Professional Noob
"I don't like to toot my own horn, but..." What a ridiculous saying. Not to harp on you, Shane, because we've all used it at one time or another, but have you ever wondered exactly where this phrase came from? More importantly-is there ever really a proper time or place to toot someone else's horn, literally? I don't know about you, but I can't imagine either instance without picturing a group of gay sailors and train conductors dancing under a disco ball, laughingly tooting each other's horns to the tune of The Village People's "YMCA". ...And, figuratively, is it even possible to use the saying not immediately followed by blatant self horn-tooting? "Not to brag, but...I'm going to anyway." Anyway, about racing: check out the HPDE section of NASA's site at www.nasaproracing.com for guidance on getting started.
Tricky Ford Driver
Hey I've got something for ya! Have u ever seen a '93 Ford Escort LX tricked out? Me either! So, you should either make it some sick project or come pick up mine! Cuz my mom freaks every time I say the words "my Escort" and "fix" in the same sentence, since really it's her car. Oh and some things are wrong with the car...the steering wheel is locked and the key won't turn [haha my fault playin' in it as a kid] but those are easy fixes! Luckily...but anyway, I would love some help! I'm really wanting to get into the drifting scene! And yes I know that its not as easy as wanting it u have to earn it! I live by that...hope for a reply.
--Keegan Hammer, CO
Hey, we've got something for you: A big fat no! But you do bring up an interesting point-looking back through the 10 year history of 2NR, we really haven't given the Escort any love at all. No Escort features, no mean "Project Escort" builds...an Escort Power Pages? No! Now, are we just hating on the Escort? Yes, but we're doing that because this is Import Tuner, and last time we checked, the '93 Escort is in fact, a home-grown (built) Ford vehicle. The only bit of good news we can give you? The Mazda 1.8L BP engine out of the '91-93 Escort LX-E, or '91-96 GT swaps in with little hassle-do that, then at least you can pretend to have an import. As for drifting... We hear two McDonald's trays e-braked under the rear wheels do wonders in a wet parking lot!
Wishful Thinking
You're awesome and all, but I have one suggestion. As a girl who knows just as much about cars as any guy, I take it as an insult when there's a hot girl there modeling but she knows jacksh*t about cars. It would be great if she at least knew what a GT-R is. I know guys like girls and that's why they are on the cover, but it doesn't seem right to have someone completely clueless about cars, in a car magazine. You need to have an entrance exam or something for these chicks!
--Ashley Hsu, via e-mail
Not fair, Ashley! Sure, maybe Nicolette was thrown for a sec when asked about owning a GT-R... But remember our May '08 cover model? Not only does the sexy Alicia Whitten attend more events in our industry than most of the 2NR staff, but homegirl also wrenches on her modded five-speed tC in between modeling gigs, and will probably own a road-worthy FD3S before Carter gets his running again (again?-2NR staff)! And what about Falken model Randyl Dawn in September and Miss Formula D this month?! With "Hsu" as your last name, we're sure you know a thing or three about cars (Eric denies any paternal responsibility, BTW), but we think its safe to say these chicas could hold their own in any "20-auto-related-questions" challenge we could throw at them.