Speed • Style • Sound

19/02/2024

This Mustang has been one of the most fun S3 project cars i have ever had.

18/02/2024

Awesome drift event today over in Braselton, GA. Lots of big name high end drifters putting on a show. You missed out of you didn’t make it!

05/02/2024

First & foremost, let it be known that we are car enthusiasts. That’s an identity we claim, but can’t quite explain coherently. Suffice it to say, we see cars differently than most… and a lot more obsessively. We rejoice in the fact that some cars are more than cars. They’re experiences. We’re keyed into that. And we are consciously grateful to live in a world where passionate people create passionate things.
We’re drawn to passion...
It’s what separates the human spirit from… ChatGPT. Flaws & all - passion is perfection. And we’re unexplainably & unwavering attracted to authenticity, dancing around it like a moths near a flame. Authenticity is a non-negotiable for us. So we venture outside the boundaries of where the masses graze… and we relinquish creature comforts for an exhilarating, energizing, unforgettable experience. The kind of experiences that shape & mold us. Think about it: We live in a (likely short window of) time… where we can strap ourselves into a mechanical work of art, take the controls, sharpen every sense, surge our soul, and ignite an age-old freedom inside us to rocket anywhere at any speed. Yet most Americans are more enamored by the allure of… Apple CarPlay wtf. Really?! I guess we don’t fit in with the modern world in a lot of ways. We see a different color spectrum. But for us…
Driving is not just a task, it’s a moment…
Certain cars beckon us. And when we get them in our grasp, it’s hardly ever possible to just leave them alone. We sit in their presence, soaking up their energy. Staring, dreaming, and imagining different variations. There’s something inside of us. Call it passion, call it curiosity. Hell... call it attention-crazed immaturity, toxic masculinity, or whatever words you wanna use to try & make us doubt ourselves. It won’t work.
Because honestly, what we do can’t be rationally justified...
And honestly… it doesn’t have to be. Somewhere a long the line, this idea of 'automotive exhilaration' was imprinted on us, likely during our youth. And from that point on - we don’t see cars for what they are… we see them for what they could be. We are the dreamers, the chance-takers. The ones for whom: Chasing symphonies of shift-points, engine tones, & bursts of adrenaline… become the obsession/hunt of our lives.
So we build & shape them… cars that is.
We modify them on a quest to amplify the experience. We’ll spend nearly our last dollar chasing the dream in our heads… and/or hearts. A lot of times, we OVERbuild them… and that’s ok. The only point (in my opinion) where it goes astray, is when a car gets built to the point of owning its owner. Don’t let that happen. That’s the forbidden fruit. Beware of going so far… that what you own, owns you. It’s a slippery slope. Especially in the world of social media where we put ourselves on a stage of sorts. We have to be careful not to become the stars of our own show. And what’s that they say: Comparison is the thief of joy?
For obvious reasons, Keith Fullhart always wanted a Porsche 911...
And he always envisioned it being outrageous. But he didn’t want to take it so far, that it became a liability to even take it out into the world. Not all - but a lot of these various high-profile widebody/restomod Porsches out there, just become Instagram pages. Only coming out of their den to get photographed at Porsche-exclusive meets… and to rub shoulders with Porsche-exclusive elitists. That’s not exactly what Porsche roots are about. A true Porsche’s authenticity is in its scars, not its flawlessness.
This widebody Porsche 996 was built to be driven & enjoyed...
You can nitpick it. But that’s missing the point. The point is to inspire… not critique. It’s to convey the unfiltered energy of a rule-breaking 911 in your grips. Porsche was meant to be a sports car above all… to make you feel. The “Porsche” I grew up around was not about conformity, convenience, or materialism. And Porsche did not compromise their sports cars for the casual owner. These days, modern Porsches come with a dress code. Break the dress code.
Car - Keith Fullhart ()
Photos - Cody Martin ()

01/02/2024

GM went ‘all in’ on EVs. They made unrealistic, & pandering claims. Now a couple years later, the few EVs that GM has released, have been an utter disaster across the board. We’re talking recalls (ex: Hummer EV), stop-sales (ex: Blazer EV), and severe injuries (GM’s autonomous/electric Cruise taxis) on rushed-to-market products. GM has lost dealer support. And somehow… they managed to kill the Camaro. These would be honest mistakes if GM had been honest & in-touch.

But now – GM CEO, Mary Barra, is pivoting & trying to divert your attention to new promises of (plug-in) hybrids. Which is coincidentally the path that Toyota was so heavily criticized & demonized for pursuing all along. I swear, GM is just a politician that sells cars. Let’s see what kind of BS they throw at us during this year’s Super Bowl commercials.

30/01/2024

We need better drivers, not neutered cars!

28/01/2024

Christmas is hard on us car guys, lol.

06/10/2023

Subtle 2024 Miata updates..

The 2024 Mazda Miata gets updates: lighting, limited slip, infotainment, steering... and a new shade of agreeable gray.

27/09/2023

Amidst all the UAW strikes within the American automotive industry right now, there is another problem to keep you eye on. As you may know, the Biden Administration has issued a $7,500 tax incentive on the purchase of new electric vehicles. But those new electric vehicles have certain stipulations. 1) They must have be sold below a certain, challenging MSRP. And 2) They can’t use battery components from a “foreign entity of concern”. Which is semi-diplomatic way of saying… China. Ah but it’s no secret that China largely controls the EV battery market from mining to production. So at this point…

HOW CAN LEGACY CAR COMPANIES AFFORDABLY BUILD EVS WITHOUT CHINA?
Well Ford thinks they found a loophole in the Inflation Reduction Act, and is essentially paying a licensing fee to use ‘the recipe’ of Chinese battery manufacturer, CATL. Ford will take that recipe & build the batteries on U.S. soil. Therefore, from Ford’s perspective, their EVs should qualify for the $7500 tax credit since the batteries are “made in America”. But the bigger issue here is: Ford is paying China for every electric Ford that Ford builds in America. And that’s dependence, not American innovation. It also begs the question: At what point does Ford essentially become a Chinese brand with MADE IN AMERICA stamped on it? Naturally…

GM IS TAKING ISSUE WITH THIS…
General Motors is trying to create their own batteries using American innovation & technology (allegedly). They argue that this strategy will provide a stronger future for the American automobile industry. And that it aligns with the true intentions of the Biden-signed Inflation Reduction Act. But – playing catch-up with American innovation comes at a substantially higher cost than taking the Chinese route. And GM’s concern is that they won’t be able to compete with Ford & their Chinese cheater batteries. And additionally, that they won’t be able to sell GM EVs under the required MSRP of incentives. Both Ford and GM are bringing their arguments straight to the White House. And things are apparently getting heavy, because…

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS GOTTEN THEMSELVES IN A BIT OF A CATCH-22 HERE…
The White House has made it clear that they’re all-in on EVs. But in order for mass EV adoption to happen, the prices of EVs need to come down substantially (amongst other things like improving infrastructure, battery tech, serviceability, etc). And getting EV prices down, is proving to be an insurmountable task for legacy automakers. At least without handing the automobile industry over to China… a “foreign entity of concern”.

GOVERNMENT HAS INTERFERED TOO MUCH…
And it’s causing massive turbulence in the automotive industry. The Biden administration is forcing car manufacturers to build something they’re not good at, and sell it to people who don’t want it… at a price most cannot afford. All for a climate change agenda that makes the automotive industry dependent on the largest polluting country in the world – China.

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25/09/2023

Yeah the BMW Neue Klasse project is EV-based, but do you think BMW is getting back on the right track design-wise??

Whatever exactly BMW’s Neue Klasse movement ends up being, it seems to have BMW headed back on the right track. Hopefully…

27/07/2023

The current auto industry is equal-parts entertaining & frightening to watch.

BMW, GM, Stellantis, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, and Mercedes… are all joining forces to make a run at Tesla’s NACS ‘charging standard’.

19/04/2023

Of course I wish this thing had a supercharged V8, or a madass turbo 4-banger with a manual transmission! Absolutely! But that's not the point. Rather - I came to compliment the DESIGN of the Polestar 4. Well done Polestar! Now go find your Sweedish/Chinese meatballs & put a real motor in it. :)

The Polestar 4 has no rear window - at all. Instead, it uses a camera for rear vision. Edgy move... but like… dumb.

22/02/2023

Grey Poupon meets Grey Goose ;)

The first time I laid eyes on Adrian Wolf’s slammed 1986 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, I was hit with a flashback to younger-years & GTA: San Andreas.

09/02/2023

Ford has pulled their investment from Rivian. What does this mean for each company?

19/01/2023

Shell Oil bought Volta… an ‘American electric vehicle infrastructure company’… for a cool 169 million.

Significance: An oil company bought a charging company.

So obviously, Shell sees an EV-future on the horizon. But that doesn’t mean Shell sees ‘the writing on the wall’ for internal combustion engines. Maybe so, maybe not… maybe reality is somewhere in the middle. And most likely, Shell wants to use its current muscle to stay ahead of ‘filling-up vehicles’ & serving transportation needs… however that may evolve in the future. But let’s think about what this might look like.

Your typical suburb gas station may have what… 16-20 pumps? Small town stations… maybe only 4-6 pumps? And then of course you have mega-stations like Buc-ee’s, with something like 120 pumps… which is kind of its own tourist destination in itself. But there’s an interesting difference with EVs.

A TYPICAL GAS STATION CAN CYCLE VEHICLES THROUGH QUICKLY.
Meaning, each pump is only occupied by a vehicle for a few minutes, and then it’s turned over for the next vehicle. But an EV owner has to wait longer to charge their EV. Which means the turnover rate is much slower at a charging station. Maybe 3 cars per hour, per charger. Whereas a gas station can probably service more like a dozen cars per hour, per pump.

Let’s just say for illustration & simplicity’s sake, that a gas/charging station makes $1 per car. That means with fuel, a gas station can make $12 per pump per hour. But with electricity, a charging station would only make $3 per charger per hour. So as you can see, the business model needs to evolve, and/or the rates need to adjust in order to balance out. So in a theoretical world of full-scale electric vehicles, what does a future ‘gas/charging station’ look like?

Well – on 'interstate exits' for example, charging stations would have to be much larger in order to account for the longer charging times. Much more like a Buc-ee’s as far as the number of chargers go. Probably even larger than that. In 'the suburbs' though, charging stations could become much less common than the typical gas stations we’ve come to know. That’s under the assumption that most commuters & errand-runners wouldn’t need to charge their vehicle in the middle of their daily routine… since their home charger would keep them covered most days. So there really wouldn’t be a need for a ‘station’ around every corner, which is an interesting (and almost freeing) thought. It seems that most charging stations would be strategically geared for longer distance travelers. But then circle back to that matter of profit & viability, especially considering the '3 vehicles per hour' dilemma mentioned above.

WITH A CHARGING STATION, YOU HAVE A TOTALLY CAPTIVE AUDIENCE FOR 20-30 MINUTES.
So the goal would be to get vehicle owners & families out of their car while it’s charging… and into a clean/appealing store (or cluster of smaller stores) to buy coffee, snacks, candy, toys, local goods, etc. Again, similar to a Buc-ee’s, but maybe something more… calm. If you’ve ever been on 30a in Florida, imagine even something like The Hub (which is now called The Big Chill). Perhaps literally something almost like a micro village. Ehhh – I’m just thinking out out at this point. But in conclusion, I think it makes total sense for an oil company like Shell to start exploring the next chapter of ‘the gas station’.

•PORSCHES BY JERRY PETERS•

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18/01/2023

Live like Kelvin & Erica.

Kelvin & Erica decided to build an old truck, and instead make THAT the backdrop of a beautiful/simple/Southern wedding. A 1970 Chevy C10 was the platform of choice.

12/01/2023

https://s3mag.com/ntsb-expresses-concerns-over-the-weight-of-evs/

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” That phrase seems fitting, because the NTSB actually just said something rational & worth a damn.

11/01/2023

You know what the problem is with technology? It’s us. As a society, we don’t know when to stop. Technology is a convenience that solves problems… until it ultimately becomes an inconvenience that causes problems. Let’s take some random examples.

HAVING A REFRIGERATOR BEATS THE HELL OUT OF… NOT HAVING A REFRIGERATOR.
A fridge keeps your food cold. That is a win for technology & nourishment, right! But when refrigerators start to come with LCD screens & wifi that connects them to your phone… it’s gone too damn far. Hopefully, we don’t need a fridge that reminds us to go to the grocery store. It’s silly. The screens will fry at the first tickle of a lightning strike. And your new ‘smart’ refrigerator will no longer be able to perform its single primary function (cooling your groceries)… because of a feature it absolutely never needed in the first place. Meanwhile that old ’90s fridge out in your garage is still sucking power & cooling like Coolio. Why? Because it was built to be everything you needed, and nothing you didn’t. It was built to be good, not gimmicky. Another example…

A BROOM IS BETTER THAN PICKING UP CRUMBS BY HAND…
And a vacuum cleaner is often better than a broom. But when your vacuum cleaner becomes an electronic robot that spreads dog s**t all across your floors while you’re not home… well then the technology has put behind square-1. One more example, I promise…

CARS WITH SEATS ARE BETTER THAN CARS WITH NO SEATS.
Lol I think we can all agree on that. Then – we upped the ante a lil bit & made car seats that recline and slide back/forth. Now we’re talkin’!

But modern cars with 80lb seats that are 32-way electronically adjustable – that’s overkill. You’re never comfortable, because you have too many options. These over-luxurious seats automatically slide back with you turn the car off… cracking the $8 inflation-eggs you just bought at the grocery store. And it’s not freaking cool anymore. When our seats have to be wired into our ECU, we’ve gone too damn far. That sort of tech is no longer enhancing your life… it’s just making you a life-sized chicken nugget. C’mon.

EXAMPLES CAN BE GIVEN TIME & TIME AGAIN… IN PRETTY MUCH EVERY AREA WHERE TECHNOLOGY HAS INFILTRATED OUR LIVES.
Which these days… is literally everywhere. Look around. Why do we need something strapped to our wrist that counts our steps? Why are we plugging-in mountain bikes? Can we not see how lame & pointless it all is? Technology is creating expensive solutions for problems that shouldn’t even exist. And nowhere is this truer than right now in the automotive industry. Let me try & get back on track.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS: GOOD CARS MAKE GOOD DRIVERS. AND DUMB CARS MAKE DUMB DRIVERS.
Look around these days – and you’ll see that we have a whole lot of dumb cars & dumb drivers… who don’t know any different. Because for every driver-engaging part of a car that we remove & put into the past (like a manual transmission), and then replace with tech that ‘does it for us’ (like driver assistance systems)… we make worse drivers that are less connected to driving.

We lower the bar & create a more incapable human, while simultaneously raising the costs & complications of travel. We’re turning vehicles into completely soulless appliances… and people don’t get passionate about appliances. Car culture suffers. And the way that humans have always felt a connective freedom in driving… that dies. Right now – the auto industry is giving up the very thing that made it remarkably special.

THE E30 BMW WAS NOT AN APPLIANCE.
BMW’s slogan is/was The Ultimate Driving Machine. And back when BMW was making the E30, they lived by that slogan. Driving was everything to them. BMW spoke to people who saw driving as more than a task or a commute… but as a sport, an activity, an escape, a passion, a reset. Nowadays, BMW makes The Ultimate Driving Capsule at best… with wild maintenance costs… largely due to unnecessary tech & complication. And when BMW’s marketing department speaks of connection… it’s wifi or bluetooth first. At some point we all came to a fork in the road, and BMW took a different path from the purists. It is what it is. But at what point can we no longer even call it a machine? A machine implies ‘mechanical’. You don’t call your phone a machine, you call it an electronic device.

THAT’S PART OF WHY MACKENZIE’S STORY WITH THIS E30 SEDAN GOT ME INSPIRED & HOPEFUL.
See – MacKenzie was kind of magnetically drawn to the E30, with no outside influence. There was a soul connection there. She didn’t come from a family of obsessed car lovers. But she did come from a family who had a general ‘appreciation of cars’, the way that American used to. Meaning – they’d go to the local car shows on summer holidays & whatnot. That appreciation was passed down to MacKenzie.

MACKENZIE ALWAYS SAW OLDER CARS AS ‘MORE’ THAN THE SUM OF THEIR PARTS.
Passion in sheetmetal. Kind of like rolling art & history. She had an interest in their design, their nuances, their presence, and their story. Who had owned them way back when… and what kind of special moments did they share with their owners? How were they used & loved over the years?

VINTAGE BMWS IN PARTICULAR, JUST SPOKE TO MACKENZIE.
I can relate to that. There’s a kind of simplistic sophistication in the DNA of older BMWs. Some of us just see it. And like I said – it naturally inspires me that someone without huge car influence in their childhood, can look at cars like that… and intuitively see what I see.

10 YEARS AGO, MACKENZIE WASN’T DEEP INTO CAR CULTURE BY ANY MEANS.
And 10 years ago, her husband Bryant… was still her boyfriend. He was also not deeply involved with car culture yet either. But he got the itch to get a 240sx. MacKenzie was like…

“Yeah but what about an E30?” … “Hey look at this E30!” … “Aren’t E30s cool!”

Eventually her subtle suggestions took root, and her husband decided on an E30 (convertible for style points). Very shortly after, Mackenzie realized she needed one too. And as fate would have it, this unusually clean white E30 sedan nestled-up next to their vert in the garage.

THE 2 E30S HAVE SENT THIS YOUNG FAMILY DOWN A RABBIT-HOLE OF VINTAGE BMW APPRECIATION ERRRRR OBSESSION.
MacKenzie’s daily is an E28 BMW (80’s 5-series). Her husband drives an 80’s 7-Series. They own a vintage 2002. And the love for old BMWs has basically matured into a love for… old in general. They see the beauty/appeal in it… and in preserving it. Hell – they even went out & bought an old house!

THEY’VE DEVELOPED AN APPRECIATION FOR THE HEART & SOUL THAT WENT INTO THINGS OF THE PAST.
When the pace may have been a little bit slower, but it was more authentic & passionate & lasting. Often times, you don’t see that in todays products. Heart & soul has been replaced with cookie-cutter. Craftsmanship has been replaced with automation. And the craftsmen, have been outsourced.

I say this a lot in articles, but it’s never any less true: Every time you make a purchase, you’re casting your vote on the way you want the world to be. When you buy from Amazon instead of local… you’ve casted your vote. When you buy an automatic crossover instead of a soulful convertible, you’ve casted your vote. Eventually… those votes add up. What kind of consumer habits are we grooming in this society? Anyway back to the point…

MACKENZIE HAD A VISION FOR HER BMW E30 SEDAN RIGHT FROM THE START.
It just felt like there was a right way to do this. And that was to preserve the classic, analogue, sportful soul of the E30… while accentuating it with a more modern/aggressive wheel fitment & ride height. MacKenzie got her dream set of retro/modern/iconic/timeless wheels – a classic set of BBS RSs. Then, she had them redone in white with 18k rose gold plated hardware. The rest of the car stays clean and period-correct, with the IS-model aero kit & Euro trim.

THE CAR HASN’T REALLY ‘CHANGED’ IN YEARS.
A lot of people like to change-up their car every year. And more power to ‘em. But what do you change, when the car just feels so right. A lot of times, some of the most inspiring builds are the ones that preserve the energy of their era. We’re not talking about a Youtube kind of inspiration… with likes, comments, and big views. That’s different. Here – we’re talking more about an intimate level of inspiration. 1 one 1. When you can look at this car in these absolutely stunning photos by Benny Whiles… and your mind fantasizes off to a different time, place, and pace. You feel it.

I say this a lot in articles too lol: But vintage cars are a form of time travel. They take you back to the energy of their decade. And they do it in a way you can feel & connect with – in 4D. You can look at a historical painting in a museum & get inspired. Even emotional. But you can never sit in it. You can’t fire it up, have it come to life, smell it, touch it, hear it, drive it, and see light reflecting through it. It’s a different form of art – the living kind.

Car Owner: Mackenzie
Photographer: Benny Whiles
Text: Jonathan Wooley

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07/01/2023

Check out the S3 App! Its filled with cool car features, builds, installs, automotive news, car reviews, and our podcast.

04/01/2023

2023 4Runner TRD Pro. Outdated or perfection?

The 4Runner TRD Pro is everything you need it to be, and nothing you don’t. It’s a rugged SUV, that doesn’t feel like you’re driving hand sanitizer.

04/01/2023

Good article from Justin Okamoto on the loss of legends.

Ken Block created a beautiful marriage of driver skill & unorthodox design... with a healthy supply of mad-man engineering.

15/12/2022

"A car can’t inspire anyone if it never sees the light of day."
See full feature on our free APP (S3 Magazine) Or here:
https://s3mag.com/ls-swapped-fd-mazda-rx7-try-not-to-stare/
Photos: Sam Igel II

15/12/2022

I believe in the psychology of cars. And I believe that cars that were built with heart… HAVE heart. In a sense – the spirit of the creators gets passed through to the creation. And the outcome is, a soul. What else do you call it when something unexplainably becomes more than the sum of its parts? When it is a reflection of its creator? Great cars breathe air – like we do. There is a fire inside of them – like there is in some of us. The best cars… real cars… have an undeniable energy & presence that is more than just machine. Is it human? No. BUT – I believe they possess a kind of kindred spirit that certain human spirits instantaneously recognize & understand. This is Jimmy Korienek’s white E92 M3 // Photos by Brandon Deuster.
Full article/specs + more photos --->
https://s3mag.com/sinful-simplicity-white-e92-m3/

01/12/2022

Me & the boys cruising our ICE cars through all the EV traffic in 20 years.

Hall

01/12/2022

GM suits butcher the 70-year-old Corvette legacy. 🤦‍♂️

GM is turning the Corvette into a brand... adding an EV Corvette 4-door, and an EV Corvette Crossover to the mix… and giving posers across the country a chance to buy the badge.

18/11/2022

Is it a wise choice/ investment to buy a 1st generation EV?

15/11/2022

We've never seen anything like it! 😂

The new Audi logo looks the same as the old Audi logo. 4 circles. Only difference I can see, is now instead of being slightly bevelled... it's flat & white.

14/11/2022

This is very impressive (and kinda hypnotizing) to watch.

Tom Matsumoto, Senior Lead Designer of Toyota/Lexus vehicles... sketches on a napkin.

11/11/2022

Flyin’ Miata is axing their entire V8-swap catalogue. WHY?!? I'm glad you asked that.

Flyin’ Miata is axing their entire V8-swap catalogue. Why?!? I'm glad you asked that.

09/11/2022

Amaury Hernandez's turbo K20a2 EF daily driver

Photos by Jay Rodriguez

Life is short & dailies are chicken sh¡t. Do like Amaury does, and drive the cool cars everyday. This is his turbo K20a2 EF Civic Hatch.

27/10/2022

Tesla is under criminal investigation over the Full Self Driving/ Autopilot Feature and Elon Musk seems ready to finally close the deal to buy Twitter.