http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/3761155/Taupo-crash-injures-two »

The thread on GP Forums »

long story short, my mate Shaun spent four years and over $20,000 putting his V8 Skyline coupe together (it was one of the very first Nissan VH41DE conversions attempted worldwide, and the only KHR31) – he’s very meticulous when it comes to researching and building stuff. Yesterday was meant to be the GTS-8′s maiden voyage around Taupo racetrack, but instead not 20km from Taupo the tow van got its death sway on and ended up flipping multiple times, as well as the car trailer… with Shaun’s car strapped to it

This photo makes me a sad panda

Words cannot express how absolutely gutting this is, but fortunately no one was killed and no other vehicles were involved – Shaun’s dad and his friend Reuben were injured but are on track to making a full recovery.

however the power of the internets continues to amaze… (more…)

Some of you who have been around the e-nets for a while,on the retro and classic side of things at least, particularly those who frequent retro-rides.org may recall the infamous “Crazy Octopus” it belonged to a chap from the US, it was his track hack and it’s general unkempt condition and amusing paint-job created a bit of a following.  For those of you unaware this is the first Crazy Octopus;

It's an octopus... and it's crazy!

There was just something about the car that had quite an appeal, FC’s are a wicked beast on many levels, I guess it might have been the diversion from regular appearances of these cars that gave the Crazy Octopus it’s appeal.  However!  Slowly the FC faded into distant memory, though it may well have existed it was out of the spotlight as it were… until recently.  The owner of the car re-appeared on the retro-rides forum and I clicked on his thread with much anticipation.  The FC was no more, there was however a new candidate to replace it…

An S30Z of US "Datsun 240Z" persuasion.

..and so began the documented build to turn this dilapidated Japanese classic into the next incarnation of the Crazy Octopus.  I had planned to wait until the car was complete before I shared it with you guys but I couldn’t help myself.  After there were videos posted of the noise that bellows from the L24 w/ triples my mind exploded with awesome and possibilities and inevitabilities of what my own machine will sound similar to, as such, I present you with a few photos of the progress and the glorious aural pleasure that is an L-series 6 on song.

(more…)

Yeah… Z Honda, not Honda Z which is a car in it’s own right.  I was scoping out the F20C powered Sunbeam Minx thread on the ChevyTruck forums (weird place to find it, right?) and part way through the builder shared this link to YouTube of an S30Z with F20C motivation.  I dig it.

200rwhp. Not too shabby!

-Michael