After getting my first “big kid job” out of college it was time to upgrade from my ‘00 Corolla I’d been driving since high school.

I came across a 1993 Super Red Celica All Trac, completely stock and about as clean as the one pictured below. It looked like it’d just rolled off the showroom floor.

You clearly don’t know much about the track day scene. Easily one of the most welcoming groups of folks I’ve ever met. Not ‘70 or a tech bro, btw. If you come in mouthing off, like a lot of kids from the street racing scene do, you may get verbally put in your place. But generally if you come in looking to learn and…

Nope, none... http://www.racingin.com/track/california.aspx

I’m pretty sure people complained about the //M SUVs.

The ST name is associated with small tossable hot hatches, an SUV is a huge departure from that. The R/T, SRT, and Hellcat names have all been ascribed to muscle cars, which are basically the passenger car brethren of SUVs, so it’s less sacrilegious.

What makes the…

Safety has come a LONG way since the Metro. I’ve seen some nasty wrecks with the FR-S/BRZ/86, and the cars’ quality of safety is remarkable for their size.

Right. So it’s a mindset that needs to change, which happens when people apparently who know better stop buying into it. ;)

Yeah, but if that were a real test you can bet they’d have had plastic hoods. haha

The little Italian sandwich shop down the street from me is cheaper than Olive Garden, tastes a hell of a lot better, and still fills me up. I think I’ll opt for that over the microwaved crap they’ll give me at Olive Garden, even if it’s not unlimited and if it was more expensive.

There’s also the issue that this is a test that literally no car ever would pass.

A Focus ST has nearly the same cargo space as an HRV.

I think the real issue is because Americans have been sold this notion that we need SUVs/CUVs/trucks in order to haul anything. If you go to Europe there are tons of wagons and hatchbacks everywhere, they utilize them the same way that people in the USA utilize…

But a FiST would suffice for all of those needs. Hell, I do pretty much everything you mention in your post in my FR-S. I’ve put 83k+ miles on my car in about 3.5 years driving all over the Midwest and down South. I haul camping gear, my 29er mountain bike, and tools/wheels & tires to track days in it routinely.

You…

Hey Raph, what’s that book in the last image? I’ve been trying to find more reading material on the Japanese auto industry, particularly through the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.

It’s a little to late for that part to redeem itself this year, it looks like.

Yeah! We’re proud United Statesians! lol

Correction: This story originally called the new series “American Rallycross.” It has been changed.

Even “American” would include Canada... and Central American countries and South American Countries. lol

2 out of 3 events so far are being held in North America, so it is predominantly American...

They’re already close to that! My car has over 87k miles, and is only valued about as well as a very clean lower mileage NB. You can pick up a higher mileage Twin for $10k or less easy, and consumables are definitely cheap compared to a lot of other options out there.

I think creating a convertible version for the masses would actually help capture a ton of non-enthusiast sales. The sort of people who buy a convertible to have a nice top down summer/weekend car.

How would needing to redesign engine layout, upgraded engine internals, beefing up the transmission/bushings/chassis/cooling systems/tires, and investing in R&D, testing, and increased labor force not significantly increase the price of the car?

Look at the difference in MSRP between base model NA cars and their…