Archive for April, 2018

Sin City Supercars: NSX “WestFest” 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted in Nevada, NSX, Road Trip on April 29, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (NSX):  110,936

As if Las Vegas weren’t full of enough glitz and glamour already, the Acura NSX Club of America added some eye candy to the mix this weekend with a few aluminum-constructed sportscars in vivid colors like Spa Yellow, Long Beach Blue, and Midnight Purple.  Launched last year as the club’s inaugural signature event for the Southwest Region chapter, round 2 brought out over 45 cars and 65 attendees to Sin City.  And everyone had a pretty wicked good time.

The event kicked off with check-in & registration on Thursday evening at the Gold Coast Casino on Flamingo Road.  Its selection was a strategic decision on behalf of the planning committee in the interest of keeping four-dozen cars away from the Strip.  Can you imagine trying to execute a group drive in any formal fashion while dealing with Strip stop-and-go?  That might have been chaotic.

On Friday, Findlay Acura in Henderson hosted our group for a half day.  There was car show voting, music, a food truck, giveaways, and a photoshoot.  Findlay always rolls out the red carpet for us.  Those who wanted to hit the go-kart track at Gene Woods Racing in the afternoon did so, followed by an open night.  I took the opportunity to catch up with a couple of local friends as well as hang out with Josh of NSX Experiment who’d driven down from Boise.

No multi-day car club event is complete without a driving portion, and that was reserved for Saturday.  But first, we invaded the cars & coffee meet-up at SpeedVegas off Exit 25 on Interstate 15.  SpeedVegas is a facility that offers exotic car track sessions, but it also opens up its parking lot every Saturday morning for anyone and everyone.  And in this case, they even let our group take a few parade laps (at about 25-35 miles per hour only, though).  Still it was a pretty nifty sight to see that many cars lined up and making the rounds.

The rest of the day was spent battling the desert heat and attempting to keep the group together (it was futile, in the end) while we took a 180-mile scenic loop to the old mining town of Nelson followed by lunch at the Primm Valley Casino near the California – Nevada state line.  My poor passenger Brandon probably heard a few curse words as I was being summoned by phone call, text, and walkie talkie with individuals who needed help with directions – despite the fact that they’d been emailed out a week in advance, as well as distributed in hard copy at registration.

Navigation challenges aside, we had a great drive and pigged out at the buffet.  Manager Robin even offered our group discounts on shopping at the nearby outlet mall.  Our event capstone took place on Saturday evening back at the Gold Coast, where a banquet dinner was served up in Salon A and awards & prizes were distributed.  A few lucky club members got things like gift certificates to NSX performance vendors, signed model cars, posters, and other items.  Probably very few went home empty-handed, which was thanks to the generosity of sponsors.

Thankfully, my NSX gave me zero trouble on the trip – this morning’s 4.5-hour return drive from Las Vegas to Phoenix was flawless, and I even had time to wash it down before stowing it away.  Now after having lived out of a suitcase for a full week (work trip + NSX trip), I’m ready to get back to my routine.  I don’t think I’ve ever been grateful to see the walls of my office cubicle, but I actually won’t mind it one bit this week.

Here’s an 8-minute recap video and the rest of my photos!

Headed out from Phoenix.  The total drive is about 300 miles each way.

Boulder City, Nevada

Arrival on Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, just off the Strip.

Swag Bag contents!

With a couple of my favorite ladies from the NSX Club of America

Findlay Acura takeover

This plate reads “My Happy Place.”

Car show registration.  There was a section where people could list modifications.  I have none!

Jody and Kelly who work for Honda/Acura.

Yowza!  In April, even.

There’s that Long Beach Blue!  It’s a 2002-05 color.

Love seeing an NSX with “Classic Rod” license plates.

Dinner at Stir Krazy Mongolian with friends Dane and Brandon

Josh let me drive his 2000 NSX to cars & coffee.  It was a pretty different driving experience compared to what I’m used to:  power steering, +20 hp, +1 gear, and a removable top!

My friend Romeo from the Legend club came out to visit.

Photos in Nelson, Nevada

Headed on back to Primm Valley with Brandon

A visit from Sunny & his friend from Salt Lake City who coincidentally were in the area.

Banquet dinner time.  I went with the petite filet and chicken.

 

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NSX 110,000-Mile Mark, Integra Tint & Engine Detail; Upcoming “WestFest” in Las Vegas

Posted in Detailing, Integra, Maintenance, Milestones, NSX, Running on April 22, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe):

Odometer (Integra Sedan):  117,737

Milestone!

The NSX has been a great car for the 30,000 miles that I’ve put on it.  It received a new right axle and a 10W30 Castrol GTX oil change in preparation for this week’s upcoming trip to WestFest in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The original axle had flung a bunch of grease on the undercarriage and I started getting a ‘clicking’ sound consistent with speed, so it was time.  Science of Speed in Chandler, Arizona worked to squeeze in the car in the nick of time.

Thanks to Chris & his team for their help!

WestFest is slated to be one of the biggest NSX Club of America regional club events this year, anticipating 45 vehicles and upwards of 70 attendees.  Here’s a post from where I scouted out the proposed WestFest group drive earlier this year, and a write-up from last year’s program.  We will be in Vegas from Thursday through Sunday.

The Integra has been getting some more attention.  I had Desert Shield Window Tinting give it a new set of shades.  It’s a necessary update when you live in an area that has 300 days of sunshine per year.

You can see here how the clear rear window showed those faded rear headrests.

Little better here, especially to preserve the interior from further deterioration.

I have had Desert Shield work on 5 or 6 of my cars in the past, but I honestly cannot say I recommend them any longer.  I specifically asked for the side windows to be all the same shade, but the technician installed limo tint on the rear side windows.  I had it stripped and redone.  Then 3 days later, there was peeling tint from the left rear door.  It will be fixed under warranty next week.  But I’m tired of taking trips back there.

I spent an evening earlier in the week getting the engine bay cleaned up.  It wasn’t really bad to begin with, but just in case I end up showing this car at any events, I want things to be ready.  There’s a video below.

In other noteworthy news, my friend Vlad stopped by this week.  He drives an RLX that I featured in a Reader’s Ride last year.  It was great to catch up with him.

And yesterday, a friend and I joined 28,000 other runners in the 14th annual “Pat’s Run,” in Tempe, Arizona.  It’s a 4.2-mile race in recognition of our armed forces, past and present, named in honor of Pat Tillman who was a professional football player killed in the line of duty in 2002.  It was a well-organized event and served a good cause.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

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Readers’ Rides: Trevor, Shaun, and Dave – Acura Meet in Utah & TL-S Update

Posted in Legend, TL, Utah on April 16, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend):  560,191

Odometer (Branson’s Legend coupe):  182,633

Big Bear Park in Sandy, Utah was the site of quite the parade on Sunday morning:  Six Acuras rolled in and parked at a 45-degree angle looking as photogenic as possible.  Four of the six belonged to family members of the Kinzer family – surely one of the most devoutly loyal Acura-owning families I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting.

What started as the purchase of a 1979 Honda Prelude, and later a 1985 Honda Accord, has snowballed into Trevor and his wife Michelle owning not one, not two, but a total of 11 different Acura products, spanning a 1992 Legend sedan to a 2008 TL.  If you know what you like, why branch out?  And that’s exactly what’s kept this family’s driveway looking a bit like a broken record over the years – and I mean that in the very best possible way.

Capping off an exceptionally busy weekend of making family & friend visits in northern Utah, I set aside a few hours to devote to “car stuff,” as I always do.  And this time I had the real treat of meeting several great people including Trevor and his family.  We overtook Trevor’s front yard & driveway initially, but decided to head to the city park nearby for a little more wiggle room for photo opportunities.

Along the way came Shaun, in his immaculate Desert Mist Metallic 1994 Legend LS sedan, and Sunny, who rode along with me in a (borrowed) 1995 LS coupe.  I wasn’t about to show up to an Acura meet in my rental Nissan Versa; I’d be shunned.

In attendance were the following:

  • 2006 TL
  • 2008 TL x 2
  • 2006 MDX
  • 1994 Legend sedan
  • 1995 Legend coupe

Shaun’s car is a story of dedication in itself:  Starting with a relatively rough, 200,000+ mile sedan in the Seattle area, Shaun made the drive home to Utah about a year ago (“running on 4 or 5 cylinders,” he says) and then began what was to become an extensive teardown of the Legend mechanicals to get everything updated – and I mean, everything.  The motor received an overhaul with new head gaskets, belts, hoses, just about anything he could get his hands on.  And it shows.  I took the car for a spin later in the day and it runs, drives, brakes, and handles like a car with one-tenth of the miles.

The Acura meet-up, meanwhile, wouldn’t be complete without the presence of “Kyng” – the friendliest pup around.  He thinks the MDX is his, but Michelle would say otherwise.  Thanks to the Kinzer family and to Shaun & Sunny for being a part of a pretty exciting Sunday morning Acura-entourage.  Here’s a short video from our meet-up.

All aboard Southwest Airlines, with a great view of the Rocky Mountains from seat 13F.

My wheels for a day in Logan, Utah – dad’s truck.

Lunch with grandma

Being from Arizona, seeing this in my rental car was a bit of a shock.

My mom’s old 2000 Acura RL, now being driven by my cousin and with around 190,000 miles.  I picked up this car in the San Francisco Bay area in 2005 with 22,000 miles on it from the original owner.

Branson’s coupe (and my loaner for a day)

 

Photoshoot at ‘Legends Boxing’ – this seemed fitting.

Thanks Shaun for the test-drive!

Since this post is heavy on 3G TL content, it’s worth mentioning an update now on my formerly-owned Kinetic Blue Pearl TL Type-S.  Dave in St. Louis has now owned the car for about the same length of time I owned it (roughly 6 months), but he’s been putting on the miles at a much faster pace than I did.  The car today has over 113,000 miles on it (I sold it at 102,500 or so last November).  These are some photographs he took on his 1,500+ mile drive home from Phoenix.

Keep on rolling, Dave!

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Easter Weekend 2018 in Utah; Integra Sedan Update Video; IMSA Race Event Invitation

Posted in Integra, Legend, Milestones, Road Trip, Utah on April 7, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend):  560,138

Odometer (ILX):  204,370 – Slowly still creeping!

Odometer (Integra Sedan):  117,545

Trip Distance:  832 Miles

I’m exhausted.  I drove over 4,800 miles over the last 4 weekends in 4 different 24+ year old cars with > 100,000 miles on them – not counting any of the weekday miles that I accumulated on Mondays through Thursdays.  It’s time for a break, for me and for my cars.  The good news is that all of those miles were achieved with little or no drama.  And the other good news is that I’m actually recovering and taking it easy today.

For the Easter holiday weekend, I took the Legend coupe to southern Utah.  On Saturday I had a reservation at the best breakfast restaurant in town:  Grandma’s House.  The menu consisted of crepes with fruit toppings and whipped cream, with a side of sausage and a glass of milk to wash it all down.  It hit the spot.

I attended an annual car show in the city of Hurricane (pronounced hurri-cun if you’re a local) and spent a couple of hours decorating eggs with the nieces and nephews.  A grand ol’ time indeed.  My brother Payton took me for a spin in his customized 2002 Lexus IS300 — a car that I’ve featured here before but that seems to get more and more extreme each time I see it.  Currently its motor produces in excess of 700 horsepower.  Here’s a quick video.

I’ve been progressing little by little with the 1992 Integra LS.  Hon-Man and his talented repair crew dug in wholeheartedly this week and started tackling some of the car’s key needs.  First and foremost, they attended to some of the routine maintenance needs (fluids, primarily).  Without having any records on the car, I’m really just driving blindly here – and because of that, I wanted a careful eye to inspect the key mechanical components to make sure it’s roadworthy.

New (aftermarket) floor mats make the interior a little more cozy.

The electrical issues appear like they could be related at least in part to a faulty fuse box, and for that we’ve sourced a part which will arrive next week.  Everything else is taken care of:  We replaced a few hoses in the engine bay that were extremely soft and old, replaced both axles, and got some of the bulbs working again.  Marker lights, license plate lights, cruise control, and power antenna are all now working again, which is awesome.  The two front tires were directionally facing backwards, so those are fixed now too.  It’s all about those little details.

Yesterday, I took the car to the Arizona emissions station to have the exhaust gases evaluated.  The car passed, and then I went ahead and got registration taken care of, including special “Historic Vehicle” tags (made available to any vehicle > 25 years old).  Finally.  It’s been a long road getting that car purchased, transported, maintained, and formally relocated to its new home.  In the coming weeks we’ll finish up the mechanicals and probably have windows tinted & some dings removed.

Blog buddy Jason Pawela of Driven for Drives came out to Phoenix to visit this weekend and we took the Integra siblings out for a little drive this morning to Dreamy Draw Park off Northern Avenue.

Here is an 8-minute video capturing some of the latest happenings in the progress with the Integra LS, followed by some other photos of recent events and sightings.  Scroll to the bottom for one more feature – an invitation and offer for some free race tickets!  Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

I’ve always liked these Lexus SC coupes.  This 1999 SC300 was in my mom’s neighborhood.

Scenery in Washington, Utah

My friend Ryan who has the Jurassic Park Explorer (see Radwood 2017) will appreciate this.

Sunday morning quick photo at Pioneer Park on the Red Hill in St. George

Two 2013 models:  Dad’s MDX and my ILX

Easter egg hunting with nephew Locke.  That egg was easy to find.

Milestone on the way home to Phoenix on Sunday!

For reals:  Look at the size comparo between a Dodge Challenger and a G1 NSX.

Beauty shots of the siblings this morning at Dreamy Draw Park

Special Feature Opportunity:  Invitation to IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) Races.

OH, NY, CA, GA Acura owners:  I’m posting this invitation from Acura Motorsports that I received. Free race tickets and the chance to show your car:

Acura owners are invited to attend a weekend at the racetrack with Acura Motorsports. At four IMSA race weekends this year, Acura will be hosting an Acura Car Corral, where owners and enthusiasts can display their ride and enjoy the on-track action. Acura will be providing complimentary parking passes for the corral along with weekend passes to the race for the owner and a guest. Space is limited, so passes will be distributed by RSVP date. Acura Car Corral will be present at these four IMSA races:

1. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Showdown; May 5-6, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
2. Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, June 30-July 1, Watkins Glen
3. Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, September 8-9, Monterey
4. Motul Petit Le Mans, October 12-13, Road Atlanta

To RSVP for one of these events, e-mail Kyle Ginty at kginty@chargegf.com with the following information:

– Name and name of guest
– Event you wish to attend
– Vehicle model/year
– Mailing Address
– Phone Number

 

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