STREET/RACE Issue 2, Spring 2018 | Page 6

Expectations are high in 2018. With the smartphones in our pockets we can stream high-definition video, capture high-resolution photo- graphs and connect with people around the world. Our refrigerators can determine when we’re low on beer and automatically have a fresh 12-pack shipped to us overnight. Seventy-inch televisions are not only flat and readily available, they’re surprisingly affordable - and we can watch our favorite shows without ever having to be bothered by a commercial. We’re sending rockets into space and back. People are riding hoverboards. Self-driving cars actually exist. So, I suppose it’s no surprise that car culture has never had higher stan- second pass on a small shot of dards, nor have we “car guys” ex- nitrous while still featuring a bench pected more from our respective hot seat, column shifter, air conditioning rods than we do today. At this point and an overdrive transmission. While in time it’s not enough to have a having a 10-second ride at that time street car that’ll go nines in the quar- was certainly a talking point, it was ter-mile or a nimble whip that’ll far more important to me, personally, handle twists and turns with ease or that I could still street drive the truck. a top-speed mule that’ll crest That’s what meant the most to me. 200mph on the flats. In 2018, some- I remember laboring over whether what unbelievably, the baddest or not to put a deeper rear gear in street cars in the world - the ones it, or to switch to a transmission that that start trends or set the bar - are was purpose-built for drag racing, capable of accomplishing all of those and never wanting to take the aforementioned tasks, and doing it plunge for fear of losing drivability. with leather interior, ice-cold air conditioning and cross-country driv- We’ll always have a special place in ability. It’s a wild time. our hearts for purpose-built, race- ready “street cars” and intend to I vividly remember the pride that I spotlight them from time to time, felt way back in the early 2000s with but our goal here at STREET/RACE my small block Chevy-equipped S10 Magazine is to spotlight and cele- pickup that could crack off a 10- brate those who want to have their cake and eat it, too. And thanks to the racing and automotive aftermar- ket industry’s ongoing efforts to meet the demands of the modern day hot rodder, that’s something that has never been more feasible than it is today. It may skew toward an oxymoron, but our definition of a bad ass street car is based entirely upon a lack thereof. Versatility is the name of the game in 2018, and while this second issue of STREET/RACE features rides that perform at their peak in a specific arena, our ultimate stamp of ap- proval goes to Tuan Ho and his Nissan GT-R. If you can dominate on the drag strip and runway, score an invite to race on Street Outlaws and do it with a full-interior, daily driver… well…you may have the perfect example of a car that is STREET/RACE. FROM THE EDITOR Wesley R. Buck Editor-in-Chief I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me at facebook.com/wbuck and @wesbuckinc on Instagram. 6 STREETRACE