Editor's Note: "Extreme Exposure" will feature bigger photos, more pages and more exposure than our conventional Rides entry. To attain this high-level of exposure one must have a worthy car, clean photos (preferably slides) of the inside and outside details of the car and enough info to make it all happen. We are trying to increase the quality of Rides and this section could easily see a vehicle graduate to full feature status. The most determining factory for such an upgrade is photography. Please don't use disposable cameras. The number and quality of the entries will determine how often Extreme Exposure will appear. For more photo tips read on.
Johnny Mulfati
Montreal, Canada
1987 Dodge Shelby Charger
"Although I haven't read every single issue of Turbo you've ever published, I still own a copy of the March 1986 issue in which you featured an article on the Dodge Shelby Charger. You quoted it as, 'one of the hottest compacts on the market.' And I knew I had to have one. With the '87 model being its last year in production, I was fortunate to get my hands on one of the last examples available. To date I have only 16,000 miles on the car and it has yet to be driven in the rain.
"In stock form it will give most cars a run for their money but I knew there was hidden power under the hood. Powering up the car looked to be a struggle as there weren't a lot of parts on the market. My goal was to keep the bottom end stock and bolt-on power. I turned to Forward Motion for help. The engine was intercooled via a Mopar high-performance cooler which required some radiator reconfiguration to fit. The turbo was replaced with an Enforcer 1 unit and 2.5-inch downpipe. This allowed boost to be pushed from the stock 9 psi to 18 psi. Forward Motion installed a ported head, a hot cam, K&N air filter and a 52 mm throttle body. Fuel enrichment is handled by an upgraded Mopar ECU, Holley high-flow fuel pump, 42 lb/hr injectors and a Bosch adjustable fuel pressure regulator. The car runs a Dynomax exhaust and rolls on 15x7-inch Center Line Billet Web wheels and Toyo Proxes rubber.
"This combination is good for about 230 horses and, believe me-when unleashed all at once they can cause a good reason for whiplash." Break out the neck braces, Johnny.
Emmett A. Taylor
Killeen, Texas
1997 Honda Civic EX
It has taken a while to fight against the current created by domestic pickups, but imports have made inroads in Texas. In fact, the world's quickest uni-body Honda hails from the Lone Star State (this issue's cover car). Emmett has spent his money in the right place (in our opinion)...under the hood. The 1.6-liter is pumped up by an Advanced Engine Management intake and cam gear, Focuz header, high-flow cat and exhaust, MSD Power Rotor cap and Blaster 2 coil, ZEX plugs and a 75-shot nitrous system and Ractive wires. The suspension has been modified with Sprint springs, which drop the car 2 inches all around, a Top Speed strut tower bar and custom rolling stock. The EX rides on 16-inch ADR DTM wheels and Nitto rubber. The Honda looks to be well cared for and could possibly be one of the reasons imports have turned over a new leaf in Texas.
Kevin Carwile
Covington, Indiana
1983 Buick T-Type
Kevin reports his T-Type has only 32,000 miles on the clock. Over the life of the car that's a mere 1,882 miles per year! He has added some big power via a T5 turbo, Kenne Bell Big Boy intercooler, larger injectors, an Edelbrock Buick Stage II intake and Hooker exhaust system. Kevin relates that the daily driven Turbo Regal produces 12-second time-slips, living up to its QWIK-6 license plate. Keep the turbo spooled, Kevin.
Geraldo Samayoa
Northridge, California
1991 Honda Civic Si
Geraldo bought his car new and has raced it regularly while rolling up 120,000 miles on the odometer. The car runs the original 1.6-liter SOHC engine. The engine has been fortified with an HKS filter, RS Akimoto tube and RES Engineering throttle body, along with a DC Sports header and a Borla exhaust. RES also massaged the JG Engine Dynamics-cammed head and provided the 230cc injectors. On the spark side, we find Magnecor wires and NGK plugs. A Superchips ECU runs the show while an ACT clutch puts the power to the pavement. On the street, the car rolls SSR wheels and Falken tires. This reader's ride entry is dated August 1998 and the Civic was running 13.9s, quite respectable for a daily driver.
Max J. Vivi
Orlando, Florida
1998 Lexus GS400
Max is flexing max muscle in his sultry Lexus GS400. The silver cruiser has made extensive use of Rod Millen Motorsports' inventory. The 4.0-liter V8 runs a Rod Millen intake and exhaust system. The exhaust system is a cat-back affair constructed from stainless steel. Under the suspension banner, we find a Rod Millen strut brace and Tein HR/HA coilovers. A Rod Millen differential featuring limited slip and a 3.76 gear ratio provide optimum traction. Stopping prowess has been addressed with Rod Millen Motorsports' brake upgrade.
The front consists of 12.6-inch rotors and four-piston calipers, while the rear rotors are the same as stock but have been drilled to match the front setup. A trick Blitz body kit accents the sedan's bodylines with 19-inch rolling stock completing the picture. The Lexus rolls on 19x8.5-inch Enkei Phalenx wheels and 245/35 Pirelli P-Zero rubber up front and 19x10s and 275/30s in the rear.
Future plans call for more mods and more Rod Millen goodies, namely an ECU upgrade and a set of sway bars. Other possibilities include 20-inch rolling stock, a high-wattage sound system and forced induction. A pressurized GS400-that's pushing it to the max, Max.
George Chan
Bronx, New York
Honda Civic Coupe
We don't often associate the Bronx with custom cars. The cool cars we envision in New York are usually pictured with a herd of Pit Bulls leashed to the bumper. George's smooth Civic breaks that stereotype; it is good looking and has no signs of canine involvement. As the pictures illustrate, George is a DC Sports fanatic. The DC Sports components on his car include a stainless-steel header, a stainless-steel exhaust system, a DAC intake setup, billet aluminum oil cap, billet aluminum battery tie down, front and rear strut tower bars, lower tie bar, and DC embroidered seats. Non-DC items consist of NGK plugs and wires, Eibach springs, Tokico shocks, OBX shift knob and E-brake handle and a Wings West front lip spoiler along with a three-piece Mid-Wing.
The car looks great; don't forget to feed the dogs.