Without a doubt, the biggest hurdle of putting together a magazine is the cover car. It's not because every potential feature car owner asks for it or feels entitled to it, but because it's a tremendous pain in the ass to find a car with "cover" qualities. What, pray-tell, makes for a cover car? Well, sit down and I'll tell you.
For starters, a set of legit wheels with decent offset is a first for cover. Does this mean expensive? Not necessarily, just so long as their designs are original and the construction isn't crap. A performance-modified engine making good power, inside a clean bay, is a must as well. The interior has to be tactfully done, not to mention the exterior. And that's just for consideration. If a car meets those qualifications, our edit staff will discuss the merits of the potential vehicle: Is it ground-breaking? What does it do well? Is it really fast? Did it set any trends? What has it won? How many records did it break?
So what have the R34 from Garage Ito and the NYC IS 300 accomplished? You'd be surprised. Sure, both met all the criteria-rims, engine, interior, and exterior are all in check. They're both two of the cleanest high-powered imports in existence, but when it comes to results, they haven't done much. In fact, the R34 hasn't done anything. Built as the time-attack machine to own all time-attack machines, it was shot a while back as it sat where it had for years before-complete, for the most part, but in limbo, its owner waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring it out and trump the competition. It was only when we were debating this month's cover car that Scott brought up the pics Dino, our JDM freelancer, shot. Dino responded to my email asking what he thought of the R34, with, "The car is pretty much the most incredible R34 project ever created in Japan. Over the years it has become nothing short of a myth!"
Myth? Not since unicorns, dragons, or an anorexic Lisa Lampanelli have I heard that adjective used to describe anything, and is why, despite its short resume, our edit staff agreed-instantly-that it was cover worthy. Sometimes, the promise of what a car will do outweighs what, if anything, it's already done.
And then there's that IS 300. One would hardly believe it puts out the power and performance it does under the guise of a luxury four-door family commuter. But ask the owners of some of NYC's fastest street cars/bikes about it, and you're sure to hear of its darker, faster reputation-one it's owner is perfectly happy with not catching on; he built this car to enjoy it, selecting this particular platform in large part hoping its performance might go unnoticed by public and legal eyes. Sorry, James ;-)
Back to picking a cover car. While it smarts the buttocks on the monthly, finding hidden gems and exposing them to the world can be very rewarding. If you're into colorful allegories, the Garage Ito GT-R is the Preparation H to our soul. And bottom. Whatevs.
Editor
Carter Jung
www.facebook.Com/Carterjung