Diesel is for tractors

Sep 16 2014

Adventures

FEED me!

Yes, I’m a hungry thing most of the time. I like to try all kinds of food and will try anything once. Why not? Life is too short.

Japan. It was a place I dreamed of visiting for many, many years. My good friend Derrick and I had discussed the idea of moving to Japan, a lot. Having both experienced the fabulous gifts that Japan has granted us techie types, games, tv and hi-fi along with all things automotive, combined with a truly wonderful culture, we simply HAD to go there.

Plans were made to go once we finished college. The time came, I had missed out on some exams(due to being in hospital) and had to repeat a year. So, Derrick went on his own. Without going into all the boring details, I never moved there, something I truly regret. But, years passed and the time came to do a little back-packing. With my round-the-world ticket in one hand, and the well worn Lonely Planet guide in the other, off I went.

I wanted to see as much of Japan as possible. I didn’t just want to do the typical tourist things, I wanted to see the REAL Japan. I travelled from one place to the next, without a whole lot of research. All I can say, to anyone even remotely considering a visit to this magnificent country, DO IT! You won’t regret it.

I saw ancient castles, gardens, old towns, tiny villages in the hills. Ate food that I couldn’t pronounce and still, to this day, don’t know what it was. Drank local beers and Sake. Listened to young musicians outside the train station. Watched all the people hit the town in their cosplay type outfits. Visited an Onsen, bathed in hot sand. The list goes on and its all really fun stuff.

Like any self-respecting petrolhead, I had a few “must visit” car related places. I had to see at least one car manufacturing plant(don’t like calling them factories). A couple of tuning companies were on the list also. Among these comapanies was a tuner called Fujita Engineering Evolutional Development, or thankfully more commonly referred to as FEED.

The firm are among the most respected of Rotary Engine tuners in the world. If at this point you are asking “whats a rotary engine?” then you are in for a treat! Go to your favourite search engine and start educating yourself.

Being a rotary owner myself, I had of course plenty knowledge of the company. I had seen countless videos of cars they tuned, read(ok, looked at the pics) of numerous Japanese magazine articles, practically knew their parts catalogue inside out.

So, I had to go visit FEED. While visiting another good friend in Osaka(Hi Dave) I planned the visit with his help. It took a number of train journeys followed by an interesting taxi ride to get there.

Surrounded by fields, on the edge of the city, was not where I expected the place to be. The excitement as we pulled up outside the shop was akin to a small child at a huge toy shop. I didn’t know where to look first. The yard at the front was packed with all manner of rotary engined cars. Some were just for parts, some were mildly tuned road cars, some were full on show cars and one – was the companies all singing, all dancing, time attack and competition MONSTER! This was the exact car I had seen in so many of those videos and magazine features. Just wow.

I bounded into the store, probably looking like someone who had taken too many pills that day or drank a crate of energy drinks. Trophies stacked high, photos of events, staff, drivers, celebrities and of course, cars. Lots of cars.

I approached the counter and attempted to explain that I spoke almost no Japanese and wanted to buy parts. As I did this, I noticed a gentleman get up from his desk and leave the shop via a side door. He looked like the owner, whom I had seen in all those videos.

After much gesturing and very poor attempts at conversing, another man appeared. His English was better than my Japanese thankfully. He told me that this was where they worked on the cars and they didn’t have parts for sale. The parts place was in another location, a long way away. Damn. I was hoping to bring a few parts with me and save on international shipping. Ah well. The guy, Hitachi I think his name was?(sorry, I have a bad memory) could see the look of dissapointment on my face. I asked if it was ok to take some photographs of the various cars, and he was only too happy to oblige. Bonnets were opened, interesting parts pointed out and a ridiculous number of photos taken.

The time came to move on, so I asked him to call me a taxi home. “No, its ok. I drive” came the reply. Naturally I excepted and then he said 2 words which were to kick start one serious adventure – “which car?”

Now, let me point out that I am quite a shy, easy going and polite person. Yes, really. I didn’t want to put anyone out, but this was the chance of a life time. “Which is fastest?” I asked, having a damn good idea which one was. Before I knew it, my new hero was back with the keys to the MONSTER. The exact car that is the focal point of so many videos. Go on, check YouTube for Fujita Engineering, find a video, thats probably the car.

He climbed in, started flicking switches and noises began to emerge. I could hear a fuel pump whirring in the boot, some ticking noises, the smell of high octane fuel and the feeling of something epic about to happen. When he fired it up, I swear, I was a kid again. Even though the car was running, I still didn’t fully comprehend what was happening. Was I really about to get a taxi ride in THAT car?

I was beckoned into the weapon(well, car is nowhere near the reality) and buckled up the multi-point harness. He pointed at a number of unusual additions within the car, such as the digital readout showing the gear currently engaged. Because racecar.

We slowly edged out of the yard and onto a now, very narrow looking road. I noticed the edge of the road simply dropped suddenly down into the fields. I felt the suspension work over the slight bumps in the tarmac, suspension so stiff you could read a newspaper by driving over it. Slowly we increased speed, while he pointed out various temperature gauges and I understood we would have to wait until it was up to temp. We went from one tiny road to another and eventually onto a main, multi lane road. The temperature guages were now all up to correct operating temperatures, as indicated by a simply thumbs up from my hero. We approached a junction, and began slowing down, allowing the traffic to do their thing and the road to clear ahead. A lower gear was selected and I think a passing fighter jet then accidentally got caught on the roof of the car. We went into some kind of warp. The noise, the smell, the vibrations, the sheer overwhelming jolt of adrenaline. This couldn’t really be happening? As all things turned into a blur(no Your Honour, we were not speeding) I somehow noticed we had passed the train station, by some margin. I pointed back toward the station. My pilot nodded, dropped a couple of gears, stood on the brakes, we shed speed like we had dropped an anchor. The handbrake was pulled, the car put into a smoothly, expertly judged drift and we turned 180 degrees and back up the other side of the road. As we stopped at the station, the hordes of kids all began to frantically take pics. I looked over at my new best friend and said the only word of Japanese I knew to use in such a situation – subarashii!!! He smiled, nodded, we shook hands, I somehow managed to get my legs to work and got out. I waved goodbye and watched as the schoolkids snapped away at the rapidly dissapearing missile and the glorious noise it left in its wake. Looking at one kid beside me, I smiled and nodded as I spotted he was making a video of the whole thing, but quickly became truly angry with myself as I realised I hadn’t. What a fool! The experience of a lifetime and I didn’t have a video. Ah well, I still have the memories.

Thank you to my pilot that day. Thank you to the owner of the company, who I found out later, left the room as he didn’t speak English and was embarassed. I’m the one who should be embarassed, you should be proud to be the genius behind so many fantastic cars, engines and dreams. Thank you so much. That day will forever live with me. I vowed to create a replica(as best I could afford) of the car. The photo of the grey RX-7 you see at the top of the blog is that car, my car. Its a long way off the record setting beast I experienced that day, but it is my hommage to that car.

To anyone and everyone who has not been to Japan – please visit. The people of Japan are friendly, really friendly, genuinely friendly. They have pride in their country, their work, their history. They have given us petrolheads so much and continue to do so. Japan is a place of such wonder, a polar opposite of so many western countries, it has to be experienced to be believed.

And what an experience it will be, trust me.

The Missile

Filming for Best Motoring – Hot Version DVD

Hot Version prize giving with the owner of FEED (in red) and Keichii Tsuchiya, the Drift King (green)

Tagged best motoring, FD3S, FEED, Fujita Engineering, hot version, Japan, rotary, rotor, RX-7, taxi, touge, tuning, youtube

Sep 05 2014

Leave a comment

Feature Article

1948 – A good vintage?

A friend, who happens to be my neighbour, my landlord and a work colleague has inherited something.

It was made in 1948, in England. Coventry to be precise. If it was the following year, it would have been Abingdon.

It has an engine, a petrol one. Its 1.5 (1496cc) makes an interesting noise and has character in abundance. I love the thing.

This is where things get interesting. Aforementioned friend wants to sell it. So, I thought, maybe someone here may be interested? At the very least, perhaps some of you reading this have never seen one before, so even that makes all this typing worthwhile I think.

The car was purchased from an enthuasiast in the UK. It had been restored there, which was undoubtedly a large factor in its purchase. The car was brought back to Ireland and brought a lot of smiles to the faces of all who saw her. The car was garaged and well cared for up until the passing of the owner. Since, its been kept locked away, but thankfully, my love of all things automotive meant I was asked to help sell her.

First order of business was cleaning. Anyone who knows me, will attest to the fact that I spend longer cleaning a car than I would the entire house….. well its more fun!? Then came the polishing. Following that, she was serviced by a local classic & vintage fanatic. Shortly afterward, I drove her to a local charity motoring event. Nobody bothered to tell me that the brakes worked in a glacial manner… After learning this, while simultaneously scaring the bejaysus out of another driver at the first roundabout, I realised that I would need to start braking about half a kilometer before some junctions. Thats not a joke. Nothing clinches the butt cheeks tighter than the possibility of becoming the hood ornament for a truck at a junction. After what was the slowest drive to Galway city, I arrived at the event and you know what… I loved the drive. Too often in modern cars a journey is a blur. No, I don’t mean that I’m travelling beyond the speed limit, but that things happen quick enough that you need to focus more. This journey allowed me time, time to enjoy the car. The smell, the noise, the smiles and waves from those who encountered us. Little design features, such as the winder on the dash that opens the drivers half of the windscreen, allowing some air in. The tidy side vents on the front wings that can be opened from within the car, letting air at ones feet. Yes I know these are tasks made much easier on modern cars, but here those tasks are special. Its more of an interaction, and thus more pleasing, more fun. When was the last time you adjusted the aircon in your car and it brought a smile to your face? Exactly.

But we got there, and it was a fantastic event. Vehicles travelled from not just the various counties of Ireland, but from across the UK. Things like MASSIVE steam engines, tiny steam engines, vans, sports cars, trucks, motorbikes and of all vintages. There were stands selling everything from fizzy drinks to replacement panels for a mk1 Escort.

Thanks to the car, I met so many interesting people and heard some wonderful stories. I couldn’t see that happening with the majority of new cars. At the end of the day, I took some time to walk around the venue, Ballybrit racecourse, to browse the stalls in peace. One such stall had what seemed like the entire contents of an old garage, spread across a huge number of tables. Something caught my eye, something shiny, red, plastic. Could it be? Having spent so long cleaning and polishing the car, I reckoned I was right. “How much for these” I asked the friendly looking old guy behind the stall. “They’ve been there for a long time, used to be 20 each. Give me a tenner for a pair”. I couldn’t get the cash out of my pocket fast enough. “What are they for?” he asked, “a 48 Riley RMA” I replied. “They are the right ones, a nice car the RMA” he said with an even greater smile.

Back to the car I went, avoiding the other stalls, even though there were things at them I’d have liked to see. Why, well like a kid racing down the stairs on the morning of December 25th, I couldn’t get there quick enough. True to the old mans word, and with pride that I had correctly identified them, I was now holding 2 genuine replacement rear brake lights for my new friend.

The journey back was even more fun, I felt like I had proven to the car that I really cared. It seemed like it drove more smoothly, and the brakes had more bite. Maybe I should buy it myself?

So, that was a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve advertised her on a few forums and specialist sites. Interest has come from various parts of Europe, a vintage dealer and some very clued in Riley fans.

The other day my Dad visited. He saw the car, and like so many others, it brought a smile to his face. He remembered seeing one as a kid, a rare sight apparently, even back then. I showed him some of the features I liked about it and asked if he’d like to go for a spin. On returning back to the house, he noticed the license plate – 48 G. “The car is the same age as me” he proclaimed. It was the first time he had sat in any car from 1948 and it was a special treat he thought.

Its a lovely thing this car. It may not be mint, but that just adds to the appeal I think. I know many people would never consider buying her, but all it takes is the right person, at the right time, and she’ll start a whole new chapter, making the lives of more people happier along the way.

I know I’ll miss her, so I hope she finds a home in Ireland, or at least in a place I can go visit. Enjoy the pics.

Tagged 1.5, for sale, restoration, Riley, RMA, Saloon, vintage

Sep 03 2014

Leave a comment

Feature Article

What the hell is it?

Well, simple… its a Mitsubishi RVR X3 Sports Gear.

Oh, ok. So, what is it? Well, those smart people over at Mitsubishi hatched a plan quite a while back. Take an unassuming, family transport looking….. thing. Give it a little more ground clearance. Improve the brakes, change the wheels, fit bigger tyres(yes, I know thats a y) add various bits and pieces to the bodywork, such as front fogs, chunkier bumpers and arches. Your probably thinking, “that bonnet scoop must mean its a turbo diesel? Nope. Its turbo alright, but check the name of the blog again…..

What you find upon raising the bonnet(hood) on this car, is at first, a bit strange. Intercooler – check. Petrol engine – check. Turbo – check. “That engine looks like the one in my Evo” – thats because it is a 4g63 also. Its no coincidence its white, it looks like a big metallic sheep, but under the skin its a rabid wolf!

The car is fitted with a 4 speed auto box. But, if you want a little more interaction on the gearchange front, then slide the lever to the left and now you have a tiptronic type box. Handy.

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed there is only 1 rear passenger door. That door slides and closes with a similar soft-close action to that found on high-end German luxury saloons. I had the feature pointed out to me recently by someone on his S-Class. He was so impressed by this “new technology” that I just couldn’t bring myself to burst the bubble by telling him my 1999 Mitsubishi has the same tech…… and they accuse the Japanese of copying the Germans!

The rear seat is a bench type. It can be folded and moved into a number of positions, giving options like extra large boot space, or ridiculous amounts of leg room instead. The seatback can be folded down, the seat can be folded up, then slid forward, or back. Yes, it is fun. All the seats can be folded flat and the car doubles as a tent. A tent that won’t blow away when the winds picks up. Once that you don’t have to pitch in the middle of the night, after returning from the pub, with no flashlight.

This particular car was imported into Ireland from Japan. It is one of only 4 in the country apparently. Why? I have no idea, its a truly great car.

The seats are comfortable, yet supportive. Visibility is, unsurprisingly, quite good. The large sunroof allows lots of light in. The aftermarket stereo, and subwoofer, provide plenty oomph, enough to overcome the wind noise from the huge mirrors at motorway speeds. Those mirrors are electric, heated and folding. Using the remote key, one can lock and unlock. Yes, really. Also, you can open and close the windows, fold the mirrors and operate the passenger ejector seat. Ok, the last bit I made up.

Remember, this car is over 15 years old now. How many engines has it been through……still on the original engine. It must have had lots of parts replaced. No, nothing more than the usual servicing and tyres. Then the mileage must be low. No again, its got over 145k on the clock. So, to those of you who think that buying your new, diesel econobox, is going to help the polar bears and save you a fortune, and that I’m the root of all evil in the petrol 4×4, think again.

Oh yes, for those that are wondering what its like to drive? Well, its fun. A lot of fun. Yes it leans in the corners, what would you expect with such high profile tyres combined with off road capable suspension. It also accelerates quite nicely. Think hot hatch. Well, it does have 240bhp!

It allows one to cruise effortlessly, in comfort, with reasonable economy, but packs a punch should you need it – wicked stuff.

I love the fact that people look at it and think its someone bringing the kids to school. I really like the hummingbird patterns on the seats. The multiple 12v sockets. 3 huge storage bins in the rear. Cupholders – 2 in front, 2 in the back, as well as massive, comfortable arm rests. What a car.

Well done Mitsubishi.

Aug 31 2014

1 Comment

Feature Article

Moving

Imagine owning a mint Mk1 Ford Escort…. now imagine saying goodbye to it, seeing it drive away and knowing the cash was going toward helping to restore another car. At this stage, some of you are probably thinking “was he mad!?” while others are wondering “what car was he restoring!”, “must have been pretty special?” – read on.

Allow me to introduce my friend Mark and his Delta, in the first article of many(I hope).

Mark is a regular at the local Cars & Coffee, and has been since day one. This stunning example of pure Italian automotive scorcery, first found a home in Germany, back in April of 1994. Just three years later, she was purchased by a UK based specialist car importer(oakfields.com) and introduced to its new owner, a Doctor in Hamshire. It was to remain in his care until 2005, when he traded it back to Oakfields.

This is where Mark enters the scene. The car was purchased and brought back to Ireland. The journey back home with the Delta must have been an exciting drive. Mark used the car for the rest of the year, only to stop to give her a chance to avoid the grip of winter.

Once March arrived, the Lancia once again saw sunlight, but it was to be short lived. The head gasket obviously liked the idea of hibernation and didn’t want to work properly just yet.

The previous owner had left her parked under a tree for quite some time before moving her on. As we all know, mother nature can be a jealous lady, and she took it out on the Giugiaro penned beauty. The birds in the trees probably used it for target practice too.

Oakfields treated it to a good respray prior to selling it to Mark, but for this car, good simply isn’t good enough. It had to be perfect, it was to be given the VIP treatment, only befitting of such an Itailian Super Model. This meant only one thing – total restoration. Unfortunately for Mark, the fabulous bubble arched Mk1 Escort had to be sold to fund the work. But it would be worth it.

Many days spent in prep work, before she received numerous layers of lucious red paint. This was followed by hours spent machine polishing, with the end result being a finish that would have been the thing of dreams at the Lancia factory. Paint so deep you could swim in it.

The front seats were in a sorry state, but thankfully the rears looked like they were never used. So, the investigative work began and the source of the material was located, surprise surprise, in Italy. Thankfully they still had the exact fabric in stock. One slight problem though, it wouldn’t be perforated. Material located, next stop, Germany. A firm there had the ability to replicate the perforation pattern exactly. Excellent!

So, next task was getting the fabric applied to the seats. The firm in Germany wouldn’t do this, but a company in the UK were entrusted with the task. The pair of reclining buckets were dispatched to the UK, and the material was shipped from Germany. The seats were professionally reskinned and shipped back to Ireland to be reunited with the Delta.

The mechanicals were given the same level of care and attention to detail, with any issues being addressed and the block and all ancillaries brought back to full health. “The engine bay is not a good place to drop a socket” – sounds like the couple of skint knuckles were the result of some under the hood fishing!

So, after all the attention now being given to the Lancia, surely it would be locked away in storage, watching the value rise, as so many are?

Not a chance! This one is being enjoyed, driven as it should be – hard! Mark has a truly fantastic machine now, one which provides a much needed burst of colour and sunshine when the grey skies and government are doing their best to drown the country in gloom. I hadn’t seen a Delta up close until Mark came along to the Cars & Coffee meeting, but the look on everyones face was priceless and the memory will stay with us forever. The sound, the paintwork, the shape. Stunning doesn’t come close. Thank you Mark!

Tagged Delta, feature, Galway, Integrale, Ireland, Lancia, Mark, Red

Aug 29 2014

Leave a comment

Spotted!

Yep, she’s a diesel!

Youths in hoodies - hardcore - west of Ireland - Pimped out ride on steelies, big bore exhaust, twin front spotlamps, totally stiff suspension -Tractors!

You can’t cage me in! Youths in hoodies – hardcore – west of Ireland – Pimped out ride on steelies, big bore exhaust, twin front spotlamps, totally stiff suspension -Tractors!

Its only a matter of time til he’s in an A4, 1.9Tdi, with cut springs, full RS4 bodykit, twin exhausts, but one is bellowing black soot. The dream.

Tagged hoodie, stiff suspension, tractor

Aug 28 2014

1 Comment

Uncategorized

How dare you!

So, you own a diesel….. don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate diesel, just simply prefer petrol (gasoline for the rest of you). To me, diesel is for … you guessed it.

Why should you visit this page again? Well, I’ll be adding a variety of articles, images, video and the like, covering all things automotive. It won’t stop there, you may also find the odd article on things like watches, aircraft or dogs…. why? they don’t run on diesel, mostly.

There are plenty of other places you can get your auto fix, I know, but this place is different. There won’t be any holding back, I’m not going to try to win the favour of manufacturers. I won’t be praising the handling of cars that I haven’t even driven, unlike many others. No way. I hope to just write what comes out of my head, with the minimum of editing. Hmm, that might be a bad idea at times.

I have some friends, who may not be after reading this, but they LOVE diesel. Some spend their spare time “window shopping” for tractors. Quite a few think that anyone who drives a petrol car is a fool, the running costs are too high. To those of you reading this, imagine the sound of your dream car, as it drives through that tunnel or under that bridge you know. Go on, close your eyes.

Did it go ratta-tat, or clackle? Were you imaging the smell of burnt diesel fumes and picturing the all too familiar sight of black clouds behind the car as it was given the beans? Didn’t think so.

So, drop by whenever you get a chance, say hi or just have a look. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.