Wait, what? a Camry? Yes, in Japan, this generation Camry was called the Toyota Scepter, In the US its “The best selling car in North America”. For today’s NosWeds, I am not going to talk about why it is the best selling car, I am not answering why every Toyota Camry that you see is champagne gold; but instead, i will share a little bit of racing history specially for the 91-96 generation(XV10).

Typically, people don’t associate the Camry with racing. The Camry is known and popular to older folks because of it’s size, cost of maintenance, fuel economy and reliability. If you were an asian kid growing up in the US, no doubt your parents probably owned one and all you ever dreamed was them handing you the keys; just because they upgraded to a champagne gold Lexus ES. Who knew these cars had potential? Yeah the Camry is an FF  with a heavy chasis; but going back into the late 90′s, the 91-96 (XV10) was a contender in the US, South African and Australian Super Touring Championships.

The Camry was against super FR Germans Audi, BMW and other euro cars, Volvo, AlfaRomeo etc; and it gave a good fight finishing 5th and 6th in the BOC Gases Super Touring Championships. Compared to your Civics, Silvias and Corollas, yes, there is a Camry cult lurking around the webz and they have the same passion as the other platform cars mentioned.

That was back in the late 90′s, fast forward to today’s racing scene, the Camry is back but in NASCAR. So far, those are the only generations (XV10, XV30+) that I know that was/is involved in professional circuit racing.

What is more nostalgic than hand-me-down cars from our parents? So if you owned or still drive one of these big bodied 90′s sedan, be proud because compared to the other Camrys, this generation is definitely down in racing history books.

-mark-
mark@maydaygarage.com

It’s been a while since our last Nostalgic Wednesday, I’ve been busy lately with work, family and everything on the sidelines. With all this work going on, I rarely have time going out and enjoy myself with car meets,  shows and other related activities. I needed a breather, I needed to lighten my load and relax. Well to start off, today’s NosWeds is something low-carb and still tasty, which our Master PhotoG DPhan and good friend Tyler H. would recognize; it’s the BMW E36 M3 Lightweight..aka LTW M3.

If you’re a BBC Top Gear fan, you’ve probably seen J.Clarkson praising the e46 M3 CSL roaring through the Isle of Man. Clarkson adored it’s power to weight ratio, carbon fibre panels and of course it’s razor sharp handling. Unfortunately, the e46 CSL as well as the e36 M3 GT nor the e92 M3 GTS were not introduced to the North American Market. Luckily, and thank the piston gods we were blessed with the E36 Lightweight (LTW).

Introduced to the US market in 1995, BMW produced only 120 of these special M3s. What sets the LTW apart from its regular siblings is it’s weight reduced structure for track purposes. I loved that the LTW was only available in Alpine White with the M flag decals. The regular M3 was stripped; it had no AC, radio, sunroof, toolkit, sound-deadening materials, insulations, spare tire, and leather seats Even with all the comfort gone, it was still road-worthy. The E36 LTW had aluminum doors, special carpeting, larger strut bar, CF trim, higher gear ratio for faster acceleration, sport suspension, and of course, LTW 17-inch wheels and the famous LTW aero Wing.  Total weight saved you ask? 200-300lbs over the regular m3. An interesting fact about these special M3s is that the ECU was modified to eliminate the top speed limit. Another interesting fact is that the M50 B30 3.0 engine was hand picked by BMW performance engineers, and only the engines that performed best were bolted into to the cars.

Considered rare since they were only available in 95. LTWs are hard to find  in factory mint condition. Most of the 120 built LTWs are already converted to full-blown racetrack warriors, either already wrecked or sitting in one’s garage collecting rat poo. The LTW M3, even with all its comfort taken away, will still be one of the best M3′s ever buit; it was raw, built for race, built for fun.

-Mark-
mark@maydaygarage.com

photo credit to Mayday Khiem circa 2007?

Browsing through Wek’fest pictures that David took made me reminisce about my 98 Honda Civic; it was clean, aircon blew cold, it was slow and slammed. But as much as I wanted to keep it, last year, things changed with having a kid on the way. It made me let go of some toys including the civic and prioritize a new responsibility. Was I growing older? MAYBE. I needed a car my wife could drive with the baby boy and not have to worry about it getting jacked after picking up some groceries.

I was on a mission, since she was driving an 06 BMW 325ci, I was out to try a German saloon. I had 2 options, a Merc, or a BMW, I also considered Audi and VWs but the 2 were more familiar to me mechanically wise. I wanted a German that would be car-seat safe, a little oomph, MPG didn’t really bother me since I knew it came with the territory, and most important, a car that I would be content WITHOUT modifying. With multiple trim levels from each manufacturer, I researched for months in order to decide what car would fit my needs wants. I finally decided to search for an e46 330i M-package or a  w202 C43; or if luck came my way, a  C55 AMG one of the rarest W202 AMG production C-class.

I test drove a babied 1999 C43 and fell in love with the 4.3 V8 power. I also loved the fact that if you were not into cars, you’d think that it’s a regular C230 with factory 19inch optional AMG wheels. Interior  was compact in the back seat and exterior was conservative yet classy. The ride comfort was smooth as expected from a Mercedes.

Then I went to a BMW dealership and test drove a 2004 330i Performance Package (ZHP). the ZHP was the closest we could ever get to having an e46 m3 saloon. The aero-kit was aggressive, 6speed manual gearbox was perfect and the sport suspension was stiff compared to the c43. It was no different to my 325 since it had the same sport suspension.

I had to decide, due date was getting closer; I picked the car that was closest to what i already had, I chose the BMW. why? obviously I was already familiar with the engine, maintenance and troubleshooting. I wanted the powerful AMG but was weary about maintaining a carefully engineered and limited production Mercedes. Unfortunately, when I was about to pick up the ZHP, it was already sold.

Last picture before I gave up my Honda

I ended up with a 2001 323i Wagon, dropped it and gave it a set of Kosei K1s. After 2 months, I found a leak in the block and traded it immediately for an 04′ 330i M-Sport sedan. I am happy with the choice I made. Most importantly, my son loves it and learned his “Ready, Set GO!” in the 330i at every stop light.

Things in life may change but my passion for cars will never fade. I may have already passed it to my son unconsciously since I always took him to Coffee and Cars, car shows and track days. I may have stopped modifying but I will never quit the love I have for motorsports. In the future, I might look for a project Honda hatchback and turn it into a Kanjo racer to fix my itchy grease hand. I believe I just had more reason to enjoy the hobby more because I know someday I will have a fellow gear head to talk to when I get old and grey.

-Mark

Roots <3 Mayday Garage

When you hear VIP/Bippu/EXE style, you automatically think of Toyotas and Nissans. Usually, deciding upon what platform to begin with, it’s a norm to choose a higher end trim that came with full accessories, upgraded engine, and all that leather and wooden interior. Perfect examples are the Toyota Century,Majesta, Celsior, Aristo, and the Crown. From Nissan you have the Cima,Q45,Gloria, Cedric, and the President. The name Mazda is synonymous to Mazda Speed, ZoomZoomZoom, Monster RX7 and the gokart miata; how about a Bippu Mazda? Yup, they exist, the Sentia in Japan and 929 to the rest of the world.

Started production in the early 90s, the Sentia was Mazda’s entry into the FR semi-luxury sedan game. It was imported to the Northern American market and was badged the 929. However, the 929′s US career was short lived due to a lack of interest in non-luxury(Lexus/Infiniti) brand J-spec midsize sedan, just the same reason why Toyota pulled the Cressida out of the line in 92.

Obviously, the Sentia may be considered the “Dark Horse” in the Bippu-world, with the right kit, shoes, refined interior and a black tie to match, it can definitely break necks from Toyota and Nissan owners.

SMOOTHnSEXY Lines. Photo credit to AUTOnGRAPHIC

-Mark