I am a HUGE Nissan fan and daily an ’07 350Z while previously owning three 240SX’s and a Z32 Twin Turbo.  Over the years I have supported Nissan with nearly all of their vehicle offerings sans a few recent attempts to blend crossovers into something they really are not.  But like many other vehicles on the road that roll off the production line looking a bit fugly (Murano CrossCabriolet), polarizing (Juke), or downright shark-like (370Z), things can be fixed by the aftermarket.  Or in the case of the Juke-R, they can even be fixed in-house at NISMO.  And although Nissan has steadily made improvements to the  370Z’s performance, even offering it in racing trim for those highly ambitious individuals who, for one reason or another, love the styling or the performance or even the rev-matching transmission, the car remains….well….ugly.

The Z lineage has had its share of design failures soon after the success of a previous model.  The s30 chassis for example (I prefer the 240Z specifically) is a stunning vehicle even by today’s standards, and will go down as one of Nissan’s finest designs.  The follow-up to this car, the S130, I personally saw as less appealing although it was a success in terms of overall sales and market impact.  The Z31 300ZX was on the other hand a complete design failure and although it was again a market success, Nissan really turned things around by unleashing the Z32 – an instant design classic that sold over a million Z cars in it’s first year.  Returning to the sports car market in 2002 with the  Z33, the modern 350Z will forever remain close to my own heart, as it struck a chord with me from the moment I first laid eyes on it back in 2002 at the 240SX National Convention at Nissan’s (then) headquarters in Gardena, CA.

The Z34 then is in a lot of ways similar to the S130 or even the Z31.  From a design standpoint I appreciate their subtle incorporation of the s30 heritage along the rear quarter windows and the GT-R inspired roof-line, but that is where my praise will always end.  Canadian designer Randy Rodriguez often attributes the “boomerang” head and taillights to a shark’s tail and dorsal fin and has gone on record as stating he was on a Shark Week binge while penning the design.

Randy, all we can say is next time you are penning the next generation ANYTHING, lay off the Discovery Channel.  Luckily, we have aftermarket companies such as ZELE who can at least partially correct your mistakes:

Author’s note: I took this opportunity to revisit a series of images I photographed for the cover of Autosalon Magazine nearly three years ago.  In the magazine feature the post processing methods they used actually colored the car yellow, while the real color of the car is actually Lamborghini Orange Pearl Mica.  I felt it should finally be reworked and presented in it’s truest possible color corrected glory here and now, for all to see.  Special thanks to Steve Wu and the former workers of the (now defunct) Dromo 1.

I spent an afternoon with some of the fine folks at Hagerty Insurance at the Penske Racing Museum in North Scottsdale to produce some content for their quarterly magazine.  Wayne spent the afternoon co-hosting a symposium of auction heads as everyone discussed the state of the auction industry and afterwards we setup a mock studio adjacent to the upstairs cafeteria inside the museum.  Wayne proved to be very easy going and great to work with, and as we wrapped our quick portrait session we also snapped some environmental shots at Penske.  If you are an Arizona resident and a car enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to get down there at least once!  Enjoy!

One such story was the auctioning of the only 2012 Ford Mustang BOSS 302 Laguna Seca in Grabber Blue with proceeds going to charity.  Another story that generated quite a bit of press both positive and negative was the JFK ambulance that Jalopnik uncovered as a fake shortly before the car actually took to the auction block.  This year the stories seem to be a bit less controversial, but you never know what will happen during auction week in Scottsdale!  Enjoy some of my favorite images from last year in case you missed them in Autoweek:

Random action shots:

I’ll catch up on what else I’ve been up to this past year but in the meantime, check out the following publications and support the print industry!!!!

1.  Book Cover: WRX vs. EVO by Huw Evans.  Cover photo by yours truly – pick up a copy of the book here: http://www.wrxvsevo.com/

2.  Auto Salon Cover – Issue #84 – Cover photo by yours truly.  More info @ http://www.autosalon.org

3.  Nissan Sport Mag – Issue #14 – Cover photo by Yours Truly.  More info checkout http://www.nissansportmag.com

4.  My first published light painting – Ryan Mahoney’s S2K in this month’s Modified Mag; check the feature out in print or online:

More updates on a regular basis.  Thank you everyone for your support!!!

#1 – I am now part of the crew over at http://www.motormavens.com – check out the intro here

#2 – I have a feature up about my own ride here

I am in the company of some industry titans as well as some up and coming talent, so stay posted to my blog here as well as Motor Mavens for the latest info!

But enough bitching and complaining – the images to come away with are perhaps some of my favorite of all time, and it is an experience I will never forget.  For all those fans who are currently watching the race on the tele, I encourage you to somehow someway get your ass all the way to France, ride the ferris wheel, enjoy the race, and stay up for the entire duration too.  The Le Mans experience is truly one of a kind.

The pit stops at Lemans are carried out to a fine degree of perfection.  The sheer energy and buzz before, during, and after the car arrives is something you cannot feel on television.

As the race went into the night most of the available light had diminished to the point where you almost felt bad about flashing the drivers as they sped past the start/finish line.

As the sun gave just a touch of morning glow to the latter hours of the race, clouds moved in and the light rain really mixed things up.  Luckily the 1D Mark II and 400 2.8L IS are completely weather sealed and I continued shooting through the rain.  By the time I had finished shooting both the body and the lens were completely soaked, but still in 100% working condition.  On the other hand, I was dripping wet, exhausted, and still had to try to lug the gear back to the paddock area to shoot the end of the race and the podium finish.  As a tip for any potential Le Mans shooters out there – buy, borrow, beg, or steal a golf cart.  Your body will thank you later!

Dad races, son races, daughter races.  Furthermore, I’m told that not only does she race; full on knee-dragging, hard-charging cornering and blistering straighaway speeds are just some of her characteristics.  Watch out world!

When Ford called us with a last minute opening and an invitation to kick the tires on a 2010 Mustang GT at the Ford Proving Grounds, we openly embraced the offer. An aptly sized skidpad would be at our disposal to approach triple digit speeds and we would also be receiving expert instruction from none other than Tommy Kendall. However, there would be a small twist thrown into the mix as part of a larger production effort that would give journalists an insight into the world of Roger Keeney. Since Roger, 62 of Athens., GA lost his sight and thought he would never experience the exhilarating rush and the tactile sensations that arise from being behind the wheel, he had always dreamed of one day driving again.

We would be given the chance to perform acceleration and braking tests, as well as our favorite exercise on skidpads (massively smoke filled donuts), all while driving completely void of all sight, just like Roger.

As Ford set out to allow Roger to live out his dream, we watched with much excitement and admiration as Roger, under the direction of Tommy Kendall, took the center stage and confidently whipped the 2010 ‘Stang around the skidpad. You couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and joy in watching someone truly live out what they had once never thought possible. Then it was our turn.

Things started with a rundown of the safety precautions, including a “release” command that, when shouted, meant we had to take our hands and feet off the controls and relinquish them to our famed instructor, who would in theory regain control with e-brake and steering input. This was a production car after all, which had not been modified in any way for the visually impaired, thus in an emergency situation the Instructor should be able to take over and bring things to a halt. Not to worry though, we had the advantage of seeing everything beforehand and unlike Roger, it had only been mere hours since we were last behind the wheel. That all went out the window as soon as the blindfold went on.

Nearly hitting the windshield of the convertible ‘Stang upon entry, even finding the seatbelt on the car became somewhat of a chore. Seat adjustments were made based solely on comfort and not sight, and there was a far greater connection to the steering wheel than ever before. After being given verbal directions on how fast and exactly where to proceed, the 2010 ‘Stang was on its way to the edge of the skidpad for a raw acceleration test.

3…..2…..1…..GO! And we were off, but now instead of seeing the landscape starting to streak by, there was simply the rush of the wind, the growl of the exhaust note, and the chirp of the tires as we were pushed back into our seat. By the time we hit 60, the palms were sweaty, at 70 there was a bit of a pucker, and by 80 we had apparently run out of room and were told to mash on the brakes, hard. ABS kicked in and brought everything to an abrupt conclusion, as apparently we were a little hard on the pedal. That was weird.

Next up we were guided towards the middle of the skidpad for some good old’ fashioned donuts, which the Mustang never has a problem with. Experiencing lateral g’s without any sort of visual makes for a bit of a roller coaster ride, it turns out, but as there was no fear of flying off the skidpad, this simply meant that it was more fun than scary.

Heading back there was a greater appreciation for the one thing that every one of us takes for granted not only when driving, but when living. The gift of sight is one that should not be taken lightly, and the next time you put yourself behind the wheel, whether it be the car of your dreams or your mother’s Camry, remember that driving is a privilege that not everyone has. Few if any visually impaired individuals will ever get to go through Roger’s driving experience, but we certainly commend Ford for giving him the opportunity. For readers who think that they too have a dream experience that the 2010 Mustang can fulfill, head over to htpp://www.the2010mustang.com and submit your own idea for the “10 Unleashed.”

Cutting right to the chase, this was another random instance (like the Spirit Magazine post below) where I just happened to be flipping through a mag and found one of my images.  This particular image was used as an ad for Koda Creative, an AZ based ad agency specializing in “brand marketing and strategic development targeting the affluent.”  I had worked with one of their clients, Breden Forged, on shooting a series of images for their new wheel company last year.  The guys over at Breden were awesome to work with and have some sweet wheel designs, not to mention the fact that their entire product line is based around a custom made 3-piece forged design – sweeeet!

So without further adieu, feel free to check out some of the images and tearsheets below, and if you like any of the wheel designs and happen to be in the market, check out Arizona Auto Werks!