Universal City Nissan would like to invite you to its 40th anniversary birthday party on April 17th, 2010.
The day will start around 8:00am at the Datsun Heritage Museum (41610 Date St, Suite 103, Murrieta, CA). A fun and informative tour of this historic museum will be provided along with complimentary doughnuts and coffee. Then at 10:30 am, the group will depart in caravan for Universal City Nissan in Los Angeles.
Upon Arrival at Universal City Nissan, participants will be greeted by a free lunch by world famous Kogi BBQ Tacos, courtesy of Universal City Nissan. A local radio station will be broadcasting the latest tunes along with giving away 40th Anniversary prizes and giveaways.
The grand finale will be the unveiling of both the Nissan 370Z 40th Anniversary Edition and the number one 2010 Nismo Edition 370Z.
When Ken Block threw his flat-brimmed hat into the World Rally Championship ring earlier this year, expectations were mixed. But three weeks ago, at Rally Mexico-Monster World Rally Team?s inaugural WRC race-Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino proved that they have what it takes to become a competitive force on the world stage.
“We even surprised ourselves, when, after the first few stages, we were not only not dead last, but we were keeping pace with a few veteran WRC drivers, and even ahead of F1 World Champion Kimi Ra?ikko?nen,” says Ken Block.
By the end of the first leg, on Friday, Block and Gelsomino had secured a position on the leaderboard for the American flag to fly. Unfortunately, an off on the first stage of Day 2, left the Monster Energy Ford Focus RS WRC unable to continue. “It was a rookie mistake,” says Block. “We should have noted the change in surface, the section went from a grippy dirt road to very loose gravel and there was just no traction at all, especially for the speed we were trying to carry into the next turn.”
Thanks to SuperRally rules, which allow competitors to return to the stages the following day along with some heavy time penalties, Block and Gelsomino were at it again on Sunday morning. The two put on a repeat performance of Day 1, finishing stage 19, eighth fastest, with a 13.7 second gap between them and ninth place. Then, on stage 21, the Monster World Rally Team shocked naysayers once more, being second fastest on the road after the first split. But, a puncture caused by an unfortunate meeting of rim and rock later on this stage, robbed Block and Gelsomino of over a minute.
“In the WRC, we had heard of Ken Block, but more for his stunts than his driving, but after his performance in Mexico, I think it is very clear to everyone that he has the potential to become a competitive WRC driver,” says M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson. “For his first WRC event, he did extremely well.”
“Ken is shining a bright light on what we at Ford have always known…that Ford makes the best fun-to-drive small cars in the world,” says Ford Racing Director Jamie Allison. “Ken’s rally efforts globally with Fiesta and Focus help us to tell that story to a new generation of car enthusiasts and it’s great to see Ken, as the lone American, competing at the highest level in WRC and showcasing his great rally talent. All of which will help expand the appeal of the sport in the U.S.”
The next WRC round for MWRT will be Rally Turkey, on April 16-18. Until then, stay tuned here for team updates and some behind the scenes.
Donald Frey, the original designer of the Mustang, suffered a stroke and has passed away at the age of 86. The coupe that made Frey a legend was introduced in ‘64 and was predicted to sell 80,000 units a year but actually sold over a million units in its first two years. Mr. Frey is survived by his fourth wife, Kay Everly, from whom he was separated; sons, Donald Jr. and Christopher; three daughters, Margaret Walton, Catherine McNair and Elizabeth Sullivan; a brother, Stuart, who was also a top executive at Ford; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and millions of Mustang enthusiasts who are forever indebted to Mr. Frey. Our condolences and thoughts go out to the Frey family.
Tanner Foust drifts his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion TC Drift Car on a legendary stretch of Mulholland Highway. Known as “The Snake”, this stretch of Mulholland in Malibu just east of Kanan Road is a famous hangout for SoCal motorcyclists and car enthusiasts. The two mile ribbon of road winds uphill through the Malibu mountains between the Rockstore Café where thousands of bikers convene every Sunday and “The Gallery”-a viewpoint where much of the road below can be viewed. Watch as Tanner Foust unleashes his 600hp NASCAR V8 powered Scion drift car on this famed road. There were no rehearsals. Notice how he paints a line of black rubber on the virgin tarmac, running inches from the guard rails and rock walls of the canyon. The howl of the motor, screeching tires and billowing smoke contrast with Foust’s almost zen like motions in-car. The road was closed and Tanner is a trained professional so please don’t try and re-create.
The first is a confirmation of the return of both stars, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox; which is good because we all remember the strife that became between Fox and the rest of the crew of Transformers 2 and if the third installment is as bad as the second then we will definitely need her back to provide some entertaining eye candy to keep us in our seats. While on the topic of the cast, Left Lane News that Ray Park, star of the upcoming “Firebreather” Camaro film The Jinn, is “expected to have a lead role in ‘Transformers 3,’ but details of his character remain unknown;” no clue as to where they got that inside information so please take it with a grain of salt.
Now that we’ve covered the stars, both human and robot, the next thing to shed some light on is clearly the set. According to Micheal Bay there will be “big action sequences shot in Chicago and Moscow,” he was also in Detroit and Washington D.C. last month scouting shoot locations. There are also suggestions of a closer look at Cybertron, the Transformers’ homeworld, where we will see a “much cooler landscape.”
The greater focus on Cybertron will come from a plot shift to develop more characters and the core mythology; the new sequel will take a look into the robots’ roots, integrating elements’ of their past.
Hasbro head Brian Goldner told MTV News:
“What we’re really doing is getting back to some of the core character development and storytelling. And I think there’s some elements of the core story that the filmmakers, Michael in particular wanted to tell. He’s really well-versed in the Transformers lore. So I think you’ll see, you know, less bedlam, more characters.”
Lastly, there is the topic of Transformers in 3-D….of course! Here is what Bay told MTV on the subject:
“It’s a process we’re testing with some ‘Transformers’ scenes. How successful it is with my movie in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens, because hopefully that process will work. I’ve seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage.”
SOURCE: MoviesBlog.MTV.com, MichaelBay.com and LeftLaneNews.com
The Firebreather Camaro will star in the indi-film Jinn written and directed by AJ Amad and starring Ray Park, which is currently being shot in Michigan. Designed by Amad himself, the Firebreather was built by Classic Design Concepts, which helped create the GT500 K.I.T.T. for the now canceled Knight Rider series. Hopefully that won’t be a sign of how the film will turnout, although based solely on the appearance of this Camaro it’s strike two for CDC. Unfortunately the 6.2L V8 from the SS has NOT been upgraded to the rumored 650hp, but it has been upgraded with an Elbach Pro-Plus Performance handling package to go along with it’s cosmetic facelift.
The studio, Exodus Pictures, will be selling a limited run of 50 units for $60k each through the website the-firebreather.com on a first come first serve basis.
A small spoiler, but exciting none-the-less; the Industrial Light & Magic team is giving Optimus Prime and Bumblebee a redesigned for this third installment of Transformers as pre-production gets underway. Optimus Prime will have subtle changes in the form of “easter eggs” that only fanboys will notice; the changes are to make him appear more heroic, as well provide an easier task for the cgi artists. “Bumblebee’s matured a little bit, so I would just say look for subtle changes to his physique that have him look more mature,” says animation designer Scott Benza. And yes, there will be new robots in this movie.
