F*CK The Police
I was cruisin' home from work in my modded RSX, doing about 70 mph on a deserted freeway near my home, when I looked in the rearview mirror and saw red-and-blues. I was pretty certain I hadn't done anything wrong, so I pulled right over and shut the car off. After sitting on the side of the road for about five minutes, then two cops approached my window laughing and one asked if I knew why I was being pulled over. I thought I heard the other cop mumble "ricer" under his breath, but I ignored him and replied to the first cop that I wasn't aware of doing anything wrong. Then he asked me why I was street racing "that other car". What the f*ck?! I was the only car on the road for miles! I calmly replied that I wasn't racing anyone, just driving home, but he interrupted me and said that my headlights weren't on, my exhaust was too loud and my car was too low. My car isn't even lowered!! I tried to reason with him, but he radioed for backup and told me that he could either write me up for all that stuff, or I could pay a $100 cash "violation fee" on the spot and be done with it. I knew I was being screwed over, but paid him anyhow. He gave me a blank piece of cash-register receipt tape. Then, right before he left, he asked for my keys. I handed them over and he threw them off the side of the road, over an embankment. I could hear both cops laughing as they got back in their patrol car and drove off. Can I do anything about this?
--Marcus Robertsen, Philadelphia, PA
We've heard some pretty good burn stories over the years, but this is definitely one of the better ones. And while we knock on wood that it'll never happen to us, we have to admit that it's fairly entertaining! As per your question-unfortunately, chances are you're screwed. Those cops probably planned the whole thing from the get-go and we seriously doubt they'd be dumb enough to leave their cruiser cam on for the event. As countless modified import drivers will attest, "innocent until proven guilty" means nothing when we get pulled over, especially alone and in the middle of nowhere. Best bet is to always keep a small digital recorder hidden within earshot in your car. We'd love nothing more than to print a letter from a tuner who has gotten burned, only to burn the bastards back in court!
Thank You, Come Again
Dear Import Tuner,
I'm not really into imported cars (I drive a Ford F250 pickup) but I had to buy your January '08 issue when I saw the beauty on the cover (the girl, not the car)!!!--Jim Guempel, St Louis, Mo.
We actually might've been offended (teeny-tiny bit) had it not been for the fact that your last name is Guempel and that you're from Missouri. Mr. Guempel (may we call you Gump?), we thank you for your patronage.
Strawberry Fields
I don't want to sound like a 'ricer', but I love the S15 Silvia, and I was wondering where the best place to find a conversion for a '92 240SX to a S15 frontend is. I would only do this when I'm done with an SR20DET swap and some other mods, and I don't want to go through some no-name eBay nightmare.
--WRXforlifeSTI, via importtuner.com forums
Ahh yes, the "strawberry face" conversion-the Japanese word for strawberry, ichigo, is also a combination of the Japanese words for the numbers one and five...as in S15. Swapping on S15 fenders, a front bumper, headlights, hood and a radiator support is one costly, expensive and labor-intensive method of attaining the conversion-not to mention extremely hard to find stateside. Another would be purchasing a "plug-n-play" kit from notable companies like C-West, Chargespeed or M-Sport...slightly less costly and easier to repair in the long run.