Greetings from Asia!

I've been on the go for most of December and I hope to get some pictures of my Asian travels up on the site soon but in the meantime I thought I'd post a few pictures of me doing two things I enjoy:  automobiles and travel.

Beautiful Hong Kong skyline View at night

Hmm, a VERY familiar car in a different (and quite lovely) shade of blue in the window at Hong Kong Maserati...

Discussing the virtues of Maserati ownership at Hong Kong Maserati on Gloucester Street

Right-hand drive MINI Cooper S Clubman anyone?

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all in the USA and wherever you may find yourself today a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Maserati Granturismo S Comes Home

Well, the November surprise is here: the 2009 Maserati Granturismo S is home. Actually I've had the car since the first week of November but I haven't had a lot of time lately to post on the blog.

First off, and it probably doesn't need much mentioning, but the GT-S is an incredible car. Solid feel and quality throughout, the GT-S is hands down the best GT car I've ever driven. The sound of the exhaust in "Sport" mode is incredible for a "stock" car, let alone an "exotic". The Graziano paddleshift clutchless manual is supremely smooth and fast in MC-Shift mode. In the realm of high-end vehicles the looks, powerplant (4.7 liter Ferrari based but Maserati massaged V8), transmission, and comforts can't be beat. The car is a rarity to boot since only 300 are meant for production with 120 coming U.S. stateside.

I was the fortunate first delivery at Maserati Beverly Hills. I was able to spec the car last spring and pretty much had a huge "sandbox" of options to play with. Of course I was nervous to see how my car would turn out... wondering all along if my choices may not look as good in the flesh as I'd hoped, but the result I think is a great success. I am very happy with the yellow calipers and the yellow contrasting stitching I chose for the interior.

Anyway the first three weeks of life with the Maser beauty have been grand indeed.

Here are some photos:

4.7 badge and trunk/boot integrated spoiler are a subtle difference from standard Granturismo

Coming to grips with the car's controls

La bella macchina!

At Transhine Detailing after installation of "Auto Armor" paint protection

The Granturismo S should prove to be a viable "daily" driver. Not that I'll be driving it everyday but unlike the F355 Spider that I only drive occasionally this car is meant to be driven. Unlike the Ferrari's belt driven cams and intensive and expensive "engine out" maintenance, the Maser uses chains. Maintenance intervals while not inexpensive should be less than on most Ferraris and not quite as frequent. All the exotica without quite the expense... sounds good to me.

The GT-S is ready to roll...

Abarth 500 on Top Gear UK

Jeremy Clarkson and the Stig put the Abarth 500 to the test!



Video is the property of Top Gear/BBC Productions

Untersberg Mountain, Austria

Standing near the summit of the Untersberg Mountain in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg, Austria on 5 October 2008

Abarth 500 in Salzburg, Austria

I've been on the road (and loving the Autobahn!) in Germany again for the past 13 days and began the trip with a few days in Salzburg, Austria. The Salzburg Conference Center was located directly next to my hotel and adjacent to the famous Mirabell Gardens in the heart of the city. I was walking through the Gardens and noticed what I thought to be a Fiat 500 sitting out in front of the conference center. Approaching from the rear of the car and noticing the aero skirt and dual exhaust pipes I knew that this car was something more than a "standard" Fiat 500. Sure enough, the car was a full-on Abarth performance model. I'd love to zip around in one of these in Southern California, but alas, no new Fiats or those snazzy Abarths in the USA... yet. Stay tuned.

I snapped some pics with my camera phone showing the details that set the exterior of the car apart from a common 500. Enjoy!

It's Back!

Earlier this summer I decided to have my old college car restored (click HERE for the original post).

Yep, after nearly a month in the shop awaiting and refurbishing parts, rebuilding the fuel tank, replacing fuel pump and barely functioning water pump, timing belt, and full tuneup, the 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo is back. I needed to replace the driver and passenger side window tint film damaged when the window regulators were repaired. A Transhine complete car and engine detail finished the project and the Isuzu is once again a fully functional part of the family. I've got a couple of minor issues that I am working on now to pretty much bring the car up to a high state of tune and completeness:

1. I need to replace a missing passenger side door trim panel and have already located a suitable replacement piece.
2. I just installed a subtle chrome exhaust tip to clean up the fairly rusted and timeworn stock exhaust tip which is still visible in the picture below. The exhaust could also benefit from some minor spot welding.
3. I'm expecting receipt very soon of a stock Isuzu replacement retractable antenna. I had a Mazda antenna fitted several years ago to replace the broken stock unit but the new antenna never totally retracted since it wasn't designed for the car. You can see what I mean in the pictures below. Problem solved.
4. I need to re-upholster the leather shifter handle and boot which has deteriorated from years of wear and tear.

Other than those items I do believe I have one of the very few really clean and operational Impulses in the area.

Here are a few low resolution camera phone shots of the repaired and detailed 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo on its first evening back:

The Isuzu still looks great for her age! Italian design must have something to do with it... :-)

BusinessWeek Interview with Trudy Hardy, MINIUSA Marketing Manager

I came across an interesting interview with MINIUSA's Trudy Hardy . I had the pleasure of meeting Trudy in the Netherlands last year during MINI United and her interview with BusinessWeek Magazine is very relevant to MINI's continued growth in the U.S. market even though it is a few years old.

MINI Rooftop New York City

After making a stop in Indiana recently I decided to head out to New York City for a few days to check out MINI's Rooftop event in the city. Jennifer was in-town visiting a friend so we had the perfect opportunity to meet up for another MINI adventure. We had the opportunity to spend the evening with Jim McDowell, VP of MINIUSA and Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, President of MINI. The evening of 7 September was a perfect New York late summer evening after tropical storm Hanna drenched the city the day before. The location was in midtown just south of the Port Authority and near the Hudson River. The location provided wonderful views of New Jersey, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and much more of the unrivaled NYC skyline. The event for the evening was the Fashion Week afterparty for Shipley & Halmos and Vena Cava and the event provided an interesting atmosphere to soak up the New York city vibe.





The essence of MINI Rooftop is to present new and artistic ways of using limited but unused space. This concept has become popular in Europe recently. Indeed, a rooftop artistic experiment resonates well in a city like New York.

Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, President of MINI, Jennifer, me, and Jim McDowell, VP of MINIUSA

While I'm not sure of the marketing potential of this MINI event in the USA, I do give a thumbs-up to MINI for continuing to think outside the box in the quest for new and avant garde ways to keep the brand at the pointy end of the marketing spear.

Pedal Power MINI Clubman in Beijing

A Chinese MINI dealer in Beijing built this 1 manpower Clubman rickshaw that made its debut during the Beijing Olympic Games. The "highly" modified Clubman was based on the ubiquitous rickshaws that ferry passengers around the Chinese capitol and have been doing so for many years. Now, with the advent of the car in Chinese society, pressure is being put on the rickshaw. Here's to hoping that creative outlets like the Clubman will allow the rickshaw to continue as a part of the Chinese cultural landscape.

Nike+ Human Race L.A.

On 8/31/08 at 8:38:01 p.m. I took part in the largest one day running event in history: the Nike+ Human Race. With races taking place all around the world on the same day with participants all wearing the same red top and running a 10k through major city streets and competing against all the other cities, the event was quite interesting and very well organized. Entertainers representing cultures and music from all around the globe provided a festive atmosphere at various points around the race course. There was food and plenty of healthy snacks to be had at the Coliseum and at the end of the race Kanye West put on a concert for the runners. Good health, good causes supported (in my case the World Wildlife Fund) and good fun!

For full information on this event please log onto:

Nike+ Human Race L.A.


Here are a few pictures from the race:


At the L.A. Coliseum awaiting the start of the race

Kanye West entertains the Nike+ Human Race participants

2008 MINI "mini" Roadtrip

MINI on the road in Northern California

Sutter's Mill restoration near site of the original mill where gold was discovered in California in 1848 setting off the California Gold Rush.

The summer of 2008 has been a summer of weddings for me. I've attended three weddings in six weeks. An old friend from high school (actually my sister's really good friend) recently got married in the Sierra Nevada foothills just west of Lake Tahoe. My sister and I were both invited to attend the wedding last week and it was close enough to think about driving up together for a long weekend. So, the question was: Whose car? Well, Jennifer had all those nice modifications recently installed on her 2004 British Racing Green Cooper S so I suggested taking her car on the jaunt to the Sacramento area.

Old Auburn Courthouse, Auburn, California

Turns out the car ran like a champ and made for extremely comfortable freeway cruising. I thought the sound of the exhaust might be tiring after a long stint but at freeway cruising speeds the sound into the cabin was minimal. The Larini system is great... throaty when you want to hear it but not too intrusive on an extended drive. The 15% Alta pulley also made the trip feel more effortless even when the air conditioning was in full operation as temps soared to the 100 degree fahrenheit zone on the run through California's Central Valley. With the stock pulley the extra load on the engine from the a/c unit was noticeable. This was not an issue with the Alta reduction pulley installed.

Statue in honor of the Miner 49er Gold Rush pioneers in Auburn, California

The only hitch: heavy winds blew a tumbleweed across the freeway and into the front driver's side of the bonnet. A very slight dent and clearcoat scratches but luckily nothing worse. Looks like the bonnet will see a paintless dent removal specialist sometime in the near future...

On California's shortest state highway (notice the sign) in one of California's shortest vehicles!

At Motowheels in Sacramento. Needed to make a stop at a great resource for Ducati Motorcycle goodies. Visit: http://www.motowheels.com/

The wedding was just wonderful, the outdoor setting very nice with mild temperatures and blue skies. Spent the following couple of days revisiting my old grad school stomping grounds and meeting with friends and colleagues before heading back to L.A. with the obligatory touristy stop at Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Nella.

An alumnus returns to campus ten years later

Chatting with Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, distinguished leader of McGeorge Law School, about the changes on campus in the decade since I graduated.

I hadn't been back to the Sacramento area in a decade and it was nice to be able to navigate the city much as I had remembered doing while living and studying there.

Pony Express Memorial, Old Town Sacramento

The funny places you can find Indonesian food... this time in Old Town Sacramento. The Old West meets Southeast Asia! Had some familiar snacks before hitting the road...

Great little roadtrip in a fun modified Cooper S!

White Roof Radio Interview at MINI Takes the States 2 L.A.!

Todd Pearson and db from White Roof Radio, the MINI podcast, interview me at Jillian's Restaurant on the Universal Studios L.A. Citywalk as part of MINIUSA's MINI Takes the States nationwide event. The closing weekend took place in Los Angeles and I had the opportunity to meet and greet familiar faces and meet new MINI friends. My time was very limited this weekend but it was nice to be in the company of MINI folks! At least the drive to this event was a lot shorter than the trip to MINI United 2007 in the Netherlands!

I couldn't attend the Saturday festivities and concert but a good time on Friday night at Jillian's and a fun run from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and up Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains and then back to the Rose Bowl on Sunday made for a fun MINI motoring weekend.

Please visit White Roof Radio for the playable/downloadable radio segment.


My interview begins at about 19'19" of the 25 minute segment just after the interview with David Eichenberg, a regular on the "Sex and the City" television series.


For more on MINI Takes the States 2 please visit this link: http://blog.minitakesthestates.com/


Jim McDowell, Vice-President of MINIUSA (left), Gina Koutros of MINIUSA (third from right) with the young couple that drove across the USA attending all the MTTS events along the way and me (on the right).

Getting ready for a tire shredding lap in the R56 turbocharged John Cooper Works at the very end of MTTS.

Italian Thrill: Driving the Rare Maserati GranTurismo S

I had the opportunity to drive one of only two 2009 Maserati GranTurismo S vehicles currently in the United States by invitation from Maserati Beverly Hills. Deliveries of these cars is slated to begin during the fall of 2008 and production will be strictly limited to a one year run with total US allocation of a rumored 250 to 300 cars. How is the car? One word: Outstanding! I've driven the "standard" GranTurismo and that was very nice; "a sense of occasion" being an apt description. The S is immediately yet subtlely distinguishable from its sibling car by its bespoke 20" wheels, an integrated bootlid spoiler, black headlight surrounds and black grille, and revised and more aerodynamic side skirts. The total effect is a more aggressive yet still very elegant look. The 2009 range has also added bluetooth and iPod/MP3 capability. Satellite radio will also be on offer soon. I love it...

On the test drive. Shame the camera could not pick up just how marvelous the engine sounds!

My drive in the S was much longer than my brief jaunt in the standard GranTurismo. Two things I noticed very quickly: the revised spring and damper setup was firm yet comfortable. No settings here like the GranTurismo and its electronically controlled "Skyhook" suspension. The more sporting and fixed S setup made the car feel smaller than it really is because the GranTurismo is a pretty large GT that genuinely holds four persons in comfort. Roadholding is superb. I've heard that the revised suspension can be a bit bumpy on less than smooth pavement but I didn't notice.

Getting to know the new Maserati GranTurismo S

Red engine heads... as opposed to the "standard's" Maserati blue

Behind the wheel of the S

The larger paddles behind the steering wheel were easy to find no matter what the position of the hands on the steering wheel. These paddles were linked to the "manual" MC-Shift clutch/gearbox which resides in the rear of the vehicle for better weight distribution. With shifts as quick as 100 milliseconds, the clutchless manual paddleshift gave smooth and very quick shifts. Good fun.

The biggest grin maker: the 4.7 liter, 440 HP 8 cylinder Ferrari designed motor (as opposed to the 4.2 liter standard). Lots of torque and power that really makes the S get up and go. Any complaints about the GranTurismo's power are vanquished with this engine. Not only the power is noticeable, push the "Sport" button on the dash and the sound of the car will make any car enthusiast's hair stand on-end! Absolutely marvelous sound that is simply lovely to hear. It puts many other cars at twice the price to shame...

Can you tell that I like this car yet??? :-)

I should have some interesting news about the GranTurismo S later in the year. Stay tuned.

Old College Car Pulled Out of Storage

Original Giugiaro designed Piazza/Impulse (1982)

Photo courtesy of Italdesign/Giugiaro

1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo "Handling by Lotus", last of the Giugiaro Impulses.

Car looks great in spite of all the years and mileage... internals need a lot of work

I've had my old college car in storage for the better part of the last five years and the car had only been driven sporadically in the several years prior to storage. The 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo was the first car I owned from "new" and has been a faithful workhorse from college to graduate school and on to post-graduate study. With an Italian Giugiaro (http://www.italdesign.it/) designed body (designer of Maseratis, the BMW M1, Alfa Romeos, the original Volkswagen Scirocco, and countless other iconic cars), a forward thinking interior, and suspension tuning by Lotus, I still think the Impulse is a pretty car. About the only complaint now as then is that the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo Isuzu motor is a bit underpowered.

With well over 100,000 miles on the clock the car served me well. I always kept the car in very good shape, but time and age started to take a toll on the car. As issues multiplied I decided to park the car until I found the time and resources to put her back on the road. Well, most of you know that I have been going to Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills, California for my MINI performance modifications. Steve's work has been honest, good, and reasonable, so I opted to have Steve give the old Isuzu a thorough inspection. The Impulse no longer started so I had to put it on a tow truck and had it hauled up to North Hills.

The initial problem was a rusted fuel pump and excess rust in the gas tank which necessitated a rebuild. I had put preservative in the fuel, but time still didn't do the fuel system any favors. Lots of Impulse parts are now "unobtainium" so the gas tank could not be replaced.

We're still trying to figure out how to rebuild the power window regulators since those are also not available and both driver and passenger windows are broken. After taking care of those two items a couple of electrical glitches need to be repaired and then a full engine service will be undertaken. Barring any other unforseen problems one of the few remaining cared for examples of the "Handling by Lotus" Isuzu Impulse Turbos will be back on the roads in Southern California!

Larini "Club Sport" Exhaust and Alta 15% Pulley Installation on an 04 MINI Cooper S

I've been the one to have all the fun upgrading my JCW MCS with Cooper Motorsport bits over the last couple of years so it was time for my sister to join in the fun. I'd previously installed a BMP/ProMINI Cold Air Intake in her car but it was now time to head back to Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills, California for a few more "safe" go fast bits. First up was the Larini "Club Sport" cat-back exhaust system. I've been impressed with the stainless steel supercar exhaust maker's products and love the sound of the system. A throaty performance sound with a wonderful burble on the engine overrun when letting off the accelerator, the Larini adds some horsepower and makes the MINI sound like a really mean performance machine. The Larini pedigree of Ferrari/Lamborghini/Porsche experience shines on the MINI. Larini doesn't list the systems for BMWs and MINIs on its website (only supercars on the site!) but make inquiries and you can get a system. I love it and so does my sister!

For more click this link: Larini Systems

Stainless Steel Larini "Club Sport" Exhaust System from the UK

Out with the old...

In with the new...

Nice stainless steel pipe that begins just after the factory catalytic converter

Aligning the Larini exhaust tips


Steve gives a final quality check

I hope to film a clip comparing the sound of the John Cooper Motorsport 225 HPD kit that is installed on my car with the Larini. So far I'm a bit envious of the Larini's wonderful sound...

The second item to install was an Alta 15% reduction pulley, a quick and safe way to get a major boost in horsepower from the stock Cooper S supercharger. This modification along with the Larini exhaust and the already installed ProMINI cold air intake really gave the British Green MCS a shot of serious horsepower. Steve commented that the car was very strong as a stock car and the modifications made a strong car a lot stronger and even more satisfying to drive.

Stock pulley ready for removal

Alta 15% reduction supercharger pulley

Stock pulley removed and shaft ready for Alta installation

Tightening the Alta pulley

Fitting the supercharger drive belt on the Alta pulley

For more click on this link: Alta MINI Performance

I haven't quoted any horsepower gains but I think it is a safe bet that the three "traditional" safe modifications should yield 20-25 horsepower easily but probably even more. Significant numbers I'd say...