Formula Drift seems to get bigger every year in the Northwest and it certainly showed this past weekend. Not only were the grand stands packed at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe but, there were people piled up along the fence to get every last taste of tire, every last whiff of race fuel, and to witness each adrenaline packed crash into the wall.

There was plenty of hot weather, free NOS Energy Drinks, and action on the track but don’t forget about the other happenings at this event. The pits were also a very popular spot especially during the 2 hour intermission of drifting. Spectators were able to see their favorite drift car up close and personal and check out cars who got a little too friendly with the wall. You could also take home as many drifted tires as you could load into your car. The sponsors had plenty to do for fans. Scion Racing had a booth giving away free merchandise for your measly contact information, they were also selling a variety of shirts and hats. The ladies of Falken Tire were autographing posters for a long line of drooling fans with anticipation to hang these in their garages.

NOS Energy Drink had a “Bunker Lounge” and booth with plenty of umbrella girls handing out energy drinks, lanyards, and vuvuzelas, which got extremely annoying into the later hours of the evening. But, this gave fans a place to chill out, get out of the scorching sun and refuel with some free “Human Energy.” And of course you could see some unique whips out at the One of One Hellaflush show, which will be covered in a later post.

Your Formula Drift Throwdown champion for this year is Tanner Foust in the Rockstar Scion TC. Followed by Ryan Tuerck in the Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice, and Darren McNamara in the Saturn Sky. Here is Tanner going for the win as Ryan Tuerck slams the Pontiac Solstice into the wall.

Once again the Northwest has proven its deep enthusiasm for the sport of drifting with the packed stands and huge attendance numbers. For additional photos from members of the forum check the original Formula Drift event thread. Look for our Hellaflush One of One showcase in the coming days.

Behold the 2010 Lexus HS250h. What do you think? Kinda hot, right? Looks pretty sharp. Looks a lot like the Lexus IS, maybe with a little bit of RX & ES thrown in. Well, look closer, you may even see a bit of Prius in there, too! What?! Yes, folks, this is a new hybrid. Lexus plans to release this vehicle sometime this summer. You Lexus guys probably caught on already, but that little “h” means this puppy’s packin – a cool IMA hybrid system, that is!

Say what you will, but green is in. And the guys over at Lexus have been putting their own twist on hybrid technology for a few years now. Lexus has proven that you can still enjoy power and performance, while employing hybrid technology to help reduce fuel consumption and pollution. The slowest Lexus hybrid does 0 – 60 MPH in about 7-seconds (faster than most original vintage muscle cars), but most Lexus Hybrids get to 60 in about 5-seconds. Pretty impressive. Sure, you may not save the planet yourself, but, hey, every little bit helps! The downside is that all of Lexus’ hybrids have been pricey to say the least. The least expensive Lexus hybrid you can buy STARTS at nearly $43,000! Well, Lexus hopes to change that with the HS250h.

No official word on pricing yet, but Lexus plans to position this car somewhere near the IS, which starts at $31,000. Not bad when you consider the uber-dork Prius starts at $22,000, with most selling for nearly $30,000! Think that’s a bit high? Well, keep in mind the average new car sale price last year was just under 30 grand. Yep, 30 grand.

Lexus (and parent company Toyota) knows the Prius, as fantastic as it is (haha), has given hybrids a bit of a… um… er… reputation, shall we say. And that rep isn’t exactly cool. They hope to change that with this car. Despite sharing a lot of common hardware with the upcoming 2010 Toyota Prius, the HS250h will be unique in many ways. It will offer increased performance, luxury, and technology in a package that is attractive and desirable. I think they’ve done a great job, from a design perspective. We’ll have to wait and see how the performance stacks up. But given the high level of performance and value offered by its existing hybrid line, this Lexus should be a strong competitor. As of right now, it is the only dedicated hybrid premium vehicle, all others come in regular gas versions, as well. The HS250h is hybrid only, baby.

Who’d be interested in this car…

-Tuner looking for a cool second car (or third, or fourth…)
-Tuner who has a wife who wants a hybrid but doesn’t want a Prius in his driveway!
-Tuner who wants something new that no one has yet
-Tree-hugging tuner who doesn’t want to look like a tool
-Smug tuner who likes to smell his own farts (HAHA – see South Park)

I have no doubts Lexus will sell a ton of them. In fact, I think the HS in HS250h stands for “Hot Stuff” because I am almost tempted to ditch my daily driver BMW E46 ZHP M-Performance Package for this bad boy!

The current generation Legacy was introduced for the 2005 model year and is starting to show its age. It has received much praise by automotive journalists and tuners alike for its excellent performance, reliability, and value. Well, Subaru has just released an all-new Legacy Concept at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

While its still officially in “concept” mode, it’s no secret that these concept vehicles are really thinly disguised versions of upcoming models – dressed up with fancier wheels, cooler electronics & gadgets, and unique paint jobs. So, we can assume that much of what we see in this new Legacy Concept (minus all the really cool stuff, that is), will make it into the next generation Legacy.

The exterior gives off a very heavy or bloated appearance. It no longer has that lean, athletic stance of the current Legacy. Instead, when viewed from the front 3/4 angle in particular, it looks like an Infiniti G sedan has mated with a Chevy Malibu. Dimensionally, the Legacy Concept is larger in almost every way (wheelbase alone is up over 3-inches). Interestingly, this Legacy Concept forgoes the trend of big blingy wheels and is sportin some rather goofy lookin wheels. Note: If these wheels are big, then this car really IS big and bloaty because they look dinky and small, IMHO. And, did you see those laughable stubs for side view mirrors? I mean WTF?! They’re supposedly part of a technology feature that’s shown off on this concept, but it sure doesn’t do much to help the odd proportions of the car. When viewed head-on the concept’s design isn’t half bad. But, it has a meaty, muscular appearance that isn’t quite befitting of a sporty mid-size sedan. Instead it looks butched out in the way crossover utility vehicles try to look rugged.

The hoodline is raised significantly, losing that sloped, sleek lowered hoodline of the current Legacy. This makes sense as Subaru claims that the Legacy Concept was equipped with a 3.6L 6-cylinder boxer engine, rumored to be producing horsepower in the upper 200s to 300s. Unfortunately, Subaru told reporters not to expect the big 3.6L as it was merely for effect here, and to expect engines similar in-size to existing engine offerings. If that’s so, why such a honkin nose? I don’t get it I think they could’ve done more to make it sexier. The overemphasized bulging wheel arches or flared fenders, look overdone, as well.

The badonkadonk, on the other hand, looks pretty good. You can sense some design cues of the B9 Tribeca, particularly in the creased rear license plate and bumper area. It’s interesting to note that the concept car is missing an integrated rear license plate lamp. So, I’m sure the design will change slightly to incorporate this necessary feature, and lose some of the concepts “tight” appearance. On the plus side, the lighting used for the headlamps, accent lighting, and brake lamps are all pretty impressive. Check them out…

The interior looks pretty good, showcasing a lot of cool technology that will more than likely not make it into production. Check out the tricked-out rear view mirror and cool CP or display for rear passengers on the back of the center console/armrest. You can definitely sense a similar design here to that of the interior of the Infiniti G sedan. Take a closer look at the doors, with its Infiniti washi-esque blades of metal accents, and the general layout of the dash. You will see that Subaru carried over its “info strip” at the top of the dash that’s seen in the new Impreza & Forester. The steering wheel looks much better than the Momo steering wheel used in the current Legacy. And, again, check out all those gadgets! How ya like the bright blue lighting?

Overall, it’s an improvement over some of the other designs Subaru has toyed around with. But, I think it still needs some work. Let’s hope that this car continues the sporty trend and packs a crapload of performance like the Legacy 2.5GT & Legacy Spec-B models did. Without the performance edge, Subaru may run the risk of abandoning its loyal Subie tuners once again (like it did when it released its 2008 WRX and then quickly went back to the drawing board for 2009!). Given todays tough times, I don’t think they can afford to do that again. Share your thoughts below.

Mark Nall recently contacted me about his new online store, FelonyPerformance.com. Based out of Portland, OR, their online store covers over 1,600 aftermarket products for Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Scion, Subaru, and Toyota. Their online store will be opening January 5th, 2009. They have started accepting pre-orders. With over 36,000 page views, Felony Performance is ready to kick off their business in 2009.

You can contact Mark Nall through his website, www.felonyperformance.com or by e-mail: Mark@felonyperformance.com and AIM: FelonySupport

Below is a featured build from Felony Performance, a 1995 Civic CX Hatchback.

1995 Honda Civic CX Hatchback
Owner: Dustin Portin
Credit: VIP Performance
Vip-performance.com

ENGINE
-2.0L DOHC LS/VTEC
-Weisco 8.8:1 pistons
-Eagle Rods
-SW Manifold
-T30R turbo
-Tial Wastegate
-HKS Blow Off Valve
-Precision Front Mount Intercooler
-Type-R Intake Manifold
-Type-R Throttle body
-Precision 1000cc Injectors
-Moroso Oil Pan
-Walbro Fuel Pump

SUSPENSION
-97 Type-R Suspension: 4×114.3
-15″ GAB SPORTS Wheels
-Function & Form Coilovers
-Function 7 Control Arms

EXTERIOR
-Jdm Headlights/HID
-Jdm Corners
-Jdm Side Markers
-Backyard Special Carbon Front Lip
-Backyard Special Carbon Wing
-EK Side Skirts

INTERIOR
-Jdm Civic Type-R Recaro Seats
-Jdm Sir Gauge Cluster
-Jdm EG6 Steering Wheel
-Jdm Center Console Armrest

Now here’s an automotive hybridization that will surprise you — No, not one of those gas-electric hybrids — but a BMW E36 that received a heart and guts transplant from a Honda S2000.  We were all pretty impressed when we saw the Skyline-powered 1967 Mustang fusion in Tokyo Drift.  And, now there’s this unique frankenbeast some Japanese gearhead put together.  Looks (and sounds!) pretty good!  Especially considering what this thing looked like when he started.  Right around the 1:23 mark you will see just how rough this thing was when he started.  Wonder what we’ll see next… BMW M3 powered Accord?  LOL