| No, these are not for the Matchbox cars.
How many years has it been? It takes me six hands to count, but those that know me do realize that I have a ridiculous memory. I can honesty say I can remember one of my very first Christmas Gifts. I was seven years old, and wanted anything car-related. My wish was granted in the form of a box-set of Matchbox die-cast models. My Pops got me the racing car set, which featured various race cars, from GTP to Indy Cars. They came boxed in a cool little case with molded dividers that housed the cars neatly and kept the paint from chipping. If there was ever a time to mimic the well-worn adage of "they don't make `em like they used to", this was the time; the cars rolled smoothly and were a lot heavier than the models built today, due mainly to them being built in the U.S. And they didn't have those stupid graphic schemes, either.
After the holidays, I went back to school. My buddies came all pimped out in Le Tigre striped polo shirts and those Michael Jackson jackets with all those stupid zippers. Our first grade teacher Mrs. Anderson used to make each one of us get up in front of the class and share what we received for Christmas (remember, this is 1984 or so--not much controversy juxtaposing religion).
Those days are long gone. You only really share what you got (if you still do get anything) with friends. As you get older, you end up buying your own toys. Even then, do you necessarily share it with people you don't know? Probably not. But what about everyone else? What did they get? I'd like to know what Leno or Seinfeld got.
Anyhow, we thought it would be cool to share what we got. So as the people here at Super Street slowly come back from their vacations, I'll post pictures of what they received and/or got themselves. I'll start off with what I got...
...in the form of Enkei's finest. The Holidays served as the perfect platform for an excuse to pick up a set of wheels for one of our many project cars. Each RPF1 only weighs in at 13.7 lbs (16x7), which is amazing considering that the wheels are reasonably priced. Don't let that fool you. These wheels are strong. MSRP on the Enkei RPF1 is only $250/per wheel. We picked up our set from Dynamic Autosports in Lake Forest, CA. Our tires have been ordered, and as soon as they arrive, you'll see the full scoop on the setup on SuperStreetOnline.
Check back after New Year's to see what everyone else got for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Eid, Hanukkah, or Chinese New Year along with your name, picture of yourself, and the gift. It's gotta relate to cars in some way, shape, or form. The pics will get posted online, just like all of our toys. Oh yeah, send them to chimpy@SuperStreetOnline.com
First up to bat is our resident image junkie, Mr. Dien Luu. A native of the Bay Area, Dien's claim to fame is his role in We Were Soldiers. No, really. Ho Chi Minh, as he's referred to in the bunkers of our L.A. offices, is taller than the average Vietnamese person. This can solely be attributed do to his ability to swig EIGHT MSG-laced bowls of Pho (pronounced "Pha") at one sitting. While at the casting call for the flick, the director ordered Dien to lie down and play dead due to his insidious height. The pictures speak for themselves. Note how easily he palms this Acura RSX. Kidding aside, all D-Luu got was this Muscle Machines Acura RSX Type-S model. He already has it all, including a $50,000+ Lexus GS430 which just so happens to be worth more than both of Chimpy's Integras, Rik's 240, Jonny's 240, Ro-Dogg's AE86, and Nads' Type-S combined. He even gets preferential valet treatment whenever he parks on LL. Balla'.
A quick trip outta the 323 and into the 714 nets us more shots of what my co-workers scored for the holidays.
For lack of a more politically correct word, Web Developer Dalfrey Barahona has one of the more unique names that we've heard of. Parlay bets ran rampant throughout the office regarding his origin when we heard his name for the first time. Nobody could guess. The guy speaks Spanish, but since nineteen countries speak it, the odds for a payoff weren't necessarily in our favor. It took a hot bowl of Orange Chicken from Panda Express and a McDonalds Apple Pie to get him to spit: he hails from Honduras. Since everyone here at the office has a nickname, we had to come up with something. Dalf was just too justifiable. So rather than update SuperStreetOnline, I spent several hours pondering a nickname for Dalfrey. These are the exact thoughts that ran through my A.D.D.-stricken head: I don't know anything about Honduras. Ah, it's close to Mexico though. Mexico is cool. That's where Horchata and Salma Hayek come from. What a combo. Yum. Spanish is my second language, I could score. Dalfrey took ESL classes. He went to Cal Poly Pomona and majored in Information Systems; how original. An I.S. foreign exchange student. Ha-ha. I.S. Foreign Exchange Student? Is F.E.S? It's that 70's show Fez. Hahaha. Done deal. From now on, thou shalt be calleth Fez... And so the saga begins. In a feeble attempt to nix our remarks, Fez tried to pull away from his new nickname. He tried bribing me with bananas. Just because they call my Chimpy doesn't mean I like bananas. As a last resort, he thought he'd buy a new car. At this time, news about how BMW owners get more play garnered all kinds of media attention. So Fez went out and bought a 330Ci. But now, he wants wheels. Nobody's got the flow to dump $3000 on some BBS LMs, so we just bought [read: stole] him the 2005 Super Street Buyer's Guide. Fez is pointing to the wheels he wants, so if you guess the ones he's pointing to (they're not LMs), we'll send you a Super Street 2005 Buyer's Guide autographed by Fez along with some Moonshine. Send the answers in to chimpy@superstreetonline.com. Only the first three will be accepted.
Zangief ain't got nothing on our boy Ilya Godes! Russian born-and-worn, Ilya works hard behind the scenes here at Primedia (parent company of Super Street) as a Web Developer, just like Fez. Ilya's hobbies include wrestling bears, wrestling Stolichnaya, and throwing down mad code. Fez and Short Round (more on this cat later) might try and clown Ilya's dance moves, but the one maneuver that they don't want to be on the wrong side of is a spinning piledriver. Just in case this happens to be the situation, Ilya bought this HJC helmet for himself during the Holiday break. We questioned his rationale to make such a purchase, especially since he owns a car. But he refuted, offering the rebuttal that he also did construction. Ok, Ilya. I don't know what the Snell rating on the helmet is, but hey, Fez and Short Round should be worrying about that, not me.
| What We Got
This is Melissa, aka Photoshop Queen (seriously). Melissa loves cars. She loves cars that are made by companies that start with the letter "V". Not Volvo, idiot. It took Melissa three seconds to pose for this photo. Name three of the VW's in this photo, and we'll send you a pack of Carefree bubble gum. Speaking of which, Melissa is as carefree as they come, we just wish she wouldn't apply the same approach to her primer'd out GTI. Just kidding, Melissa. It's ok to have tires shinier than your paint. Melissa got a couple models for the Holidays. She also got a money parking sign. Too bad it's also pointing to Ilya's workspace.
A stone's throw by a kid-with-a-catcher's-mit-on away from Melissa, we have the single, bilingual, and ready-to-mingle phenom known simply as Oli. We wish we were named after a skateboard trick. Oli tries to hide is Ho Chi Minh roots, but Fez is Honduran after all. He's a couple rounds short of a guerilla soldier, and has all the junk we need to get the truth out of people. Oli, if you're wondering, is actually 1/2 French and 1/2 Vietnamese. When he's not writing $1000 checks to T-Mobile, he helps Chimpy with the sites. Oli owns a 2001 VW Golf GTI. He loves his 1.8T so much that he forgot to upgrade his suspension. We played a cruel joke on the young Oli by giving him what he thought was the answer to his bed-dancing, frame-hopping, ride quality. Welcome to my world, Oli. Just so you don't leave empty handed: TEIN: (562) 861-9161. Talk to Felipe.
Here we have the eccentric and fashionable Tish. Tish, known to her fellow peeps simply as The Ish, recently dethroned Ho Chi Minh as the quickest and fastest story formatter ever. Her Quick 8-like work ethic is the stuff CMS dreams are made of. Here we have Oli giving The Ish her gift. Yes, yes, that indeed rhymed. Eibach Pro-Spacers in the wrong PCD pattern were purchased for Tish by Oli. Oli's like that kid in your 3rd grade class that never paid attention in class, but always got to the kickball field first. Tish's favorite stone is not 6061 alloy, it's diamonds. Poor Oli. Tish, like a true sport, accepted. What a girl. Fez and Ilya were both employed to form the rare Honduran-Russian constabulary in an effort to gank/gaffle/snatch the Pro Spacers for Chimpy's project Flashback. Two fresh boxes of .45 ACP and a fake BMW "M" emblem off eBay were exchanged for the merchandise. Mission accomplished.