If Vaughn Gittin Jr. can drift a Mustang, then import cars can go drag racing. Believe it or not, import drag racing was a fast growing motorsport back in the 90s, but never caught on to the professional-level. DSPORT worked with Import Drag Racing Circuit (IDRC) to keep it alive with a grassroots style of organized events to attract all spectators back to the sport. From the weekender looking for some fun runs to the fully built drag racers, there is a class for everyone to compete in. The Instafame car show is another crowd pleaser as it brings the "show" crowd together with the "go" crowd. Check out the gallery above from the West Coast Nationals held at the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA for all of the on- and off-track action.

To learn more about import drag racing, watch this video: 

The saying goes, "when it rains, Angelenos forget how to drive." Everyone was slipping and sliding when (the usually sunny) Southern California got drenched by some wet weather, causing a number of crashes in the opening round of the Formula Drift season. Without qualifying on Friday, day one was regulated to only practice runs allowing everyone to get a feel of the conditions of the course and get themselves prepared for the big show on Saturday. While the playing field only had 32 drivers competing in the first round, there were a few new faces to the game, such as Team Nitto rookie and last year's Formula Drift Pro 2 Champion, Alex Heilbrunn. Heilbrunn and his #MONSTERBMW gave the fans a show in his first-ever run at the Streets of Long Beach, but was narrowly defeated by Odi Bakchis in the Top 32. "Mad" Mike spun out in the Top 16 against Fredric Aasbo after one of the more entertaining runs once the weather started to dry up. But for the spectators that wanted to see more, they stopped by the Driving Line booth to experience a 360 Virtual Reality ride along in his new RADBUL. Also in a new drift car, Vaughn Gittin Jr. looked to power his way through the competition in his 2016 Mustang RTR. That was until he met Chelsea Denofa in the Nitto Great 8. It was close, but the round went to Denofa, who was having a spectacular day going on to defeat last year's 1st and 2nd place winners Fredric Aasbo and Ken Gushi to win his first-ever victory in Long Beach. Round 1 was wet, wild and completely unpredictable; there's no telling what else is in store for the rest of the Formula Drift season!

Check out the entire Top 32 play-by-play from the wet first round.

Say updated on all Formula Drift news and coverage throughout the season at DRIVINGLINE.com/DRIFT

I jokingly call it "#aircooledlife", a hashtag I defer to whenever a buddy's car doesn't start or leaks oil. However, there's no denying the fever that's become Luftgekühlt. Aircooled 911s are the new, hot thing, sorta; I actually wrote about The Rise of the Aircooled a couple years back. I'm not entirely sold on it yet, but the tide has already started to turn. 

This past weekend I spent my Sunday living the #aircooledlife with a couple of good friends, illustrator extraordinaire, Jon Sibal and his RWB 964, and RSTRADA and his 993 Carrera RS (unobtanium, Google it, seriously). We made the journey up to downtown LA for the third Luftgekühlt, an event that's grown in strides thanks to Patrick Long and Howie Idelson (and a ton of Porsche fanatics), and pays tribute to all of Porsche's aircooled models, ranging from the Pre-A 356 to the 993. To say it was a success is a huge understatement...

Held at Modernica, a well-known contemporary furniture manufacturer, every aircooled Porsche was well represented, even some watercooled. Highlights of the day included the 993 GT2s and the two other 993 Carrera RS models we found, along with an amazing 959S from Canepa.

It's evident that the passion for aircooled Porsches is alive and well, and my friends are always anxiously trying to get me to come over to the dark side. I may have to soon...

Check out more photos from Luftgekühlt 2016 in the gallery below.

While the '80s were fueled by the excess of Miami Vice and Madonna, the '90s ushered in the grunge era. This transition extended to trucks as well, where the chromed show trucks of the '80s gave way to more functional and flexy ‘wheeling machines. Dents were suddenly more popular than ten chrome shocks with neon shock boots. The trend became so extreme though that if you had a clean vehicle, even if it was ‘wheeled hard, you were branded a poser by kids in dented Toyota pickups.

Naming Your Vehicle

This still happens, particularly with magazine projects, and we are guilty of it ourselves. But, that doesn’t mean that it is a good idea. Even worse is writing the name of your pride and joy on the side of the hood in big swoopy letters. That space should be reserved for “Renegade” or “Golden Eagle”. 

Trars

Take one Camaro/Mustang/Nova and put it on a Blazer chassis. Despite what car was used (often muscle cars that are now considered valuable!), the chassis of choice for trars (part truck, part car) always seemed to be a Blazer chassis. They came with a V-8 and the wheelbase was somewhat similar to a lot of cars, at least close enough to make it work. It is a great way to ruin two otherwise good vehicles at the same time.

RTI Scores

In the '80s, trucks used thick, stiff leaf springs that provided room for big tires, but barely any flex. The pendulum swung to the other end of the spectrum in the 90’s with the introduction of the RTI, or Ramp Travel Index. This system scored suspension travel relative to wheelbase on a 20 degree (or sometimes 30 degree) ramp. People were unbolting their shocks and other such nonsense in an effort to get the best RTI score, but the suspension travel didn’t always translate to trail prowess.

OD Green Everything

You could argue that off-roading started when GI’s returned from World War II and bought surplus Jeeps. Those Jeeps were covered in Olive Drab (OD) green and they were cool. OD green is still an appropriate color on a flatfender, as is desert tan. It is not, however, applicable to your late-model Jeep and please, we are begging you here, don’t paint your Toyota pickup or Suzuki Samurai OD green and put a white star on the hood.

Wood Grain

Who ever thought that this was a good idea? Original buggies were made of wood, but then again they were also pulled by horses and no one puts a fake horse in front of their car (now, that would be a sight!). The “woody” look is acceptable on a classic surf wagon (or the family truckster), but plastic wood grain has no business on the side of a Jeep.

Quarter Elliptic Suspension

If RTI ramps are the cause, quarter elliptic suspension was the effect. Prior to the popularity of coilover shocks, four-link suspension were used with leaf springs that were cut in half. They provided incredible flex, but the packaging was difficult, they were heavy, and the damping was inconsistent at speed. The 3/4 elliptical (or buggy spring) and Revolver shackles also fall into the “too much of a good thing” category.

Stingers

We aren't certain who started this trend, but it reached its peak with the Poison Spyder Bruiser chassis, which had a stinger that was as tall as the roof. The premise is good; keep the vehicle from endoing on a steep drop and protect the radiator from breaking in the event of a rollover. In reality though, the giant stingers reduced approach angle and it was still possible to damage your radiator. 

Body Damage

‘Wheeling difficult terrain and pushing your limits can result in broken parts and dented sheetmetal. Some people react to this better to this adversity than others. There was a time though when people went out of the way to smash their vehicles as a sign of authenticity. It didn’t really have the desired effect though as a dented vehicle may give the impression that you wheel hard trails, but it doesn’t say much about your driving skills.

Torsion Bars

The '90s saw1/2-ton and downsized trucks move away from the solid axles and leaf springs that they had been using in favor of independent front suspensions with torsion bars. The suspensions were difficult and expensive to lift and the torsion bars made it very problematic to increase wheel travel or adjust the spring rate. While ¾- and 1-ton Chevys still use torsion bars, most models have phased them out in favor of coilover struts.

Trends We Miss From The 90s

Like the '80s, not everything about the '90s was awful. While most factory 4x4 offerings had torsion bars and tiny tires, there were also some features that we pine for today.

TBI Fuel Injection

This was some of the earliest fuel injection, and admittedly, it did not make the most horsepower or the least emissions. TBI is still retrofitted onto carbureted engines for the ease of installation, since it uses minimal computers and sensors and bolts onto the top of a traditional intake manifold. Today, there are even high tech TBI kits from companies like Holley, MSD, and FAST.

Manual Transmissions

Nearly every truck on the market could be purchased with a manual transmission in the '90s. This is the era of the AX-15 in Jeeps, NV4500s in Chevys and Dodges, and W56 transmissions in Toyotas. All components that over time have come to be respected for their strength in wheeling rigs. Today, Jeep still offers a manual transmission in the Wrangler and Toyota in the Tacoma, but forget about getting one in a 4Runner and the only fullsize pickup offered with a manual is the Ram 2500 and 3500.

Manual Doors and Windows

Power door locks and windows are a great convenience, it is hard to argue against that. And these days they are very reliable as well. Still, it is tough to beat the simplicity-of-a-rock manual windows and door locks. You never have to worry about them failing, even when you are up to the top of your doors in water or mud. The fact that they cost less to produce, which translates into a cheaper truck to purchase, is also a benefit in this day and age of King Ranch and Denali pickups.

Manual Locking Hubs

Give us hubs or give us death! As the American public got lazier, they wanted to be able to shift into 4WD from the seat of their truck. So, selectable hubs have gone away with the change from fixed spindles to unit bearings. Now, we got failure-prone front-axle disconnects with two piece axleshafts. Most were vacuum or electronically operated, but the worst of the bunch was the thermally activated Chevy system that was virtually guaranteed not to work in the snow. It turns out that getting out to lock your hubs is far easier than walking back to town for help.

So, what '90s era stuff is your 4x4 still running?

I'm a child of the '80s. I lived the bulk of my formative years during the '90s, but most of what I was into came from the '80s, especially skateboarding. If like me you spent school hours dreaming of speed, adrenaline and flying head-high above vert ramps (at least, more than 3-mph flatground inward heelflips), you can relate.

It was amidst '80s skateboarding's pop-culture explosion (bear with me… we'll get to drifting in just a sec) that a group of the day's most prominent pros became bummed out by the rapid commercialization/exploitation of their sport and embarked on a mission to seek the guidance of skateboarding’s inventor, in a Bones Brigade video titled “The Search for Animal Chin.” They had no real direction, and took each day as it came, exploring and skating everything in their path. At the end of it all (spoiler alert?) they never found the legendary Master Chin, but they had discovered that through the acts of simply enjoying the journey and working together toward their common goal of rediscovering the soul of their sport, they discovered it had been there all along. 

Similarly, it might be safe to say that we’re living the golden era of professional drifting. These 1,000+hp machines are experiencing a technological renaissance similar to sports car racing's legendary Group C (something else I loved of the '80s). Competition is as fierce as ever. Crowds are sold out, packing people in even when it rains (like it did during Formula Drift's Long Beach event this past weekend). But as exciting as all that is, it's easy for amateur competitors to feel that professional success is out of reach, or for fans to feel too detached from the pros who enjoy it already.

In that regard, Top Drift is the soulful antithesis of professional drifting. It's a bunch of talented ams looking for the next step, living the life, taking it day by day. It's serious competition — don’t get me wrong. There's plenty of V8 power and custom steering angle on the paddock. But there are also fans on the paddock, as well as racers, mechanics, friends, kids, family, pets and BBQs of people who very often share many of those responsibilities at once (we still have yet to find a wrench-turning, burger-grilling dog, though). Top Drift is where instead of competitors blurring out images of their custom suspension parts on social media, they’re instead lending them to competitors who have broken their own. It's where instead of petitioning judges against “one more time” rounds, owner/driver/mechanics/pitmasters actually welcome the seat time of another tandem run and friendly competition. It's where your tire-sponsored, 600hp, V8/Wisefab S14 stands a real chance of getting knocked out by a guy in a Tacoma truck or the kid who drove his naturally-aspirated, 150hp AE86 Corolla to the track, nearly won the event, and drove home, all on one set of 195-series tires (Justin Nimmo in 14th place, and Kelvin Arreola in 3rd place, respectively).

Top Drift is also where you’ll find the next generation of Formula Drift pros, with the series awarding Pro 2 licenses to the season's top three finishers. Whether these pros will become pro drifting's future Tony Hawks or Steve Caballeros, who remind us all to have fun while chasing down success at the highest levels, remains to be seen. But if drifting's top amateur talent in one of its most fun competitive environments — if the soul of drifting — is what you’re searching for, spend a weekend at a Top Drift event. You’ll find it.

For more info on TopDrift, visit JustDrift.

Check out the mega gallery of drifting images from TopDrift's Formula Drift ProAm Round 1 event below!

You don't have to be able to pronounce it to know what Luftgekühlt is. For the past three years, Modernica in Downtown LA has hosted one of the greatest Porsche events in existence. Thousands of Porsche purists and fanatics came out to see hundreds of these magnificent air-cooled German vehicles. The 911 is and always has been Porsche's most iconic model, but there is so much more to ooh and awe over. Here are 7 show stopping non-911 Porsches you might have overlooked at Luftgekühlt:

914-6 GT Troutman Truck

Possibly the coolest (and only) mid-engined truck in existence, this truck is a 914-6 GT that has been converted into a pick-up. Built as a support vehicle to the 914-6s competing in the 28 mile Marathon de la Route, a race that took place on the Nürburgring from 1965-1971.

Behind the 2.5-liter boxer six, was a "bed" fitted with a toolbox, lights, fire extinguisher, spare fuel and a jack.

959 Canepa Gen III

In the 80s the 959 was Porsche's supercar and one of the first cars to break the 200-mph barrier. While not much different on the outside, the Canepa Stage III kit kicks things up a notch by upgrading the turbos and a host of other components to increase horsepower from a "modest" 450 to a monstering 763 horsepower!

912R-STi - Germany meets Japan

The 912 might share the same body as the 911 but the "2" designates that it was powered by a flat-4 engine. Peeking under the hood you can see that this 912 isn't powered by its original powerplant; instead, as the license plate suggests, it's been swapped for a 2005 STi.

356 Special by Rod Emory

The 356 Special by Rod Emory started life as a 1964 356 Cabriolet but the team at Emory Motorsports added their own touch to it with a sleeker profile. Shaving body parts, flattening the nose, enlarging the wheel wells, lowering and leaning the windshield and stretching the tail make this one of the more unique Porsches at the show.

By the way, with 220 horsepower stuffed into a 2,050 lb chassis, we can only assume that it is an absolute blast to drive.

Porsche 906 Carrera 6 - One of Fifty 

One of the rarest Porsche making an appearance at Luftgekühlt. The Porsche 906 Carrera 6 was built to meet FIA homologation requirements, only 50 were made.

Last year, one sold in an auction for nearly $2 million. I could only imagine the prestige it was to bring this down here.

Jerry Seinfeld's Carrera GTS Type 904

It's not everyday you see a Carrera GTS. Known for its yada-yada-yada and being able to yada-yada-yada make it one of the most saught after cars for Porsche collectors. It's great for getting coffee, its great for comedians, it's great for comedians in cars getting coffee, just ask its owner, Jerry Sienfeld.

Porsche-Diesel Junior Tractor

The 914-6 GT Troutman Truck wasn’t the only utilitarian Porsche at Luftgekühlt. The Porsche-Diesel Junior was powered by an 822cc single cylinder air-cooled diesel motor putting out a whopping 14hp!

Porsche FS Mountain Bike

This 911 was prepared for anything between the beach and the mountains. Roof rack loaded with a surf board, pair of skis and rare Porsche FS mountain bike.

The ultimate Porsche accessory didn’t come cheap with an MSRP of around $5,000 in the late 90’s.

Luftgekühlt always brings out some of the most interesting characters and collections for spectators to see. To learn more read about what the "#aircooledlife" is all about it. If you still love the 911 and need to get your fix, check out the gallery below for more!

The 2016 NMCA WEST VP Racing Fuels Street Car Nationals kicked off at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California, with new racers and tight finishes. Get in on the action from the 5th annual Nitto Tire NMCA WEST Spring Nationals with this 60+ photo gallery.

Get the full race recap over at NMCA West

(All photos by Kathryn Rau courtesy of NMCA West)

Go to any Formula Drift event and you're sure to see a great show put on by its biggest attractions: the actual drifting and the drivers (and teams) competing in the series. But break away from your seats during halftime and go walk the vendor row/car show area to see more top quality builds. This past weekend's Long Beach event had a little twist this time--instead of the usual Offset Kings by illest, Scion took over, gathering local Scion owners together and hosted a special VIP suite as a way of saying thanks to the import/drift communities before making the transition to Toyota later this year. The Atlanta, Seattle, Texas and Irwindale events will have the Offset Kings as normal.

(Photos: Cory Mader)

You can see a gallery of the show cars and Scions of Formula Drift Long Beach below, and to see more drifting coverage from the event: CLICK HERE.

Ford has outfitted its trucks with four different versions of the Power Stroke engine over the past two decades. But, over the last several years, the first mill to wear the Power Stroke nameplate—the 7.3L—has been a hot item in the diesel aftermarket. Thanks to improved PCM tuning, hybrid injector technology, and more versatile turbo setups, the 7.3L Power Stroke is more of a viable platform to make power with now than it ever was back in its heyday. Diesel heads are buying them cheap, modifying them on reasonable budgets, and are making incredible horsepower with them. It’s not uncommon to find a ’94.5-’03 Blue Ovals with a 200,000 to 300,000-mile 7.3L under the hood churning out 500 to 600 horsepower at the wheels!

As living proof of the high-mile, big power, stock-bottom end 7.3L craze, let’s take a walk around this 1997 F-350. Belonging to yours truly (contributor Mike McGlothlin), the 444 cubic inch V-8 is knocking on the door of 200,000 miles, still sports the factory rotating assembly, and is helping the truck produce roughly 580 horsepower at the wheels (according to the 8.0-second 1/8-mile drag strip passes it’s made). And, what’s more is that even though the truck is making 3½ times the power it did in stock form, it’s just as reliable as it was the day it left the dealership.

Not having to perform a full-on engine build in order to add power (as long as it’s a forged-rod powerplant) saves thousands right out of the gate as far as a 7.3L Power Stroke is concerned. This 20-year-old mill has 200,000 miles on the clock with the bottom end never being touched. Top end wise, a set of ARP head studs keep the heads glued to the block to eliminate head gasket failure, and Hamilton Cams’ chromoly pushrods and Comp Cams 910 valve springs were installed to rule out the 7.3L’s weak factory valvetrain components. At the heart of the power-making recipe is a set of Stage 4 300cc injectors from Unlimited Diesel Performance, complete with 200 percent larger nozzles, and a high volume SRP1.1 high-pressure oil pump. The injector/HPOP combo helps make a strong case that the HEUI injection system is no longer a major drawback in 7.3L performance.

Getting away from the factory based turbocharger had always been a major hindrance for adding horsepower to the 7.3L engine (especially in the ’94.5-’97 trucks’ case). So, when Irate Diesel Performance introduced its T4 turbo mounting kits, they caught on like wildfire. By installing one of its T4 turbo systems, it opens up the door to run virtually any T4 flange turbocharger (namely high flowing units from BorgWarner and Garrett). The turbo you see here is an S400 chassis BorgWarner unit from Fleece Performance Engineering. It features a 68mm billet compressor wheel, 81/87mm turbine wheel, and makes 48 to 50 psi of boost at full tilt.

Without a doubt, custom tuning is the key to all of the high-powered and stock bottom end 7.3L’s holding together. By ramping up injection timing progressively at low rpm and then pouring on the fuel at higher engine speeds, calibrators are able to avoid over-torquing the engine, which is what used to bend rods (too much cylinder pressure). This turn-knob is used to navigate tunes on a TS Performance based six-position chip, but with custom tunes written by Gearhead Automotive Performance. The TS 6-position was the standard platform for running custom tunes for years. It’s old school, but it works. Nowadays, 7.3L enthusiasts typically opt for what’s called a Hydra Chip, made by Power Hungry Performance, due to its ability to be updated without having to pull it off the PCM (should you want something in a certain tune changed).

Keeping the 300/200 hybrid injectors happy starts with a healthy fuel supply system. For that, this truck utilizes an A1000 pump from Aeromotive, which pulls fuel from a 5/8-inch supply line attached to a sump kit in the front factory tank. Once through the water separator and fuel filter, diesel makes its way toward the engine via ½-inch fuel line. Then, a fuel distribution Y-block divides the ½-inch fuel line that feeds it into two 3/8-inch lines, which in turn feed fuel into the back of the heads. An Aeromotive adjustable fuel regulator keeps the A1000 running at 65 psi (the ideal supply pressure for 7.3L injectors).

Of course, none of this would be possible without a fortified E4OD (or 4R100) able to support the added horsepower and torque. A Street Performance E4OD from John Wood Automotive incorporates a 300M billet-steel input shaft, cryogenically treated intermediate shaft and output shaft, a 4340 billet-steel Overdrive planetary, BorgWarner clutch plates, custom-machined pressure plates, a custom-tailored valvebody, and a billet, triple disc torque converter. In addition, a reinforced factory Reverse hub, larger retaining snap-ring in the coast clutch drum, set screw in place of the plug in the Forward drum, a re-surfaced pump with hardened gears, and select other tricks are performed in order to correct the weak links found inside the factory E4OD and 4R100 automatic.

And there you have it: at just shy of 200,000 miles in just shy of 20 years, the truck keeps on ticking. With the right parts in the right places, we would have no reservations about adding another 100,000 trouble-free miles to this number.

Truck Specs

Year/Make/Model: 1997 Ford F-350

Odometer: 199,785 miles

Engine: 7.3L Power Stroke with ARP head studs, Comp Cams 910 valve springs, Hamilton Cams chromoly pushrods

Injection System: Unlimited Diesel Performance Stage 4 300/200 hybrid injectors, Stealth SRP1.1 high-pressure oil pump

Fuel Supply: Aeromotive A1000 lift pump, XDP fuel tank sump

Turbo/Air: Irate Diesel Performance T4 turbo mount with Stainless Steel up-pipes and intercooler plumbing, Fleece Performance Engineering Billet S468 turbo, Spearco intercooler, Irate Diesel intake

Exhaust: Irate Diesel Performance 3-inch downpipe, 4-inch MBRP T409 Stainless Steel system, 5x18-inch MBRP tip

Tuning: Gearhead Automotive Performance via TS Performance 6-position chip

Transmission: John Wood Automotive Street Performance E4OD

Horsepower: 580hp (track tune)

Torque: 1,000 lb-ft (est.)

Suspension/Steering: One Up Offroad short gusset traction bars, Bilstein 5100 series shocks

Mike Hemstreet is a self-admitted Corvette fanatic. A life-long Middle Georgia native, he inherited his love for GM’s classic sports car from his father, a longtime member and once president of Corvettes Limited of Central Georgia, a local owners club. Mike’s first, a big-block 1972 LS5 that he purchased in high school, ignited the passion that would ultimately lead to dozens of Corvettes passing through Mike’s garage over the next 30 years. This isn’t that story.

In 2013, Mike got an itch for something different. Since graduating in 1985, he developed a wild love for Italian exotics, particularly flirting with the classic bright red Ferraris. This affinity grew during his time in stationed at Baumholder, Germany with the US Army. There was something amazing seeing the cars on their home continent, but he tucked away any realistic expectations of ownership when he returned back to the US. Fast forward to 2013 and Mike, after watching the market, realized that his dream had slowly faded into a possible reality. Initially, he began his search for either a V8-powered 308 or 328 but soon realized that the more desirable V12 Testarossa was within his reach. He located a red 1990 model in Tampa, Florida, made the drive down, and returned home with his dream car.

The relationship with the first Testarossa, however, didn’t last. Soon after the purchase, circumstances necessitated that forced Mike to sell it. By January of 2014 though, seller’s remorse was in full effect. The search began again, and luckily, he located another red Testarossa in Pennsylvania. It was a 1988.5 example, equipped with the five lug hubs as opposed to the early ’88 and before center-lock design. This car was well-kept, but much to Mike’s disappointment it failed to crank upon his arrival and sat on flat tires. Mike wasn’t ready to give up. The car had around 23,000 miles, had been equipped with custom HRE wheels, a Tubi exhaust, and best of all, the owner had retained all of the OEM equipment. Taking a leap of faith, he made the deal and headed back down to Georgia.

After a new set of tires and some TLC, the Rosso Corsa supercar was as good as new. Mike has done the large majority of the work on the car himself, undaunted by the complexity of the mid-mounted Italian V12’s engine bay. He recounted the story of replacing the alternator, having realized that it was essentially the same design as a common AC Delco unit, required only slight modification to fit. He contends that the often dreaded expenses of Ferrari maintenance, while not unfounded, can be offset by a little ingenuity, research, and mechanical know-how. Mike’s only change to the car was the custom transparent engine cover (done to a spare panel to save the original), a modification that garners attention at nearly every meet he attends.

Mike has grown to appreciate the Testarossa as an incredible touring car, regularly taking it to Cars & Coffee style events and exotic gatherings with his son, Austin, around the Southeast. Although the car lacks power steering and power brakes, the car devours interstate miles with ease. While he enjoys his Corvettes for the raw power and visceral performance, the Ferrari offers an experience that effortlessly melds old-world mechanical perfection with the classic elements of eighties automotive design. It is luxurious, powerful, beautiful, quirky, and uncomfortable – simultaneously. Mike certainly won’t be abandoning his inherited love for GM’s legendary sports car (which he has, in turn, passed to Austin), but there’s certainly a different kind of spark in his demeanor when he talks about his Ferrari. One can imagine that being able to see your dream car in your garage, as opposed to a poster, would certainly do that to a man.

See more of this amazing masterpiece in the gallery below:

When it comes to getting the most off-road performance out of your tire, there’s no better way than to pair it with a beadlock wheel. For many, the off-road only aspect of most beadlock wheels can be an issue for their daily driven 4x4s. A great solution is to find a DOT-compliant beadlock wheel. We recently stopped by Low Range 4x4 in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they were assembling a set of DOT-compliant B.A.D. Wheels and 40x13.50R17Nitto Trail Grapplers.

To give you a breakdown on how it all went together, we filmed the process. Be sure to check back as we put the new setup to the test in the dirt.

For a more conventional beadlock install, you can check out our step-by-step article here.

The sounds of growling engines and tires screeching in Long Beach mean only one thing, the start of a new Formula Drift season! This time around a rare water sighting was in full effect when April showers caused the usual tire smoke to be replaced with water splashes. There were times when it poured and times when the sun decided to make an appearance. The undecided weather kept for a constantly changing playing field, but exciting tandem battles none the less. Watch our video to see all the slip 'n' slide highlights from the weekend!

For more Formula Drift action visit DRIVINGLINE.com/DRIFT

Let’s be honest, Hyundai is not the first place I would look for a luxury sedan. But after driving the 2016 Hyundai Genesis 3.8, I need to start recognizing Hyundai as a brand to be taken seriously. The Genesis retails about $10,000 less than competing luxury sedans, like Lexus or BMW, and it’s outfitted with as much, if not more, premium features. If I owned this Genesis, would I ever want to modify it? Probably not. Would I daily drive it? Most definitely! Driving it for about a week and testing out all of the features has completely changed my perspectives on Hyundai; they are no longer the outcast import car brand. Here are 5 good reasons to own a Hyundai Genesis.

5 Reasons to Own

1. There’s an APP for that!

We live in a world where you can connect to anything from the palm of your hand or in some cases the back of your wrist. With Hyundai’s Genesis Intelligent Assistant and Blue Link mobile apps, you can access many of the Genesis’ features from your smartphone or smart watch. Too many features to list, some of the highlights are the remote start with climate control so the car is always ready for you in any weather, receiving reminders and notifications to your always up-to-date, or Car Finder so you always know where your car is (as long as your Hart is in the right place).

2. iGenesis

There’s so much tech loaded into the Genesis that makes other luxury sedans feel obsolete. It's as if it has a mind of its own and all it’s thinking about is your comfort and convenience. When you walk up to the car, it greets you by opening the door's mirrors, a light up Genesis logo and a welcome chime. Once you do start your drive, there’s a cool Head’s-Up Display displaying vehicle information and making you feel like you're piloting a fighter jet!

3. My Spidey-Sense is Tingling

You can probably sense where I’m going with this. With the Sensory Surround Safety Technologies, the Genesis can detect any potential dangers before they happen. Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking will make it feel like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is cruising along with you.

4. With Great Power Comes Great Control

Driving the 3.8 Lambda GDI V6 RWD was more than enough power to get the blood flowing in a luxury sedan. Throw it in ECO mode to save fuel or SPORT mode to blast through the freeway; either mode you choose the ridged chassis and rear multi-link suspension will give you the proper control and handling. I could only imagine how much more powerful the 3.8L AWD or the 5.0L V8 Genesis must feel.

5. I’d Double-Tap It

Put those photo filters away, the Genesis looks amazing as-is. The new look for 2016 is very impressive with redesigned aerodynamic styling, a larger front grill and LEDs amongst other new features. Have a seat inside and you will see where the luxury part kicks in. The genuine wood trim, premium leather heated/ventilated seats and sleek audio system rival anything BMW or Lexus has to offer.

In 2017, Hyundai plans to spin Genesis out as its own luxury brand with the G80 and the G90. Based on what we see here with the new Genesis, the future looks exciting for this often overlooked car manufacturer. Don’t get caught up with old thinking, the 2016 Hyundai Genesis is available at dealerships now at a starting price of $38,750 (MSRP).

(Photos: Courtesy of Hyundai)

Without a doubt, one of the things we enjoy the most about being on the trail is meeting other off-road enthusiasts. Unlike running into a 4x4 owner at your local fueling station, on the trail, you don’t have to question whether or not they actually take their rig in the dirt. We ran into Cody from Colorado on the Hell’s Revenge Trail in Moab, Utah. Cody was there with one of his college buddies for the 50^th Easter Jeep Safari.

Like many of you, Cody daily drives his 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK. Transitioning from a Jeep Wrangler TJ, Cody said the JK is night-and-day better over his old rig. We didn’t get to spend much time ‘wheeling with Cody, but it was great to get his input on his Jeep and the components he’s running. At the end of the day, it’s less about what you are ‘wheeling and more about simply enjoying time off-road.

Virtual reality is about to go massive. From our very own Formula Drift ride-along with Mad Mike Whiddett to off-roading with Ultra4 driver, Shannon Campbell, you can see the possibilities are limitless. BMW just released this VR experience featuring model Gigi Hadid with the new M2, but the trick is, can you keep your eyes on which M2 she's riding shotgun in? Peep the video below and tell us which one she's in. Our guess is... 

The 2004 to 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is one of the shortest-lived and highly sought after 4x4s Jeep ever produced. Often referred to as an LJ, the long-wheelbase Wrangler’s demand a premium due to the scarceness and high demand. If you’re looking to get one for a deal, you’ll likely need to do what Erik Miller did with his 2005 LJ- find one that’s in need of repair.

Since his Miller Motorsports race shop is constantly building and maintaining an assortment of off-road race vehicles, spare parts are bound to pile up around the shop. While most of us have an overflowing bolt bin that we should get rid of, Miller had some more elaborate components collecting dust. Itching to build something a little more on the conventional side (compared to a full-bore Ultra4 racer), Miller, along with help from his friends and cohorts Rob Ruggiero, John Balducci, and Dom Balducci, transformed the wrecked LJ into a formidable ‘wheeling machine.

Miller states that there wasn’t anything wrong with the stock 4.0L engine, but he wanted more juice for spinning over the 40-inch Nitto tires. To accommodate his power needs, a 6.2L L92 series GM V-8 was shoehorned under the hood. A Ron Davis radiator is used to cool the 420hp and 440 lb-ft of torque, while a Tilden Motorsports oil pan makes certain there’s no starvation issues. Adding more breathing power are Doug Thorley Block Hugger Headers, which feed a custom 3-inch exhaust and DynoMax muffler.

Channeling the Northeast Speed Shop tuned V-8 is a 6L80E transmission, which gets its marching orders from a Winter’s shifter. Dividing up the power is a two-speed Atlas transfer case. The gear-driven T-case was fit with a 3.0:1 low range gear ratio. This provides an excellent balance of crawl control and wheel speed when he needs it.

Up front, you’ll find a Spidertrax axlehousing that was plucked from one of Miller’s old Ultra4 cars. It’s fit with a Hi9 third member, Spidertrax 300M axleshafts, spool, 5.40:1 gears, and Yukon locking hubs. For stopping power, Brembo rotors were teamed with four-piston calipers from a Toyota Tundra. The custom steering configuration uses JHF high-steer arms, along with Branik Motorsports 7075 T-6 steering linkages. For added ease of steering a PSC hydraulic-assist system was installed as well.

Feeding the high-pinion front differential is a 2-inch-round, 0.250-wall custom driveshaft that sports standard 1350 U-joints. Keeping the axle in check is a Rock Krawler 3.5 Pro Series suspension. This setup provides a total of 12 inches of wheel travel and plenty of bind-free articulation thanks to Rock Krawler’s long-travel 3-link setup and progressive-rate coils.

Miller knows a thing or two about going fast off-road. One of the keys to keep the Wrangler stable at speed is fitting it with proper shock valving. Fox 2.0 remote reservoir absorbers were placed at each corner of the Jeep to increase the ride and performance on the road and off. Additional suspension tuning and handling improvements come by way of Currie Anti-Rock sway bars.

Out back, another race-axle found its way in place of the stock Dana 44. The Spidertrax ‘housing uses an East Coast Gear Supply Comp 9 third member, which is mated with a massive ARB RD99CE rear locker. A set of 300M axleshafts are used to spin the full-float Spidertrax hubs. Thanks Rock Krawler’s triangulated four-link design, no track bar is needed out back.

Providing grip on the trail and beyond are 40x13.50R17Nitto Trail Grapplers. These nearly indestructible mud-terrain radials are the same size that Miler uses on his well-proven Ultra4 racer. To increase the tires footprint and allow single-digit pressure on the trail, Miller fit the LJ with 17x9 Method NV beadlocks.

Helping to achieve the low-lift and big-tire combo, Miller installed a set of Poison Spyder Customs highline front fenders. Typically, the fender upgrade requires sawing away at your stock hood, but Miller opted to go with a lighter and slightly more stylized fiberglass hood from Chris Durham Motorsports.

The 3/16-inch steel rear armor, rockers, and bumper all come from Poison Spyder as well. Here, Miller can be seen twisting his Jeep to its limit on the entrance of Upper Hellderado at Area BFE in Moab, Utah.

Recovery needs are handled by a Warn Zeon 10-S winch. To increase nighttime visibility, Truck-Lite 7-inch-round LED headlights were bolted in place.

Rounding out the long list of quality modifications is an interior ‘cage from Synergy Manufacturing. Sure, the Miller crew could have hammered out a custom ‘cage, but with so much aftermarket support for the Wrangler, it didn’t really make much sense.

Hard Facts

Vehicle: 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Engine: 6.2L GM L92

Transmission: 6L80E

Transfer case(s): Advance Adapters Atlas II, 3:1 low range

Front axle: Spidertrax housing, Hi9 third member, Spidertrax 300M axleshafts, Yukon hubs, spool, 5.40 gears

Rear axle: Spidertrax housing, ECGS Comp 9, ARB Air Locker, 5.40 gears

Suspension: Rock Krawler 3.5 Pro Series w/Fox shocks

Tires: 40x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grappler

Wheels: 17x9 Method NV beadlock

Misc: Poison Spyder Customs armor, PSC Motorsports hydro-assist, Synergy Mfg. ‘cage, Warn Zeon 10-S winch

Check out the Wrangler in action with a full feature video here!

As the 2016 Nitto King of the Hammers winner, Erik Miller has made a name for himself in the off-road motorsports arena. While he has made a tremendous impact on the Ultra4 racing circuit for years, it was his passion for Jeeping that got him into the off-road hobby. Looking to go back to the basics, Miller crafted a trail rig that would allow him to ‘wheel anywhere he wanted, without having to be in an off-road only buggy.

We caught up with Miller and his 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited at the 50^th Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. There, we got to see the V-8-powered Jeep in action and get some history on how it all came to be.

For more details on Miller’s Jeep click here!

Had enough Porsche lately? How could there possibly such a thing? Though we were busy covering Luftgekühlt from all possible angles, we also made our way out to the big CA Festival of Speed event, held in conjunction with the Porsche Club of America at the Auto Club Speedway in (normally) sunny Fontana. 

The gritty, brawling, performance-focused response to the, well … “fairer” side of Porsche enthusiasm that is represented in the Luftgekühlt meets, the Porsche Club of America is all about enjoying Porsches in an environment for which they were designed and engineered: the track. Sure, there are parade and corral events endorsed by the organization for its members, but more importantly there are driving programs ranging from professional education to autocrossing, time trials (time attack), club races, rally and even support for Porsche racers in professional series. And all of those events were wrapped up in the three-day CA Festival of Speed.

This 15th-year anniversary event was open to qualified drivers and cars of any make or model, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anything not mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive and hailing from Deutschland manufacturing facilities. And where Luftgekühlt was a great place to find some absolutely flawless Porsches of any model and vintage, “Califest” was where you could find some of the fastest and most thoroughly enjoyed (by the looks of them) 911s spanning a wide variety of generation, modification and condition.

Click through our gallery below for more, and for complete details, head over to the official site, at:

http://www.zone8.org/events/speedfestival.php