I get quite a few comments week from hardcore car friends who lament my predilection for DCT transmissions over manual transmissions. I feel like I need to explain myself - after all, my readers deserve to hear the cold, hard, truth. This is an argument that I also see raging online and what always confuses the issue is when people who truly know very little about cars make claims not supported by data.   First, a little background on my own personal experiences. From the time I first acquired my driver's license back in the early 1980s, I always viewed automatic transmission equipped cars as rubbish. I wanted to row gears, learn how to heal and toe downshift and blaze through canyons, connected corners and nailing the blip-throttle on each downshift. I've owned 40+ cars. I learned how to race at several racing schools starting with Bondurant in 1988. I just loved shifting gears and still do.   All of the cars I've owned (with except for my commuter cars) were manual transmission cars with two exceptions - my 2002 BMW M3 (SMG) and my current ride, my 2015 Nissan GT-R.When I bought my GT-R, no manual was available and even if it were,

The cold, hard, truth.   For many people replica, building a replica movie car is childhood dream. For those who are brave enough to make such an investment, I wish I could tell you that it;s going to fun and easy. Unfortuately, it's not without extreme challenges. I can't tell you how many inquiries I get a day, often from seemingly desperate people who are at their wit's end, tyring to find that one last, impossible-to-find part. Or at least, that's how they make it sound.   In reality, 99% of them haven't even bother to do a simple Google search and I know it. Perhaps it's different in other markets but when it comes to building replicas of Fast and Furious cars, it seems to be much, much different. I actually had one dude who proclaimed that he couldn't be botthered to search Google because "it's just easier to ask you." Wow. How does one even respond to that?  This person forgets that I've typed the same answer probably 500 times this year alone. I wroted 86,000 words to author my book. There's another 20,000 words on this website and nearly 850 posts on my Instgram with details, specs and pictures - I

  Even for die-hard fans, understanding the Fast and Furious timeline is something that seems to require a secret decoder ring - or so it seems. Let's dissect it and maybe make some sense out of it all. While there are still many plot holes and many things that seem to defy logic, this video does a great job of unraveling the mystery.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i7HWKiuY9Q   The plan developed over time What most people don't know is that Rob Cohen and Neil Mortiz had to fight to get this movie made. When Don Zepfel left Universal, Ron Lynch was his replacement. Ron greenlit the first movie, but proudly bragged he could make the film for $25M.  No way in hell, as this was a $50M by everyone's assertion. By the time production started, the budget was $38M - still a tiny budget, but the movie raked in $211 million.  Anyone with half a brain could realize that spending $38 million to make $211 million is a good profit. By the time Scott Stuber took the reins at Universal, he was looking for movies with franchise potential. I sat in a semi-private meeting with Scott at which time he told me of his desire to turn this into

The Debate That Still Rages: The Supra vs Charger Race In the race at the end of the first movie, there was a lot going on behind the scenes. To understand who won the Supra vs Charger race, we have to set the stage so you understand it all.   For starters, the two cars NEVER ACTUALLY RACED. When you're making a $40 million dollar movie, you don't have time or the inclination to put at risk assets that are crucial to the making of the film. No responsible crew member would do this and if he did, he'd be out of a job right quick.   Second, you have to remember that the two actors didn't actually do the driving - stunt drivers did.   Third, you have to understand that the cars as you saw them in that scene were NOT equipped as you might think.   Both cars we saw in the big drag race were stunt cars. As such, ALL of the stunt Supras were NON-Turbo, automatic transmission cars. Stock, they made 220hp.  The Charger, which was also a stunt car had a Chevy 350. Chevy 350 motors are often swapped into stunt cars because picture car crews usually have a bunch of these laying around

How Tokyo Drift Was Filmed in Los Angeles One of the more fascinating stories of the Fast and Furious franchise was how Tokyo Drift was filmed in Los Angeles. Most people thought we really did go Tokyo to capture these scenese but in reality, the difficulty of getting filming permits plus the complicated (and expensive) logistics, coupled with actor's schedules made this impractical. The third movie in the series, this movie was a new twist to the story we heard in the first. What you're about to read is taken from an article posted in 2009 or so from an interview given by Matt Sweeney, who was a big-wig on the VFX team (visual effects).  The full, original article is here. Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious featured some 150 visual effects shots. Two years later, 2 Fast 2 Furious more than tripled the shot count. With The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (opening today, June 16, 2006), Universal Pictures is raising the bar even higher with no less than 768 visual effects shots. Some 10 vendors contributed to the project, including (in credits order): Hammerhead (206 shots), Rhythm & Hues (123), CIS Hollywood (172), CafeFX (58), Pacific Title (164), Illusion

For me, the Mach 5 from the Speed Race cartoon is what got me into cars. Ever since I laid eyes on that car, every car I bought or built had to have key elements from the Mach 5 - a wrap around cockpit, lots of buttons, lots of gauges, lots of power and sleek styling. I've spent my entire adult life living this dream. Buying a movie car sounds like a dream come true for most people and, for the most part, it can be. But before you rush out to find one, there's a lot you should know.   Don't Start Shopping Until You Actually Have Money To put this nicely, nothing is more ridiculous than going to the grocery store with no money in your bank account and no idea of what you want. Yet I get dozens of message per week from hapless people who feel it's ok to waste their time (and mine, apparently) asking vague questions as to what movie cars are available for sale. If you walk in to a car dealership with no idea of what you want and no way to pay, you're going to get tossed out. If you want my help, I'll provide it

It's always fun to talk about what kind of car you want. I remember being 16 years old and dreaming of the car my parents would buy me when I got my driver's license. I dreamt of a Corvette, a 240Z or maybe a 1969 Boss Mustang. Instead, this is what I got. A 1981 Isuzu I-Mark four door sedan. Of course, I modified it, but as is the case whenever you put lipstick on a pig, you end up with shit. And this car was shit, despite spending $5,000 on the paint, parts and stereo. I could've had an epics 240Z with that kind of money.     Over the years and through my experiences of owning more than 40 cars, I learned a valuable lesson: never, EVER spend GOOD money on a mediocre car. What do I mean by that? Let's say you wanted a V8 Mustang, but because of your budget and insurance costs, you can only afford a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinders. Don't spend money on that car trying to make it faster because you'll end up spending the money that you COULD HAVE used to buy a better car

One of the most notable aspects of the franchise has to be those "fast and furious" sound effects. I wrote in another blog post (you can read it here ) as to how the engine sounds were done, but here's an excerpt of an interview [Written by Tim Walston for Designing Sound] back in April of 2011. This article explains the tricks used to get some of the sounds of the action sequences. Creating unique fast and furious style sound effects took the work of many talented "foley" artists. "Action movies are pure sonic playgrounds. The busier the scene, and crazier the action, the more opportunities we have with sound to enhance the experience for the audience. But with that opportunity comes the responsibility to clarify the action, and focus the audience’s attention. We want to thrill the moviegoers, not pummel them with audio. As sound professionals, it’s our job to bring to the mix all the elements we think are needed. A great mixer then sorts through the dialog, music and all the sound effects to find the perfect balance from moment to moment. The ultimate authority, in the end, is the director. Rob Cohen makes movies that are great for