iOS | free

5. Backcountry Navigator TOPO | Android | free

6. Spyglass | iOS | $3.99

7. Commander Compass Lite | iOS | free

8. Tiny Flashlight + LED | Android | free

9. Flashlight (Noah Corp.) | iOS | free

10. Useful Knots | Android | free

11. What Knot To Do | iOS | free

12. Google Sky Map | Android | free

13. Star Tracker Lite | iOS | free

For more info and reviews on each of these apps, read Lori Carey's earlier Android Off-Road Apps and Apple Off-Road Apps articles on Driving Line.

Are there any new apps out there that you wouldn't leave home without?!

Welcome to your 2016 Nitto Tire Formula Drift Roster! Former Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. and international fan favorite "Mad" Mike Whiddett are back for another season with Team Nitto but joining these veterans is the up-and-coming Alex Heilbrunn, the 2015 Formula Drift Pro 2 champion. All three drivers will be competing on the ultra-sticky NT05 tire and have brand new looks to show off, so check them out below in our exclusive Nitto Tire 2016 Formula Drift Roster Spotters Guide.

Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s 2015 season ended sooner than everyone would have liked, but with the help of his team, he was able to fine tune the performance and handling of his new 2016 Ford Mustang RTR. The Ford Performance/Roush Yates-built V8 will be cranking out over 900hp to make Vaughn's new car debut at the Streets of Long Beach a very powerful debut.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE VAUGHN GITTIN JR SPOTTER GUIDE

"Mad" Mike Whiddett

One of the world's most exciting drivers around, "Mad" Mike Whiddett stole the hearts of Formula Drift fans to earn himself the 2015 Formula Drift "Fan Favorite Driver" award. This year's RADBUL will be skinned with the new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata's body panels, and still retains a 4-rotor monster with two turbos pushing over 1,200hp. Mike is continuing his quest to becoming a Formula Drift champion while retaining his fan favorite status.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE "MAD" MIKE WHIDDETT SPOTTER GUIDE

Alex Heilbrunn 

Making his Pro debut, Alex Heilbrunn has been racing nearly his entire life, from winning multiple back-to-back downhill mountain bike championships as a teen, to winning the Formula Drift Pro 2 championship last year. If his name isn't a familiar one, it soon will be as he looks to make a name for himself as part of Team Nitto with his supercharged, LS-powered BMW E46 M3.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ALEX HEILBRUNN SPOTTER GUIDE

Formula Drift Round 1: Streets of Long Beach begins on April 8-9, have your spotters guide ready!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE NITTO TIRE 2016 FORMULA DRIFT ROSTER SPOTTERS GUIDE

Stay up to day on all of our Formula Drift coverage throughout the season at DrivingLine.com/DRIFT

(Artwork by Gustavo Chen)

Amongst the exceptional off-roading options in Colorado, there are standouts. To name a few: Carnage, which offers eight hours of... carnage... in one mile; Mt. Antero, delivering you to more than 14,000ft (and an hour’s hoofbeats from a genuine Colorado Fourteener); Ingram/Black Bear Pass, which can make passengers vomit with fear; and Imogene Pass, a trail that travels over the second-highest pass road in North America (13,114ft) and through nuggets of Colorado history.

Imogene runs through areas full of American history, and you owe it to yourself to poke around: Colorado saw epic strikes like Camp Bird and Upper Camp Bird, Revenue, Atlas and Tomboy; union thugs and assassins fought a minor war with Colorado’s army over another kind of strike; and Ford Peabody was constructed at Imogene Pass to keep the unions from invading Tomboy and Telluride (little is left of the fort now). And who was Imogene? She was the wife of one of the partners controlling the Camp Bird Mine.

While in Southwestern Colorado, we chased a gaggle of Toyota FJ types on an FJ Summit group run up Imogene Pass. We’d planned to do Imogene anyway because it’s awesome, but having ran into the FJ folks the night before in downtown Ouray, we opted to join them.

The northern end of Imogene Pass Road (nearer Ouray) is frequently wet, and requires a number of crick crossings. This crick is Sneffels Creek.

At one Imogene creek crossing, where Imogene intersects with the old trail to Richmond Basin (thankfully, the water was low), vehicles were forced through a tight granite channel that was no friend of longer trucks.

Also found at old Richmond Basin was this old FJ-55. They don’t die, people, they just get uglier.

Imogene Pass afforded the FJ folks a variety of trail types. This included this sheer rock face that had trucks literally climbing up and away from those on the trail below it.

Now that “history-erasure” crews pretending to be cleaning up old mine sites have ruined the ruins of Upper Camp Bird Mine, the trail that ran past the mine is now the trail that runs over it.

Several points on the over-Upper-Camp-Bird-trail were washed out, and far hairier than expected, requiring spotting for those new to the trail.

Once past the mine remnants below United States Mountain and Imogene Pass, the climb towards the pass clung to a long rising face-cut that left little peril to the imagination.

The relatively flat high-mountain glade below the pass itself was deceptively rough, with serious hard-rock features. This section of Imogene required the most vehicle control of the entire run.

Plentiful parking at the top of Imogene Pass. It’s the second-highest road pass in America at 13,114ft above sea level, but no brewery. Yet.

Running roughly west from Imogene Pass, the trail drops towards Telluride through the upper workings of the Tomboy, as well as countless other excellent hard-rock mines now obliterated by time or historical ignorance.

Some historic features still stand in protest of the damage caused by modernization. Here, a new cement drainage channel has done little to keep runoff from eating at a nearby hillside.

One of the FJ Cruisers in the group descends through the ruins of the Tomboy Mine, which operated for about 30 years after striking gold. Its expansive remnants are one of the few high-mountain mines that you can still enjoy easily.

Just off Imogene Pass Road, the remains of a tram station – the cable-operated ore movers that used to lace these valleys – beckon a second look. Don’t let your tour guide keep you from stopping and learning. This is your history too.

In one of our favorite shots from this run, we caught a clutch of FJs on the shelf-road that delivers Imogene into the town of Telluride.

Further downhill, Telluride tourist traffic and locals headed up and down the grade intermingled with the FJs from Ouray. The residents of Telluride have gotten pretty schmaltzy and proud of themselves, and the wealth parked around town is unmistakable, but you can still find excellent spots to make the town fun (you just need to look).

The Imogene Pass-to-Ophir Pass loop is a popular in-out route for folks visiting Telluride from Ouray. Ophir Pass takes ‘wheelers through the town of Ophir (most avalanches per capita of any city in the US) and through the valley of Otto Mears’ famous Ophir Loop. The remnants of which can be found if you know where to look.

The Jeep truck fever is spreading like wildfire. Of the seven Jeep concept vehicles unveiled this year at the 2016 Easter Jeep Safari, none has gained more attention that the Crew Chief 715. Built off of a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited chassis and based on the classic Kaiser 715 military pickup, the Jeep design team gave every Jeep-truck fan boy exactly what they’ve been clamoring for- a real body-on-frame truck.

Before you get too excited, remember that this is just a concept. Jeep has been teasing us with pickup concepts for years, but this one is a step above the rest. While we would have liked to have seen a V-8 (or maybe a diesel) under the hood, there were few faults we could find with the Crew Chief 715. We caught up with Jeep’s head designer Mark Allen to hear what he had to say about the group’s latest pickup offering.

Hard Facts

Color: Tactical Green

Engine: 3.6L V-6

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Crawl Ratio: 77.3:1

4x4 Performance:

• 20-inch beadlock wheels
• 40-inch-tall NDT military tires
• Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) 4-inch lift w/remote reservoir Fox shocks
• JPP Front and Rear Dana 60 Axles, 5.38 gears
• Modified rock rails
• Modified 10th Anniversary bumpers
• Front and Rear JPP Rubicon winches
• JPP cold-air intake
• On-board air

Exterior:

• Wheelbase is lengthened 23 inches from a production 4 door Wrangler to 139 inches.
• Custom Kaiser-Inspired front end.
• 5 ft steel cargo box and bed-mounted vintage military gas cans
• Canvas soft top

Interior:

• Katzkin seat covers and Bartact Mil-Spec seatback attachment system
• Dash nautical compass and aircraft-inspired control switches
• Durable body color spray-in bed-liner coated floor
• All-weather slush mats

See all seven concept vehicles by clicking here.

Get even more coverage of the 50^th annual Easter Jeep Safari here!

(photos courtesy of Jeep)

Last week, under the blue skies of the South of France in full early Spring mode, the Toyota TS050 HYBRID was revealed to the world. This high-technology racer will carry the hopes and dreams of the Toyota in their quest to achieve their elusive first outright victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

In 2014 the Japanese giant were worthy World Champions beating off strong challenges from both Audi and Porsche but last year the German duo leapfrogged Toyota consigning them to third place.

So it was back to the drawing board for the Cologne-based race team and a completely new car was the solution to the problem of regaining 2014’s ascendancy.

The most obvious change comes in the form of a new 2.4L, twin-turbo, direct injection V6 petrol engine that combined with an 8-MegaJoule hybrid system.

This new generation turbo engine with direct injection is optimized for the current regulations which limit fuel flow to the engine, and provides opportunities to continue the technology and knowledge transfer from the track to road cars, a key benefit of the current endurance racing formula.

Another significant change is the move from super capacitor to battery storage which allows the TS050 HYBRID to move up to the more-powerful 8MJ hybrid class. As with the increasing number of current Toyota road cars, the front and rear motor-generators recover energy under braking, storing it in a high-powered lithium-ion battery and releasing it as boost for maximum energy efficiency.

The new powertrain is significantly smaller and allows for greater optimization in aerodynamics and packaging of the components, also promoting greater efficiency and performance. A further motivation for the changes is a regulation-driven reduction in fuel flow and total fuel energy of approximately 7.5%.

What is the motivation behind this expensive and technologically challenging project? Victory in competition and the associated bragging rights is certainly a powerful stimulant but in reality this cutting edge technology is driven by new regulations for our road cars that kicks in around 2025 depending where you live. Significant improvement in fuel economy and dramatic reductions in the CO2 emissions are mandated on a global basis. In the view of both Toyota and the Volkswagen groups this is best achieved by the pressures of motorsport.

Whatever the validity of this route we are beneficiaries in the endurance arena of motor sport, a vibrant World Championship and battles at Le Mans are as competitive as they have been at any time in history. Will Toyota triumph at the race they covet above all others? Only time will tell, but it will be a helluva journey.

For most of us, an immersed car is something we’re only ever going to see on TV. But since knowing how to escape a submerged car is kind of like having a superhero skill tucked into your back pocket, it’s worth taking a moment to learn (sans water of course.) Since immersed cars account for more in-car fatalities than you’d probably imagine, it’s also just good common sense to have. Lucky us, Mythbusters covered this very dilemma in Episode 72: Underwater Car.

In short, if you find yourself in a sinking car:

Option 1: Open your car door immediately. If there isn’t enough pressure created by the surrounding water, you’ve got a chance at getting it open.

Option 2: Breaking or opening windows is unlikely, but if you’ve got a center punch or window breaking hammer handy it could be possible. Since car windows are tempered, don’t waste energy trying to break the glass otherwise. And that little thing called pressure will keep you from rolling windows down whether manually cranked or electric powered.

Option 3: In the trauma of smashing into water in a car, you failed to execute Option 1 and now there’s no budging it due to the surrounding pressure of water. Stay calm and conserve oxygen, because you’ll need it in order to wait until the interior of the car is nearly full of water. At this point, the pressure differential inside and outside the car will have evened out and the door should open easily.

Sound easy enough?! Fingers crossed you’ll never need to use this info, but if you do escape a submerged car successfully you should definitely take up racing because luck is on your side!

Company owned trucks are some of the most abused. For suspension manufacturers such as BDS Suspension, it is constantly using new platforms to create, prove, and ultimately produce new suspension systems. We spotted the company’s 2015 Chevy 2500 out on the trails around Moab doing some trail riding to test out the its latest suspension offering for the 2012 to current GM 2500 4x4 trucks. Built and owned by BDS Suspension out of Coldwater, Michigan, this truck has been the test mule for their soon to be released mid-travel coilover conversion kits for the late-model GM2500 trucks. The new suspension is designed to be right at home on the open trail or cruising down the highway. We caught up with the guys and followed along as they put the new kit through its paces.

The truck itself isn’t over the top. It was built to not only test the capabilities of the new suspension, but also to inspire a new generation of enthusiasts looking to get more out of their HD’s suspension without diving into the commitment (not to mention the expense) of going full long travel. Sitting on a set of 35-inch-tallNitto Tire EXO Grappler tires, this 3-inch coilover kit is meant to be blend of stance and performance.

The factory torsion bars and stamped-steel control arms were replaced by a BDS 3-inch coilover conversion using FOX 2.5 remote DSC coilovers and Fox 2.0 IFP bump stops. The system features TIG welded chromoly upper control arms and boxed lower arms that utilize OE-style rubber bushings and heavy-duty ball joints for long life and quiet operation.

In the rear, the truck features long-travel BDS leaf springs, FOX 2.5 remote DSC shocks and FOX 2.0 IFP bumpstops. This setup allows for increased travel, while soaking up the bumps with 12-points of high speed and 10-points of low speed compression adjustment from the DSCs.

In true “chrome don’t get you home” fashion, this HD Raider has been de-chromed and color-matched to the factory black. Custom touches include a T-Rex X-Metal series grille fitted along with a modified N-Fab RDS series bumper and 40-inch ZRoadZ LED lightbar. The setup maximizes approach angle and offers extra protection.

With the 3-inch BDS coilover conversion installed this truck rolls on a set of 35x12.50R20 Nitto EXO Grappler tires mounted on 20x9 Fuel Hostage III wheels. This setup offers a plush on-road ride, good performance off-road, and great towing capacity with the Load E rated 10-ply sidewalls.

This HD is right at home on the trail or cruising the highway. Here it is climbing the Golden Spike trail in Moab, Utah, with Arches National Park in the distance. For a place typically inhabited by Jeeps and solid-axle trucks, this HD held its own on the rocky trails leading up the ridge to some spectacular views.

BDS’s intention with its new kit was to maximize ground clearance while improving suspension travel. The engineers from BDS told us the kit improves suspension travel by more than 30-percent without any increase to the truck’s track width. No need to run glass up front like you’ll find with long travel kits and outside of weld-in IFP bumpstops, BDS said this kit is entirely bolt-on.

This Duramax is right at home climbing trails or blazing the open desert. The mid-travel IFS coilover suspension allow this ¾-ton truck feel nimble like a ½-ton out on the trail, even when its charging through the open desert.

In a world of over-the-top lighting solutions, this truck stays tame with a single 30-inch ZRoadZ curved LED lightbar. This gave plenty of light to brighten up the trails after dark.

Under the hood of this Silverado 2500HD you’ll find a 6.6L Duramax. It’s fit with an AFE cold-air intake and tuned by a Bully Dog diesel GT tuner.

Overall, we were impressed with the new BDS kit and live the idea of a more performance oriented suspension system for the ¾-ton GM platform. Making your tow rig a smooth performer on-road and off is a trend we would like to see more of.

Fugu Z has come a long way, baby. In only three months, it went from being nearly inoperable for the 2015 SEMA Show to being driven by Jay Leno for his own Jay Leno’s Garage. In between that it was (finally) fired up, made it to the Driving Line booth, drove fan boys and Fast & Furious fans absolutely wild at SEMA and won a very prestigious award, given out by none other than Kazunori Yamauchi, lead designer at Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo franchise (the award also means the car will be available for play in a future edition of the game, lucky you). Given its famous owner, Sung Kang, was any of this a shock? Not really, but if it’s done this much in so little time, how does one take Fugu Z to the next level? We’re soon going to find out…

A little more background before we move on: Fugu Z’s original mission was plain and simple—be a weekend racer for a trio of friends to share and enjoy the time with. Research led Sung specifically to the Rocket Bunny kit, and with the help of social media, connected him with GReddy USA, which in turn, jumped in to lend a hand in crafting the build. This immediate connection linked the project to Kei Miura at Rocket Bunny, so the aero was locked. Next was deciding which engine to go with—after unsuccessful attempts at securing an OS Giken TC24-B1Z L-series ($50K) and an actual S20 Hakosuka GT-R ($60K) motor in time for the show, GReddy’s Kenji Sumino suggested something a little more unique. An engine that would be more budget-friendly and readily available: the RB26DETT…except with a twist—decommission it from turbocharged status, which comes with its own set of challenges.

The first hurdle to overcome was the cams—naturally aspirated cams aren’t available for a RB26, so maximizing power (as far as duration, overlap and lift is concerned) isn’t ideal using a pair of turbo cams. Next is the exhaust manifold—again, nobody makes an NA header, either, so HyTech came in personally to weld the beautiful, stainless-steel equal-length header and exhaust together. Next, they rebuilt the bottom end and bumped the compression up using 12:1 CP pistons, the valvetrain was reworked by Portflow and GReddy added individual throttle bodies for the wow factor. Now the RB26 had become something unique.

The body was then stripped down to the bare metal, stitch-welded and strengthened with a rollcage at GReddy before it was sent to Signature Autobody for bodywork. It was sprayed in Kilimanjaro White, an original old-school Datsun color, and all its imperfections removed to make Fugu Z a perfectly flawless specimen. The interior was put back together minimally, using a new dashboard, door panels, center console and seats, all commissioned by Carbon Signal, out of Dubai of all places. An extremely simple suspension setup consisting of parts from Techno Toy Tuning help lower the car plenty right while keeping the Rocket Bunny fenders from being ripped off by the Volk TE37V SLs and beefy Nitto NT01 rubber.

Now that accolades have been won, there are more of us who are eager to see Sung (or anyone willing to) get behind the wheel of Fugu Z so we can see what it can really do at the track. After all, that is its original purpose. But the car still needs a little more work to get it where it needs to be in order to be competitive; bigger brakes are needed and Sung is looking for seats that are a bit more secure. The engine, while it sounds sexy on paper, could stand to use a little more oomph in the power department. An initial tune saw it come in the low 200hp range, and some cam timing play brought it up to 240 hp but GReddy thinks it can hit 300 hp with more tuning, raising the rev limiter and switching to E85 fuel. Fugu Z does sound wicked at open throttle but since the boost is gone, it takes some time for it to come up to full speed. It currently sips 91-octane to hit 9K rpm and power still climbs as it reaches redline, so there is more horsepower up top to be discovered.

From a dream build conceived amongst friends, brought to fruition with the help of social media and a solid team in GReddy, whatever journey it is that Fugu Z takes on next, it seems as though its true destiny may finally be fulfilled.

SPECS

1972 Datsun 240Z aka “Fugu Z”

Owner: Sung Kang

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Engine: Custom Nissan Skyline RB26DE by GReddy; CP pistons; Carillo rods; cylinder head work by Portflow Design; Supertech valves and valve springs; custom individual throttle bodies; GReddy spark plug wire cover, fuel rail and oil cooler; custom HyTech exhaust and stainless manifold; custom TSR Fabrication fuel tank; Aeromotive fuel pump, filter and pressure regulator; Koyo radiator; McKinney Motorsports engine mounts

Drivetrain: Nissan Skyline RB25 5-speed manual transmission; OS Giken twin-plate clutch, flywheel and limited-slip differential; McKinney Motorsports driveshaft and transmission kit; custom Techno Toy Tuning CV axles and R200 rear-end conversion

Engine: Management AEM Infiniti ECU; Wiring Specialties RB engine harness

Suspension & Chassis: Techno Toy Tuning full suspension; custom GReddy chassis work and rollcage

Brakes: Techno Toy Tuning big brake upgrade with custom Fugu Z-etched calipers

Wheels & Tires: 17x9.5”/17x10.5” Volk Racing TE37V SL wheels; Nitto NT01 235/40ZR17 NT01 (front)/255/40ZR17 (rear) tires

Exterior: Rocket Bunny/Pandem body kit; custom Fugu Z rear emblem; new OEM trim pieces; Datsun Kilimanjaro White paint and body work by Signature Autobody

Interior: Carbon Signal carbon-fiber dash, door panels, center console and seats; GReddy floor panel; Takata Racing harnesses

(Main article photos: Bernooo; GReddy engine test fit: Rob Shaw)

Unless you’re one of those car people without cable or who’ve signed off from reality-style TV entirely, Gas Monkey Garage and their show Fast N’ Loud airing on Discovery Channel are probably quite familiar to you. For those few who haven’t seen the show, the basic premise is a combination of car flipping and car building/restoring. Gas Monkey Garage owner Richard Rawlings finds and buys cars that chief mechanic Aaron Kaufman leads the crew in transforming. Each show ends with a different project culminating and getting sold, it could be anything from a Ford GT to a Chevy C-10 or ’32 roadster hot rod.

While Fast N’ Loud has grown beyond appealing solely to car people, largely due to the personalities of Richard and Aaron, gearheads will of course have the most discerning opinions on the finished products. Having worked on my own restoration projects, I know first-hand the inconceivable amount of work it takes to do a custom build correctly and so was suspicious if these guys were for real. But when Driving Line got an invite to drop into the Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Texas, I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down!

Aaron took a few minutes out of his day to chat about how Gas Monkey Garage started and about his journey into Fast N’ Loud stardom. With such differing personalities between he and Richard the first thing I wanted to know is, how did they ever start working together?

AK: “This is really all I’ve ever done. Every single project I’ve gotten a little better – learned something new on every one.”

“Years and years and years ago, Richard came into a shop that I worked at. He had bought a car from California and the work was really, really rough – so we repaired it. Then, basically, I didn’t see him for a really long time.”

Out of the blue Aaron gets a call from Richard asking him to bag a Mustang Fastback for him. A couple weeks after completing that job, Aaron gets another call from Richard, this time asking him to come and run a shop for him.

AK: “I could see that there was a lot more opportunity [than where I was originally at.] This was ’04. So I said ‘yeah’… and came to work for Richard. To be quite honest, Richard has always wanted to follow the Jesse James route, in doing a car TV show, and it seems to be a lucrative route, so I was just along for the ride. I’d get opportunities to work on stuff I’d never had a chance to work on, hot rods, Model A’s, all kinds of stuff, once in a while a little race car. 

"With every project, I’d work that much harder, and in the downtime between cars that Richard would buy, I’d build one-to-two customer cars. We did split ways in ’09 to do our own thing but we’d already gotten the ball rolling on the TV show. It might have taken a while to gain traction but when it did, it picked up very quickly."

"Richard came back to me wanting to do another sizzle reel, and I said, ‘I’m done, over it,’ and he said, ‘Think about it.’ I did, and figured if we were filming for two days, they were gonna buy my lunch for two days. So for two free lunches, I showed up, shot the new sizzle reel and Discovery bought the show! Two weeks later, we were finally doing this, out to buy the first car and I called Casey and Scott to bring them on board. That was it!”

Looking around the busy shop, and having waded through a crowd of onlookers to get inside, it’s beyond obvious that building cars and building cars in front of a camera are two distinct experiences. It’s not only the fame and attention to be considered. Whoever’s hands are putting the next part on the chassis of the episode’s “star” project car had a camera man inches over his shoulder while a sound guy was a few steps behind. Every so often they’d have to stop and talk to the camera, explaining what they were up to. Working under these conditions would be enough pressure to make many an aspiring car builder crack. But the crew inside the Gas Monkey Garage seemed well-oiled and cohesive. As a bonus, their popularity had clearly helped to equip their shop with the best tools available, and these guys use it to their advantage.

Certain that Aaron must have his frustrations being in the spotlight each day, I wondered what his favorite part of being part of Gas Monkey Garage has been.

AK: “It’s hard to say. On most of these builds, there’s always an aspect that I’m curious about—something I want to learn, try or do."

"I see people doing other things and I think, there’s nothing that separates me from them, so I always try it out for myself. I find things that excite me and try to bring them into the show. I’m always asking the team to break out of their shell and try something new, so it’s a funny, weird, little educational process for us—and you get to come along."

"Some people ask what my favorite cars are, and I have some that I like a lot. But for me, it’s building individual parts as opposed to whole cars. I’m real big into how things work, fit and how a car goes down the road. I love that part of it.”

Up until this point, the mentions of “learning” and “exploration” had already come up several times, so, what in particular was the focus of his learnings?

AK: “I’m learning to design cars –what the interior should look like, what complements what, how to do what. In traditional hot rods I feel really comfortable in that area, I also feel really comfortable with race cars and pro-touring, but anything in the middle is such a wide interpretation! There’s really no hard rules to follow – so doing a good job, not copying anyone, not ripping anyone off, and not doing something so weird that nobody understands it, is a hard thing to get a grasp on!”

Leaving Gas Monkey Garage that day, I was excited to see what they’d build next. Fellow car builders know best how difficult it is to churn out a car in a month’s time and to turn a profit while doing it – and somehow Gas Monkey Garage is doing just that. What’s even better, their TV show Fast N’ Loud is converting new enthusiasts to our loved car hobby. I may not always love their builds, I probably will never purchase a car from Richard Rawlings, but I’m sufficiently impressed that these guys are in fact the real deal… with a slight bit of TV-friendly varnish on top.

Watch Fast N’ Loud on Discovery or check out Gas Monkey Garage online… and thanks for the hospitality!

Love Fast N’ Loud? Driving Line will be bringing you some Gas Monkey Garage feature cars very soon – subscribe to our eNewsletter so you don’t miss out!

As we count the final hours down to Formula Drift's season opener in Long Beach this coming weekend, we've got our eyes on the new vehicle debuts, and one that has us excited is Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s new RTR Mustang. Self-described by the man himself as a "9-second drag car (on paper) that can turn left and right on a dime", it's powered by a 900+hp 435 cubic inch Ford Performance/Roush Yates engine and looks set to do major battle. Here are some exclusive photos and a video from a testing session last week, and if you want to see it in person, you know what to do: get your ass to Long Beach.

(Photos: Alex Wong/Emotive Images)

Ultra4 Racing champion and two-time King of the Hammers winner Loren Healy knows what it takes to conquer some of the toughest terrain on the planet. So, when it came time to build a vehicle that he could take the entire family out in, it had to be something that could match his performance standards. Teaming up with Mel Wade at Off Road Evolution, Healy ended up with a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that was tough enough to handle extreme trails, but refined enough to haul the wife and kids in comfort.

We caught up with the racing champ at the 50^th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, to get a closer look at his latest ‘wheeling machine.

See the full feature write up on Healy’s Jeep here!

The motorsports side of the off-road hobby has grown tremendously over the past decade. With the launch of events like King of the Hammers, it has incited a new level of technology and build theory into the ‘wheeling world. As is the case for many auto-derived competitions, the technology learned on the track eventually trickles down to the recreational side of the hobby.

A great example of this can be found in Loren Healy’s 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. While the two-time King of the Hammers champion is most known for dominating the Ultra4 race series in his Red Dragon buggy, the proud husband and father of three wanted something a little more refined to take his family down the trail in. Of course, a stock Wrangler wasn’t going to cut it.

So, Healy reached out to one of the biggest names in the Jeep builder world- Off Road Evolution. Working with EVO owner Mel Wade, the two devised a build plan that would fit the Jeep with race-proven components for sheer durability, while retaining all of the creature comforts that make the four-door JK platform such a desirable vehicle.

Under the hood rests the stock 3.6L Pentastar V-6. The estimated 285 horsepower is a far cry from the fire-breathing V-8 powering his race car, but it works fine to get the JK down the trail.

Replacing the stock front axle is a Dynatrac ProRock 60. This high-pinion front differential is stuffed with 5.43:1 differential gears and an ARB Air Locker. To increase steering control, a hydro-assist steering system was installed from PSC Motorsports. This works excellent with the Off Road Evolution high steer setup.

Allowing Healy to mimic race speeds in the dirt is an EVO Manufacturing Double Throwdown long-arm suspension system. This setup fits a 12-inch-travel King coilover and bypass shock at each corner. The EVO-specific valving is tuned to optimize high and low speed control. Despite the relatively low lift height, this setup offers an impressive five inches of up travel, with a true seven inches of down. Adding to the stability of the rig are front and rear PAC sway bars.

Splitting the power to the 1-ton differentials is an Advance Adapters Atlas II transfer case. Healy opted for a 4.3:1 low range, which works well for the majority of the west coast rockcrawling around his Farmington, New Mexico, home. Delivering the drive power are J.E. Reel drivelines built with 1350 double-cardan joints and rock-resistant 0.120-wall tubing.

Out back, it doesn’t get any beefier than a Dynatrac ProRock 80 rear axle. Like the front, the full-float assembly is packed with a 5.43:1 gear set and ARB Air Locker. The trick suspension setup you see is from EVO Manufacturing. It’s called the EVO Lever and provides 14 inches of vertical wheel travel thanks to a cantilever-configuration. Since it’s part of the Double Throwdown EVO family, two King 2.0 coilovers, along with two massive 3.0 King bypass shocks were nestled cleanly underneath. The biggest advantage of this suspension system is you can have all of the travel and performance benefits of a coilover/bypass setup, without sacrificing any cargo area.

Traction comes thanks to 40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers. These 40-inch mud-terrain radials have proven to be extremely durable in the dirt and refined on the road. Paired up with the heavy-duty treads are 17-inch Enduro beadlocks from KMC wheels.

To keep the family riding in comfort, Healy opted to leave the plush interior of the JK mostly stock. Just in case, a bolt-in sports ‘cage was added for occupant protection. Just above the rear-view mirror you’ll find an sPOD switch panel, which provides easy access for the selectable ARB Air Lockers and Rigid Industries LED light switches.

Weld-on EVO Mfg. rock sliders protect the four-door’s tub and work great with the color-matched EVO Rock Skins. Healy’s JK is equipped with the high-clearance EVO long arm, which tucks the rear lower control arms alongside the frame.

For those times when Healy needs a little extra assistance on the trail, a Warn PowerPlant winch was secured inside of an EVO Pro Series front bumper. Lighting the way are Rigid LED headlights.

It didn’t take Healy long to get comfortable behind the wheel of the Jeep. With a wheelbase and tire size that’s extremely similar to his Red Dragon, the accomplished wheelman was pushing the JK to its limits the first day on the trail.

Hard Facts

Vehicle: 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Engine: 3.6L

Transmission: A580

Transfer case: Atlas II, 4.3:1 low range

Front axle: Dynatrac ProRock 60, Spidertrax 300M axleshafts, ARB Air Locker, 5.43 gears

Rear axle: Dynatrac ProRock 80, ARB Air Locker, 5.43 gears

Suspension: EVO MFG Double Throwdown, EVO Lever rear, PAC sway bars

Tires: 40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grappler

Wheels: 17-inch KMC Enduro beadlock

Misc: Poison Spyder fenders, PSC Motorsports hydro-assist steering, EVO Mfg. bumpers and sliders, Rigid lightbar and headlights, DynoMax exhaust

See video of the rig getting twisted off-road here!

We like to think that if a trail is included in an off road trail guidebook, it is worthy of taking. The reality is, management of open lands here in California is ever-changing and it seems that the Travel Management Plans (the official decision of what trails stay open, which ones are closed, and how the trails will be maintained (and by whom)), are always evolving. You never really know what you are going to find until you get on the trail, especially if the report you rely on is more than a couple years old.

After exploring Bird Spring Pass, we were in the middle of nowhere on the opposite side of a mountain from where we wanted to be the next day. We looked for possible routes that would get us back over the mountain and heading in the right direction while avoiding any pavement, and identified three possibilities. Frog Creek was the first alternative, but a section of it appeared to be marked most difficult on our map, which eliminated it as a realistic option for solo travel. SC102 was marked with three gates and we didn’t want to take a chance on the gates at the top being locked. The last option was Dove Spring Canyon Trail, which was in our guidebook and described as an 18-mile long picturesque trail that requires high clearance.

We picked up the trailhead 17 miles south of Weldon, on Kelso Valley Road. It is designated SC103 on the trail and on maps.

The truth is, Dove Springs Canyon is an exceeding well-maintained sandy wash trail that doesn’t require high clearance and as of right now. It could probably be driven in a passenger car if the driver knows how to drive in sand.

This is as difficult as it got.

You will definitely need your sand driving skills because the sand is deep and loose in some sections. We spend so much time driving in desert sand that we take it for granted, until we remember that the last time we were out here we had to recover a truck that got stuck in the sand.

Although the scenery is not unpleasant, there is nothing remarkable about it. It is typical high desert terrain with sand, rocks, desert scrub and some Joshua trees.

The trail reaches an elevation of 5,300 feet at the saddle, but the ascent is so gradual that you don’t notice you are climbing until you catch a glimpse of the valley down below.

The trail then drops into Dove Spring Canyon, where it passes Dove Spring before it enters the open riding OHV area. After you pass Dove Spring the sand gets firmer.

Desert lupine was in full bloom.

In the open riding area, the hills are scarred with the super-steep ascent trails favored by bikes and UTV riders.

We did spot this super cool Willys truck camped in the OHV area. These trucks were made by Willys-Overland Motors from 1947 to 1965. We were hoping the owner was in camp so we could ask him about it, but we guess he was out playing in whatever toys he hauled in the trailer.

A change to the directions in Massey & Wilson’s Back Country Adventures – SC 103 is now routed directly through the Dove Springs Open OHV area. If you instead turn right on the trail marked SC99 before you reach the open area, and then turn onto SC175, you can follow the route set out in the book that ends at Ricardo Campground in Red Rock Canyon State Park. Red Rock Canyon has dramatic rock formations and cliffs, and the large campground has pit toilets, water, fire rings and picnic tables. It’s a great place to camp if you don’t want to primitive camp in the back country, or if you want to avoid the noisy crowds at the OHV area.

As much as we hate to say it, we recommend to skip this trail and don’t waste your time unless you are a looking for a fast and easy way to get from Point A to Point B. It suited that purpose for us, but it wasn’t worth listening to our co-pilot tell us how boring it was for 18 miles. In case you decide to make a loop as we did with Bird Spring Pass, we’re showing both on the map here so you can see where they are in relation to each other. Bird Spring Pass is to the north and has red markers, Dove Spring Canyon is below it with orange markers.

One important piece of advice if you plan to travel off-road in this Jawbone/Dove Springs/Red Rock/El Paso Mountains area – online maps and older trail books don’t cut it here. There is an amazing network of Jeep trails throughout these interconnected areas, but trails/route numbers are often incorrectly labeled on many maps and it is extremely easy to get lost if you try to rely on them. Do yourself a big favor and stop at Jawbone Station to pick up the trail map by Friends of Jawbone Canyon. It is only $3 and is hands down the best off-road trail map we have ever seen. Not only does it make route finding much easier, the map shows where you can get cell phone reception, where the nearest gas stations can be found, has gps coordinates for many points of interest, phone numbers for emergency services, and contains just about any other information you might need.

Ever since we saw the photos on his Instagram, we've been eagerly waiting the second coming of RADBUL. Last week we stopped over at RAD Industries to see version 2 and to shoot a few preview photos so that you can get a closer look at its new features before it steps into the arena this weekend in Long Beach for the Formula Drift season opener.

RADBUL is sporting an entirely new look, made up of 2016 MX-5 exterior panels and lighting, along with reworked fiberglass and Rocket Bunny fenders, as well as a new rooftop and rear trunk mounted ducting to help to push more air downward into the rear mounted radiator.

The engine setup is mostly the same, making the same wicked sound while rocking 1,200hp, but now with additional cooling systems to help keep it running optimally during competition. Inside, a 2016 dash has been custom modified to fit, and the new Holinger shifter setup has been set up to work with the Haltech ECU to cut the engine so that Mike can change gears without a clutch.

A new rear diffuser has been added to not only provide extra downforce but to also keep the rear wheels and suspension from serious damage by absorbing shock in the event of wall contact. Since these photos were taken, a set of really dope looking (and controversial, depending on who you follow) Rotiform "bead look" wheels were mounted onto the car, which has sent social media into a literal frenzy.

You can learn more about RADBUL 2.0 in this video by Red Bull New Zealand, and tune into the live Driftstream if you can't be there in person for Long Beach.

The glorious Formula Drift season is upon us, and that means another Tech Day returned as well. This year’s event was hosted by both Super Street and the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the move helped to bring together the usual tech day meet and the Petersen’s Japanese Car Cruise-In, filling the parking structure to capacity multiple times throughout the day. The move to the Petersen did away with the actual tech inspection portion of the event, but attendees didn’t seem to mind at all with the car meet portion of the event growing to its largest over years past.

As the sun rose over midtown LA, cars and trucks from all corners of the culture rolled through, everything was proudly displayed.

This RHD Skyline caught everyone looking.

A pair of rare Honda Z600, one of which won Petersen’s Oktoberfest Cruise-In Best In Show.

Old school flexin' with this 1969 Camaro built by East Bay Muscle Cars.

Helping the environment and looking good doing it in this hybrid Porsche 918.

This Mazda Cosmo is out of this world.

Awards were given out to wrap up the morning’s event with Dominic Le’s Hakotora build taking home this year’s Best In Show.

Hope you enjoy our gallery from Tech Day 2016 and stay tuned for our 2016 Formula Drift coverage all season long!