Team E3 Racing's Jason Jiovani has developed a huge following in his home state of Florida. “Hit the gas and get it sideways,” seems to be a professional motto for Largo, Florida’s Jason Jiovani, one of our first Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winners. Jiovani is in his seventh season in the competitive drifting world and has racked up a mantle full of top 10 finishes. This year, he’ll run the StreetWise Drift in the East Regional US Series and he’s eligible to run the PRO class of Formula D this season. He’s also a Brand Ambassador for NOS Energy Drinks along with friend and fellow racing/drifting competitor Rob Fleming, whom he credits with helping to “revive the heartbeat of drifting in Florida.” As of press time, Jiovani drives a 1991 Nissan...

Batmobile-inspired Nissan DeltaWing If you think your eyes are tricking you at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, you’re only half wrong. Yes, that was a Batmobile of sorts that you saw whiz by. But you won’t find the Caped Crusader behind the wheel. Nissan’s new DeltaWing caught E3 Spark Plugs‘ eye on Thursday when it made its public U.S. debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring event at the Sebring International Raceway. With brother Dario, Scots race car driver Marino Franchitti slid behind the wheel of the black, winged #0 and took it for two impressive practice laps. The car had been driven in the U.S. only once before, in a private run in California last week. “We are here to demonstrate that a race car can consume half the fuel, use half the...

The Hiriko EV folds up, taking even less parking space than the Smart For-Two. Mass production is slated to start next year in Spain. Not long ago in the E3 Spark Plugs blog we introduced you to Terrafugia’s Transition Roadable Aircraft, a revolutionary integration of the personal car and light-weight aircraft expected to hit the market later this year. Essentially a flying car, the Transition reminds us of that most iconic of futuristic concept rides – The Jetsons’ family space car/jet. And now, we’ve got another likely Jetsons-inspired ride that’s set for production in Spain next year. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t sprout wings and fly. But what it does is pretty impressive. Remember The Jetson’s opening sequence, where George flies his...

Scott Evans' 1965 Mustang Shelby Cobra was stolen while he was in Japan, serving in the Marines. Twenty-five years later, he was back behind the wheel of his automotive first love. We at E3 Spark Plugs are a pretty likeable crew. But if there’s one type of person we just can’t stand it’s a car thief. According to the National Insurance Crime  Bureau’s recently released Hot Wheels Classics report on that American automotive icon, the Ford Mustang, it’s the 2000 model that most attracts a certain scourge of society. The study shows it’s the Mustang model most likely to end up jacked, stripped, VIN-falsified and sold. The classic models get plenty of attention from thieves, too. But now and then, it’s the rightful owners that get the last...

Tom Mix's 1937 supercharged Cord 812 convertible roadster, in which he was killed in a 1940 crash, appears at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance this weekend. If you’re in the North Florida area this weekend, E3 Spark Plugs recommends hitting the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The 17th annual event starts today and runs through Sunday. On the marquis this year are several gorgeous classics owned by some of Old Hollywood’s most iconic stars. Among the stars of the 2012 event is Natalie Woods’ Mercedes-Benz 300SL, which has been meticulously restored right down to the hose clamps, the period-correct Becker in-dash radio, and Woods’ owner documents in the glove box. The German roadster bears a traditional factory-approved silver-blue color. But it...

From Peter Lippman's "Paradise Parking" photograhic series Every classic car buff loves a great barn find story. Tales of rummaging through cobweb-entangled masses of long-forgotten stuff, then catching a glint of sunlight shining on a dust-covered heap in the far back corner enthrall. Especially when pulling away the cover brings one face-to-face with a rare automotive gem – and even better when that gem is proven to have real restoration potential. But not all abandoned rides are lucky enough to be hidden away in a decaying barn, garage or back-yard shed. Some are simply left outside, offered up to the elements like metal and glass table scraps. They’re often found in back yards of boarded-up homes or simply parked and left in fields or forests where a relentlessly...

Talk about a tough field of racers! After reviewing dozens of great entries, our judges have finally chosen February’s Team E3 Spark Plugs winners. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered! TIER 1 WINNERS (Win $500 cash, 25 E3 Spark Plugs and Official E3 Race Day Gear/Decals): Shane Corson: Corson won his first race at the local MX track in Blackwood, NJ at age nine and hasn’t looked back. His racing career started with a bang – He won the 90cc 4 stroke class each of his first three seasons. He later moved to the 300cc class and, last year, ran his first 450cc class event. In two national races, the 16-year-old was the youngest driver by at least four years. Andrew Pollard: Pollard of Senoia, GA began racing legends cars at age 12 in 1999. The very...

Scene inside Automania Studios, a longtime provider of picture cars and sets for the film and television industry Okay, maybe that headline is taking our love for all-things-automotive a bit far. But do you ever wonder how filmmakers find all those great rides featured in period films like The Help, The Artist or Midnight in Paris, or gearhead-targeted films like Drive? E3 Spark Plugs introduces you to Automania Studios – one of the busiest providers of “picture cars” to the film and television industry. Based in Oakland, California, Automania Studios has served the film industry since 1982. On the lot is a filmmaker’s dream collection of period cars, trucks and commercial vehicles from multiple eras. These include police cars, hearses, farm trucks, muscle...

11-year-old Annabeth Barnes (with father, Darren Barnes, a retired pro racecar driver) struggles to balance being a future pro racer and a regular kid in "Racing Dreams." It’s been described as Talladega Nights meets Catcher in the Rye. And it’s E3 Spark Plug’s latest must-see film pick. Racing Dreams is a highly acclaimed documentary co-executive produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson chronicling the efforts of three tweens as they pave the way to their NASCAR dreams. This coming-of-age story follows Annabeth Barnes (11), Josh Hobson (12) and Brandon Warren (13) as they compete for the World Karting Association’s National Series championship – widely regarded as the Little League of professional racing. These kids are still several years away...

King of the Motos must might be the toughest off-road motorcycle challenge yet. Photo by Dirt Rider Magazine. Here at E3 Spark plugs, we’ve seen a lot of crazy off-roading excursions and competitions. But this one really got our engines racing. Last week, 21 brave, or just plain naïve riders suited up for the inaugural King of the Motos motorcycle race. When the mud stopped flying, the rocks stopped rolling and the dust settled, only six were left standing. The grueling 65-mile race took three hours to complete and sent competitors across sand-filled washes, through largely impassible boulder fields and over massive hills throughout the Johnson Valley OHV (off-highway vehicle) terrain in Lucerne Valley, California. It’s a new addition to the Griffin King of the...