ok in the states if you want to get your car in the magazine it will take some effort to get there, how about in Taiwan? Is it easy most car can get in or still need to do something special about your car to get in the mag? just wondering
You need something special although Spec-R and Option magazines have sections dedicated to reader’s cars. The only reason my rex was featured in the magazines was because it was the only '04 with a EcuTeK tune. Most of the larger tuning shops have contacts with magazine editors. Try asking around and pick out something on your car that’s different enough for them to write a feature about. Taiwan’s tuning market isn’t that big so just about anything that you do to your car would be considered different. 
how about a car with a decent setup and a proper tune??? that’s not very common here 
or wait… a honda that doesn’t sound like a bee on steroids…
how about a hayabusa powered smart car? youtube.com/watch?v=oPQIizRp9ck
cool, which magazines and months your car was featured in?
My V6 Pronto was featured in two magazines. It was the ugliest thing either had ever run a story on, and also about the quickest 0~100. They were very good about my request to blank out the licence plates.
It was a buddy at a tuning shop that started the ball rolling.
[quote=“Nonsequitur”]Taiwan’s tuning market isn’t that big so just about anything that you do to your car would be considered different.[/quote]Yes, and given the crackdown on basically anything non-standard, it has gotten even smaller lately.
I don’t remember the exact month but it was sometime during the first quarter of 2005. If memory serves, I think I did the 1/4 mile in 13.1 seconds @ 177 kph non-corrected and 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds in that test.
I still see and hear lots of VROOOOOOOOOOOM modded cars around Taipei. 
this guy said that there will be .6-1 second difference(slower) between gtech and the GPS 1/4 mile test equipment they (magazine) use…is that true? is so then the GPS is off then coz u can make the gtech exaclty the same as track ET…reason I say u can make it exactly the same is coz drag strip varies from strip to strip and gtech is flexible enough to adjust to that
The GPS test equipment that the magazines use is more accurate when it comes to timing but corrections have to be done manually. The GTech does the correction on the fly. The GTech has more than proven itself to be very accurate.
[quote=“Nonsequitur”]
I still see and hear lots of VROOOOOOOOOOOM modded cars around Taipei. [/quote]I was in Pingtung last week, being mobbed by turbocharged gen5 Civics. 
Sure the guys with modded cars are still out there prowling around, but I don’t think nearly as many have been modded since the crackdown. The tuners I know are in a world of pain right now. So, I think it would be easier to get a car into the mags now than ever before.
i’ve been in a car magazine… more than once… me, but not my car i’ve even been on SpecR’s vcd 
I don’t remember the exact month but it was sometime during the first quarter of 2005. If memory serves, I think I did the 1/4 mile in 13.1 seconds @ 177 kph non-corrected and 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds in that test.
I still see and hear lots of VROOOOOOOOOOOM modded cars around Taipei. [/quote]
non-corrected what does that mean…
Non-corrected means that it doesn’t take into account atmospheric conditions, altitude, etc…
My car was just featured this October, in a low circulation magazine called ‘Pro’. The shop where I have repairs done told me there was a shoot, so come on out. I was surprised I actually made it in.
edit: I scanned the article, and here’s a pic of the car. There are supposedly less than 30 AE86’s in Taiwan, even less that are US-spec with a “legal” plate. Some are modified from right hand drive with plates from a junked AE82 or other Corolla.
Hey that’s a nice Corolla GT-S (AE 86). Very fun cars and one of the last RWD examples of small performance cars. I had one of those (not a GT-S but a much slower SR-5 model) when I was a teenager! They weren’t worth that much until the drift scene became famous recently. A family friend of ours owns a vehicle testing facility that inspects almost all the imported cars into Taiwan and I had a chance to visit it last week. Aside from taking the new M6 for a short (but fun) ride, I also saw a white AE 86 being inspected there. If I ever come across unlimited parking, I’d definitely get another one. Any more pictures of yours?
According to those new regulations, cars cannot be converted from RHD to LHD and pass inspection. Verboten.
I SAW YOU IN THE NEWSTAND JUST THE OTHER DAY!
I hope you don’t mind if I post your latest here. Nice shot. :bravo:
No, I don’t think that was ever legal in the first place, but if you “know people” there are ways around it. The Toyota Corolla FX-16 was sold here, it’s a 3-door hatchback, and if the VIN plates are moved over I think some inspection places won’t know, or won’t care. Of course I don’t advocate anything like that.
There are also quite a few converted S15 Nissan Silvias running around which were never sold in LHD, but those never even undergo inspection.
Yeah, well, I said according to the regulations. What happens in practice is entirely different.
Point is that was always illegal to import or drive RHD vehicles, but it wasn’t stated that they were not to be converted. The new regs address this loophole.
Thanks man…yeah, it’s really low horsepower and torque even at redline with the 4A-GE in GT-S trim, but lightweight, fun, and linear N/A response.
So…any chance you can finagle another visit to that test facility? I’d be interested to take a looksee. Was it near Hsinchu? My car got a medium dent in the door while getting tested :s oh well.
Anyway, what model was the white AE86 getting tested? It must have been either a GT-S repaint or SR5 because USDM GT-S never came in white nor did it come in “panda”. Most of the 86’s in Taiwan have been repainted black/white panda to jump on the Initial D wagon.
Thanks man…yeah, it’s really low horsepower and torque even at redline with the 4A-GE in GT-S trim, but lightweight, fun, and linear N/A response.
So…any chance you can finagle another visit to that test facility? I’d be interested to take a looksee. Was it near Hsinchu (Xinzhu)? My car got a medium dent in the door while getting tested :s oh well.
Anyway, what model was the white AE86 getting tested? It must have been either a GT-S repaint or SR5 because USDM GT-S never came in white nor did it come in “panda”. Most of the 86’s in Taiwan have been repainted black/white panda to jump on the Initial D wagon.[/quote]
It was near Taoyuan by some amusement park. I don’t know if I’ll be back anytime soon since it was arranged by the guy who owns the place and he’s rarely there. However, he did mention that if they get any more exotics, he’d let me know.
I didn’t look too closely at the AE86 there because it was on the other side of the facility getting its horn tested. From what I saw, it’s probably an SR5 since it didn’t look like a GT-S. Aside from missing the stickers on the bottom of the doors, the wheels didn’t look right. I’m not 100% sure though because I was too busy drooling over the M6.
Sorry to hear about your door at your test facility. Were you compensated for it?