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Archive for August, 2018

‘Justification for Higher Education’: My First Time Driving a Ferrari

Posted in Arizona, NSX, Reader's Ride on August 30, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Vigor): 111,769

When I was a teenager, my bedroom had its fair share of automotive swag. The whole room, as I recall, was decked out in the colors red, white, and blue. I had diecast model car shelves mounted on the walls, going around the perimeter. And there was a 24×36 poster in a red plastic frame that held especially high significance. I still have it today:

It shows a southwestern-style home with a tile roof, perched along the oceanfront at sunset. But in front of the house sits a 5-car garage with some 1989’s best sportscars (though, worth noting here, none of them were Japanese!). I took the message to heart and set my sights on higher education like the goody-two-shoes I was, and graduated at 25 with a Masters Degree in Business. It wasn’t until 10 years later that I bought a house with a garage big enough to hold more than 2 cars. And I certainly didn’t fill it with high-end exotics. But my own personal dream was achieved.

You’ve met my friend Greg Davis through the blog in a couple of previous posts, including the one about his quirky collection of Japanese Domestic Market, right-hand-drive vehicles. What I didn’t share in that particular post was a glimpse of some of Greg’s other, more fancy rides. And now’s the time to go ahead and do that. My friends Chase and Trey were in town from Oklahoma this past weekend, so I wanted to show them a good time. The perfect place to find that fun was at Greg’s, where we did a mini road rally in a 1986 Ferrari 328, 1988 Lotus Esprit, 1995 Acura NSX, and 2004 Porsche 911.

We moved the cars from Greg’s storage facility to his home for a re-staging of the “Justification” poster. The photoshoot itself was fun, but even more so, was the driving enjoyment from that short jaunt between locations. The Porsche is a Turbo model with only 12,000 original miles. The driving dynamics are magnificent – with quickly engaging power and firm handling. The Ferrari was raw sportcar material – no attempts made at creature comforts – in fact, the air conditioning wasn’t working, but I didn’t care. I quickly acquainted myself with the cabin and soaked in the scenery. This one had only 6,000 miles on it. It was incredible.

Clearly I have a thing or two to learn about Italian cars because I inadvertently drove it with the parking brake engaged for a few miles. Contrary to typical “ratchet it and release it” e-brakes, the handle on this one freely floats to the “off” position but is still activated. I didn’t realize that. Luckily, there was no billowing smoke and driving performance didn’t seem impacted or I would have definitely pulled to the sidelines to investigate. Bill me for the brake job, Greg!

Aside from that tidbit of learning, I found the Ferrari to be easy to figure out. The shifter operates with a satisfying clunk, the clutch effort was predictable, and the visibility was better than I expected. Biggest thing to get used to in that car is all the crowd attention!

I did my best to keep Chase and Trey entertained for their 4-day stay, but it was tough to top the dream garage experience. We hit up a baseball game, did a little hiking, and met up with my friend Vlad for a visit to the Pavilions car show in Scottsdale.

By the way, my green Integra made it back safely & soundly to Phoenix from its Pebble Beach debut this past weekend. There are a lot of articles coming out on the event. Here are a few links for you to sample:

Here is a video. My car makes a cameo a few times including the time-lapse segment at the ending.

Hope you enjoy a few photos and a short video of our Sunday morning adventure at Greg’s Garage!

Hiking Papago Park in Scottsdale

Driving the 911

A few more angles of the dream garage

Brunch at Fez

Click & zoom. Which Acura did we drive to the hiking trail?

Visiting Vlad’s garage

Night out in Scottsdale

Nosebleeds at the baseball game! But the view was great.

“Keep it fair. Keep it Tyson.”

How’s this for mileage mania? Apparently there’s a 2009 Accord running around California with almost 700,000 miles on it. More to come on that.

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Monterey Car Week – 2019 NSX Reveal, The Quail, and Japanese Automotive Invitational (JAI)

Posted in California, Car Show, Integra, Misc Travel, NSX on August 27, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 563,515

Odometer (Integra Sedan): 72,199

Kids today will never understand the struggle of juggling 3 of these bad boys in the car during a road trip: Huge compact disc albums, each holding 96 sleeves for seemingly unlimited playlist material.

How else do you think I was able to stay entertained long enough to drive 500,000 miles? Little did I know when I picked up Jewel’s “0304” album in 2003 that I would be standing next to Jewel herself at a private concert 15 years later. It’s one of my faves! I loaded it back into my 6-disc CD changer just recently for good measure.

There she is, in the flesh!

Once again it was my turn to hobnob with society’s elite – even if just for a day. As I did last year, I attended some of the “Car Week” festivities along the Monterey Peninsula in the Bay Area of central, coastal California. The Integra got to ride out there on a transport carrier, but I caught a flight on Thursday afternoon and skipped the drive (I didn’t have time for a 24-hour round-trip adventure, as much as I would have loved to do it).

This year was the first time for a new event called the Japanese Automotive Invitational. It’s no mystery that there is an up-and-coming appreciation for cars that historically haven’t been considered part of the “classic car” community. Shows like the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) and Radwood are designed around capturing some of that movement.

JAI has taken things to an even greater level. The scene in and around Pebble Beach, California is dominated each August by supercars with six-figure pricetags. But how cool is it that now a 1992 Acura Integra – an $18,000 car when new – received a VIP invitation to be parked in the same venue? I was thrilled at the opportunity when it arose.

Last Thursday evening, I attended a private Acura event at the Carmel Valley Ranch. It took me longer in traffic to drive the 80 miles from San Jose airport to Monterey than it had taken me to fly 800 miles from Phoenix to San Jose. Gotta love rush hour – but at least I was driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid rental car that pretty effortlessly delivered 40 mpg.

The private grounds of the Carmel Ranch provided an intimate setting for around 100 attendees – select media, Acura enthusiasts (10 members like me from the NSX Club of America), Acura personnel & support teams, and the entertainment. Four-time Grammy Award nominee and singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher (better known as just “Jewel”) took the stage and shared her talent with the group – both in dialogue and in song. Jewel was an engaging speaker and I was a little star-struck to be just a few steps away from her platform.

The star of the show – though Jewel was a crowd favorite – was the 2019 Acura NSX. Now moving into the third model year of its second generation, the latest NSX is receiving suspension & chassis enhancements as well as a broader palette of available colors. During Acura General Manager Jon Ikeda’s remarks at the podium, the cover was pulled off a vivid “Thermal Orange Pearl” NSX. It was stunning from any angle. I enjoyed admiring its lines while in the company of friends and colleagues.

On Friday, I met with representatives from Motor Trend to assist with load-in of show cars at the JAI show venue. There were roughly 40 vehicles anticipated, including noteworthy models like the Nissan GT-R, Infiniti Q45, Lexus LS400, and a few Acuras: My Integra GS-R, a 1990 Legend LS coupe, and a Formula Red NSX. Over the course of the next couple days, many friends stopped by the display and sent me pictures of/with my car. I especially loved the phone of automotive journalist Jason Cammisa (bottom right).

My next stop on Friday was The Quail Motorsports Gathering. For 16 years, The Quail has brought out some of the world’s most famous and exotic vehicles. Tickets are limited in availability and usually priced upwards of $600 apiece, if that tells you anything about how exclusive the venue is. But for many, the event isn’t just about the cars. It’s also about the culinary pavilions and opportunity to bask in an environment of manicured lawns and important (or at least wealthy!) people. I felt out of my league but enjoyed myself either way.

Within 24 hours of picking up my rental car at the San Jose airport, I turned it back in. This trip was the pure definition of a “whirlwind,” but an enjoyable one it was. Enjoy a collection of photos and a video below!

I knew I was on the right track when I spotted a 2019 MDX A-Spec ahead of me on the interstate ramp.

Orange was the name of the game in all decor!

Precision Crafted Cocktail, anyone?

Actor Jesse Metcalfe was one of the event’s attendees

An orange so juicy I want to lick it.

Jewel behind the wheel of the NSX.

NSX Club of America Vice President May “May Purple” Lee.

Acura General Manager Jon Ikeda

Automotive journalist Carlos Lago & his wife

I’ll take it!

Nightly stay at the Hyatt Regency Monterey

The Infiniti display near Pebble Beach at the Japanese Automotive Invitational

This weather was a shocker, especially when coming from August in Phoenix.

Travel News Bits: St. George, Prescott, Canyon Lake, & Upcoming Monterey

Posted in Accord, Integra, Legend, Milestones, Misc Travel, Road Trip, Vigor on August 20, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 563,514

Odometer (Vigor): 111,707

Hours (Boat): 4,000

Trip Distance: 225 Miles

Let’s get up to speed on some of the last few weeks’ activities as summer winds down here in Arizona. In late July, some friends and I traveled to southern Utah for a few days at my brother’s newly-remodeled home. The pool was pretty inviting!

Headed northbound in Kyle’s 2008 Pontiac G8 GXP 6-speed.

James drove up in his tester of the week, the 2018 Accord.

We also took a quick jaunt to the mountains of Payson, Arizona a couple of weeks ago with 8 attendees and 6 cars, including 3 Acuras, a Mazda, a Pontiac, and an Infiniti. Leading the pack in power and presence was Vlad’s 2017 NSX, recently customized with performance exhaust downpipes from Science of Speed. I was happy to bring up the tail – my 1994 Vigor is a fun and nimble machine, but its tired suspension, old Michelins, and 176-horsepower motor were no match for the others in this group.

Lunch at Prescott Brewing Company.

Fueling up at the Mobil in Wickenburg.

After 3 years of ownership, I finally had the Vigor’s upholstery worked on. The driver seat “Cognac” leather was torn along the side bolster, so I had Naro from TrimFit in Phoenix clean it up for $250 last week. He succeeded masterfully.

I also got around to having a lot of small dings removed from the 1992 Integra GS. Jorden of Anytime Dent had the car for about 4 days and cleaned up every panel. It came out looking perfectly. I snagged a pic while at Starbucks parked next to a 1989 Legend.

This past Saturday, we took Kyle’s new (well, 1993 model year) boat out to Canyon Lake which is about an hour away from my place. Contrary to popular belief, Arizona does have its fair share of lakes and waterways. This one is a reservoir formed by the Salt River which is Phoenix’s primary water supply. The spot is noted by the red marker at top right here.

I tried my hand at riding the tube. Two days later, I realize I must have been clutching to it pretty aggressively because my arms are realllllly sore.

And yesterday, I took the Legend GS to church and it rolled 160,000 miles.

My Integra GS-R is getting ready for a trip to the California Coast. It will be featured as one of about 40 cars in Pebble Beach at the inaugural “Japanese Automotive Invitational” show this Saturday 8/25 and Sunday 8/26. The space belongs to Infiniti, who has partnered with Motor Trend to bring everything together. Participating vehicles are being brought in from across the nation, including an exceptionally clean 1990 Legend LS coupe from Florida with only 54,000 miles on it. Pick up is anticipated for sometime this week!

I’ll be attending part of the ‘car week’ activities as well, as I’m scheduled to attend an Acura private reception this Thursday at the Carmel Valley Lodge. I’ll be flying in and out of San Jose. I’ll bring you a full report next week.

That’s a wrap on recent news for now!

Check out this plexiglass magazine display that I picked up! Soon to be fastened to a wall inside my house or in the garage.

Looks like a car-party at my house.

Beautiful Payson, AZ summer afternoon.

Evening meet-up with Michael (ILX) and a few other folks at Tempe Town Lake Marina.

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Hot Stuff: Toyota’s Arizona Proving Ground (TAPG) Intro & Presentation

Posted in PAPA, Vehicle Reviews on August 16, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 563,505

It’s a little ironic that a vehicle tested and developed almost exclusively at the one of the hottest places in the desert came to be painted in a color called “Windchill Pearl.” That’s exactly what happened with the 2019 Toyota Avalon that was on display for the Phoenix Automotive Press Association (PAPA) journalist group last night at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Now in its fifth generation, the Avalon continues to raise the bar ever-higher as Toyota’s flagship sedan. Cory Tafoya, Principal Engineer from the Vehicle Performance Development team, walked PAPA members through a slideshow illustrating how Arizona’s test track has become such an important venue for not only the Avalon project, but for every Toyota model from the tiny iQ microcar to the six-figure supercar Lexus LC500.

Every automaker puts its prototype and in-development models through the rigors of hot weather testing, and for good reason. Last December I was able to make a visit to one such track (but operated by Honda) in Cantil, California where I drove the new Acura NSX at 155 miles per hour on the oval. Toyota’s oval is even longer at 10 miles in total distance – making it, in fact, the longest oval track in the world.

Located about 60 miles northwest of Phoenix, desert ground was broken for the new Toyota Arizona Proving Ground (or TAPG) in a 1991 ceremony. The facility went on to become one of the largest of its kind, with nearly 80 miles of testing facilities across 12,000 acres. In April 2018, it celebrated 25 years of being in operation.

Look at that Camry breaking new ground – figuratively and literally.

Test track in relation to Phoenix:

Speakers in the PAPA program included a few of the roughly 40 associates who work at the proving ground, as well as Technology Communications Analyst Brian Watkins who had flown in from Ann Arbor for the presentations. Project Manager Richard Woodroffe gave an overview of track operations and fielded questions from the group regarding “typical day” workload tasks, security / surveillance, and a little about how the innovations at the track end up being incorporated into production vehicles.

DJ Quint then shared some fun sidebar stories about extracurricular activities that take place at the track – namely, participation in a small grassroots race team that campaigns a 2013 Scion FR-S (now badged as a Toyota 86) in a series of endurance races in the western United States. Starting with limited resources and little race experience, DJ and his colleagues have gone on to successfully compete in 27 events over the last 4 years and aspire to take part in this year’s “24 Hours of Thunderhill” event in California later this year.

As for the Avalon, it’s come a long way since its 1994 model year debut.

My grandpa is 88 years old and has two Avalons (2000 and 2006). Avalons are among the most reliable cars on the road today. The new direction for Avalon is to inject some performance and “sport” into a model that historically has catered only to people like my grandpa.

Cory Tafoya is proud of the work he’s been able to do to the latest iteration, including large forward advancements in suspension technology called AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension). The 2019 model on display at the Art Museum was eye-catching and surprisingly sporty-looking with its aggressive lines, quad outlet exhausts, and LED lighting.

Now if only its “Windchill Pearl” color had brought Phoenix a cold front along with it.

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Drive to Five Review: 2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD Advance

Posted in Accord, RDX, Vehicle Reviews on August 9, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 563,495 Miles

Odometer (RDX): 911 Miles

Refined, Dynamic, and Xceptionally equipped. I guess that’s how I’d define the acronym that Acura pinned on its latest version of the crossover that so many have come to know and love. Does it look at home in this garage?

The Acura RDX, now in its third generation, is a power player for the Acura brand. It sells over 50,000 units per year. That success is impressive given the competitive segment that the RDX plays in: It seems, everyone is trying to get in on the crossover game. Over the years, I’ve been able to see firsthand the evolution the RDX. Back in 2016, I put a prior-gen model through its paces on a mountain climb.

Building each upon advancements in technology since the RDX first launched in 2007, the 2019 model year version was first shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2018, and it went on sale six months later. You can see the differences between the third and second-gens here.

I got my hot little hands on the first one in the Phoenix area media fleet this past Wednesday. It only had 775 miles on the odometer when I turned the key. Or rather, pushed the Start button. This is a level of tech I’m not accustomed to! You can practically get a whiff of the new car smell just from looking at the interior. What if they made scratch & sniff computer monitors?

Getting settled into the RDX, I enjoyed the step-in height right off the bat. I’m accustomed to riding low to the ground, so this was a nice change of pace – especially when I needed to throw my backpack and laptop into the back seat as I left the office. Speaking of the seats, the driver’s seat was ergonomic perfection – especially when cranked up to Level 3 on the ventilation setting. It is August in Phoenix, after all.

The RDX is about as well-rounded as any vehicle can be. It exhibits polite road manners, it’s easy to maneuver and park, scoots down the road with plenty of power, and offers up some great utility for folks with active lifestyles who need that extra cargo room or ground clearance from time to time (in my current collection of 7 Acuras, none have All-Wheel-Drive capability – sadly).

Over my seven days with the RDX, I had time to capture perspectives of both positive and negative nature. Maybe it’s easier to just summarize a few of those points in list form.

Loved: Power, ELS audio system, visibility, illumination, seats, step-in height, fit & finish, ride quality, convenience tech (power liftgate, smart key, head up display), panoramic roof, storage solutions, HVAC effectiveness, overall size – not too big, not too small, gauge cluster display (fun graphics upon start/stop), CarPlay interface
Disliked: Touch pad interface, dynamic selector placement (I’d prefer a volume knob front and center instead), occasionally intrusive safety tech, default automatic start/stop, black wheels

Performance is the name of the game, with the RDX producing 272 horsepower (that’s two more than my 1992 NSX!) out of a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. A ten speed automatic transmission (again, outdoing the NSX with double the gears!) puts the power to the ground lickety-split. I found “Sport Plus” mode to generate a surprisingly quick acceleration experience for a vehicle that weighs nearly 4,000 pounds. I got a kick out of the graphics on the Snow mode setting.

It’s worth mentioning that as an audiophile, I greatly appreciate the efforts made to create a great sounding listening experience in the cabin. I was provided some ELS Studio 3D audio files on a USB stick that I played at max volume. I can say with a certainty that Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” sounds at least as good in the new RDX as it sounded in my old TL Type-S with a DVD-Audio sound system.

Acura’s return to its “Precision Crafted Performance” mantra from the brand’s early days is evident here, especially considering the RDX can be outfitted in A-Spec. The A-Spec trim has always been known as the sportiest, and offers up suspension & handling updates among other features.

Tipping the cash register at just over $48,000, this RDX was highly equipped, but still offers a nice value for those wanting a well-rounded package. I thank the folks at Acura for the chance to put this one through its paces for a few days!

I’ve uploaded a video capturing some of my experience with it.

Here you can see the head-up display

Multiple camera angles when putting the vehicle into reverse

When I parked the RDX and walked away, I received a notification about where it was located. This could be handy at concerts, in unfamiliar cities, etc.