Foo - I got MY priorities straight. (Proxy attending a Lexus car meet)

Gotta give Siu credit for spreading the word about this - I'm not, and never have been a Lexus owner, but a free event a mile from my house was too good to pass up.

Priorities straight - washed the car last night, went to church with the kids, dropped daughter off at home so she can go to the mall with my mom and dad, and took the boy to Irwindale Speedway.

Nice collection of cars. It was a bit too spread out, though - there would be a cluster of cars surrounded by empty space, and then another cluster of cars, etc. It would have been nicer if it was in a more concentrated area and maybe if they grouped it according to chassis/model.

The drag race was cool - always nice to see comparable models run side-by-side. Irwindale is a 1/8th strip, and temps were a little on the warm side in the low 80s. The sound of an IS-F at full-tilt is pretty intoxicating.

Anyhow, here are a few snaps -


http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2780/1032362887_k6fQx-M.jpg

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2784-copy/1032363233_jJB7a-M.jpg


Your cup of tea or not, gotta respect the fender work and fitment -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2786/1032363581_8v9nn-M.jpg


I thought Siu came down to surprise me but no such luck - it was a poseur

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2782/1032363104_XnYhu-M.jpg


http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2787/1032363788_4bkNg-M.jpg

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2788/1032364085_fhGLr-M.jpg


V8 swap in a 1st-gen IS300 -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2789/1032364340_Qymu2-M.jpg


Staging -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2790/1032364470_njGgh-M.jpg


Righteous fitment of SSR Professor's -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2792/1032364840_5EJNS-M.jpg

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2793-copy/1032364813_UxJJ3-M.jpg

The xB's made a showing -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2797/1032365405_GNamC-M.jpg


Some crazy clearance -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2778/1032365861_Ae2w6-M.jpg


As to not crash the show, I parked a little farther away from the Lexus orgy -

http://luwin.smugmug.com/Cars/Lexus-The-Pursuit-2-10310/IMG2800/1032365649_Gifw3-M.jpg

You have Jalisco plates?

He's Mexican.

Thanks for posting the pics, Luwin. But that really WAS me there. While you were texting me, I was walking around with a couple of guys from NorCal.

Lots and lots of Micaiah's brothers...

http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww81/Ples6/CIMG5041.jpg

One car did crash. He hit a slick spot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtBF_uT1tVA

I got mine straight too...

http://www.dragtimes.com/images/10410-2004-Subaru-Impreza.jpg

They didn't have a Pursuit 2006....

He's Mexican.


That's quite a drive.

Not to SoCal.

Not to SoCal... with a superfast Lexus and plenty of pesos for the Policia!

fify!

wow. i have a distaste for toyota/lexus but that video about made me sick. an auto enthusiast is still an auto enthusiast...

i went to a euro car show today. lots of bmws, vws, audis, one ferrari, and one porsche (other than mine)

Have a feeling there might be some frame damage.

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/592/DSCN4460.jpg

From what i heard, he was boosting too much and was told to tone it down and didn't. He had too much power to one side and when the other side caught traction it was too much power and he spun out. There were also assumptions that he shined his tires prior, which may have also contributed.

He was also very nervous before the race.

Have a feeling there might be some frame damage.

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/592/DSCN4460.jpg

From what i heard, he was boosting too much and was told to tone it down and didn't. He had too much power to one side and when the other side caught traction it was too much power and he spun out. There were also assumptions that he shined his tires prior, which may have also contributed.

He was also very nervous before the race.
It's just a car. In fact, I'm sure they make more of those kind, even.

I heard about the crash talking to one of the onlookers while watching the races.

Unfortunate. Having an "open" drag run leads to some questionable drivers and first-time nerves, I can imagine. While it's cool that they had that opportunity for folks who typically don't bring their cars to the strips, first-timers miss out on watching seasoned experienced racers ahead of time and talking to them and getting some firsthand advice. Nonetheless, kudos to the event organizers for putting together this FREE event and giving the opportunity for some folks to let their car loose in a controlled environment.

I feel sorry for the SC owner who crashed. The SC is not currently in production anymore, and was a sweet model. Add that to the time and effort the owner must have put into the car (swap, turbo, etc.) and it's a sad thing. To some, it may be "just a car," but when it's your pride and joy and you pour your hard-earned resources, time, and sweat into something you so passionately care about, it becomes more than "just a car." But the bigger picture is that the car is repairable/replaceable, and that he is ok.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/fishnut/GT1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/fishnut/smokey.jpg

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6470/img0657ma.jpg

I heard about the crash talking to one of the onlookers while watching the races.

Unfortunate. Having an "open" drag run leads to some questionable drivers and first-time nerves, I can imagine. While it's cool that they had that opportunity for folks who typically don't bring their cars to the strips, first-timers miss out on watching seasoned experienced racers ahead of time and talking to them and getting some firsthand advice. Nonetheless, kudos to the event organizers for putting together this FREE event and giving the opportunity for some folks to let their car loose in a controlled environment.

I feel sorry for the SC owner who crashed. The SC is not currently in production anymore, and was a sweet model. Add that to the time and effort the owner must have put into the car (swap, turbo, etc.) and it's a sad thing. To some, it may be "just a car," but when it's your pride and joy and you pour your hard-earned resources, time, and sweat into something you so passionately care about, it becomes more than "just a car." But the bigger picture is that the car is repairable/replaceable, and that he is ok.
No, it's still just a car. He can buy another one and put all the same stuff into it and it'll be exactly like the one he crashed. It's not as though only one was ever made and it will never exist again.

No, it's still just a car. He can buy another one and put all the same stuff into it and it'll be exactly like the one he crashed. It's not as though only one was ever made and it will never exist again.


With that frame of thought, the same can be said about a significant other who has left you....a family pet that has died after 20 years....or a house that your raised your family in, after being burnt down.

But with me being a gear head, it's hard to understand unless you've experienced all aspects of what I have gone through. Sometimes an explanation will not suffice. It's experience.



To some, it may be "just a car," but when it's your pride and joy and you pour your hard-earned resources, time, and sweat into something you so passionately care about, it becomes more than "just a car." But the bigger picture is that the car is repairable/replaceable, and that he is ok.

Agreed.

With that frame of thought, the same can be said about a significant other who has left you....a family pet that has died after 20 years....or a house that your raised your family in, after being burnt down.

But with me being a gear head, it's hard to understand unless you've experienced all aspects of what I have gone through. Sometimes an explanation will not suffice. It's experience.




Agreed.
How many Lexus SC's were built? How many Joy's were built, or the house I grew up in, or my cat? Sorry. You can build the exact car that was destroyed but there is only one Joy and will only be one Joy.

Sure, you can build the "exact" model of car, but the identification numbers on the parts/chassis/motor will be different, rendering it to be not the "exact" car. Even more so now that the SC is out of production, if he were to find one it would be different in terms of mileage, history, etc. - and even if he were to put the same parts into it it'll "feel" different. Maybe not to an outsider, but to the owner (I don't want to generalize and speak for him so I'll pretend it had happened to me and this was my experience).

Semantics aside, it is about the subjective value one puts into something. It might not mean much to you - I value that and am respectful of your opinion. Everyone has their investments (resources, emotional, etc.) in different things they feel are important to them. But to minimize this unfortunately experience and call it "just a car" is not doing justice to the owner and his efforts he has put forth into his car.

I used to have an original Japanese-language brochure for the Toyota Soarer (that eventually became the Lexus SC) from my exchange-student days (1991). My host father was a car guy and had a whole bunch issues of C&D Japan in the house, too.

Has Nuts:172362


Does Not Have Nuts:172363

Sure, you can build the "exact" model of car, but the identification numbers on the parts/chassis/motor will be different, rendering it to be not the "exact" car. Even more so now that the SC is out of production, if he were to find one it would be different in terms of mileage, history, etc. - and even if he were to put the same parts into it it'll "feel" different. Maybe not to an outsider, but to the owner (I don't want to generalize and speak for him so I'll pretend it had happened to me and this was my experience).

Semantics aside, it is about the subjective value one puts into something. It might not mean much to you - I value that and am respectful of your opinion. Everyone has their investments (resources, emotional, etc.) in different things they feel are important to them. But to minimize this unfortunately experience and call it "just a car" is not doing justice to the owner and his efforts he has put forth into his car.
I believe calling it more than "just a car" trivializes the loss of important things. By saying this is more than "just a car" you put it on the level of personage. You put the loss of this car on the same level as the loss of a loved one and, to me, that is unjustifiable. It ultimately is, just a car. It is not a child, a parent, a significant other, a grandparent, a friend, or a beloved pet. Putting the loss of a car, no matter how "cool" it may be, alongside the loss of one of these things is callous.

UA, I think you may be reading too much into this. Luwin even stated in his post that the bigger picture was the guy was ok and the car can be replaced. I agree that when you put tons of work into something, it means more than just buying something and using it.

My Falcon means much more to me than my Trek, simply because I installed every single thing on it. The only thing I did not build was the wheels and the only part I did not install was the headset. Every other thing on the bike I installed or rebuilt. Same with the Redline that Word gave my boys. We installed everything on that bike and it means a lot more to me than the Haro we bought used from the bike shop.

Both bikes could be replaced, and I might not be able to tell the rides apart if I was blindfolded, but I would still place more value on the one I built than the one I bought. I think that is all Luwin and Siu and the others are trying to say.

UA, I think you may be reading too much into this. Luwin even stated in his post that the bigger picture was the guy was ok and the car can be replaced. I agree that when you put tons of work into something, it means more than just buying something and using it.

My Falcon means much more to me than my Trek, simply because I installed every single thing on it. The only thing I did not build was the wheels and the only part I did not install was the headset. Every other thing on the bike I installed or rebuilt. Same with the Redline that Word gave my boys. We installed everything on that bike and it means a lot more to me than the Haro we bought used from the bike shop.

Both bikes could be replaced, and I might not be able to tell the rides apart if I was blindfolded, but I would still place more value on the one I built than the one I bought. I think that is all Luwin and Siu and the others are trying to say.
Sure, I can get behind that. I also understand that sometimes a car is really not "just a car." I knew a guy that completely rebuilt an old chevy and it took him years. If that car was destroyed, he would never be able to do that again. But I also don't feel bad for someone who willingly puts their toys in harms way. To race, you have to understand there is always a chance that something may go wrong. If you cannot afford to replace it or fix it (whether monetarily or otherwise) you shouldn't race it. To feel bad for someone who should know this rather silly.

I was at a race once. We were standing at the end of a long straightaway as an AC Cobra and a Shelby Cobra raced to make it first in the turn. The AC Cobra (at that time, worth half a mil) won the corner but only because the driver was going way too fast. He hit the hay bale, smashing the front end. I had the chance to talk with him later and he told my, with a smile on his face, that they'll just bang it out and be at the race next year. Even a car that was only one of 300, last built in the 60's was "just a car."

My point has been made and I don't care to argue the value of things any further. To each his own.

This is for bigbenaugust:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/fatedpariah/CIMG6229resize.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/fatedpariah/CIMG6230resize.jpg

I believe that car participated in the race. Went to find the video (I swore I saw it somewhere) but for some reason I can't find it now.

172370

172370

eff ya!!!

To drag race an NSX would be to completely miss the point of an NSX. Sad.

There's a point to an NSX?

This is for bigbenaugust:


What, no SportCross love?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/fatedpariah/CIMG6229resize.jpg




I believe the 2nd-gen SC was badged as a TOYOTA Soarer until Lexus was offered in Japan in 2005/06 and it became the Lexus SC430 over there too, so there was never a Lexus Soarer. And are those two posts for a wing attachment? =)

Definitely to each his/her own. =) (Go figure, the car's from Serramonte. Socal owners would never allow such travesty) Ohhh snap!!! =) j/k