We're back again with everyone's favorite throwback series. As part of an ongoing series for our 25th anniversary here at PASMAG, we've been taking a look through the archives of the last 25 years, and some of the stuff we've found deserves to be shared with you all. The times have certainly changed in the automotive world over the lifespan of PASMAG. Trends and styles have come and gone, with some of them sticking around for good, and others resurfacing in cycles. Those in our audience old enough to remember the haydays of the '90s and early 2000s are sure to know exactly what we mean. And while we may look down on some style eras with hindsight, it's important to remember that many of these modifications and styles we consider to be extreme or "too much" paved the way for a lot of the aftermarket automotive world we know and love today.
Throwbacks From Previous Years:
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2002
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2003
5 MORE Vehicles from PASMAG in 2003
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2004
5 MORE Vehicles from PASMAG in 2004
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2005
5 MORE Vehicles from PASMAG in 2005
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2006
5 MORE Vehicles from PASMAG in 2006
5 Vehicles from PASMAG in 2007
5 MORE Vehicles from PASMAG in 2007
This week, we're look at the year 2008 in all its glory. Here are five stand-out features from that year.
1. Mine's R35 GT-R
Michizo Niikura and the team at Mine's were among the first tuners to get their hands on the R35 GT-R and immediately start tinkering. At the time, the new R35 was said to be an absolute black box that couldn't be tuned. Looking back, the hubris of Nissan is comical. That said, this was perfectly fine with Niikura, as his philosophy for GT-R builds had always been to enhance the OEM features of the car without adding all sorts of wild and crazy modification. A little extra power once they cracked the ECU, some coilovers, added airflow, and a healthy dose of carbon fiber were among the ingredients in the recipe for success here - paired with the iconic Mine's graphics. This GT-R may seem simple by today's standards, but it paved the way for the monsters that came after it.
2. Tatsuya Ohara's "S34" Silvia
Another R34 Skyline front-end swap? We haven't seen one this good since the first 2007 Throwback article. This one, however, is even more than a grafted front end. Tatsuya Ohara's S14 Silvia has an R34 skyline's front and rear end - helped partly by some Bomex aero of the era to make it work with some bodywork finesse. The bodywork surely takes center stage on this build, but there's also a well sorted SR20 beneath a peekaboo hood. Dated styling aside, we would love to see some crazy conversions like this again.
3. ARC Audio Impala
Oh yes. It's hard not to love what's happening here. One of our favorite audio-centric builds of all time comes courtesy of ARC Audio, in the form of this jaw-dropping Impala. A shaved, tucked, and polished engine bay complete with twin turbos beneath a deleted hood, an impeccable two-tone paint job, and of course one of the cleanest and most classicly styled audio installs ever - all of these things give the ARC Audio Impala a timelessness that many builders of this era would covet. This could roll up to a car show or meet today and garner the same amount of head-turning it once did.
4. Tina Daneshmand's Scion tC
In 2008, Scion was still a completely fresh name on the scene, but was basically a household name already among enthusiasts thanks to Toyota's marketing of the brand. Among the earliest enthusiasts to take one to full show-car status was Tina Daneshmand. This tC was given the full custom widebody treatment, as well as a nicely modified engine, with an engine bay featuring some low-rider and hot rod era tricks like the glass coolant hose.
5. Snow Performance Subaru WRX
We love a purpose-built Subaru, especially a unique blob eye model. Snow Performance had this WRX dialed for the track, and it looked great too. This would look at home during a track day today, complete with an assortment of high quality aftermarket parts and a simple aesthetic that lets you know it is all business.
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