Another Night, Another Box of Rice.

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Continuing our tradition every Wednesday, here are some cool cars that showed up last week for Ricer Wednesday. See you guys out there!

Super duper low S2K on CCW's sitting pretty

Japanese, German, Track, Street, VIP, drift, we have all styles represented at Ricer Wednesdays

Grant's absolutely bonkers Pontiac G8/commodore on VS-KF's always has people guessing if it's static or bagged. (it's static)

The American-Chinese food at Rice Box is damn good. Google it, then come out.

Not only does JohnP run the Rice Box Truck, he'll also push your low ass out of the lot.

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

MaydayJohnM.

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Besides “Do you guys have a shop?”, the most common question we get here is “How do I get into Mayday Garage??”. That’s not an easy question to field honestly. We are NOT a car club, a show team, or even an actual “shop”, rather, we are a bunch of guys that live in Texas that believe in the 90′s Japanese Tuning era, and we are here solely as a group to preserve that movement and what it stands for. We are no longer a media only group, so being a great photographer, or blogger is not a requirement. Simply put, if you like the same things as we do (i.e. snooty coffee, hipster food, Asian culture, craft beer, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, MTG, tattoos and you occasionally lift) and have the same mindset and outlook on car culture, then there’s a small chance you may fit in.

Welcome JohnM to Danh's big dick club as his personal sex slave!

Although it doesn’t happen often, we wanted to take the time out to introduce you to Mayday Garage’s newest member, John Markadakis, aka, Markladakis, aka Markadakalis, aka, MurkaDurka, aka MaydayJohnM. John moved to Houston a few years ago from the great state of North Carolina to go to an Automotive school and absorb the Houston car scene/culture. John enjoys 90′s Japanese cars just as much as we do, and works on various cars such as high end Porsches, Lambo’s, Ferrari’s, RB25/26 motors, VR38′s, R35′s and more recently, FD3S RX-7′s. John also enjoys (see; addicted) coffee from Catalina, Southside Espresso, and Blacksmith, Vietnamese food from Cafe TH, and has a special place for Niko Niko’s Greek food. JohnM currently drives a Miata and is working on his project car, a Time Attack inspired Zenki S14, which hopefully will be finished in the next few months. He also has cat. (He sprays)

Make no mistake, JohnM is a HUGE ricer despite the size of his car.

Welcome to the end of your life John!

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

The Ultimate.

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New cars are weird to us. On one hand, we love the design of new cars such as the BRZ, Camaro Z28, and Porsche Turbo S, and on the other, we HATE the size of the new BRZ, Camaro Z28 and Porsche Turbo S. It’s all personal tastes though. They just don’t make badass cars like the Ferrari F40 anymore. Or do they? There hasn’t been another Ferrari that’s touched us like the 458 Italia has. It’s organic, flowing body lines combined with the low and wide stance and proper Ferrari grunt has made us fall in love with the car. Oh, and it drives like a bat out of hell too.

This car is LOW

Last week we got a chance to check out a special 458 Challenge car brought to us by Ferrari of Houston and we were immediately drawn to it. It arrived on a flatbed (racecar) without any type of livery or decals, so to some, it looked like a bonafide street car. A street car with a giant adjustable wing, front dry carbon splitter, center locking race weels, all carbon interior and one loud ass motor. So maybe not so street car-ish, but still cool to see this race edition 458 without any kind of badging.

That Ferrari Lexan window makes our shots trippy

Oh lawd.

Almost better than yoga pants

No, that's not NOS

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

Testing… Testing… 1… 2…

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Yes, we have our very first batch of Car Shop GLOW LED tail lights for the FD3S RX-7, and we gave them a go on one of our FD’s and brought it out to last night’s Ricer Wednesday meet at our Food Truck, The Rice Box. The lights are in original OEM Mazda Housings super polished to bring out the original black housings that extra special shine, and are properly sealed to avoid condensation. We are currently taking detailed photos of the lights in our studio, as well as photos of the lights compared with OEM/JDM lights in both direct sunlight and not. First impressions are very good, and you’ll be able to see that in the photos. Each set will come with a warranty card signed by Car Shop GLOW as well as a few high quality stickers. Videos will also be shown so you can see for yourselves.

We have had our inboxes blown up with people wanting to secure the lights for themselves, so to answer what most of you are asking, the price is set at $999USD not including shipping. We ARE going through a change on our site and we WILL have a new online store for you to be able to purchase these much sought after lights. Please be patient with us as we are wanting to do this the right way, and not take any shortcuts. In the meantime, check out the first set of CarShopGLOW x MaydayGarage LED taillights in the USA!

Photos by Dennis Nguyen

You guys should see it when the brake light is actually applied

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

The Last Samurai.

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Last post’s Z32 had us thinking about the great 90′s Japanese Super cars and how quickly they disappeared from the U.S. shores. The first on the chopping block was the FD RX-7 as the last few were imported for the 1995 calendar year, quickly followed by the 300zx in 96 and Toyota Supra in 1998. With only the NSX which was made in extremely limited numbers and was out of reach for most “normal” car guys due to the skyrocketing price, there was only one Japanese super car that still embraced the Twin Turbo philosophy, the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4.

If only these cars came with lowered suspension... :D

The 3000GT, much like the 300zx and Supra, also came in non-turbo variants, but it was the 320hp, Twin-Turbo V6 version dubbed the VR-4 (GTO in Japanese markets) that hurt feelings on the streets. The VR-4 separated itself from the other Japanese warriors by boasting an AWD platform unlike the other FR and MR cars, four wheel steering, electronic suspension and was more of a freeway Grand Touring car than it’s polar opposite, the FD RX-7 with it’s minimal yet spartan interiors. It was a car you could cruise around town while comfortably enjoying the company of whoever rode shotgun.

Although the 3S went through many changes as the years went by, it was the year 1999 where the car would go through it’s last and final aesthetic refresh with it’s redesigned front bumper, headlights, turn signals, and that one-of-a-kind spoiler. That spoiler was the sign on the exterior that let other drivers know that this 3S was not to be messed with. We recently met a VR-4 owner by the name of Josh that made it out to a few of our Coffee and Rice meets and all of the guys immediately recognized this rare beauty. With the Dodge Stealth version dying in 1996, the last few 3000GT VR-4′s were hard to come by as production dwindled down to match sales numbers. In 1999, around 287 models were made and sold. Of that, we have one pristine example in all of it’s 1999 glory here in front of us, unmolested, and completely intact. If you’d like to see more of this car (and MANY more cars), you know where we are every Sunday.

DAT WANG

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

Z32: A Stunning Example.

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We have a serious love for 90′s Japanese cars at Mayday Garage. Supras, RX-7′s, NSX’s, MR2′s and even 3000GT’s are all cars we look up to and want to own someday. But the car that kicked everything into gear in the nineties for us was the Nissan 300zx. Debuting in 1989 and sold as a 1990 model, the all new “Fairlady Z” bursted onto the US scene with a 3.0 liter twin turbocharged VG30DETT 300hp monster motor and a new take on Japanese styling. 300hp by today’s standards isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but in 1990, it was enough to kick Corvette and Mustang ass all day everyday.

Although the US didn’t get “Godzilla”, the R32 GT-R, we did receive the classic and traditional Nissan Sports car with it’s low slung look and flush mounted headlights, it was what embodied a sports car. Although some people think the styling is dated, you have to keep in mind that even though these Z32 models ceased here domestically in 1996, the model continued to evolve all the way through the year 2000 in it’s home country. That said, some styling cues were updated including a new front nose/bumper to give it a newer feel. Stateside, there is a large following for these cult cars, and seeing a Twin Turbo model unmolested is a rare sight, but we love tuner cars, and there is a fine line of modifying a Z without making it dopey looking. We recently came across a stunning example of what a 300zx should look like at the last Houston Cars and Coffee, and took a few snaps.

That classic Z styling

The silver Work Emotion XD9's give the side profile of the Z a great racing feel.

Keep Tuning,
Ricer X

Street Sweepin’.

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You guys have seen us advertise our weekly Sunday Coffee and Rice meet ups lately, but we never forget our other regular weekly meet, Ricer Wednesdays at our food truck, Ricebox. Last night was no different than our usual gatherings, but we always know there’ll be a large turnout when the Houston weather plays nicely all day, and last night’s weather was perfect.

We decided to finally park on the streets of Westheimer (legally), and good thing we did, as there was no parking for a little while because the meet got super packed! Here’s a few shots.

Where the streets have a name. Westheimer.

Bus Stop.

Mug shot

Corbin's Sileighty mean muggin'

See you next week!
Keep Tuning,
Ricer X