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HybridZ car at Rocky auto


Kevin.pk

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Spotted a car that I recognized from Hybridz in recent Speedhunters article

 

It is member emwhyr0hen's car. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/69340-project-vq-is-underway/

 

Looks like they are deconstructing the car and reverse engineering the setup to build the same setup in the blue Z car. The mounts look similar and the routing of the intake piping to the cowl is the same. Think it's actually the engine out of the white car being put into the blue Z.

 

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/11/rocky-auto-where-the-magic-happens/#chapter-the-house-that-rocky-built

 

They obviously have every right to do what they want with a car after the buy it. Kind of interesting seeing cars built stateside turn up across the Atlantic.

 

Rocky-Auto-17-copy-800x533.jpg

 

Rocky-Auto-14-copy-800x533.jpg

 

Rocky-Auto-10-copy-800x533.jpg

 

Rocky-Auto-13-copy-800x533.jpg

 

 

 

 

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New-In-Japan old cars are cheaper than Japanese domestic old cars by the way they tax cars on an increasing basis by age. So those who have the desire and money to buy a car of their dreams can get av better deal importing and older overseas car and avoiding the old car tax.

 

From the location of the brake booster, I would guess they are also wanting a RHD Z.

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Yep, that car "new to Japan" gets Shaken-Sho inspected for three years initially, and then every second year until it's ten years old ... Then it's inspected annually.

 

Costs double for inspection. It's why most enthusiasts don't register the vehicles, or when they turn 10 take them off the road and run temporary plates for events. See those "red slash" plates, they're complete with liability insurance to transport the car and are paid for in advance on a per-day basis.

 

Oh how I wish I could do that in the USA!

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I know what you mean. We had a thread on here that went into that with the yellow V8z that sold here a year or two ago. But although it seems a little cheap that they just copied his setup, it would be the person who wrote the article that made any claims as to who did what.

Edited by rturbo 930
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I know what you mean. We had a thread on here that went into that with the yellow V8z that sold here a year or two ago. But although it seems a little cheap that they just copied his setup, it would be the person who wrote the article that made any claims as to who did what.

 

Just stumbled on this too:

 

 

Edit: I didn't watch it before posting, not much in that video.

The video is just some clueless British guy selling match box car's from his bedroom.  Looks like he still lives with his parents.  The video gets worse and worse as it goes on.

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Actually, I was kind of harsh.  Doesn't really matter that he's British, and he likes cool-looking cars.  Nothing wrong with that.  He did say himself though, that he was clueless.

 

But if that's the Rocky Auto yard that the blue car is sitting in, their shop looks terrible.  Piles of car parts laying everywhere.  Doesn't help the mystique.

 

rturbo930 deleted his youtube link for some reason, but supplied another that shows the same car at a show. 

Edited by NewZed
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It wasn't a great video, I thought the thread was better off without it. I found it just as I was replying, and figured I'd post it. Should've watched it first.

 

Just for the record though, I think he's Australian. And there's nothing wrong with not being very knowledgeable. I certainly wasn't when I first got into Zs.

 

My impression of Rocky Auto is that they like to take a car that's already finished, do a few things to it, and call it their own. That could be totally wrong, but that's the impression that I get. Yes, once you sell your car, you have no say over what happens to it, but that's just bad practice, taking credit for other people's work. Although I think it may have been the article that made the claim, not so much Rocky Auto themselves. Regardless, there's something about their business that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Edited by rturbo 930
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I got to agree with dsommer: If you want credit for your car, DON'T SELL IT.

Second, you haven't a CLUE about the market that it's selling into... The clientele at Rocky Auto is well off... they aren't going to skimp about the cost unlike most American Buyers.

They recognise this guy (Watanabe) has not only fronted the cost of the car itself (what did it sell for originally???) spent a few grand on plane tickets to find the car, another few grand to ship the car, another few grand to make it inspection-legal...PLUS LABOR TIME for all the above probably totaling 1,000 Hours minimum by the time it's done. At $120 an hour, a reasonable rate for the US in a similar Specialty Car boutique...you got a killer labor bill that's more than that asking price! Even at Pep-Boys cover-your-overhead in a strip mall garage $60 an hour, that only comes to covering your costs at $90,000!

 

There's a reason nice builds sell overseas and not in the US of A.

 

But there is a point where even the nicest Stateside build just simply falls short of the quality expected outside the USA and it has to be corrected before it will sell there.

In some cases, what was done is outright illegal and can not be put on the road. Australia is particularly bad about Engineering Standards on Modified Vehicles...

 

All that adds costs. It's not something most people can do in their home garages there, and even if they can...they STILL have to go to a certified engineering garage to get signed off on the work they did!

Edited by Tony D
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I agree with Tony and will add that I don't think they are taking credit for build.  They are taking a car they bought and either making the necessary changes to meet regulations, modifying it for a customers wishes, or adding their own touches to the car.  They buy the car because the bones are good.  As we all know, you buy the cleanest car you can find (body wise) and start from there, the mechanicals are the easy part.

 

 

wonder where they got that blue with black trim idea.

 

 

Yes, a blue and black color scheme is very unusual and only you had the foresight to come up with it on your own. 

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I agree with Tony and will add that I don't think they are taking credit for build.  They are taking a car they bought and either making the necessary changes to meet regulations, modifying it for a customers wishes, or adding their own touches to the car.  They buy the car because the bones are good.  As we all know, you buy the cleanest car you can find (body wise) and start from there, the mechanicals are the easy part.

 

 

 

 

Yes, a blue and black color scheme is very unusual and only you had the foresight to come up with it on your own. 

 

LOL! That ties in nicely with this thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/120420-king-z/?do=findComment&comment=1129308

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