GT86/BRZ Club Road Trip

BRZ DriftingAfter a long absence, TheAdsGarage is back with a freshly backed category, a new Youtube account and new Instagram account. How is that for a comeback!! A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a gathering with the GT86/BRZ club. We met up on the Marina Dbayeh, waiting for the late comers, then we hit the road, destination, Wardeh Faraya, the most typical destination for all Lebanese road trips. We all know what happens when a bunch of cars reach Wardeh, Drifting time! The trip was really nice there was good cooperation between the drivers, we had lots of fun and burned a lot of rubber 😀 Thank you very much for the invite guys! You can check the rest of the pictures by clicking right here. Special thanks to Mario Yacoub for editing the video here below.

GT86-BRZ rear viewRegarding the cars, I can assure you that the GT86 and the BRZ are almost, totally similar. Mechanically speaking the cars are exactly the same, they feature the same 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder motor delivering 200 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. They are both fitted with the same Manual or Automatic gear box. The suspension and springs settings are very similar, the BRZ is a bit firmer (better for the track) and the GT86 is slight softer resulting in some extra oversteer for drifting action. This can be only felt when the car is pushed to its very limits. The only differences I spotted were the LED lights on the front bonnet, the seats fabric, the dashboard in front of the passenger seat that features a cool design in the GT86 that is not available in the BRZ and I found the standard radio in the GT86 much more appealing than the BRZ one. Price wise, the Subaru costs $46,000 while the Toyota costs $40,000 (both including VAT and registration taxes).

GT86 BRZThe GT86/BRZ, is easy to drive, it is steady in corners, thanks to the 50:50 weight distribution and its very low center of gravity. You won’t be expecting any surprises entering the corner at high speed. The interior doesn’t look cheap, it has proper finishing. Its exterior design is cool as well is really looks like a sports car to have fun with. The only problem I had with the car was its power, it really lacks of it!! Going up the mountain roads the GT86/BRZ had some troubles over-passing cars at high speed. It just needed that small extra boost. Maybe a small turbo could do the job? or an Intake with a map would be enough? Anyway, I would definitely get the Toyota, the Subaru is really not worth that extra 6,000$. I would use that extra 6,000$ to equipped the GT86 with extra ponies 🙂

World’s Greatest Drag Race 2!

Drag race 2This year, Motortrend is back with a new World’s Greatest Drag Race. Following the request of the fans, this race includes 9 new contestants. Even last years winner the Nissan GTR has a couple of more horses now. You would probably be wondering why the BRZ was invited to the event. Actually for a drag race there is not much that the BRZ can do with it’s 200hp. I am sure that if it was a circuit race the BRZ would have had some impressive results compared to its contestants thanks to its very low center of gravity that allows a lot of stability in the corners.

NB: Check last years World’s Greatest Drag Race by clicking here!

Best Driver’s Car 2012

For this year, Motortrend is back to pick the Best Driver’s Car 2012. Watch Carlos Lago, Jonny Lieberman and famed race car driver Randy Pobst as they test nine of the most exotic, high-performance vehicles in the world. The tests start first with a road test in Central California’s Highway 198 then move to the track where Randy takes these nine amazing cars for a spin around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The amount of work and gas spent in order to produce this video is just enormous. The end result is a perfect evaluation of these nine contestants. Prepare a bowl of pop corn, a comfortable couch and Enjoy!!