Time seems to fly when you’re having a lot of fun.   It’s hard to believe that it was  five years ago when we met, but I remember the day like it was yesterday.

I can still remember Amanda’s first car, a Proton, and how she scared the absolute bejeesus out of me the first time I got in the passenger seat.  Picture this, old car, old suspension, crap tyres, automatic gear box, front wheel drive, and a 90 degree turn attempted at over 60km/h without a hint of touching the brakes.  I laugh now, but boy, was I furious at the time.

I can also remember the day Amanda bought her first “real” car.  An R32 GTST.  It was also her first manual.  It was my job to teach her how to drive it.  As you can imagine, we had a very long night that night.   I can still see the look on Amanda’s face when we stopped to take photos after her first drive.

A combination of disappointment, anger, and fear washed across her face as she stared at the expensive piece of machinery in front of her.  I don’t think Amanda knew I was looking at her, but I could almost hear the dialogue she was having with herself,

“I can’t drive this thing.  What have I done?  I’ve just wasted a lot of money.  What am I going to do? Wil won’t stop yelling at me.”

(I wasn’t yelling! HONEST!!!)

I think the thing that freaked her the most were hills.  Both the fact that manual car’s roll back on a hill start, and that the gearbox doesn’t automatically kick down if you’re going up a steep hill.

So I took her to an empty car park that I knew of.  It was perfect because it had a long straight bit of road, very wide, with 3 inclines and flat areas in-between.  It was here where she learnt where the friction point of the clutch was, how to hold the car on an incline using the clutch and throttle only, and where we took maybe 5000km’s off the life of the clutch.

Amanda picked it up incredibly fast.  Before we knew it we were attending track days.  Amanda even hit the track before I did.  Oh, and as testament to how well she can control a clutch, an acquaintance of ours told her she’d never be able to move his car without stalling it  (it had some dicky on-off twin plate clutch).  Amanda took off without even a bunny hop.  The look on the car owner’s face was priceless.

We’ve been through so much together.  So many firsts.  We’ve both matured alot too since knowing each other.  (Well, I think I’ve matured :p ).  Here’s to many more years, and more growth.

Obsession is never a good thing, and when it leads to frustration it becomes unbearable.

Having injured my back again I’ve had quite a lot of idle time which I really dislike.  It allows my mind to wander and think about things I’ve not allowed myself  to think of normally.

My current obsession is a project car, which given my current state of health is an absolutely stupid idea.  I can barely get into a car, let alone work on one.  So the frustration has begun to set in.  A stupid frustration really.  But frustration nonetheless.

The above photograph is of a figurine I found on my girlfriend’s shelf.  It’s a figurine of Misa Amane, a character from the Japanese anime,  “Death Note”.

I won’t go into detail, but Death Note is about a rather exceptionally smart high school boy (Light Yagame) that finds a special notebook, one from the Shinigami realm.  If he writes the name of anyone in the notebook whilst having the image of the person in mind that person will die.

In summary, the story arc goes something like:

• boy (Light Yagame) finds notebook, boy realises the power he has,
• Light Yagame develops God complex and attempts to rid the world of evil by killing all those he judges as evil,
• good people begin to die because boy believes they’re standing in the way of justice,
• police, and an equally smart freelance agent known only as “L” hunt down Light Yagame,
• …there are various twists and turns along the way, some very unexpected,
• Oh, and Light becomes known to the general populace as “Kirra”, and is believed to be a hero by some.  His identity is of course unknown.

The character in the above photo becomes obsessed with Kirra, and finds a notebook of her own.  Let me just say, things don’t end happily for her.

I recommend this anime.  It’s a good watch.  The character development is great, and you start to feel for the characters.

I wonder what it is that eventually hurts us the most, the obsession, or the frustration caused by the obsession?

…how does one remain content whilst aspiring to achieve more?

It seems that those that have truly achieved greatness don’t even realise they have.  They remain obliviously content in achieving more and more, and more.

(Originally written for and posted on JDMStyleTuning.com Featured Rides section)

Some time ago I was faced with the need to purchase a new car,  my second.  Fortunately for me, the time to purchase a new car came two months before my 25th birthday.

Seeing as I was in need of  a car and would soon be eligible for insurance on a vehicle with a turbo, I decided to find something that meet the following criteria.  Rear wheel drive, turbo, power to shove you into the seat under acceleration.

Back then Skyline’s weren’t that popular.  They still had a premium price, you’d often find late model R33 GTST’s at around $30k, and seeing an import on a daily basis was unheard of.  Because of this I decided that I’d only look at locally available vehicles, and there was only one in my price range, the Nissan 200sx.

I almost bought a red 1997 S14a with BBS rims and lowered springs.  But the day that I was going to see it, was the day I got a phone call from the owner advising that it had just been sold.

Over the next few weeks I would have a look at and test drive some very sad examples of s14′s.  Scratched-to-buggery interior plastics advertised as “immaculate interior”,  fading and peeling paint advertised as “one owner, always garaged”, and oil stained engines advertised as “always serviced”.

The drive wasn’t too enticing either.

Then, one weekend I decided to buy the Trading Post.  It was there that I found my car.  Listed with low km’s, 1997, white, R33 Skyline GTST.  It was listed at a dealership in Parramatta.  After lunch on the Saturday I went down and test drove the car.  It ticked all the  boxes, threw me into the back of the seat under acceleration (with the potential for more), rear wheel drive, and turbo….and it was immaculate.

The only mods that had been done were a cat back 3.5″ Apex’i exhaust with “Super Megaphone” written on the tip, Tein coilover adjustable suspension, and air filter.

But I fell in love with the drive, and how clean the car was.  Inside and out it was much cleaner than any of the s14′s I had been looking at.  The sound of the RB was quite a bit nicer too.

After I put the deposit down I went home and began to google “Nissan R33 Skyline GTST series 2″.  Nowadays I’d probably be googling first, joining forums, researching the car, finding one, and then putting a deposit down.  But back then, not so much.

The day I took delivery of my car was the day I joined a forum dedicated to cars like the one I just bought.  One synonymous with the name of the car and my country of origin.  I was welcomed with open arms, I had never felt so accepted before.

Back in those days if I happened across another Skyline, the driver of the other Skyline would flash their headlights and frantically wave their hand out the window.  This happened on more than one occasion, and I felt good every time it happened.

Within a few days of owning my car and joining in on the forum banter, I decided it was time to attend one of the meet-ups happening near my place.  It just so happened that this was also a dyno-day.  It was going to be held at Unique Autosports in Castle Hill.

The day was to be sponsored by a few companies, one being Zoom magazine.  The editor at the time was the one covering the event.

Alone, I arrived with hoards of scary looking Skyliner’s staring at my stock car.  Their judgmental eyes making me want to run and hide.  A sea of unfamiliar faces, and a lonesome me.

After my car went up, the editor of Zoom magazine came over to speak to me.  He asked me about the car, my plans and dreams.  I didn’t know who he was until he started to take notes, when I looked at him strangely and  asked, “why are you taking notes?”

I stayed the whole day.  One of the first to arrive, and one of the last to leave.  I saw many nice cars, and quite a few beastly examples.  Even met a couple of people.  I think the first person to say hello to me was a guy by the name of John (silver-gtst on the forums).  I didn’t know who he was till he mentioned his forum name, and even when he did I didn’t believe him.

Silver-gtst on the forums was obnoxious, outspoken, and most of the time came across rude.  The guy infront of me, one of the only people to come up and start talking to me did NOT resemble this online persona at all!  Quiet, and friendly.

During the presentation I wasn’t expecting to receive anything.  I just wanted to see who won.  Little did I know, the editor of Zoom had organized a special prize and nominated me for it.

I won a stack of High Performance Imports and Japanese DVD’s.  The encouragement award.  These were presented to me by John (owner of UAS).

That night, and the next day I spent watching the Japanese in awe.  The things they could achieve with cars like mine.  The modifying bug struck, and struck hard.  My wallet still hasn’t forgiven me.

A few years after this event I was hopeful to run into that editor of Zoom again.  To thank him, and let him know the progress on my car.  Sadly, I never did run into him again.

So many years have passed since that day.  Back then I had no idea I would be where I am today.  I can still remember how I felt when I went up to collect my prize, and I can remember thinking to myself,  “I’m going to keep this car and turn it into something special.”

***

Over the years I started to research engine and turbo modifications eventually settling on a combination that would net me 274kw at the rear wheels.  The body I’ve kept pretty much standard, although at one point I did have an East Bear carbon fibre bonnet fitted.  The bonnet now proudly graces the walls of my garage.  The bootlid still remains, and needs to be painted, well, I’d like it to be white.  It seems my tastes have changed, nowadays I much prefer my cars to have clean lines than outrageous bodykits.  Wheel fitment though is something that I’m keen on, and keen on rectifying with this car.  But that will come in time.

271kw at the wheels during this run

My eagerness to be a part of the club grew over the years. For a brief period I would attempt to be at every event, and at one stage the track bug bit.

One event that I nearly didn’t go to turned out to be something that would lead to a significant part of my life.  Silver-gtst called me up the night before a show n’ shine.  I didn’t want to go, it was far away.  But he convinced me, and we met up for the long drive to up the coast.

It was there that I would meet my girlfriend of 4 years.  Within a few months of being together we would start shopping for her own Skyline.  We eventually found one, in white, with white wheels.  An R32 GTST.  The perfect match for my car.

Our lives revolved around our cars and the events being held by the club we belonged to.  From meets to track days, we’d be there with atleast one car, if not both.  But the time came to sell my girlfriend’s car.  The day it drove away with it’s new owner my heart broke.  I can still vividly see it turning the corner and disappearing.

Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t ever ended up with a Skyline.  I’ve met awesome people through owning this car, forged friendships, and developed a lifelong relationship.  Who would’ve thought that that could happen.

In the years since, a lot has changed.  It’s impossible to go a day without seeing a Skyline on the road, track days that I attend are few and far between, and I no longer attend meets (lack of time and laziness on my part).  But, I’ve made memories with this thing, to me it’s more than just a car.  I can still sit in it and remember the night I picked her up.  Looking over the unfamiliar dashboard, noticing the boost gauge, all the lights, pushing the clutch in and slotting her into first, and the feeling of anticipation as I pulled out of the lot about to undertake my very first drive.