June 12, 2008
Some of you observant types may have already noticed the addition of the HANS logo to the Takata Impreza. That is because
HANS recently became a partner for our team! The HANS device, or Head And Neck Support device, reduces the risk of head an neck injury in the event of a crash. It is a great compliement to the Takata Multi Point Harness. My wife is pleased that I'll be wearing one this year, especially considering that the Impreza will be considerably faster than in previous years. I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant in the past to buy one because of the expense, but HANS just released a Sport model for the budget consious racer that is just a strong as more expensive models. It is an investment that every track junkie should seriously consider.
HANS isn't our only new sponsor. I'll have another big announcement within a week.
June 13, 2008In today's Pitpass, Landin said that I will be providing
daily updates on this blog. I never remember saying that... I guess Landin is trying to keep me busy!
![Smile [:)]](/emoticons/emotion-1.gif)
Progress is happening at a fast pace now so I will be bringing you updates as often as I can. Today I had a phone conversation with Paul, the owner of P&L Motorsports. Paul is really happy with the progress so far. He said that they have a lot of pride in their work and they want it to show on this car so extra care is being taken with everything. Paul has been keeping an eye on the Forza coverage too, and is excited to see that the Forza community is following the project, as is the entire staff at P&L. Special thanks to Tony at P&L who is keeping me up to date with the photos.
Inside the car, P&L has welded the base plates for the roll cage in place. Back up front, Pawel is trimming some metal away. Why?.. well you'll have to wait until next week to find out.
June 18, 2008You guys have been patiently waiting for an update all week. Here's something to perk you up. These images will probably lead to questions. I'm holding out a bit to disclose the full details, so just consider this a tease. If all goes as planned, the car will be going to paint next week.
-
June 28, 2008In my last update I promised big news, and now the time has come to
make the full reveal. The photo above may have given you a clue, but
now you will understand the full extent of the changes. It all started
over a month ago. At that time we had come to the realization that the
car was mostly likely going to get repainted from front to back to best
represent Takata. Because of this, I thought that it would be a good
time to get an aftermarket front bumper cover and side skirts to help
give the car a fresh look and improve aerodynamics. With this in mind
I fired up my copy of Forza and flipped through some of the aftermarket
front bumpers available in the game. Although I like generally like
the Impreza's USDM '04 front end, I didn't like any of the aftermarket
front bumpers available. At that time I began to recall other Imprezas
that I have seen on the circuit, and I realized that the look I was
really looking for could only be achieved with the front end of the
USDM '06 (JDM '05) Impreza. Within Forza I copied my livery over to a
JDM '05 Impreza and again flipped through the available aftermarket
front bumpers. When I saw the INGS+1 kit, there was no doubt in my
mind that this was the sexy style I was looking for.
Shortly thereafter I got in touch with Paul at
P&L Motorsports
and asked him, "What would it take to convert my front end from USDM
'04 to USDM '06 style?". I was glad to hear Paul say that the
conversion was not terribly difficult, and that they had done it in the
past. The conversion would require a new bumper cover, hood, fenders,
headlights, core support, and some fabrication. Paul was in agreement
that the INGS+1 '06 front end was much more appealing than the '04, so
we decided to proceed with the change. Paul put the INGS+1 bumper
cover and skirts on order immediately, and I found a used set of
headlights over at
NASIOC.
The only remaining parts to complete the conversion were a new hood
and fenders. It immediately occurred to me that it would be foolish to
replace the hood and fenders with stock panels when lightweight
offerings are available from
SEIBON Carbon. I spent a few evenings
polishing up a proposal to send to SEIBON, complete with in-game
representations of the Takata Time Attack Impreza. I anxiously waited
over a week to hear back from SEIBON's marketing department, but it was
well worth it. SEIBON was very impressed with our team, and was
particularly interested in the coverage we were getting here at
ForzaMotorsport.net. As a result, SEIBON has become a partner of
Takata Time Attack and the Takata Impreza will be going on a serious
diet thanks to many new lightweight components...
SEIBON Carbon Fiber HoodSEIBON Carbon Fiber FendersSEIBON Fiberglass Front DoorsSEIBON Fiberglass Rear DoorsSEIBON Fiberglass TrunkIn
addition to reducing weight, the hood and fenders serve additional
functions. SEIBON's CW style hood features a reverse hood scoop and
louvers on either side to draw hot air out of the engine bay. Since
the Takata Impreza will have a front bumper mounted intercooler, there
is no longer a need for the traditional Subaru hood scoop which draws
air into the engine. The Subaru hood scoop is a terrible aerodynamic
drag so doing away with it is a notable improvement. SEIBON's fenders
for the Impreza are 10mm wider than stock, which will give us clearance
to run a wider tire or lower the car without hitting the fender.
dRizZe was kind enough to take some time to transfer his winning
design from the '04 model to the '05 model in Forza. The results are
below. You will also notice that we have decided to leave some of the
carbon fiber exposed on the hood. SEIBON Carbon's products have a
beautiful carbon fiber weave and it would be a shame to cover it all
up. Note that the reverse center scoop of the SEIBON CW hood is not
reflected in the art due to limitations with the game.
In closing of this update, I would like to thank the Forza
community again for your support. I sincerely believe that our new
partnership with SEIBON Carbon is a direct result of the support we
have received from Turn 10 and the community.
Thank you!
-
-
-
-
June 29, 2008The Takata Impreza will be moved to Leyden Auto Body for paint in just
a matter of days. The new body parts such as the hood, fenders, doors,
skirts, and trunk have already been delivered and are being prepped for
paint. P&L Motorsports is hard at work finishing the roll cage
which must be completed before the exterior is painted. In the photos
below taken late last week you can see that the cage is nearly
complete. Some portions of the cage have already been painted silver.
In order to paint the top of the cage, holes are cut in the floor and
it is dropped down. After the top is painted it is raised up and
welded in place.
July 1, 2008P&L has utilized the "NASCAR bar" cage design for maximum driver safety. The two interconnected parallel bars provide excellent protection during a side impact. This style of cage design is more expensive than conventional methods and is not required by any sanction we race with, but we felt that this car should be a showcase of the best in driver safety products. The P&L Motorpsorts designed roll cage, in conjunction with the Takata MPH harness and Hans device will ensure that I am safe behind the wheel. The passenger side (see second photo) has a typical X design.
-
-
July 7, 2008The roll cage is complete. Paul says the result looks extremely nice and he wants me to see it in person before photos so no more photos of the cage for a couple weeks. The tow truck is delivering the Takata Impreza to
Leyden Auto Body today for paint. The removable body panels have already been delivered and have already been preped for paint. The car should be completely painted within 7-10 days. Then it comes back to P&L for the final assembly. The timing is very tight. At this time it looks like we might miss the opportunity to test the car at Autobahn, but we still plan to make our Time Attack debut in Nashville!
James Elterman - Gamertag: XeviousR
ShimmySideways / Takata Time Attack