Bradley’s Kia Forte Koup

And here we go…

Kia

First thing that comes to mind….. Grandparents?

Sedona?

The “my first car” Optima?

Well maybe it’s time that we rethink the brand. In the last couple years Kia has been putting in a huge effort to give their product line a facelift. The Optima now looks like a real car, edgy with some class. As much of a family vehicle the Sedona is, I’d rather roll in that then a Windstar.

I’d like to introduce you to the Forte Koup. Never in my life would I have thought about buying a Kia. Even if I was tied to a chair and tortured for weeks, I’d probably pick a Toyota Tercel before an Optima.

The more I look at this car, the more I like it. The angles are sharp and the interior is modern. Overall the car looks really good. I double take almost every time I see one in traffic. I get interested and have to stop and remind myself it’s just a Kia.

All jokes aside the Kia platform is definitely a new one to look out for. 2015 is going to bring a new look to Kia’s lineup and it’s definitely looking in a more positive direction.

A good friend of mine, Bradley, came out with me on a chilly autumn afternoon, and we finally got to shoot some photos together. When it comes to Winnipeg car photography there’s nothing more cliche then photos on top of The Forks parkade. With the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in the background or the city skyline, everyone has done those photos. Including me. A lot. I’m sorry.

Out of all the spots we got to that day, the unpaved alley of sorts was my favourite. I’ve driven past it numerous times and always wished I could get my car into there. In some ways thats good, I’m too low. The paved curb is raised several inches above the soft ground. The ruts in the dirt make it even harder. Perhaps I’ll bring some old two by fours and MacGyver something together.

One day.

For anyone looking for a cheaper, reliable vehicle and don’t mind springing for new, take a look at the Forte Koup.

Kyle’s Honda S2000

It was a pricey upgrade, one that almost seemed like an impulse purchase, but the outcome couldn’t have been better.

Kyle recently sold his Prelude to upgrade to a classic two-door sports car. “The poor mans NSX” of sorts. The first year with his S2000 we brought it out to the drag strip in Gimli to see what kind of numbers it would run. This year Kyle and I spectated the local autocross events and got to ride along with a couple competitors. In the upcoming years Kyle plans to enter some events and put his car to the test in its natural environment.

As with any import the first thing done was replacing the exhaust. Coil overs came next for a healthy drop. After a small fender bender, he got a whole new paint job including a fresh front lip. Up next are wheels and minor maintenance.

Being one of the major members of the Winnipeg Prelude Owners Club, Kyle still wants to pick up another Prelude one day, but for now he squeezes his 6’3″ frame into his S2000 every summer morning and enjoys the top-down drive.

2014 Year In Review

So in order to make up for the off topic post from before I decided to throw out a little bit of my photography from this year in LowMotive. I recently bought a DSLR camera for school and I decided to use it for the final few car meets of this season.

Paul’s Aristo

Josh’s Civic SI

2014 was a great year for the car scene, with the introduction of LowMotive to Winnipeg, and the great turnouts for their Ice Breaker and the Top Tier Imports Spring Awakening.

Adam’s GTR

Keenan’s Civic

As winter is now upon us, the summer cars are safely put away. The winter beaters are taking up spots on the driveway and ice is on the ground. It’s going to be a long six months waiting for the snow to melt but when it does, 2015 will be an even stronger year.

Andy’s GTI

Chris’s STI

Hopefully next week I’ll have a regular post up, in the meantime enjoy some of these pictures from the summer.

Sergiy’s Genesis

Follow me on Flickr or Instagram for all my photography.

Gonzo Drift

As stressful as things may be in the Formula Drift pro/am series, Gonzo Drift keeps smiling. Sitting fourth in points, The Uprising in Omaha was supposed to be a test and tune day. Gonzo’s S14, brandishing a brand new steering rack, was being put to the test.

Gonzo has a curse with American V8 motors. He’s managed to blow-up 4 in the past 4 years. Omaha was another notch in the bedpost, with another paperweight now sitting in the garage bringing that tally to five. During the event the LS3 motor, pushing around 600 horsepower, gave its last run. A blown motor at this stage in the series meant missing the last event of the season in St. Louis and losing position in the standings.

This hunk of broken metal is the fifth LS engine the Gonzo Drift S14 has destroyed in its history of pro/am drifting. After plenty consideration Gonzo decided to go back to the S14’s JDM roots and run the mother of all Japanese engines, a 2JZ. More commonly found in the MKIV Supra, the 2JZ going in to his car will be lightly built and tuned for reliability, yet still pumping out close to 650 horsepower.

Originally planning to spend more time this winter working on other aspects of his car, Gonzo now has a new motor to build and tune. Putting all the work aside,  he’s looking forward to getting out this winter in his truck and drifting some empty parking lots.

Stephan’s Nissan Silvia

Right hand drive cars are quickly becoming a more common sight in Winnipeg. During the summer everywhere you go you’ll see RHD vehicles of various styles cruising on Sunday’s. Two weeks ago I wrote about my childhood dream car, this week is another RHD and one that has a special connection to the Skyline from two weeks ago.

Stephan was inspired to buy a RHD Nissan after getting a ride in a R32 Skyline. To be more specific, the Skyline I wrote about two weeks ago. Stephan has huge plans to improve this classic import into a real eye catcher. In the upcoming years he plans to do a complete engine swap and rebuild. A fully built RB26 paired with a massive Garrett GTX3582R turbo, the end goal for now is around 500 horsepower. He also has some interior and exterior mods lined up including a new paint job, wide body and aero kit, roll cage and shaved engine bay.

“I’m building my Silvia as a Paul Walker tribute car so it has to have the heart of a true skyline.”

“I’ve been wanting a super clean RHD Nissan for years. I never thought I’d have a car as clean and untouched as mine. Always wanted to build something that can be fast in a straight line, go sideways with ease and be a badass show car at the same time.”

Like many of our generation, Stephan grew up idolizing Paul Walker and the Fast and Furious franchise. The cars in those movies inspired the young gear heads of today to build their dream projects.

“I always grew up wanting an R33 or R34 Skyline one day but realized they were way out of my price range. I bought my Silvia since I love how badass, clean and simple looking the JDM S14 Kouki’s look like.”

“Kouki” refers to the updated body style of the second generation Silvia. The older models were more curvy and referred to as “Zenki.” In 1996 the Silvia underwent some minor exterior modifications including a redesign of the headlights and front bumper for a more aggressive look.

I can’t wait to see the transformation of this classic import in the coming years. After driving so many RHD’s in the last month, it has definitely spurred my interest in owning an import one day. Hopefully I’ll be able to do another feature when the transformation is complete.

Oliver Lau

I decided to space out the car features this week and choose a good friend of mine instead. Oliver Lau started doing automotive photography after using his parents camera to take photos of his new car. Soon after picking up a camera of his own he began taking photos for friends to get some practice.

I met Oliver at the beginning of this year when I showed up to the LowMotive Ice Breaker meet. Upon learning that we lived practically across the street from each other we found ourselves hanging out a lot together this summer. From trips to Gimli for photos to cruise nights in Lockport, many days I would just hang out with him at Option Plus while he was “working.”

His pride and joy is his 2004 Mazda 3 which he’s named Alexandra. Causing more stress to his life than any other woman, his Mazda recently came out of the shop with a brand new motor. Keeping it classy on a black set of RPF1’s and Recaro buckets its a super comfortable ride.

Oliver is currently studying to become an accountant at the University of Manitoba and plans on keeping photography as a hobby. Some of his favourite shoots include:

Stefan’s Subaru

And Stephan’s Silvia, which may or may not be coming up in a future post of mine. 😉

I’m looking forward to more cruises, whether its in the Mazda or whatever project he has in the future. Check him out on flickr and keep an eye out for him cruising up and down Main.

Seaver’s Nissan Skyline R32

I finally got to sit behind the wheel of my all time favourite, childhood dream car. A friend of mine, Seaver Brown, offered to let me test-drive his 1992 Nissan Skyline and I jumped at the chance. Since the days of The Fast and The Furious, the Skyline has been the one vehicle I’d wanted more than anything else.

“I really just wanted something unique, fast and fun and it’s what was in my price range.”

Seaver had to go through an interesting buying process in order to finally get his hands on this car. Before buying the car he took it for a test drive like any normal person would. Once the car was warmed up it would hesitate and wouldn’t go past 3000 rpm. Seaver told the owner that he would buy it if the problem got fixed and so the owner promised and the next day Seaver went back for another test drive. The car ran fine and so he went ahead and bought it, only to find out half way home that the issue hadn’t been fixed at all. He called up the previous owner and called him out only for him to tell him “that’s what you get for buying a used car.”

After working out the problem the car has been running well for just over two years now. Seaver has big plans for this pristine platform in the years to come. With a brand new motor swap in the works, an upgraded turbo, forged internals and a new tune he’ll hopefully be able to make 350 horsepower.

The mod list for this car is extensive, from replacing most of the engine gaskets to carbon fibre hood and trunk; there isn’t much on this car that hasn’t been touched. With a brand new paint job and a nice, wide set of wheels it’s a flashy car for sure.

Sitting behind the wheel, I have to say right off the start; the clutch in this car is very difficult to figure out. Not only that but this was the first time I’d ever driven a right hand drive car and was pretty nervous at first. After getting out of the parking lot the shifting felt so natural with my left hand. The switch from left to right doesn’t feel awkward at all. The transmission is chunky but what can you expect from a 22-year-old car. Seaver warned me that it’s currently under boosting but putting out 210 horsepower on 8 lbs. of boost still sinks you back into your seat pretty well.

I can’t wait to see what next year brings for this amazing car. Thank you again to Seaver Brown for letting me live my childhood dream by finally getting the chance to drive this beauty. Hopefully I’ll be able to do a follow-up when the new engine gets broken in.

2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting Murray Hyundai in the Waverly Automall. With the hopes of getting my hands on the new 2014 Genesis coupe I walked in only to be told pricing on those run upwards of $40000 after tax. Being a student I wanted to take a look at more affordable options. After a quick talk with my good friend Mike Van de Mosselaer, I ended up looking at this!

A brand new 2014 Veloster Turbo!

With three tiers to the Veloster platform there are a few options depending on your budget. With the base model starting around $18000 the Veloster is a fantastic option for a smaller budget. At the higher end of the Veloster platform the turbo version comes with all the fancy extras of the tech model along with a turbocharged 1.6L engine, pushing out around 140 horsepower for around $28000.

From factory the turbo version includes a massive sunroof, digital navigation, an upgraded stereo system, heated leather seats, back-up camera and a push button start system. I got to drive the six speed manual version however they are available in an automatic version with paddle shifters.

After a quick spin I have to say I’m surprised. Going in I didn’t expect to enjoy the car quite as much as I did. Sitting behind the wheel the first thing I notice is the clean dash and comfortable seats. The leather bucket seats hold the driver comfortably with lots of hip room. The dash is easy to navigate with all the buttons well within arms reach. I didn’t get to play with the navigation system as much as I wanted to but from what I did it seems like a fairly user friendly system.

As for performance, I would have liked to get some more time on the road with the turbo but after a quick drive around the block the throttle is very responsive. Due to the light weight of the vehicle and the turbocharged engine it gets off the line quite well. The light weight also helps with the cornering, agile and tight turning in sharp corners.

An interesting feature of the Veloster is the three door design. From the outside it looks like a regular coupe but on the passenger side there is a suicide door for the rear passengers. A good thing about the Veloster is unlike most smaller hatchbacks the rear seats actually have some leg room. Instead of only being able to fit small children or luggage like most 2+2 seater cars, the Veloster can actually fit a normal person in the back.

I will definitely be going back to spend some more time in the Veloster and maybe get behind the wheel of that Genesis coupe! For anyone looking to pick up a new or used car, make sure to take a look at Murray Hyundai. With the Veloster and Genesis as upcoming platforms for the younger drivers, Santa Fe for the older crowd and plenty of options depending on your budget, Hyundai is a great choice for anyone.

For any questions about the Veloster or any other Hyundai make sure to contact Mike Van de Mosselaer, tell him Zach sent you!

Mike Van de Mosselaer – Sales Professional

mvande@murrayhyundai.ca

C: 204-688-6443

T: 204-269-5555

Noah Cormack

For my next post I want to feature a close friend of mine and amazing photographer Noah Cormack.

After picking up his first SLR camera in 2011, photography has been a passion for Noah. Taking up freelance photography of sorts for the last three to four years, he just began shooting weddings for clients in 2013, shooting nine in the last two years.

Branded officially as of 2013, Noah set up Ncrashb Multimedia Solutions himself. After purchasing a domain and hosting the site himself, the portfolio site features photography and videography from his shoots over the years.

Most in the car scene will know him for his amazing automotive photography, however when asked what his favourite subject to shoot is Noah responded with,

“As dumb as this sounds- life. Whatever I can find beauty or meaning in. People and nature express this best. Then people’s creation and expression, like cars and buildings.”

So for some amazing content make sure to check out Noah on Flickr, Facebook, and his own website.

Hopefully I’ll have a review for you next week, stay tuned!