NA Brawler

Words & Snaps by Ben

The Honda Jazz, or Fit, as it is called in certain markets, is wildly popular for being an amazing grocery-getter. It's small and easy to park, fuel efficient, and zippy enough for everyday traffic, and has enough room to haul a small family.

Yet while most see a common econo-box, others see potential.

Laurent is one of the latter, and inspired by the potential showcased by Spoon Sports' Fit, he started his new quest for power with this Jazz GD1.

Death of a Phoenix

Words & Snaps by Ben

Every now and then I hear from the owners of cars I featured on POWAA Garage. It's always good to catch up and hear about their latest mods and new plans for their beloved rides. 

Except when they tell you their car is about to get chopped in half.

The Innocent Devil

Words & Snaps by Sam

Honda released its S2000 model back in 1999 as a much awaited successor to the S800, which ended production many moons before, back in 1970. After nearly three decades, Honda decided it was about time to create an all new pure and raw, purpose built driving machine, which unlike the exponentially more costly NSX, would be readily accessible to the masses.

Honda decided that the S2000 should remain in keeping with the company’s ideology at the time, which was to produce light-weight, well balanced cars, equipped with high output naturally aspirated engines; providing the perfect recipe for an unadulterated and totally engaging driving experience.

Second Best

Words and Snaps by Ben

Initial D is one of the foundations of many motorheads out there. At some point, we all rooted for Takumi and his understated AE86 to win, and he never failed to disappoint. And then as he made friends, so did we, and we learnt to love more and more iconic Japanese cars.

Most got to follow the main heroes as icons of our passion, yet some were moved by the other characters, the supporting roles that trade the lack of genius with other skills to get by.

In Joseph's case, it was Itsuki, Takumi's best friend and the comic relief of the series that caught his heart. Itsuki bought a Corolla in the hopes of following Takumi and his AE86's footsteps, but ended up being laughed at for buying an AE85 Levin, the downtuned, SOHC version of the Corolla.

Nevertheless, Itsuki never faltered. He decided to hold on to his AE85 and hone his driving skills after Takumi showed him that the driver skills can make any car fast. Later in the show, he turbocharged his Levin, and although he knew he'd never be as good as Takumi, he never gave up on his dream to be the second best.

This determination and passion to forge on with a lesser car struck a chord in Joseph's heart. Since he was not able to get an AE86 here in Singapore, he settled for second best: an EP70 Starlet.

Be it a coincidence or not, the Starlet's front end design resembles that of Itsuki's Levin, and as a tip-of-the-hat towards the hard-headed character, Joseph placed an Akina Speed Stars decal above the right headlight, where Itsuki placed his.

Like the anime character, Joseph then started modifying his EP70 to put up more of a fight.

This is where Joesph and this Starlet's story began.

Muscle-Flexing

Words and snaps by Ben

When Sylver was out looking for a new ride to sit next to her apex-carving Impreza, she was aiming for an entirely different breed of car. Something quick, of course, but also much simpler to use than her fully-built STI for her daily commute.

Her mind was set on a 335i convertible, which ticked all the right boxes, with the additional benefit of letting her enjoy the wind in her hair during cool night drives.

But then a 135i caught her eye. While it didn't have a drop-top, it had the advantage of having a smaller wheelbase and a lighter frame, while sporting the same N54 biturbo inline 6 engine as its bigger sibling. And this sealed the deal for Sylver.

First Love

Words & Snaps by Ben

We all have a first love. A special one who made us discover new things, and learn more about ourselves. In some cases, it's love at first sight, but other times it's unexpected. She would come about casually, promising nothing more than friendship; just someone to accompany you on your journeys.

And then before you know it, you are in love. Addicted. To you, none other can make the cut. You love her strengths and adore her weaknesses. She is your first love. The one with whom your adventure starts.

I am, of course, talking about cars.

Pushing the Limits

Words and snaps by Ben

Limits. To some, they are goals, objectives to reach before stopping. To others, they are made to be broken; they are a rung of the ladder that only leads to the next step.

Pushing these limits is a constant work, a passion that makes one go beyond himself again and again. This is Keith's addiction, and his weapon of choice in this never-ending fight is the purpose-built DC5 that you see here.

The Reason

Words & snaps by Ben

We make our cars less comfortable, loud and often unpractical. We have to crawl sideways over humps to clear them, endure spine shattering rides, noisy interiors, unpractical bucket seats, our 4-seaters suddenly lose the back seats in favour of roll cages and harnesses. People understandably do not understand us.

Why put ourselves through this daily torture? When the heavens open, some of us have to cruise at turtle-speeds, because the semi slicks are slippery on wet roads. And of course, we all experience cold sweat every time the authorities drive by.

Why do we do that?

Homologation Special

Words & Snaps by Ben

Born back when the WRC required to have "Homologation Specials", the Celica GT-Four is among the rare cars that were brought to the roads as detuned competition vehicles. 

When Yoshi encountered this ST185, the second generation of the Celica GT-Four and second-last model Toyota ever pit in the WRC, he knew he found a unicorn. A unicorn with pop-up headlights. Who would say no to that?

Time Breaker

Words and Snaps by Ben

Be it to emulate a car seen on TV, at a race, in a garage, in a video game, or even to bring together a machine only seen in one's mind, the reasons behind every build are mostly unique. 

Builds evolve and tend to follow outside factors such as new techs and parts, changes in the owner's lifestyle, trends, or simply varied whims. Yet some of us are more focused and stick fervently to the rules and goals they set for themselves. 

Norman is such a man, and when his GC8 gave up on the hard life he gave it, he went to hunt for a RWD platform with which he could further refine his driving skills. 

His search led him to own this S2000, on which he set his new goal: to dominate the time attack.

The Infernal Dance

Words & Snaps by Ben

At the single turn of a key, the inanimate masterpiece of technical engineering sparks to life. 1 turbo, 2 camshafts, 4 pistons, 16 valves and thousands more moving parts initiate a flawlessly synchronised infernal dance.

This is Jeremy's Evo IX. His own interpretation of how the famous AWD platform should be done up.

Jeremy's past ownerships are enough to make any motorhead envious. Starting with a stroked up EG6, he moved on to an EG9, also stroked up to 1.8L. Following this he decided to stay away from stroker kits and turbocharged his 3rd Civic. Upgrading from the Civic, he got his hands on a DC2 before going the AWD way with a stroked-up 2.6L WRX Cockeye.

Jeremy is now topping his list with this gorgeous looking Evo IX, and he got to work on it, applying the same care and passion as he did with his previous rides.

Petit mais Puissant (Small but Mighty)

Words & Snaps By Sam

Small, fun, comparatively quick and cheap... Introducing the Citroen Saxo, a car that is both loved and loathed in equal measure.

Unfortunately this combination of positive attributes has inevitably resulted in the Saxo becoming a stereotypical favourite for 17 year old boy racers all over the UK, giving it a somewhat negative image in the eyes of many.

Fortunately Adam couldn’t care less about the impression his baby leaves; having owned her since 2009 he knows that she’s just far too fun to get caught up in car culture politics and is proving that the Saxo can be just as much a grown up beast as anything!

Quiet Confidence

Words & Snaps By Ben

It's always hard to decide when to stop building a car. Many of you out there will agree that once you go down the car modding road, it's hard to stop. Very hard.

There's always something more to do. "One last mod" before calling it a wrap. Even when you're on a budget, you always find spare change under the mattress for that last little addition to the already stretched parts list of your project car.

Ryan is one of the rare exceptions to that rule. Being on a tight budget, he is a man who plans twice and executes once. And when he does, the result is eye catching.

Sky Blue

Words & Snaps by Ben

To the outside world, all motorheads fit into one basket. As soon as our cars are modified, we are delinquents, street racers without any regard to other people's lives who are always causing trouble on the roads. This so especially in Singapore, where simple car modifications are seen as a crime, and makes every one of us targets of a witch hunt given by the government officials.

Yet our passion for cars is as colourful and varied as there are races on earth. The main "function or form" categories are often mentioned, but the number of sub-genres are unlimited.

While there are haters, who will look down upon certain car models, brands or styles, when push comes to shove, we know how to stand united in our passion.

Marcus' Elantra is not a track-conquering asphalt-twisting powerhouse. It is neither an oni-cambered show queen. All it is, is his own interpretation of his passion for cars. And in this, it is perfect.

Rebirth

Those of you who are reading these words from outside of Singapore, consider yourselves lucky. You might have read some of my previous car features where I mention the COE. The Certificate Of Entitlement is one of Singapore's government's measures put in place to limit the population of cars on the roads of our small island. Not only does it cost a bomb (current rates are above SGD60,000), but it also put a countdown on each and every car, as it is only valid for 10 years.

At the end of those 10 years, car owners have no choice but to either buy a new COE, or scrap their cars. Sadly, with the COE rates always getting higher, many of us do not have the finances to renew and have to bid their cars farewell.

As you can imagine, that makes the lives of us motorheads very, very difficult.

Off The Beaten Path

Words & Snaps by Ben 

A first car always has a strong impact on a person. To most, it is a symbol of freedom, to go wherever they want, whenever they want. To motorheads, it is more than this. It is like getting brand new prosthetic limbs. It's a new extension to one's self, an expression of one's personality.

While we all wish to get Takumi's AE86, Brian O'Connor's GTR, Dom Toretto's Charger or Emmett Brown's DeLorean DMC12 as our first ride, more often than not, we end up with something much less... Interesting. Nevertheless, nothing stops a passion, and our first ride, our first project, usually chooses us more than we choose it.

While Shawn was dreaming of EK's and EG's and SIR's, his mom had other ideas in mind, and gave him this Hyundai Verna as a present. Needless to say, it was bone stock when he first laid his hands on it. At this point, the car chose him, and he was set upon making this ride an extension of himself, whatever the hurdles the Korean machine might throw his way.

Mountain Monster

Words & Snaps by Sam

It was at the February BRC Gold Coast Meet where I first spotted Kong’s Evo 6. It perhaps wasn't the most pristine looking car at the event, nor was it the most powerful, but there was just something about it that really caught my attention. 

Maybe it was the large black XXR rims; the design giving a fat, stanced appearance, or maybe it was the uneven pulsating sound coming from under the bonnet, indicating a set of high-lift aftermarket cams. Or maybe it was that it just looked raw, mean and purposeful. Whatever it was, it grabbed my attention, it gripped me, and I just knew I had to find out more. 

Cannibal!

Words & Snaps by Ben

Some cars just catch the eye. They might not be show queens or outlandishly modified monsters, but they get  just as much attention, or even sometimes more than the formers. 

Gerald's Corolla is one of these, and when I first saw it at the JDM Legends Meet, it had something mesmerising to it. I knew then I had to get it on my lens.

Crime Fighter

Words & Snaps by Ben

You've heard it many times before, and you will hear it many more times - a car can tell a lot about its owner. Mood swings, finances, new trends, evolving family situations, or simply different phases of life of a motorhead can influence radical changes in terms of looks or mechanical development of their ride.

Kevin's Cooper S R53 is one of those cars that evolve along with its owner. Back in 2004, Kevin picked up this 6-speed manual supercharged pocket rocket from the dealership and started a 10-year kinship which, so far, has spread across 3 life phases, and that is not ready to end.

The Rhythm of the Beat

Words & Snaps by Ben

If there's one particular car I remember from my childhood watching the WRC, it is the first gen Impreza WRX GC8. And I believe I'm not the only one. 

Let's face it, who in their right mind would have not drooled over the blue and yellow liveried Prodrive/555 all wheel drive monster that used to tear through the World Rally Championship's stages? 

Nicholas sure was one of the droolers, and many years later, his childhood dream came true when he bought this GC8 Version 4 (GC8D) with the aim of turning it into a monstrous little toy.