By Petrolicious Productions / 7 May 2013
13 Comments

Kevin Reimer, from Vancouver, Canada, is a professional downhill skateboarder, traveling around the world to race down technical roads. When looking for a car to buy, he desired something with similar traction and grip as his skateboards, as well as something that could handle turns at speed. He found his perfect car: a 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R. When he discovered that he and the car had both raced and won on the same course, he knew there was a special connection.

By Petrolicious Productions / 19 April 2013
5 Comments

Designed to fit into the luggage compartment of the Honda City and Honda Today, the former’s trunk space actually being designed around its dimensions, the Motocompo was a little folding scooter sold from 1981–1983. Mechanically it wasn’t much to get excited about, with a 49cc two-stroke and centrifugal clutch, single-speed transmission, but its plastic body and retracting parts were undeniably cool—just like the Transformers, it was more than meets the eye.

By Alan Franklin / 18 April 2013
8 Comments

The recipe for a good sports car is no secret, it doesn’t involve black magic or any weird rituals; it’s actually quite easy—make it small, keep it light, send drive to the rear wheels, and the rest should follow. Like Mr. Chapman famously said, “Add lightness, then simplify”. While the first generation Mazda RX-7 was only moderately lightweight for its size, it was definitely bone-simple.

By Alan Franklin / 12 April 2013
9 Comments

Called the “poor man’s BMW” when new, it was the 2002 they were referring to. Four decades later, the sentiment remains true for buyers looking for a small, light, rear-wheel drive shoebox in a late '60s or early '70s vintage. Because it was produced in plants around the world in relatively large numbers (of which a high percentage remain due to its robust nature), appreciation won't make you rich, but as an investment in stylish fun a 510 is hard to beat.

By Petrolicious Productions / 12 April 2013
6 Comments

You already know we love vintage brochures for the way they help illuminate a car in a period-correct shade of light, but it still takes a special car and a good design layout to make promo material stand out. The Toyota 2000GT is easily special enough to fill one of those shoes, while the unknown graphic designer and photographers of this great period brochure take credit for the rest. This car was considered by many to be the most beautiful Japanese car ever built.

By Alan Franklin / 8 April 2013
7 Comments

The Datsun 510 is one of those rare cars that hits all the right buttons for every type of enthusiast, regardless of whatever particular niche of cardom they’ve settled in. Known as the fourth-generation Nissan Bluebird in its home market, the 510 was sophisticated for a Japanese car of the day and was as powerful as many contemporary sports cars. Weighing no more than a ton for most versions, it’s no surprise how quickly it became known as a “poor man’s BMW”.

By Petrolicious Productions / 15 February 2013
4 Comments

This video consists of exactly one minute and fifteen seconds of pure bliss. This brief lap gives us so much to love like the sound of the ITB's, masterful driving, moody weather and the contrast of the colorful helmet, and the driver's first pump at the end of what is apparently a personal lap record. We would give a lot to have the opportunity to hop in the driver seat and have a go around in this incredible sounding NSX. Drive tastefully (and quickly), indeed.

By Petrolicious Productions / 25 January 2013
1 Comment

Today the name of Honda is synonymous in the auto industry with innovation and fuel economy. Since the introduction of its first hybrid-power vehicle in the US, the Honda Insight, technology from the Japanese motor giant has been growing in ambition and advancement every year: production of fuel-cell cars on a mass scale is set to commence in 2013. Not bad for a company which started on little more than some recycled electric motors and a distant dream.

By Petrolicious Productions / 18 December 2012
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In Napa Valley, California, the grapes have been harvested, and vintners are aging their reserves in cellers, but here at Petrolicious, we love vintage automobiles, the wonderful folks that drive them, and the community that always builds around a make. Here in wine country, we caught up with a strong community of Datsun Roadsters that help one another with parts, maintenance, and enjoying a leisurely day in the sun.

By Petrolicious Productions / 13 December 2012

A few weeks ago, we headed up to the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are some sneak peek images of our next upcoming video, which was filmed in Napa Valley and features 1968 and 1969 Datsun roadsters. Stay tuned for the video, which we'll post next Tuesday!

Click through to see some stills from the shoot.

By Petrolicious Productions / 4 December 2012
8 Comments

On a dark, drizzly day in the San Francisco Bay Area, Petrolicious caught up with Ivan Jaramillo, the owner of not just one, but two Skylines: the Hakosuka and the Kenmeri. With epic histories, straight sixes and little effort, both cars cut the silence through the redwood groves and past horse ranches on Lucas Valley Road before posing for their close ups along the bay.

By Petrolicious Productions / 9 November 2012

What are you up to this weekend? We've been in the San Francisco Bay Area filming a few different car projects, and we'll be here through the weekend. We can't wait to share the videos with you when they're finished. As always, we came across some inspiring automotive-related things on the web this week and would love to share them with you. This week: Bond cars. Enjoy!