Fred Gatlin, Newark, Delaware
1979 Mazda RX-7
Fred has owned his RX-7, dubbed "Strictly Street" for 15 years. Just after acquiring the car he had the IMSA-style body kit installed and the Mazda has recently received a fresh coat of paint, Sikkens "Special Effect" Frazee Red.
Motivation comes from a street-ported 13B built by Hayes Rotary Engineering. The engine has been boosted via a Corky Bell intercooled turbo kit. The Wankel runs a Mazda electronic distributor, MSD Blaster II coils, Magnecor wires and NGK plugs.
Fred pilots the RX-7 from a Konig bucket seat and a 250-watt, 10-speaker stereo makes the miles roll by quickly. A gaggle of gauges from Auto Meter are on call keeping Fred informed about the status of the rotary.
The RX-7 hugs the pavement via Yokohama AVS Intermediate tires wrapped around Weds wheels. For added traction a limited slip differential from a 1983 GSL has been swapped in.
Peter & Kisha Salcedo
Coachella, California
(Stationed in Ramstein, Germany)
1990 Honda Civic DX
Peter and Kisha are spearheading the Honda movement in Germany with their tricked out '90 DX. The car's 1.5-liter engine has been pumped up with a RS Akimoto Funnel Ram intake, HKS cat-back exhaust, NGK 8mm plug wires and dressed up with an oil cap and battery tie down from DC Sports. The rides low thanks to Ground Control coilovers that utilize Tokico shocks. DC Sports strut tower bars, Energy Suspension bushings and Suspension Techniques anti-sway bars add to the handling equation. Adhesion then falls to the rolling stock that consists of chromed Konig Cobra wheels and Nitto NT-450 tires. Outside the car has received the European touch while the interior is adorned with a Hurst short shifter, Isotta shift knob, an Auto Meter tach, Momo steering wheel and Civic Type R seatbelt pads. A Kenwood based stereo provides high fidelity tunes.
Clay Sutherland Fraser Lake, British Columbia
1989 Toyota Supra Turbo
Clay has been around the block more than once in his Supra. He purchased the car in 1996 drove it for a few months then parked it for the winter. When the weather warmed up he added an exhaust system and hit the roads. Unfortunately he was involved in an accident soon after the thaw. As Clay puts it, "I got into an accident involving bald tires, wet roads and the turbo kicking in while passing a bus, not a good combo." The results of this combo can be seen in one of the accompanying photos which shows the front end removed from the car. Since that fateful day the Supra has made a comeback and then some. In the interim the Toyota has received a modified front fascia, Veilside-style rear wing and a healthy dose of yellow paint. The engine sports a ported and polished head, upgraded head gasket, Spearco intercooler upgrade, K&N filter set-up and a custom three-inch exhaust. The suspension has been tuned with Intrax springs that drop the car 1.5 inches at the corners and Koni adjustable shocks. The Supra flexes an 18-inch wheel and tire combo consisting of ROH Azzurro wheels and Pirelli P7000 rubber. The next time the ice comes, Clay plans to do a performance build-up on his 7M-GTE engine. Stay warm, Clay.