BMW 335i - Best performance BMW Ever without the M?

Now clearly speaking from a bias regime, i only speak for the 5 and 7 series of BMWs' lineup fleet of vehicles, but the 335i has grown on me significantly since its creation. Built with either a Rear wheel and All wheel drive platform, the 335i is a continuation from its early 325i counterpart years ago, from a four to six cylinder twin turbo engine, the 3 series evolves more and more. Excluding the M3 from this blog is sound because the M3 is in a class of its own, the BEST sports car money could buy in my opinion if you didn't have the budget for an NSX. Now the 335i gives you that robust feeling in your gut, the same when you drove and E30, E36, E46 and what not for the first time. ( For the noobs thats the M3 generation tags from The first generation to the third )
  The Last time i came across a turbocharged BMW was a 1989 BMW 730IL that was only sold in Europe. The year may be wrong but thats what i remember, after that experience its been aftermarket turbos on 325i's and M3 which was very rare but outstandingly fast. Handling wise, BMWs has never failed when it came to handling and suspension, that why they call it " A Driving Experience to remember ". I favor this car not only becasuse i love turbocharged vehicles ( cause i do!! ) the drive in this car blew my mind. Not the most comfortable for someone my size but wildy responsive to the drivers' needs. HMMM!!!! more on this later i just got a crazy idea.

The Big 5 Jap Juggernauts! FINALE: THE NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R

  Now we just went through the ringer of cars that rang out in the Japanese and American Market, japan decided to keep a car to themselves and i don't blame them. Nissan developed a lot of cars to be driven daily and raced on the track from the Sentra Se-R, 180sx, our 240sx, The 300zx and that's about it. Then  Nissan decided they wanted more. After acquiring the rights from British Car Maker Prince Motors, they started tinkering with there smallest Production car called the Skyline. Named for its class and stylish exterior, the Skyline was originally sold as a luxury sedan. Then after the Prince Motors Went out of business, Nissan got their hands on the car and had no idea what was created then has turned into the Icon it is now. I don't want to get into the whole history right now because its far too much, but we will get into that later.

     Lets start with the car that started raising terror on the race track. The Skyline GT-R32, dubbed   GODZILLA!!!!!! Its roaring turbo, quick handling, and superior power, this Skyline was largely comforted by the reviews of drivers that decided to tame this massive beast. Originally Equipped with a 2.0 liter 6 measuring 198 horsepower, Nissan developed a range of sub models for the car, GS, GT, GTS, GTS-T, and the GT-R. This trend would continue throughout the remaining history of the skyline.

  The next models were the R33 and the ever so popular R34 which both models were introduced in The Fast    and Furious franchise. Yet many have not spoken of the R33, the R34 is and always will be the model to have. Built with Electronic  controlled boost, suspension, differential, and stabilizers, this car had pretty much more high end equipment and cost less than a Mercedes or BMW, outside of the U.S.A of course. With strict emission laws on our shores, the States were not allowed to sell this monster in dealerships, only those who had the resources, capital, and connections could obtain this automobile. I myself have only worked on one in my lifetime. From my point of view, nothing comes close to a better driving experience then pushing this vehicle to the limit. The Skyline has proven time and time why it is the King of all cars, and a nightmare to the now monstrous Bugatti Veyron, the Skyline continued its onslaught after the R insignia was retired and the next brand new skylines came in the form of what we see as Infinitis' G series lineup. Shortly After five years of the G series carrying the skyline emblem and a naturally aspirated V-6 was planted under its bonnet, Nissan created a concept version of a new GT-R. Enthusiasts expected it would never come into fruition, but some years later it was born, not carrying the skyline name, but as the GT-R alone. I saw this car in person and drooled over its styling, sleekness and overall bad assness. It's not the most comfortable car to sit in if your as tall as me but just sitting in it, playing with all the controlled features on the on-board computer gave me the sense of wonder that this car is the real deal and will hold up the name of the Skyline. A complete circle of dominance in my opinion that rivals the now powerful Lexus LF-A, and knocking on the door of Bugatti, what is it that the Skyline cannot accomplish, I WANT TO FIND OUT, but until then, ALL HAIL THE KING!!!

The Big 5 Jap Juggernauts! Part 4- The Toyota Supra

 This is down to the wire of the juggernauts, you can speak of Japanese muscle without the mention of the Toyota Supra. Introduced in 1979 as a Celica Supra. A larger sportier version of the Toyota Celica being sold at the time. It would be 7 years until the Supra became a known name by itself, when the MA70 chassis from 1986-1992 was released, Toyota shadowed the market with this two door coupe rivaling the Mustang 5.0, and Chevrolets' Camaro IROC-Z, and Buicks' GN-X. Of course these cars were more powerful than the Supra, it still stood tall above its adversaries and roared into our hearts. The Sporty long snout car which had similar accents close to the Z31 300zx ( Elongated Hood, Flip Up Lights ), it had one sizable notch against its cross town rival, a Dual Overhead Inline Six that produced a good 202hp 225 torque to the wheels, but with a mounted turbo it pounces at 232hp. The 7M-GTE engine was introduction to the world of inline turbocharging in my eyes, but at certain points and from a mechanics point of view, this engine just wouldn't do to quench our need for speed.( Cheesy... i know ) It was what Toyota developed across seas that had our attention, and would stain in the back of then and now Toyota Enthusiasts, the 1JZgte. A aluminum block, 9:1 compression ration, 344 hp animal that had everyone wanting more. A motor that gave any supra owner an edge of beating the 300zx's, and anything else that came to the line. This was the crowning achievement to Toyotas' impressive library of vehicles, and engines. True power couldn't have been built for none other than the Supra......but it gets better.

      In 1992 while the MA70 was still being sold, Toyota created a new Sleeked designed Supra that would take our hearts forever. Introduced in 93, the JZA80 styled Supra was more beautiful than any other car sold in that period, but sharing the same sticker price as the 92 300zx at 30,000 dollars. Now considered a sports car, this model supra was declared ugly but functional, and returned with  TURBO underneath the hood and a detuned 1JZ sharing its living quarters. Later on in the year a new fad was created to rival its single turbo engine, as i stated before, the 3000gt VR-4 arrived at dealers with a twin turbo V6, as well as the 300zx. Toyota probably said to themselves " Hey, lets jump on the twin turbo band wagon and see what our car can do ". Low and behold, The twin turbo supra as born, the 2JZTE under the hood was force to be reckoned with producing 276hp and 330 pounds of torque to the wheels. This model car and engine would be sought after. With time and patients and some wallet prying, this car would see close or over 1000 hp and become an  unseen force on the street or the track, even-though 1000hp on the streets is just silly, but FUN! In a matter of time the supra would become an icon or unicorn to those who wanted but couldn't tame it at the time. A uniformed prowess of power, style and overall BAD ASSNESS. We can't forget how it made its way into the silver screen in The Fast and The Furious as the Heros' car of choice, that started off as a crippled hunk of junk to a side by side duel rival of the Dodge Charger in the film. As all good things must come to an end sadly, we have seen this before when the manufacturer must stop production on a good car. Maybe because they were not being purchased anymore, price is to high, people see the car is boring now, or they found something better. Nevertheless, the Supra has stained its Rear wheel drive, loud turbo spooling, sexy styling body into our heads. If you want one now the MKIII is easy to acquire for 1000 to 5000 dollars used by an owner, while the MIV version is still astronomically overpriced even after it went into a ditch, this one car has  become worth the hype and if you haven't seen this car in action or never heard of it,  you seriously need to get your head examined.

to be continued.......... the last car is ready!

The Big 5 Japanese Juggernauts: Nissan 300zx

1983 Z31 300zx

  With two down, we couldn't leave out the most obvious of the five which is the seductive low rise killer i call the 300zx. Turbo, Twin turbo, or All Motor, the 300 has been a roadster of its own class underneath the Acura NSX ( another juggernaut i neglected to leave out but for another time ) its power to weight ratio balanced and overall comfort for its time of production was favorable not only to tuners but Enthusiasts alone. Here is my take on this wonderful but complexed vehicle.
     In the early 80's The 300XZ turbo powerful, stylish, quick, and menacing. The long nose bonnet and flip up headlights disguised  it as any other car that had flips in that time period, but when it roared passed you, the taillights illuminated the name of the car.

Z32 Nissan 300ZX

     Now about the engines, which is what you were waiting for. The VG30DE if I'm not mistaken was a naturally aspirated 222 Horsepower engine was a strong output platform. The real deal was the twin turbo 300hp VG30DETT. Now i remember when i drove this car i was overwhelmed about its power. 300hp doesn't seem a lot, but back then it rose eyebrows. The power it produced would literally propel you to 100 mph like nothing pushing into the seat thanks to the G's it was letting off when you had the audacity to press the pedal to the floor. There was no rival to this vehicle at the time until 1993. The then MA70 chassis Supra was only producing 240 horsepower out of its Dual Overhead Turbo engine, it didn't have the power or balance to keep up with the Z32, but that's another topic for later. The car was just incredible!
     Now for the downside of this well known giant was the price for its time and the maintenance. When the car initially went on sale it was priced around 30,000 dollars and ballooned to 50,000 dollars in its final years of production. Being Considered a twoseater roadster, it followed the like of the Mercedes- Benz SLK models, Lotus Espirit, Porsche 911s. Unlike its original predecessor and its younger brother the 240sx, the price tag caught the eye of wealthy businessmen who didn't have the just's to own anything high end and settled for something more practical but can still have tons of fun with. The one that PISSED me off about the car was the extremely confined and claustrophobic engine space it had due to the size of the engine, it didn't allow much elbow room to work with especially with the dread of removing the engine to service the turbos which i myself was never happy of accomplishing. The Wiring sucked, minimal trunk space, and road noise, you got what you paid for, AN ABSOLUTE RACE CAR when you wanted it to be.

ALL HAIL THE Z32, NISSANS' Undefeated Middle Heavy Weight.

The Big 5 Jap Juggernauts! Mitsubishi 3000gt VR-4

    Now moving along with this post, the next really doesn't need much of an introduction, but im going to introduce it anyway for sheer nostalgia even though this wasn't one of my favorite cars', but its presence alone was never taken lightly. The Mitsubishi 3000gt or GTO to JDM heads was an unbearable eyesore when it was first released in 1990 if i'm mistaken, it was introduced as a front wheel drive coupe using a SOHC V-6, the SL platform carried a DOHC, and the ever impressive VR-4 model was paired with the DOHC twin-turbo V-6 spitting out a whopping 280 horsepower to the wheels. What made the VR-4 stand out much more was the marriage of the racing tunes getrag transmission and an all wheel drive setup. Which made this car a formidable opponent to other driver. The question was how did heavy car perform the way it did in races? This car was a lot more complex-ed than anyone perceived it to be. Utilizing a style and usage of many electronic sensors and gadgets, the 3000gt was created for much more than looking pretty. It was made to become mitsubishis' crowning achievement to the automotive world. Now, what did you know was equipped with Computer controlled Suspension, Electronic Exhaust Control ( sport or casual mode ) and adaptive front and rear spoiler that was controlled by the ECU due for better Aerodynamics and handling, what car came stock with all these little goodies from the factory at no extra cost. OH....how about 4 wheel steering.
           What i remember about this car was the fact that the VR-4 was hard to find, and whoever owned the car were more feared that any Porsche and BMW driver when i was growing up. The sight of this vehicle launching off the line with such power i always thought it was gonna fly away. The exhaust sounded ominous, but it sat up like a debutante, until she was pushed and turned into a crazy B%$!#. I also remembered it was a high maintenance automobile, the engine bay was cramped, it drank gas up and the transfer cases always cracked under pressure. It was a money pit from my understanding. You could never find parts for it unless you found its counterpart the dodge Stealth R/T laying in a junkyard somewhere. The car was a gift and a curse, but whoever fixed and tuned these cars knew they had more than a rocket, they something untouchable. Properly tuned and maintained, you had one of the fastest street cars in your neighborhood

    Since its following the 3000gt has had its fair share of problems such as bad transmissions, turbo failure, and what not, the car is still popular and up there with the big boys, when sales were ceased in late 2000, Mitsubishi started concentrating more on its rally based street car, the LANCER EVOLUTION, calmly called the EVO.  Finally releasing the EVO 8 to the states, the 3000gt's legacy hasn't died, even though we prefer the 4 cylinder turbocharged all-wheel drive sport compact, we still loved to brutish style and grace of one of Mits' prized vehicles. Live on in our memories GTO, but our wallets never forgave you......to be continued

The Big 5 Jap Juggernauts! Part 1- Mazda RX-7

In the late 90s, early millennium, we saw the death of dominant sport compacts who legacy and repose could never be imitated or redefined. They have been used in countless world championships, show car specials, even immortalized in small TV shows,Video Games and film. These particular cars have a strong following of fans, restorers, and collectors of all sorts. We still see them on the streets on an everyday basis. Allow me to cut to the chase and stop all the anxiousness. The Cars I'm referring to is the Nissan 300zx, Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, Mazda RX-7, the late model MA70 and JZA80 Toyota Supra, and the car of all cars, Nissans' Skyline GT-R.
 

    Allow me to to talk about the Mazda RX-7 first, it being the unsung hero of them all, with its tuned suspension, Phenomenally balanced power to weight ratio, and the crown jewel of Mazda, The 13b rotary engine. Not only were we intrigued by its power at high RP M's, but the pitch of the engine when it reached its threshold, a sound that can never be explained in a small collection of words, but when you heard it, shivers would race down the spines of those who were privileged to hear such a range of wonder. The most amazing feat that the FD brought being the last chassis code it carried was the twin turbo set-up  it was built with. When this car made boost you were surprised on how well it responded, but you were even more surprised how powerful this little small car was moving around the track. When the car reached the American shores, it was greeted with such praise and admiration for its compact detail and overall performance. The Only Problem that was apparent with the car itself was you needed to have your masters and your doctorate to repair the rotary engine underneath the hood. Every time you wanted to have the car serviced, you would have to find a specialist who was not only familiar with the car, he/she would have have to be a certified Mazda technician to repair the complex rotary engine, so in other words....MONEY PIT! At the end of the day, it would be worth it to some collectors, but to others they found their thrills by driving other sport compacts which  we will get to later in the series.
  Shortly after its demise in 2000 in America and 2002 in Japan the RX-7 was discontinued and another Mazda flagship would take its place. This would be the Mazda RX-8. With a newly revamped rotary and sleek styling, it was considered as well balanced car as its predecessor but it lacked one simple ingredient, a chink in the once formidable armor that Mazda wore proudly. The 13b would not be featured in the vehicle but another model known as The Renesis.This engine still provided the power at high output of 9000 rpms, but the torque was non-existent losing its luster with a small majority of enthusiasts, but still have a strong following with some due to its remarkable styling and graceful handling. Hopefully one day with the Automotive industry making some stand out moves in some manufacturers, Mazda will return to the stage with another flagship vehicle, hoping that maybe the RX-7 will make a triumphant return with its heart beating stronger than ever.  to be continued...........

What is The Chop Shop?

   10 years ago a 2 individuals in high school would sit at the lunch table and talk about nothing but cars and video games, but the subject leaned toward more on cars itself. What's faster, more fuel efficient, the worse car to work on the side of the road, most overrated, highly underrated, etc. This would initially transcend after graduation and into adulthood. Of further conversations and ideas thrown around they decided to create a blog and a show, to express the interest and knowledge of everything that has 4 wheels and an engine. Then life called      upon them to be responsible adults and the show never came into play. Years later they met up at a car show, caught up with life around them and once again the idea came back into play. They both have experienced the ups and downs of certain manufacturers and vehicles willing to share that knowledge with some of the unknowing public and chat with other Enthusiasts alike. This then lead into the creation of ...THE CHOP SHOP!

      The Significance of the Chop Shop is simple. To just talk shop about cars, and everything surrounding Cars, even video games to say the least. Chop Shop which came from the earlier terms of a shop that chop up cars and sell the parts, the meaning of our show is merely the same. We break down the Companies Vehicles and share our opinion on them, if there worth buying, what to stay weary of, what will be a money pit in the future, but its not bashing of automobile companies or anything like that, its just friendly banter, rants, and overall fun. If you love cars and enjoying talking about them whatever it may be feel free to join us in this crazy Road Trip..... See you on the road.