Congratulations to SD Chapter’s Bobby Taylor’s 2003 Honda-Amuse-Widebody S2000 for being featured and written about in www.SuperStreetOnline.com. For the exact link of the article, please visit http://www.superstreetonline.com/fea…000/index.html

2003 Honda S2000 – GT Dreams
Amuse.GT1.Widebody.Need We Say More?
January 17, 2011
By Joey Lee
Photography by Joey Lee

As we stood in the shade trying to shield ourselves from the summer heat, I looked over to see an almost dumbfounded gesture from the person beside me. A shrug-that’s all I got from him. The sun was starting to set and natural light was beginning to escape us. The shrug from earlier came as a result of a confused look from yours truly. Bobby Taylor, the owner of this 2003 Silverstone Metallic AP1 sat speechless as Team Hybrid president James Lin snapped picture after picture with his digital camera.

“I’m not in your shot am I?” Lin asked. Of course he wasn’t. By that time, all attempts at automotive photography had ceased to exist on my end. He and another Hybrid team member had pretty much walked in front of every other shot previously, and I just stepped back and hung out with Bobby and his brother. The camera had begun to weigh heavy on my arm as the three of us watched on, bewildered by Lin’s unadulterated excitement. What he was excited about, we’ll never know. He was either pumped because he was a huge Powerhouse Amuse fan, or that the newest member sitting next to me would help continue the storied legacy of Lin’s baby: Team Hybrid.

Any import automotive enthusiast would be amused (no pun intended) by an Amuse-equipped S2000, especially one that’s been built almost to the exact same specs – aesthetically – as the original Japanese demo car. Even I was a little pumped to see one in person; I was just more concerned about not being able to capture it before the sun went down.

We had gone through every topic from professional wrestling to Bobby’s involvement with Team Hybrid, to his occupation as a UPS driver. While James snapped away, I couldn’t help but notice a copy of a Japanese Super GT magazine that Bobby had under the Super Street tech sheet he was filling out. “I’m a huge fan of Super GT,” Bobby explains. “I’ve been following it as long as I can remember and I built this S2000 because of it. Obviously this isn’t a Super GT race car, nor will I ever own one. This car is about as close as I’ll ever get.”

Even if it were possible for him to acquire a Super GT car from Japan, he wouldn’t be able to use it to its full capabilities. It just wouldn’t be realistic. Building himself a track-capable Japanese sports car would just bring him a little closer to living out his Super GT dreams. Bobby wanted a car that he could not only track, but also drive on the street. While many would be scared to risk damage to an authentic Powerhouse Amuse aero kit and simply hard-park the car, he showed little hesitation and put this S2000 to work. Yes, Bobby tracks his S2000, and the wallet-killing Amuse aero has all the battle scars to prove it.

“I almost didn’t get this (Amuse) kit,” Bobby says. “When I initially went to Bulletproof Automotive to inquire about getting it, Ben (owner of Bulletproof) was trying to convince me to build a twin of one of his S2000 projects from the Fast and Furious movie. He showed me the kit he was using, all the crazy graphics and what not, and I just wasn’t feeling it. I’m not a huge vinyl graphics kind of guy and while it would have been cool to be in a movie, I don’t know if I could drive around in something that flashy and colorful. I had my mind set on getting the Amuse kit and I’m happy I stuck with it. I found out later that the production company ended up not even including the scenes featuring those S2Ks in the movie.”

Bobby was inspired by the Hideki Tanabe-built Amuse demo car so much so that he even had the 18-inch Volk CE28Ns matched to spec. The sizing and offset were perfectly-suited for the widebody kit so there was really no need to mess with anything else. He did add his own touches though; a Top Secret hood sits in place of the OEM unit, VIS Racing provides a hard-top, and an APR GT500 carbon-fiber rear wing sits perched on top of the Extreme Dimensions trunk.

Giving Bobby’s S2000 the correct stance are race-ready TEIN RA dampers while an Endless big brake upgrade sits stunningly behind the bronze Volk rollers. The larger Endless calipers and rotors work in unison with MX72 brake pads to provide the proper bite needed to stop this AP1. Additional stopping power is necessary because the stock F20C is, well, no longer stock. The 2.0 liter engine is force-fed air by a Comptech supercharger which boosts 11psi courtesy of a Science of Speed pulley. Other Comptech goodies include their air intake, S/C aftercooler and fuel pressure regulator. The dual exhaust that exits out through the Amuse rear bumper is a custom unit fabricated by the crew over at Time Machine Racecraft in Oceanside, CA. Powered by an AEM Engine Management System; Church Automotive was able to squeeze over 300bhp from Taylor’s supercharged F20C.

The interior has all the amenities of a street car while providing all the needs of a weekend track warrior. A single Bride Pros racing seat and Takata safety harness keep Taylor planted securely in the cockpit of the S2000 while a slew of Defi gauges supply the engine statistics needed when it comes time for Bobby to mash on the track.

After a closer look at Bobby’s S2000, it’s easy to understand why the Team Hybrid founder was so excited. By adding this car to his fleet, James has found himself a gem. Sure, it doesn’t have the tucked/shaved bay and custom wiring like most of the more popular Honda builds these days?it just doesn’t need it. It’s completely Japanese-inspired, and while it may never be a Super GT race car, it does share one common characteristic with them?the most important characteristic: Function. This Honda was built to perform.

Tuning Menu
2003 Honda S2000
Owner Bobby Taylor
Hometown Murrieta, CA
Occupation UPS driver
Power Estimated 312BHP

Engine 2.0L Honda F20C; Cometic head gasket; Comptech supercharger, aftercooler, air intake and fuel pressure regulator; Science of Speed 11psi pulley and heat exchanger; Walbro 255lph fuel pump; RC Engineering 700cc fuel injectors; Time Machine Racecraft custom exhaust; NGK spark plugs; Mishimoto oil cooler, radiator, radiator hoses and thermostat; Mobil1 engine oil

Engine management AEM Engine Management System; Tuning by Church Automotive; Defi boost, oil temp, oil pressure, water temperature gauges and gauge control unit

Footwork & Chassis TEIN RA coilovers

Brakes Endless front brake calipers, rotors, brake lines and MX72 front brake pads; Hawk rear brake pads; Motul RBF brake fluid

Wheels & Tires 18×10.5″ Volk Racing CE28N +15 offset; 265/35-18 Yokohama ADVAN A048; TiTeK lug nuts

Exterior Powerhouse Amuse GT1 complete FRP widebody aero kit; APR GT500 rear spoiler; VIS Racing hardtop; Top Secret hood; Extreme Dimensions trunk

Interior Bride Pros racing seat and seat rail; Takata safety harness

Props James from Team Hybrid; Tho from Time Machine Racecraft; Mike & Ben at Bulletproof Automotive; S. Hatsukade at MAD Engine; Fred Avia; Gun Show; VIS Racing; Eli Jacobs; Extreme Dimensions; Prestige Collision; The Whole Crew (Carlos Vera)

http://www.superstreetonline.com/fea…000/index.html

Congratulations to Team Hybrid’s Founder/President, James Lin’s 2011 Gold-Widebody-Carbon Fiber Scion tC for being featured and written about in www.PASMag.com event coverage article about CES, LV 2011. For the exact link of the article, please visit http://www.pasmag.com/events/top-events/1623-ces-2011

PAS quote #1, “The Consumer Electronics Show stormed into Vegas once again to display the latest in gadgets, home theatre, computer and, of course, 12V audio and multimedia. Each year CES brings together new products and new faces to the scene, but as in many years past, it was the major players that attracted the most attention. Some of the latest audio builds drew in onlookers by the hundreds and there were more than a few noteworthy installs.”

PAS quote #2, “James Lin from Team Hybrid brought his Scion Tuner Challenge build for display at the Sony booth. Jammed with all kinds of Sony and Xplod audio and multi-media this tC definitely made a statement with four 15-inch subs as a punctuation mark!”

Congratulations to SD Chapter’s Bobby Taylor’s 2003 Honda-Amuse-Widebody S2000 in a 4 page full feature in Super Street Magazine’s February 2011 issue, pgs 062-065. Only 7 days into the new year, our team has already landed another full feature in one of the most respected and at the moment, best selling domestic import tuner magazine. Remember, 2011 will be no different. In Team Hybrid, a super star is born everyday and thanks to SD Chapter’s Ryan Romaine for finding this gem.

Super Street Quote #1: “Bobby Taylor, the owner of this 2003 Silverstone Metallic AP1 sat speechless as Team Hybrid president James Lin snapped picture after picture with his digital camera.”

Super Street Quote #2: “He was either pumped because he was a huge Powerhouse Amuse fan, or that the newest member sitting next to me would help continue the storied legacy of Lin’s baby: Team Hybrid.”

Super Street Quote #3: “After a close look at Bobby’s S2000, it’s easy to understand why the Team Hybrid founder was so excited…it doesn’t have the tucked/saved bay and custom wiring like most of the more popular Honda builds these days-it just doesn’t need it. It’s completely Japanese-inspired, and while it may never be a Super GT race car, it does share one common characteristic with them-the most import characteristic: Function. This Honda was built to perform.”

Again and again, the level of respect and luv we have from our industry insiders in marketing and selling their products or magazines continues (16+ years)… Our team resume and current scoreboard continues to show why we are the finest, most well-rounded, 1st to many of the import accolades, most recognized and most innovative team in import history.

Magazine & online scoreboard as of 01/19/11: 1 feature article, 2 online feature and 1 event coverage. The new year just started and our team already has 1 full feature article in a major import magazine, 2 online feature and 1 event coverage in our pipeline. As promised last month and I promise you once again, there is still MORE to come. Bigger things are coming and in store for our team in 2011!

In Super Street February 2011 issue, pg. 050, there is an article about SEMA, Las Vegas 2010. Congratulations to Team Hybrid’s Founder/President, James Lin’s 2011 Gold-Widebody-Carbon Fiber Scion tC for being shown in the event coverage. Super Street wrote, “Scion’s three award winning 2011 tC cars. From show to race, the new tC is bigger and badder than before. All three were built with completely different motives. One for show, one for race, and one mainly for stance. How would you build the new tC?”

This 2011 Scion tC will be doing some major media damage as well as touring the country @ major shows with Scion Corporate in 2011. Just wait and be witnesses to what is to come.

Congratulations to NorCal Chapter’s Joseph Bacigalupi’s 2005 Subaru-Voltex Wrx Wagon for being featured and written about in www.SuperStreetOnline.com. For the exact link of the article, please visit http://www.superstreetonline.com/fea…gon/index.html

2005 Subaru WRX Wagon – The Transporter
Team Hybrid’s Voltex-Armored…Doggy Wagon?!
February 11, 2011
By Joey Lee
Photography by Scott Dukes

Let it be a forewarning that the photos on the coming pages are terribly misleading. It’s not the photos themselves per se, because they’re nothing short of excellent, but I’m referring to the subject matter itself. At first glance it may look like a Subaru STI equipped with Voltex aero. A more in-depth look, specifically towards the rear, reveals that it in fact isn’t a STI sedan-an extra hump on the rear clearly indicates that it is of the wagon variety. If you were initially fooled, then you either weren’t paying very close attention, or the WRX sedan front fenders played a trick on your eyes. What may have also thrown you off your initial hunch was the complete Voltex body armor. A WRX wagon cloaked in Voltex gear just isn’t something anybody is used to seeing every day. The only person that’s accustomed to such a rare combination is the owner himself, Joseph Bacigalupi, and his partner in crime, the family dog. We’re sorry to tell you that this Voltex track-prepped 4-door STi is actually an aggressively-styled, WRX wagon that’s main purpose of existence is to act as transportation for a canine.

“I originally bought this car in 2005 just as a means of transportation for the family dog and for something I could use in the snow,” Joseph says. “I never intended to do any modifications but that’s usually how it starts. After throwing a set of rims on, I thought the car looked terrible. I decided to lower it to see if it would help and the rest is history.”

2005 Subaru Wrx Wagon Headlight
What foreshadowed the later, more extensive modifications may have been the initial set of 18×10″ wheels that Joseph decided to install. A ten-wide wheel may almost be the standard nowadays for all the aggressive wheel fitment fanatics, but for a wagon that was designed to house 16×6.5″ wheels, it definitely posed a problem. To combat this issue, he replaced his OEM front fenders with a set of sedan fenders that were rolled flat and pulled by Image Autobody. For the rear, he had the inner and outer fenders cut and pulled along with the addition of a sedan STI rear flare, which was re-welded to the OEM quarter panel. The final result yielded just enough room for his current wheels; a custom-coated flat-black set of 18×9.5″ Work VS-XX rollers.

It didn’t end with just the metal reconstruction of the fenders. The Voltex kit also required some reshaping to fit correctly. “To my knowledge, this is the only WRX wagon rocking a full Voltex body kit,” Joseph claims. “The rear diffuser is custom fit. All the original hardware had to be modified to make the diffuser fit to the wagon rear bumper.” Sunny Wong from Franklin Autobody re-sprayed the wagon in Crystal Grey Metallic after assuring all modification work on the kit was fitted correctly.

With all this work just to fit a couple items that would easily fit a Subaru STI sedan, the questions remains; why all the extra effort? “Wagons are so much cooler than sedans! There’s just something sexy about a (modified) wagon. You just don’t see them all that often and when you do, you got to love it,” Joseph says excitedly (And I totally agree! – JW). Once he completed the makeover of the exterior, extensive work began under the hood. Even if this was merely a dog transport vehicle, that didn’t mean that the wagon itself couldn’t make some power. When it comes to taking a dog from one place to another, you can never be too fast. To do all that work to make everything fit, only for his peers to realize that the wagon made no power, would be an absolute embarrassment. He would have none of that and immediately got down on the EJ20T motor. The OEM turbine was swapped out in favor of a much larger Tomei ARMS unit. Perrin joins the party with their air intake, assorted turbo piping and front mount intercooler. Since the wagon was also being used regularly for various errands, Joseph went with the “stealth” variation of the Perrin intercooler, which is coated in flat black to make it less obvious to the naked eye. Even with the stealth treatment up front, a Trust full titanium exhaust amplifies the familiar tune of the boosted flat-four motor.

The appropriately named Stance GR+ Pro coilovers give this wagon a menacing “stance” as it sits flush on the Work wheels. A collaborative effort between Whiteline, Cusco, and Beatrush suspension components ensure that the family dog sits firmly in place as he ambushes the streets on way to the groomer. The interior has been overhauled with re-wrapped black suede/red-stitched panels and the OEM front seats have been replaced with Recaro front buckets originally from a Mitsubishi EVO 9. The limited edition Vertex 10th Anniversary steering wheel and shift knob act as finishing touches to Joseph’s interior.

This “hybrid” of a wagon, no matter what he uses it for, is most certainly a unique, one-of-a-kind build. Though it has been assembled with mostly race-bred parts, nobody can tell Joseph that his wagon isn’t functional. It functions as a transport vehicle and it looks really cool doing just that. “It’s funny to see people’s reaction when an 80-pound fur ball jumps out of the back of the wagon-it’s priceless.”

Tuning Menu
2005 Subaru WRX Wagon
Owner Joseph Bacigalupi
Hometown Pacifica, CA
Occupation Budweiser Truck Driver

Engine 2005 2.0L Subaru EJ20T; Perrin air intake, intercooler piping, stealth front mount intercooler, and Big MAF; Walbro 255lph fuel pump; Power Enterprises 800cc fuel injectors; GT Spec Version 1 exhaust manifold; Trust Ti-R PE full titanium exhaust; Tomei ARMS M7760 turbocharger; Helix high-flow downpipe and up-pipe; Baller Bolts titanium dress-up kit; Beatrush oil cap, alternator cover, and radiator shroud; STI radiator cap; TEIN hood dampers

Engine Management Cobb Accessport Version 1

Footwork & Chassis Stance GR+ Pro coilovers and camber plates; Whiteline 22mm front sway bar, roll center adjustment kit, and endlinks; Cusco 22mm adjustable rear sway bar; Beatrush front and rear strut bar; Ingalls front and rear camber bolts

Brakes Brembo ’07 STI front and rear brake calipers; DBA 4000 slotted front STI brake rotors, rear conversion rotors and conversion brackets; Hawk Performance HP Plus front and rear brake pads; Rotora front and rear steel braided brake lines

Wheels & Tires 18×9.5″ +25 Work VS-XX (Custom flat black faces and rivets); 255/35-18 BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDW; Project KICS Neo Chrome lug nuts

Exterior Voltex front bumper, front undertray, sideskirts, and rear diffuser; JDM Subaru STI wagon mid-wing and roof rail deletes; Modified WRX sedan front fenders; Crystal Grey Metallic paint; JDM pink “I” badge and WRX rear badge; JDM Impreza rear badge

Interior Recaro (Mitsubishi) EVO 9 front seats; Wedge Engineering low-mount seat rails; Vertex 10th Anniversary 330mm deep corn steering wheel and shift knob; Works Bell Splash short hub and Rapfix II quick release; Interior rewrapped in black suede with red stitching; Autometer boost gauge; Alpine INA W900 touch screen, double-din head unit w/navigation; Focal 165 KR2 6.5″ front component set, 100 KRS 4″ rear component set, Solid 1, and Solid 4 amplifiers; JL Audio 10″ W6 subwoofer; Monster cable set; Custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure and amp rack in spare tire compartment

Props James Lin of Team Hybrid and the Hybrid Hunnyz; BFGoodrich Tires; Meguiars; NOS Energy Drinks; Mach III and all of its employees; Sunny from Franklin Auto Body; Dave and Manny from Bay Car Stereo

WWW teamhybrid.com; bfgoodrichtires.com; meguiars.com; drinknos.com; machiii.net; bche.net __________________

Congratulations to us, Team Hybrid for being one of the first three teams to be featured in the online website – MotionAutoShow.com. Please visit www.MotionAutoShow.com and for the exact link of the article which was just released, please visit:

http://www.motionautoshow.com/event/…tGalleryID=201

Title of Online Article is called: Motion Auto Show – Team Hybrid

Story: Being one of “The” oldest, “First” to many of the import competition accolades, most well-rounded, most recognized, well-accomplished, and innovative teams in the import industry.

Team Hybrid stands for a rich tradition increativity, originality, and quality.

“The idea is to create a team with a diversity of hardworking members and a special individuality to every car. By providing the Team with goals to strive for, each member spends countless hours of time, effort, and dedication to show “Hybrid luv and our purpose. It’s not just about winning a show or a race. It’s about getting there as a team”.

Team Hybrid launched January 7th, 1995 in Oxnard, CA when James Lin decided his ride would complement his peers who value and respect his work.

Everyone knows it’s easy to gather a group of friends, and just give it a title to start a Team, but in contrast, James, the co-leaders, members and hunnyz have built a team of legendary status and respect.

Props: BFGoodrich, Meguiar’s, Sony, and Nos Energy Drinks.

Website: www.teamhybrid.com and www.teamhybridforums.com

Our second installment of the Best In Show series profiles the cars that made SEMA what it is – sport compacts. Yes, some of these cars push the boundaries of taste, but others are fairly creative and actually enhance the looks of the stock car.

The dominant cars this year seemed to be the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and the Nissan GT-R. Honda products seem to have fallen from their once hegemonic dominance of the tuner crowd, while Scion and Hyundai have taken some crucial market share.