The new 2010 Mazdaspeed Axela (Mazda 3 MPS as it’s known in foreign markets) is the type of car that enjoys getting up in public and telling everyone in its roughest voice that it enjoys eating kittens. For breakfast.

Now that it has your undivided attention with what is anything other than politically correct, it needs to be said that this type of outburst is actually a befitting diatribe for what is undoubtedly one of the best value for money performance cars of 2010. The Mazda Axelas’ outlandish, hairy-chested demeanor and arresting visuals will set you back little more than 2,700,000 yen which for all intents and purposes is a relative bargain. Some will look at the Mazdaspeed Axela and wonder what on earth is wrong with it. Truth is, there’s little wrong with it and a whole lot right. A solid day up and down the back side of a winding country road will prove that to you, beyond all reasonable doubt.

Sure, there are a number of issues with the car that will become obvious soon enough; its interior for example is unconvincing and designed with a materials selection process that screams “40% off” at you but seriously, who cares? With a chassis, suspension and brakes package this obedient and an engine this compelling, it’s terribly hard not to enjoy yourself immensely. The brakes are always right there, firmly pulling you up every time you stand on them. Brake fade? What fade? You can work them harder than a volunteer at an S and M party and they flatly refuse to give in. The suspension is also very good, stiff enough to give you one, but sporting a compliant and taut ride, not overly harsh and with damping that soaks up bumps and directional changes with a firm step.

Looking back a little harder though, the most disappointing aspect of this car was undoubtedly its 6 speed manual gearbox. Hard and cold to the touch, rubbery and vague in delivery, this particular gate lacks the ether to make an essential connection with the driver. The 6-speed is too widely spaced between throws, the throw itself too long and devoid of any implicit sensation. Finding reverse was trying enough but the shift from second to third produced a number of curse word moments. At times, third gear was proving harder to find than Nemo.

Enclosed within the bulbous front end of the Axela, a virtually unchanged 2.3 liter DISI turbocharged and intercooled 4 cylinder engine breathes plenty of fire when asked and yet surprisingly, returns good fuel economy, no doubt in part thanks to its direct injection technology. We logged an average of 8.9 kilometers to the liter even when pushed hard. Make no mistake; this engine is the testosterone that gives the Axela its ripped performance. By unleashing a full 194 kilowatts of power and 380 Nm of twist to the front wheels via a torque sensing limited slip differential, the Axela can be made to smoke its 18 inch Dunlop SP Sport clad rims on its way to a torque steering 0-100kph time of 5.6 seconds. 400 meters is then dealt with in a rapid 14.1 seconds with the little red chili carrying on to a top speed of a heady 260kph.

Acoustically, the initially civilized 2.3liter takes on a raspy whine at high revs, coming across as and sounding a little breathless at the limit of its power band. It does indeed hit the wall at just after 5500rpm where it finally runs out of steam. With its peak pool of torque being spent at 3000rpm, it frantically reaches for the 6000rpm redline completely out of wind. Shift short of its 5500rpm peak and savor the way the engine falls back into the fat of its torque band, delivering another instant response in the next gear. Predictably, the Axela’s clutch deals with the rigors of these ordeals adequately but the “on/off switch” like nature to its take up is something that does need to be addressed.

Wait. Forget everything I have just said. Did I mention how good the chassis is? This chassis is absolutely fantastic. You can really fling the car into corners at high speeds and it simply refuses to come unglued. You will literally have to be Hannibal Lector violent with this car for it to become disturbed. Not even heavy lifting off mid corner unsettles it – that’s how good it is. It’s as planted as an oak tree through corners of any severity or bias and stable enough to give you consistent doses of confidence.

It’s an inspiring car to drive right on the point of its nose. Yes, it likes to torque steer but it’s linear and progressively delivered and unloading either front wheel into an off camber bend and back the other way delivers a solid rush as the wheels find traction and pull you through the next crest. One thing I do think it would benefit from is a little more stiffness in the rear. At times, you notice a slight disconnection with the way the front communicates with the rear as if it were a little slower to respond.

Inside the Axela things are modern enough but it is clear that Mazda took money out of the interior materials budget to focus more on the performance and engineering of the car. You get leather seats that are comfortable and supportive but while the driver gets an electrically adjustable pew, the passenger has to make do with manual controls. Where the interior fails in material selection though it makes up for in comfort and music delivery; made possible through the outstanding ( 200,000 Yen option ) 10 speaker Bose sound system. Coupled with the Clarion derived navigation system complete with Blue tooth compatibility, IPhone or iPod connectivity is only a minute away. Mid to high range sound is crisp and full with low frequency thump being delivered by the boot mounted sub woofer; curiously located where the spare tire would usually be. I was glad I didn’t get a puncture.

Oh and before I forget. Leave the DSC switch off. Permanently. Anything else simply spoils the remarkable connection you can establish with this wondrously compliant and voluble chassis. DSC switched on is merely an annoyance and useless in all but the most atrocious conditions. While I’m on the subject of computers, owners of this car will undoubtedly notice the car developing a “flat spot” in its power delivery in first and second gears from time to time, specifically when pulling out of corners at a decent clip. This has turned out to be something engineered into the Axela: a safety mechanism for the sake of smooth power delivery. It did nothing but annoy the hell out of me and made me think the car had something wrong with it. There wasn’t. Ultimately, for the Axela to succeed, it needs to remain as visceral and razor edged as possible and that means a bare minimum of driver aids; anything more is like taking a K1 fighter and putting a pink bowtie on him.

Mazda’s official company line is that torque steer is all part of the appeal of a car like this and I wholeheartedly agree. Owning a Mazdaspeed Axela does indeed put hair on your chest. I should know. I didn’t have any before they lent it to me.

So what makes a totally decent man, take a thoroughly capable super car and do perfectly obscene things with it? Is the Nissan GT-R not a good enough car to begin with? Well no, not if your name begins with a Y it isn’t. You see, the standard GT-R was merely a starting point; a control specimen, from which all other improvements and modifications would be measured and I tend to agree, comparing a standard GT-R to this particular “works” version is foolish. Having driven both, I can say with absolute certainty that this is how the GT-R should really be.

This evolutionary species is a sophisticated savage, slicing up mountain roads as if they were made of salmon, peeling open the crests ahead of you with meticulous precision, as if the horizon were merely origami paper; making the most of simply unspeakable amounts of thrust and grip. Thanks to its aggressive stance and consummate suspension damping, the GT-R is also delivering an incredibly talkative ride to the seat of my pants; constantly feeding intelligible information to me no matter how fierce or delicate the input I give it via its consistently weighted, chunky leather tiller and drilled aluminum pedals.

Everything in this car is being done telepathically. There’s a sense that a sort of symbiotic relationship between driver and machine exists within this car. I never thought I’d say it but from a drivers’ perspective, the performance levels engineered into this Japanese samurai are making the German nuclear physicist appear mute and unintelligible. With the Nissan, the slightest steering correction, the faintest dab at the brakes, the remotest stab at the throttle produces an instantaneous and satisfying response in any given situation. This car has active everything. It speaks English too, knowing intuitively your interpretation of the driving conditions at hand while simultaneously giving you an accurate and perceptive retort.

Whereas the RS6 forewarns you on where each of the limits is in relation to its performance, the GT-R on the other hand is visceral, assaulting your senses; just egging you on to try and find out where these limits are without giving you a single clue. It’s like being blindfolded and then asked to throw a series of knives at a very confident assistant, each one of them potentially fatal and yet there’s no danger, nor is the car threatened or bothered by any of your puny attempts to unsettle it. That’s because it needs you as much as you need it to get the best out of the package. If there were such a thing as a “Supercar for Dummies”, this would be it and you wouldn’t even have to read the book.

Utilizing the superb balance of its suspension set up and specifically designed adhesion from the Dunlop run-flats, the GT-R seizes the road as if it were a cat being hurled up at a carpeted ceiling. This monstrous grip is being delivered to the road via the GT-R’s centrally located wonder diff. The dual clutched masterpiece is easy to live with around town, although it does clunk and shudder faintly at low speeds. Once at cruising altitude though, it takes on a whole new persona, offering lightning quick shifts through which to serve up its savage power band. From the cabin, I was monitoring vital signs, specifically the gearbox and its oil temperatures, via the ingenious and informative Polyphony inspired driver interface and remembered to back off once it reached 110 degrees. This doesn’t take very long at all. That complex web of gears and syncros is most definitely the chink in the GT-R’s impressive armor. Australian tuners will testify to that, having lunched a great number in their quest to achieve sub, 11 second quarter mile times. No surprise that the best gearboxes come from Australia then, is there?

Engine wise, it’s all relatively straightforward 3.8 liter, twin turbo V6 goodness with the exception of an appearance lifting Password JDM carbon fiber intake cowling. A Cobb Racing Access-Port provides this car with 3 different maps making up to 580hp available and a distinctly throaty warble has been added through the installation of a Nismo Spec V titanium exhaust system.

The suspension and braking systems are undoubtedly where the most crucial development has been undertaken. The brakes are so good they will rip your eyeballs from your sockets when stood on, with zero fade and a meticulously weighted and consistent pedal. Copied straight from a Nismo Super GT GT-R and with a massive 400mm of bite at the front, AP Racings slotted and vented 2 piece rotors work to molten temperatures under the iron grip of AP Racings top of the range 6 piston, forged aluminum monobloc, floating calipers. Balancing out braking forces at the rear are the OEM 4 piston calipers making the most of larger slotted and floating AP Racing items. Everyone serious enough about cars has to experience a set up like this at least once and marvel at the foolproof predictability. Not only do they promise not to fade like a cheap pair of jeans, they will endow you with a level of confidence that will have you diving ever deeper into corners. No wonder then that AP Racings own Vice President has now retro fit an identical system to his own GT-R.

I’ve not experienced a setup as balanced, as predictable or as adept on any road car and they conclusively shamed the Audi; leaving it in a smoldering, crackling heap while the GT-R sat in the non smokers corner and watched on while the German caught its breath. If you have the patience to make sure the pads are up to temperature before you stand on them and can tolerate the added embarrassment of brake noise along with the faint shuddering from the front calipers free floating set up, it would be prudent to consider investing in a package this good. People all too often neglect their brake packages in their quest for more power and bragging rights. A well set up braking system on an authoritative streetcar is very often the difference between a real performer and a real pretender.

That brings me back to Nagoya based Deck Mechanical and El Presidente, Hideki Nakayama, the man behind the cars suspension, brakes and balance. Along with the braking package, the GT-R now features custom one off racing dampers made from billet aluminum, made especially at Y’s request. Having taken the car to task on a variety of circuits, not to mention being put through the ringer by none other than Keiichi Tsuchiya himself, Y is finding that times have been steadily decreasing as each small adjustment to the dampers has been made and the differences between a standard R35 damping and this R35 have to be experienced to be believed.

Climbing inside the cabin of the R35 doesn’t reveal anything out of the…hang on. What’s that emblem? That is not a Nissan bucket. Since when has Nissan had an emblem with a horse and a bunch of antlers on it? This deliciously ironic and befitting addition of Porsche beating GT3 seats is certainly one way of making a statement. “Not only is this faster than your car, I’m using your seats to get me there!” I couldn’t have cared either way because for long journeys it was surprising how comfortable this fixed bucket could be and the Porker seats were ergonomically spot on. The added benefit besides being comfortable was in where they shaved small animals off the cars total weight.

All in all, it’s hardly fair to describe this as a match-up seeing as each of these super cars has a completely different job description to fill but specifically comparing Y’s GT-R to the RS6 in performance terms is simple. The GT-R is quite plainly a middleweight boxer packing a Mike Tyson sized punch; dodging and weaving in a way the RS6 could never manage and with a level of stamina that would last the whole 12 rounds. Proof of this cars potency is revealed in all the critical areas and it literally checks every box. It does everything supremely well and is composed and surefooted throughout. Nissan GT-R chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno probably put it best when he said that the GT-R is a “new kind of supercar, one without any competitors.” By taking this already lofty bar and raising it much higher still, Y and Deck Mechanical have not only proven that Mizuno was spot on but have also shown tuners the world over how it can be made even better.

Adam Zillin

We’ve got half a million dollars worth of cars here at our disposal with over 1100 angry horses between them and the weather is perfect. Thanks to the recent typhoon, all the smog that is indicative of Tokyo during a typical autumn day has been swept away, replaced by a more vivid shade of blue and refreshingly crisp winds. The elusively mercurial Mount Fuji is especially clear today plus the absence of humidity makes conditions all the more important when you consider that we also have 4 turbos to feed and 16 cylinders to fill with force injected air and fuel.

I’ve been handed the key to Audis most powerful production car ever made and have just taken the 2 tonnes of agro German bratwurst from a standstill to 100kph in a mere 4.5 seconds. Unleashing 650Nm is as simple as selecting the Sport shift mode and mashing the accelerator as hard as you can. There’s no need to hold on even. The car just blends with the horizon without even so much as the slightest protest, bellowing mightily on each up-shift, clearing its throat as if it were a male lion defending the pride. The truly towering might of the twin turbo V10 rearranges vital organs in a unique way, pinning you to the seat with a mountain of torque and power that is available almost instantly, ramping up at 1500rpm right through to 6250rpm.  It’s not a car for the faint hearted when pushed, despite its elegant and understated design. It can quite easily terrorize unwitting passengers as well as it entertains them.

Out on the expressway though, I am totally unhurried in the Audi RS6, lazy even. I’m far more comfortable in here than in any first class bullet train I’ve ever ridden on or business class seat I’ve ever flown in. The only difference here being that the captain controlling the RS6’s 600bhp is yours truly. Co pilot for the day happens to be photographer and photo-shop guru, John Fry.

It’s comprehensively opulent inside the RS6; the shapely, supportive and multi adjustable seats wrapped in sumptuous satin Nappa leather, the headlining and pillars covered in a plush grey suede that feels like the fur of a 3 month old kitten. Neatly embossed RS6 logos on each seat are a constant reminder of what the car is, incase the unlikely happens and you forget what you’re driving. There are lashings of wet carbon fiber on the doors and center console, detail going further still with intricate black stitching on each of the seats. Passengers have acres of room inside the car and each individual traveling at warp speed has been given their own climate control system to make their journey through deep space a comfortable one. I now know how Captain Picard must have felt traveling between planets in the RS6 of the space galaxy, the Enterprise.

The central navigation system is well laid out and intuitive, leagues more user friendly than the cumbersome and fiddly i-Drive system of BMW pedigree. Audis interface doesn’t take very long to adjust to at all and everything is within easy reach. Audiophiles among us need look no further than the Bose 10 speaker, active surround sound system complete with iPod/iPhone interface. The MMI, or Multi Media Interface, is also easily accessible through the central dial. My only gripe being that my iPhone wasn’t being read by the MMI and for me to have access to my iTunes library Airplane mode needed to be switched on, disabling all phone functions.

Fry and I have pre arranged to make a brief stop at the Ebina service area on the Tomei expressway, en route to Hakone and as I round the entrance ramp, the familiar sight of Y and his jet black GTR come into view. It’s such an arresting design, the R35, belligerent and purposeful from any angle and under any light; every crease, fold and ripple designed specifically for the pursuit of cheating the laws of physics. This isn’t a thing of beauty in the traditional sense of the word. It looks like a juiced man with biceps 3 times the size of your own asking you to arm wrestle. The R35 is truly an intimidating menace to behold. Unlike the arm-wrestler, Y is in a good mood, happily showing me his new boots on a different, light grey set of 20” alloys. While the old Dunlop run-flats have now been resigned to a rubbery grave, the car has no doubt benefited from the new rubber along with a power boost from a Nizmo Spec V exhaust system.

Visually, the RS6 appears drab and uninteresting when parked along side the GTR. It’s not the most striking of designs by any means, Audi uninterested in a reputation for be-winged and preposterous extremism although the subtly flared arches at least give something away. Instead, restraint coupled with engineering brilliance is the prerequisite here. Combine all that carbon fiber and sumptuous leather, the maniacal engine plant, the interior appointments and pin point accurate engineering and you get a neatly contained and deliberately underplayed “iron fist in velvet glove”; an engineered elegance that belies the turmoil lurking beneath the elongated bonnet…all 600bhp of it.

Up here in Hakone, another off camber crest is rushing up rapidly and I can feel the GTR is there behind me. At this speed its hazardous to check but sure enough there it is, getting closer every corner. Up and right over the crest and the Audi lifts slightly, steering becoming vague and light, the front right wheel loses contact with terra firma, closely followed by the right rear. I counter the lift with a touch of lock the other way and we are coming back down, Audis effectively proportioned ESP system distributing more power to the front and rear left wheels to counter for the imbalance. It’s a hairy moment, reminding me yet again of the forces at play here, reminding me that yes this will hurt if I screw it up. If you ever do crash in the RS6, it will either be nothing or nothing short of spectacular. Even with this firmly in mind, this car is a real handful to drive quickly. That relaxed swagger back there on the expressway was a façade and I’ve been tricked into complacency. It’s physically demanding to muscle the car point to point and it’s protesting constantly; the fact that Y in the GTR is right on my six isn’t helping concentration levels. No matter what I do, I just can’t shake the Nissan off.

You really notice the weight in the Audi, especially at speed. I’m hammering along with the Dynamic Ride Control ( DRC ) system set to “sport”; its choppy, harsh damping coming at me like a crazed thief that’s trying to shake the loose change from my pockets. Ride aside, it’s still a lively and communicative chassis with a speed adjustable steering system that adds weight to the sensation when feeding in input or making corrections. The massive 275/35 20 inch Dunlop’s are crying out in protest, scrabbling for traction, the brakes chattering under the arrest of the ABS system, the onset of gradually fading brakes noticeably reducing my confidence with every hard stab at the pedal. The braking package is a solid combination for almost every other performance car in the world but it is not effective enough for the RS6. With front rotors measuring 390mm and rear rotors at 356mm, the 6 pot RS badged, Brembo monobloc calipers on the front do an admirable job of attempting to pull up the 2 ton behemoth time after time but they are severely handicapped by the tiny and inadequate single piston caliper on the rear; this exact caliper appearing identical to the one adorning the Audi TTS’ rear braking system. You look into the rear wheels of the RS6 and think, “Please tell me that’s the handbrake?” The rear needs at least another 35mm of diameter and 3 more pistons. Either that or you stump for the delectable carbon ceramic upgrade kit, provided you can live with the added embarrassment of brake squeal. Only available with the 20 inch wheel option, each one of these discs would give you a super sized 420mm of chomp at each corner. I would tick this option without hesitation.

The Audi RS6 is a confusing machine. Make no mistake; this is a man’s machine only under the surface. If the better half ever wanted to go shopping on a whim, a push of the button would be all that was needed to get her there and back easily, in supreme comfort and in record time. This realm in the real world is where the Audi suddenly becomes entirely practical. It dispatches mundane tasks with aplomb and implicit grandeur. It’s not likely to attract too much attention either, with its understated opulence firmly cloaking engineered aggression. This lack of attention is one reason a certain demographic among the population will not stump for the RS6. It just doesn’t “pull the birds”. Trust me, I tried. The shameful part being that in Shibuya later that weekend, the baby Audi TTS driven by Fry behind me was getting winks and appreciative coos from the ladies while I sat in the RS6 limp and perplexed. Shape is everything and to the opposite sex, the RS6 may as well have been a plate of sausages.

If you aim to avoid being “soft” in this particular way, you spend an equivalent amount of money and get the R8; its pumped, bulging and curvaceous body attracting not just females and males alike but anything with a heartbeat.

And that is the ultimate point for the RS6. Brakes and ride issues aside, it fills a particular market segment perfectly. Audi went balls out to create the fastest saloon in the world and ended up with their most powerful production car ever. The people who buy these cars want to travel in supreme comfort and need to get to places in a hurry. They’re too busy to pay attention to the alcoholic tendencies of the thirsty power plant and are unconcerned with attempts to impress. They need a Lear jet for the street, their own private bullet train, something that the whole family can also enjoy. It’s practical in this way, and makes complete sense from a day to day perspective. Keep in mind though, that this car has two distinct personalities and if you’re looking to really push it to the limits, a few “options” will need to be checked to really get 10/10ths out of the car. For the other 95% of owners who aren’t interested in this level of extremism, the Audi RS6 is definitely one of the best ways to travel by road.

I’m actually really distressed right now…

People who are neither fit enough for it nor deserve it, are obtaining positions of power and yet others still are going out of their way to turn people who were once friends against each other!!

Wow.

Amazing…what a first.

“Climb Dance” immortal, Ari Vatanen, lost the FIA presidential to Jean Todt by a landslide – 49 votes to a massive 135.

Ari, God bless him, not only lost the election – he was decimated by it.

This is tragic news for anyone who cares enough about the sport any more. Oh wait… did I just say sport?

I have never liked Jean Todt enough to envision trusting him with the keys to the future well being of Formula One and least of all when a sado-machochistic sex fiend FIA president is in full and open support of him. The fact that Max “Ze Punishment” Mosley even went as far as to formally tell Prince Feisal of the country Jordan, ROYALTY I might add, that his support for Vatanen was misguided and that Ari would “lose the election and lose badly…” indicates a sinister and underhanded overtone to the elections proceedings.

Nothing is straight in Formula One anymore.

Jean Todt was the man at Peugeot who decided the winner of one of the 1989 WRC rallies on the banks of the Niger river with the flip of a single, lousy 10 franc coin.

Jean Todt is also the man who at Ferrari decided the winner of the 2002 Austrian Formula One GP with the toss of a single, lousy 10 franc coin…maybe. Rubens Barrichello had this to say about the new President elect…“For me it was pretty clear. Take my foot off the pedal or get fired. When I asked Michael if he knew what was going on he said he had nothing to do with it but I have documents at home to prove that he was very well aware of everything that took place.”

Yep…Jean Todt is without a doubt the right man to take over the mantles of the future of F1…

One for the boys – not everything at the 2009 TMS was metallic or heavy although a bit of silicone may have been involved somewhere!

World Premiere for the Lexus LFA at the 2009 TMS ( 7-Tune marked photos shot by Peter Horniak )

The new Lexus LFA is all about numbers, some of them truly mind numbing, depending on your angle and inclination.

Weighing in at a scant 1480kg and flaunting a brand new DOHC 4.8 liter V10 developing 412kw @ 8,700rpm and made from exotic and expensive materials such as magnesium and titanium; the all new $375,000 dollar hyper Lexus is very firmly being pitched at the pinch hitters in the Lamborghini, Audi Ferrari and Porsche camps.

The LFA makes a maximum 480nm of twist available at a heady 6,800rpm, propelling it from 0-100kph in a factory claimed 3.7 seconds. Inside the 1LR-GUE donk, titanium valves and ultra light rocker arms can be found along with a fully integrated crank casing that not only reduces power loss at high rpm but also will allow the engine to spin to extreme amounts of revs.

Without pausing for breath, the Lexus will go all the way to a wailing 9000rpm redline, driving through all 6 of its Automated Sequential Gearbox cogs ( ASG ) and onto a top speed of 325kph, ( 201 mph ) making 90% of its peak torque between 3,700rpm and 9,000rpm along the way.

Employing 4 selectable shift patterns, the seven-staged ASG box shifts between cogs at 0.2 seconds in turn providing a more solid shift feel to the driver by way of strengthened actuators and heavy duty synchronizer rings.

Phonically, the sound of the naturally aspirated 1LR-GUE at full noise really made the hairs on the body stand at attention and no Toyota has ever sounded as remarkable as this, save the actual program that donated some of its DNA to the LFA, Toyota’s own F1 program.

Stopping the car is being well taken care of by CCM ( Carbon Ceramic Material ) discs front and rear along with 20 inch wheels wrapped in 265/35 and 305/30 Bridgestone rubber.

It is in the chassis department where some of the most remarkable progress has been made. Toyota, through their Lexus brand, have used their vast resources and engineering prowess in Formula 1 to design and create a CFRP composite cabin, mixing together a concoction of carbon fiber and reinforced plastic; saving more than 100kg in the process when compared to more conventional aluminum chassis construction techniques. Pioneering this technology has enabled Lexus to create unique CRFP to metal fabrication processes akin to the way tendon and muscle joins bone to form a working, flexible and strong connection that has almost perfect weight distribution percentages front to rear of 48:52.

It was with baited breath that the worlds press awaited its unveiling and as the covers were taken off, everyone there was suddenly confronted with something unexpected. Finally, after countless years of fruitless wandering, we were all looking at a hardcore, balls out super car from a manufacturer responsible for some truly legendary vehicles.

At long last, Toyota are back.

There is no denying Toyota lost their way. No one will dispute this, not even a member of the founding family, Akio Toyoda. He even went as far as to offer an apology for the lost dreams of the automotive youth, pledging to make a change. The FT86 and LFA are fruits of this change. Young people have fallen out of love with the car, realizing that cars lack a certain something that brings out in them some emotion. Owning a car is all about emotion and Toyota has been of the misguided perception that people would rather own listless and vapid appliances. Fans of Toyota have been yearning for a cheap 2 seater rear wheel drive coupe that will make the blood boil and finally, something this way cometh.

The LFA, being leagues more exclusive than its baby brother the FT86, is only going to be produced in a strictly limited run of 500 units – not a single more or less. Pre orders are being taken as of now but the official final 500 owners will be hand picked from the list of pre orders so you can imagine you will not only need an excessively large pile of money to part with but a damn good reason for Toyota to take it as well!

The LFA was amazing to behold and I got to have a really good look at it inside and out. There is a hint of Supra about it in the silhouette, a whiff of Lamborghini in the front bumper, a tinge of Veyron in the extendable rear wing but there is no denying this was a clean sheet design. The interior is functional and formal and struck me as very similar, utilitarian wise, when compared to the Nissan GTR. Color choices in the cabin were even reminiscent of the R35. There was no word on what exterior choices were being made available but lets hope Toyota sticks with its design philosophy in offering a wide splashing of hues to choose from.

The jury is out at the moment on whether or not Toyota has the right to charge such an exorbitant amount of cash for such a product but word is that Toyota will be making a loss on every single LFA it sells. With a price tag double that of one of its natural enemies, the 5.2 liter V10 Audi R8, you have to wonder what this is an exercise in for Toyota but there is no denying the LFA’s presence, wow factor and a list of numbers that go some of the way in supporting the outrageous price tag. I like Lexus, always have but don’t love it that much to shell out money approaching half a million dollars to own one.

“Racing Otaku visited the opening Wednesday press day for the 2009 TMS and was very disappointed to learn that virtually none of the European manufacturers had decided to come to the party. All the big Japanese names were there with some exciting products including the new LFA Lexus and FT86 Toyota but the hole that is Europe was glaring and impossible to patch.”

I’m not going to lie to you. The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show was a pretty big letdown punctuated by pockets of expectation and amazement.

Without doubt everyone was expectantly anticipating the arrival of cars like the Lexus LFA and the Toyota FT86 but there was no denying the fact that the Makuhari Messe was empty, especially by TMS standards. The Makuhari Messe is a massive venue and became even more cavernous with the absence of almost every European and American automotive manufacturer.

Not wanting to sound too critical, this was the smallest TMS I’ve been to by a long way and with the current economic climate in the state its in, this is cause for concern on a number of levels. I have it on good stead through a contact high up the ladder that the European arm of the automotive world gave the Japanese event the thumbs down due to the economic crisis. Make of that what you will but keep in mind all those absent from the TMS were present at the Shanghai Motor Show. If there was a single action that would bring about the most consternation within the TMS, this was it. My contact tells me that Chinas market for one particular manufacturer is a massive 10 times that of Japan and this went some of the way towards the decision not to attend. Amazingly, it was conveyed to me that when one of the manufacturers baulked at staging a display at this years TMS, the rest followed suit, en masse. Quite extraordinary and with costs for staging an event like this reaching astronomical figures, quite understandable.

Despite these setbacks, the TMS proved to be a success in other ways, underscored by the continued and more urgent push toward alternative fuels, bringing with it scores of rabid journalists hanging on the every word of Japans automotive top brass.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was the army of Chinese and Korean visitors to this years event, scores flocking to the stands of each major manufacturer to pick, pry and poke at each design no doubt taking in vital aesthetic and engineering based intel to transfer to their own product lines back home. Japan is going to have to really get a move on if it wants to stay in the race. Another thing that is equally apparent is that China is still playing catch up in this game and needs as much information as it can get. How the Japanese giants will respond to this is unknown but what is clear is that they are market leaders in this field with the technology and resources to back up the products. Japan, remember, is at the forefront on the development of alternative fuels and has been for many years. Making this technology cost effective is proving to be the major stumbling block. For example, it is reported that replacement battery prices for the Toyota “Plug in” Hybrid concept showcased this year at the TMS top out at a jaw dropping 650,000 yen. With a base cost of more than 3 million yen for the vehicle, neither these batteries nor the vehicle itself make sense financially.

It gets more interesting. The milliamps needed to feed the juice to the battery packs are reported to be capable of blacking out an entire street if a mere 5 of these cars were plugged in at the same time, not withstanding charge times up to an entire day. This is why recharging stations are being planned for as normal electricity grids won’t be able to cope.

All the major Japanese makers were there, with each of them sporting a heavily accentuated hybrid / alternative energy theme. I like the idea of hybrid technology and am not against it but until costs can be brought down, the technology will remain somewhat impractical on a global scale. Remember that with some forms of alternative fuels such as bio fuel, it takes energy to make energy, which in turn means that conventional resources such as oil and gas are still crucial in making the shift happen.

On a more hopeful note, Toyota appears to have restarted the small sports car war with what was arguably the star of the show; a fire red FT86. Nissan really should remove the designs for the Silvia from the bin and restart the project because Japan has been sorely missing a fight between small, 2 door RWD sport cars for years now. The fans have waited long enough and Nissans decision to scrap the project was ill advised.

It wasn’t all chrome, steel, aluminium and the combination of elements though. There were plenty of obliging ladies to ogle at, with designs arguably more appealing to the masses of men there than the cars themselves. The Rizla Suzuki stand, Nissan, Toyota and Mazda booths sporting some fine models. I certainly appreciated the way my 10-24mm super wide angle lens made them look leggier! Without these girls to soothe the waves of testosterone prevalent in events like this, who knows how long it would have been before a riot broke out.

There was plenty of fun to be had as well, with Sony bringing along a GT5 stand complete with at least 10 machines to try out – each one locked onto a different car. The FT86 was one of these cars and was a real hoot to take around the track. I tried out the Scuderia 438 on full manual controls and more aggressive competitors and was shocked when I got tagged and spun around by a pissed off AI. I think the level of involvement in this game has gone up another notch but sadly there is still no damage model so we wont be seeing broken bits and pieces of our favorite cars flying around.

While there were noticeable absences this year, I still made the most of the occasion, securing some quality time with the cars there and taking home with me a wide list of future contacts who have agreed to throw me the keys to some of their cars for performance testing so you can be sure of follow ups in the near future.

F for Fail.

R//O loves Robert Kubica – not for his, umm… questionable looks but for his car control and sheer speed. Robert has shown all of us uglier types that it is okay to look this way and still drive a fast car and for that, we roundly applaud him.

But, putting looks aside ( Not that there is a lot there to put away ), Robert Kubica has decided to do something totally daft.

Instead of taking the logical, career minded approach in leading a team funded by the biggest motoring manufacturer in the world, a manufacturer with billions of dollars in backing, Robert Kubica has made the major mistake of joining…them.

No, not Toyota…

You know that really hated band? “The New Cheats on the Block”? I think Piquet was singing like a canary, Alonso blowing ( sucking? ) on the flute, Briatore banging away on his own thinly stretched drum skins, and Symonds snorting, sorry, playing the heavy bass?

Yeah, I also heard their first single crashed horribly.

I knew Kubica was going to do this but am totally against it. Most of my reasoning stems from the fact that Renault are a mob of duplicitous cheating mongrels and got caught red handed. Sure they argue team personnel can’t be implicated in the mess because the “…sins of a few don’t cost the many”, but that’s like me saying, “Hey, if you don’t find my whole body, my penis cant be implicated in the penetration of that totally hot prostitute!”

It’s absurdity at its most baffling.

Robert may very well rue passing up the chance to go to Toyota simply for the fact that he could have been well away from the inner turmoil engulfing the Renault team.

As it is, he is now embracing it.

And did I tell you, had he made the right choice, he could be eating uber expensive sushi off very naked, very voluptuous and very expensive women in a very secret location – all on the bosses platinum card?

Obviously these guys are only paid to drive and not to think…

Kubica to Renault in 2010?

Fail.

I’m pleased to announce that I will be working with the much respected and well known people behind the automotive website, 7tune.

I will be contributing to the site from Japan and will be covering a variety of car related events so be sure to head over and check them out.

My first article for them is already up and ready for you reading pleasure so have a look.

Here is a sample:

Most of us are familiar with the very popular Hot Version DVD’s released by Best Motoring, here in Japan. Keiichi Tsuchiya always features prominently, as do his on track cohorts, Manabu Orido and Nob Taniguchi. There’s also even a little eye candy amongst all the aluminum, carbon fiber and testosterone. The Hot Version DVD series is now more than 100 volumes old and has always showcased battles between the best of the best in performance engineering here in Japan. To the victor, the spoils truly do go and there is a lot of honor and dignity on the line for all those chosen to participate from the countless many who apply.

Considering this is an airtight, invite only event, you can imagine my surprise when I received an unexpected call from a personal friend of mine, who for the sake of anonymity, would like me to refer to him simply as “Y”. Y has a very interesting hobby in that he develops bespoke performance parts for his very own gloss black 2008 Nissan R35 GT-R. Going back a few months, Y showed me the blueprints for a special set of performance dampers that were one off creations being crafted especially for him by a workshop in Nagoya. Fast forward a few months and Y has been selected to compete in the battle and asks me to attend the shoot on his behalf.  Before it even has time to register, he hits me with the zinger, “…and I’ll need you to drive the car back from Sendai to Tokyo.” The thought of not only being invited to attend the shooting for one of the most exclusive automotive battles in Japan but also have the chance to spend a few hundred intimate kilometers with one of my favorite cars on the way back was too much to resist…

http://www.7tune.com/hot-version-battle-sendai-highland-part-1/

R//O

Vettel may have had the easiest day out there with a convincing pole to win today in Suzuka but spare a thought for those behind him, especially the man who finished 2 laps down.

Although nothing can be taken away from the German who displayed composure and raw speed throughout the weekend, Webber must be feeling like God himself is well and truly against him, for despite having a car that was a gigantic half a second faster than everybody else over any single lap, Webber was struck with problem after problem after problem.

It wasn’t enough that a harmless nudge against the wall resulting in a hairline crack in the monocoque of the RBR on Saturday morning free practice completely sidelined him for the entire official qualifying, he also then had to endure the sight of Alguesuari spinning backwards over the kitty litter and into the barriers before the bridge carrying considerably more speed and then incredulously, getting out of the trap with no more than a broken rear wing. To make matters even worse, Alguesuari qualified P4 in Q3 despite all of this, eventually going on to make it into Q2.

You would think that was torture enough, but before Webber could even think that Sunday would be a better day, Vettel then went on to take a commanding P1 in Q3 first time out at the track.

Webber must surely be an expert masochist to end all masochists. He, “Loves to receive ze punishment!”

I suppose at least he didn’t get food poisoning this Saturday, like he did in Fuji a couple of years ago. Remember this?

People berate Webber for all sorts of pathetic reasons, conveniently failing to acknowledge the fact that he is a tougher than titanium racer, a man who will keep going despite being in excruciating pain or suffering from a lingering illness, right to the flag. Timo Glock would do well to take a teaspoon or two of good old Choppers, “Harden The Fuck Up” from Webber and get back in the car with his pussy scratch that he received after his visit to the wall. Timo was hobbling around getting pity from everyone, brandishing a bandaged leg that looked like he had suffered shrapnel wounds from a landmine. I thought he had a 40 degree fever never mind the bandage that should have been PINK, not blue.

Piss Weak Pussy Sauce.

Does anyone truly believe Webber would have given up on Sunday with this injury? Not on your life. It is more feasible that he would have told the medical team to “Fuck Off” and leave him with the injury because all Aussies know that a band-aid or two will fix anything. Even death.

Lets have a look back shall we?

He’s dealt with sickness, puking through his balaklava in his helmet during a race, been given 2nd degree burns in his ass due to a faulty wire in the car that super heated the seat. I was reminded by a friend of mine, Russ, that Jaguar, upon Webber coming in for a pitstop, threw a bucket of water over him and the seat to “…cool the temperatures.” Webber went right out again.

There is no one in F1 with bigger balls than Mark Webber. Fact.

He’s pulled multiple backflips at 330kph in a Mercedes CLR-GT1 LeMans car that would make Chinese Olympic diving athletes green with envy – not once but twice.

He’s also been hit head on by a car and had a metal pin installed to hold his leg together and how could anyone forget the butt-secks the “Fucking Kid” tried to have with him in Fuji in 2007, immortalized by Mark’s words, “Well, it’s just kids, isn’t it? Doing a good job and then they fuck it all up…”

I’m not done. Mark is so tough, he drove the start of the 2005 season with broken ribs. Walk in the park, is it?

Yes,  it’s just as conceivable as Hussein Bolt running the 100m sprint with a busted leg. And get a new WR in the process.

Who’s tougher than Mark? The only guy I can think of is Christ Jesus Himself and Mark is going to have to come back from the dead if he wants to take that trophy.

Too right, Mark. You’ve been robbed so many times and we are all filthy for you.

Interestingly, Japan has never been kind to Mark Webber. It was probably a black Japanese cat he killed.

Was there a race today? Oh yes, there was wasn’t there?  Silly of me to forget. So Sunday comes around and little Vettel has his day in the sun. Good for him and good for Red Bull, no doubt. Good for the championship even but with only one single engine left and 2 races to go, all it would take is for one little valve to say, “G’day Cobber” to Mr. Piston and it is Alfeiderzein for the German hot shoe and his, “Youngest WDC ever” title aspirations.

In the race, everyone gets away cleanly with Webber getting a decent start but disappointingly, is in the pits within 3 laps. Blown gearbox or engine?! Mangled suspension?! A date with a Romanian supermodel?!

No…with a busted safety cowling. Of course…there is no way it would have been serious.

Change of tires and out again, only to return into the pits a lap later with the same problem. Of all the things that could go wrong, a busted drivers cowling. Band-aids deployed, Webber sets off after the field, 3 laps down. The band-aids are holding obviously.

Predictably, he’s back in again soon enough for his third stop of the afternoon. This time it is a puncture. Nobody else the entire race suffers a puncture.

Punctured wheel changed and re-fuelled for a long 4th stint, it’s off again. Webber makes two more stops bringing the total to 5 for the day in what must surely be the most frustrating race I have ever had the displeasure of watching him compete in. In a race where nothing went wrong for anybody else besides Algesuari who managed to lose the Torro Rosso at 315kph into 130R ( that corner should be renamed “130 – Directly to E – R” ) Webber unchallengingly personifies, “Bad Luck”.

Somewhere, he must have smashed a mirror while running over a black cat without realizing he was going under a ladder on his bike right before being cleaned up by a car which leaves his leg mangled and broken. Seriously, it’s beyond a joke now.

Martin Brundle hilariously quipped today that, “..if Mark Webber wasn’t having any bad luck, he wouldn’t be having any luck at all!”

I had the pleasure of meeting Mark at Suzuka in 2006 on both the Friday and Saturday. These were happier, burn and chunder free days for the Aussie and he was refreshingly open for a chat. Knowing I didn’t have the proper “credentials” to be in the paddock, he asked me, “… so how’d you get in here Adam, anyways?”

He then gives me a nudge and then says , “..dodgy deeds?!”

I had always thought the guy was awesome ( I had first met him in 1995 when he was driving a Formula Ford )  but this discussion we had in Suzuka took my respect for him to a completely different level. He wasn’t just approachable. He was normal and supremely friendly and everything I had hoped things would be like within the paddock.

He was exactly like me.

I should say most of the drivers were like this but Webber is a successful Aussie so that makes it personally special.

The fact that he smashed all of the other drivers lap times in the 2009 Japanese GP by taking the Fastest Lap classification was a big “Middle Fingered Salute” to all who speak ill of him. Very much like the massively underrated and overlooked, Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber is and has always been one of the very best in the sport and credit should be given where it is deserved.

I just hope he’s not eating sushi tonight…