Back in the days when Matthew Pearson worked around here, the Emp would run around the offices, flailing his arms and proclaiming, "All Honda, all the time!" We just thought the he was insane, a view supported by all the medication stashed away in his desk. But no, the guy was a corporate mole for Honda all along! There are many things he will be remembered for - some good, most unreasonable. Bust here's the most important: He made sure that this magazine was for you.
It sounds like weepy tripe. It is weepy tripe. But it's true. You're the ones spending your hard-earned cash on your car, spending late nights wrenching before a race, and polishing every last inch of metal before a show. You're the ones who pay our salaries and support the magazine. You're the ones who go on the Tour, perhaps the pinnacle symbiosis of reader and magazine. Without you, the Tour would be nothing. (Well, it would be something, if SSM staffers driving rental cars taking pictures of themselves is something, at which point, in would be nothing.)
The '93 Mazda MX-6 you see here is the love child (Excuse me? - RC) between the mag and our readers. Actually it is Dustin Worles MX-6. Grand Master Chang and I met Dustin on the North Leg of Super Street Tour '98. His MX-6 was red and still pretty much stock back then. We told him to keep us updated on his progress. He did. He also went on the Tour '99. In his words, "I was lost most of the time." (What a coincidence! So were the rest of us. -JW) Finally, this year with his car the way he wanted it, he met up with us in Philadelphia for another North Leg run. His car was cool enough for a feature, and with Pearson gone, we could actually put a readers non-Honda product on the cover!
Dustin lives in Waldorf, Maryland, and has owned his MX-6 since 1995. He decided to hook it up because he wanted to have a modified car that wasn't an Eclipse, Integra or Civic. The most obvious change is the Mazda's exterior. Dustin worked with Aces Body & Paint of Baltimore to get the Erebuni Shogun body kit and wing installed. The kit is molded in on the side and on the rear bumper. For a cleaner look, the emblems, trunk lock cylinder, antenna, and windshield squirters have all been shaved. The custom motorcycle fuel door is a nice touch, as are the external video camera mounts. The mounts allowed Dustin to get shake-free highway video during the Tour. Capping off the body mods is the vivid Sunburst Yellow paint; this is the same color that Mercedes-Benze uses for its SLK roadster.
The eye-burning yellow also finds its way into the interior. The seats are factory, but they are covered with black leather and yellow suede. Aces Body & Paint used Sunburst Yellow again to paint the instrument panel. There are also yellow-faced gauges, a MOM steering wheel, and a shifter knob with a yellow trim. ICE comes in form of a Panasonic head unit, a Kenwood amp, Kenwood speakers and an Alpine equalizer.
There's also another interior change, but this one's about performance, not looks. Dustin removed the rear seat to make room for a ZEX nitrous bottle. Engine performance parts for the MX-6's V-6 aren't exactly plentiful, so nitrous is an easy way to go. The V-6 does have the basics, though, and that includes an Autothority computer chip upgrade, a Tenzo air intake, Brospeed headers, and Brospeed exhaust. When this makes it to the wheels it will meet up with 235/40ZR18 Toyo Poxes Tires. Improved handling comes from Eibach springs, Tokico shocks, and a Tsudo front strut tower brace.
Whether it's on the street, on the Tour, or in the mag, we're not the only ones who think Dustin's car is cool. A software company thinks it's dope enough to be on the cover of the upcoming PlayStation 2 game, "Midnight Club." Are you a reader who thinks that your car will never get into the mag? Think again. It's all about you, my friends.
FAST FACTS
OWNER Dustin Worles
HOMETOWN Waldorf, MD
RIDE '93 Mazda MX-6 LS
DAILY GRIND Autobuzz.com
UNDER THE HOOD 2.5 liter V-6, ZEX nitrous system, Brospeed exhaust and headers, Tenzo air intake, Autothority computer chip, Centerforce clutch, painted valve cover
STIFF STUFF Eibach springs, Tokico Illumina shocks, Tsudo front strut tower brace
ROLLERS 18x8 MHT Qwan wheels, 235/40zr18 Toyo Proxes T1 tires
STOPPERS Axxis metal brake pads
OUTSIDE Erebuni Shogun bodybkit and wing, custom motorcycle fuel door, custom external video camera mounts, custom taillight covers, Speedesign graphics
INSIDE Painted instrument panel, yellow-faced gauges, yellow suede inserts for the seats, rear panel for nitrous bottle and chrome fire extinguisher, MOM steering wheel and shift knob
ICE Panasonic head unit, Kenwood KAC-848 amplifier, Kenwood 6x8 speakers in factory locations, Alpine equalizer
PROP Everybody at Autobuzz.com, Mick at Brospeed, Art at MHT, Greg at Toyo Tires, Ali at Autothority, Heath at Aces Body & Paint, Matt at ZEX, Jamie at Rockstar Games, Garo at Erebuni, John Speedesign, brother Daniel, Mom and Dad
Import Automotive
Parts & Accessories
May 2001
By: Steve Relyea
Mazda
For those who want an affordable roadster or something that will stand out from the sport compact crowd, Mazda has 'em.
With a facelifted Protege targeting the sport compact scene, an updated Miata holding its own in the roadster market, and used RX-7's getting more affordable, there are several Mazdas to choose from for those who want performance. The upcoming RX-8 can only add to the automaker's sales and its reputation for going "zoom."
We spoke to some manufacturers and distributors of performance parts and accessories for Mazdas and asked, what's hot in the Mazda aftermarket?
Autothority Performance Engineering offers performance chips, as well as providing the full range of accessories, installation and dyno tuning at its shop in Fairfax, Va.
The company currently offers performance chips for four Mazda models. One adds 12 horsepower and 14 ft-lbs of torque to the 1986-88 RX-7; another adds 36 horsepower to the 1987-88 RX-7 Turbo; another adds 25 horsepower to the 1993-95 RX-7 Turbo and the fourth adds 11 horsepower and 13 ft-lbs of torque to the 1992-94 MX-6 V6. Customers send the ECU to Autothority for these conversions.
An MX-6 equipped with an Autothority chip was featured on the cover of the January issue of Super Street magazine. Sponsored by Autothority, this yellow MX-6 also is displayed at shows and races.
At its Fairfax, Va., location, Autothority has a retail showroom, a full dyno facility and a full shop facility. Here, the company caters to Mazdas and other imports, offering service, dyno tuning and installation of performance parts and accessories.
"There's still a lot of people doing things with the RX-7's, MX6's and Proteges," says Ali Farzad, sales manager at Autothority. "Some of them like the appearance of the car, and some of them have had the car a while and they're now interested in sprucing it up or adding on to it a little bit."
"The new Protege is probably going to be pretty popular and is going to have a lot of new aftermarket parts available for it," he adds. "There's supposed to be a new RX-8 coming out shortly, and I'm sure that will be a very successful car. Mazda is definitely up and coming in the import industry in presenting new cars and models."
There are fewer performance parts and accessories available for Mazda than for some other makes, Farzad says, so Autothority has to fabricate some parts for its customers. Lowering springs, body kits and exterior accessories are available for Mazdas as they are for most any car now, he says, but some of the more intricate parts like a full cat-back exhaust and headers can be harder to find.
"There definitely are not as many accessible parts for Mazda as there are for Honda, Acura or Toyota," Farzad says. "But more and more parts are starting to be created now as the popularity of the cars increase."
