automotive lifestyle

Sooner or later, everyone gets bitten by the tuning bug. It just takes longer for some people than others. Take Winnie Ramirez, for example. “I bought the NSX the first year it came out,” Ramirez says. “I heard that it was basically like a Japanese Ferrari and not too bad on gas. The minute I took a test drive, I had to have one.”

No matter where you live or who you are, if you could get your hands on an authentic Nissan R34 GT-R Skyline, you would. The GT-R Skyline has been called the “Holy Grail” of imports and is the car that all tuners wish they owned. If you are fortunate enough to own one, you are the envy of enthusiasts on the streets and at all of the shows.

Ryan Newman grew up with a steering wheel in his hands. From the age of five, he has been behind the wheel of a racecar. Now, almost 20 years later, Ryan drives for Penske Racing South on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. In 2003, Ryan won eight races, 11 poles and was named Speed Channel’s Driver of the Year. In 2004, he will be driving a Dodge sponsored by primary sponsor Alltel with associate sponsorship form Mobil 1 and Sony Electronics on 38 weekends.

While there’s numerous automotive events spread across the nation that center on specific kinds of automotive interests, be they classic cars, street rods, muscle cars or super rods, there’s one that welcomes them all. It’s a place where friends gather and new friendships start. The Goodguys 8th Columbus Nationals is an event for all reasons, drawing cars from across the Midwest, along the Eastern seaboard and from as far away as California, Oregon and Arizona. The event is held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, and with everyone in attendance and all of the cars parked side by side, with a sea of semis supporting all the exhibitors, there was little space left.