"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
04/18/2016 at 08:50 • Filed to: events, pictures, mountains, cruise, twisties, jcva, meets
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"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
04/18/2016 at 08:50 • Filed to: events, pictures, mountains, cruise, twisties, jcva, meets | 5
| 12 |
It’s early spring in Virginia, that lovely week or two between freezing rain and pollen death clouds, where the mornings are clear and chilly but the afternoons are sunny and warm. Perfect weather for our sixth Blue Ridge cruise.
Check out the original article here
Hosted by JCVA, the cruise is open to any make/model/year of car or bike. As usual we had a group departing from Richmond to meet the rest of the participants at the starting point near Wintergreen.
Photo by Micki
This may have been the biggest group starting from Richmond that we’ve had yet.
Photo by Micki
Not a bad view for the hour-and-a-bit drive out to the starting point.
Photo by Micki
We definitely got some interesting looks with a bunch of crazy cars all driving together.
Photo by Ai
Eventually we made it to Devil’s Backbone, the starting point of our cruise.
Photo by Ai
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Soon more cars from around the state started to roll in.
Photo by Ai
The plate on this R32 may have been my favorite of the day.
Photo by Ai
The starting point also serves a a mini-meet, as we all hang out, chat, and check out all the cool cars for an hour or so.
Photo by Ai
Leaving Devil’s Backbone, we headed towards Crabtree Falls to take the winding road over the mountain.
Photo by Micki
Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of pictures of the cruise itself, mostly because everyone focuses on the twisty mountain road!
Once we got over the mountain, it’s a short drive to Smiley’s Fuel City in Raphine where we let the cars cool down, hang out, and maybe grab a snack from the shop.
So many Nissans!
Can’t have a cruise on a twisty road and not expect a good presence from Mazda.
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Turbo rotary, NA inline six, and turbo inline six, some great engine sounds from these three!
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Photo by Ai
We all got together for a quick group picture before heading back over the mountain. We didn’t even have any serious mechanical issues this time, just some wiring issues on a Miata, a misfire on an RX8, and some brake fade on a Civic, all of which were remedied quickly. My MR2 even got 34mpg on this trip! I’d like to thank everyone that came out and made this event a huge success. As with every cruise we’ve done, we had zero problems with dangerous driving, obnoxious revving, burnouts, racing or any of the other negative behaviors commonly associated with car events. It’s a testament to the quality of the people involved, and everyone in attendance helped make for a very fun day. I hope to see you all at our next cruise this fall! Check out below for more pictures.
-Jordan
Following photos by Ai
Below photos by Micki
Below photos by Jordan
Dru
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 09:08 |
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I see Mustangs, any casualties? I keed I keed. Is there an e46 in this crowd?
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 09:15 |
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That MKII Supra is pure sex.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/18/2016 at 09:17 |
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Dude I know. He was rocking the louvers AND the double spoiler. Looked so good.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Dru
04/18/2016 at 09:17 |
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No E46's this time, but we have had one or two in the past.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 09:30 |
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Maybe I’ll have something to run next year - question being, if it’ll be the Ranchero or the Lincoln.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 11:46 |
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OMG!!!!!! The ‘85-’6 roof spoiler is one of my favorite trim pieces on any car ever. Did they come with louvers at all from the factory or was it taken off a Celica?
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/18/2016 at 13:10 |
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There are four hatch options.
1. Nothing
2. Louvers
3. Sun shade/upper spoiler/roof spoiler
4. Double spoiler
Whether some are specific to Celica vs CelicaSupra, I’m not sure. But they were all factory options.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 13:57 |
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At least in the US, the single roof spoiler was standard til ‘84 and the double’s ‘85-86. I’m pretty certain that there were no louvers available in any market for the Supra (not officially anyway - who knows what the dealers did), but the Celica XX (Supra as sold in Japan) was available with the spoilerless back.
InfinityAero
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 14:24 |
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Pssst.... I think your car club may have been infiltrated by some non-Japanese non-classic cars (*cough* Mustangs BMWs).
Looks like a blast! I was out in the same area as the northern leg just this past weekend for a trip to Fort Valley. Some awesome roads there too! (tho I was stuck in an Xterra...)
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> InfinityAero
04/18/2016 at 15:44 |
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We do have Japanese classics-specific meets, but the cruises we open up to whomever.
I heard there are some good 4wd trails up on Crabtree Falls so your Xterra might have been a good choice haha.
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InfinityAero
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2016 at 16:07 |
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Looks like an awesome collection of cars. Wish I still had my 81 280zx turbo... Maybe I’ll find an excuse to meet up with you guys when I get my ‘77 Fiat up and running— could be a while before I end up back in something Japanese.
Thanks for the heads up on Crabtree falls, will have to check out what I can find out about that place! I’ve been trying, and failing, to find good information on where the killer offroad trails are in the area. I was able to print out a collection of PDF maps of all 40 something regions in the GW and Jefferson national forest system. All the fire roads and trails are marked according to what vehicles are allowed on them... but not much to indicate what sort of surface you’re dealing with. F66 and a couple other fire trails that we ended up on were fun, but not by any means challenging for the X.
Used to go 4-wheeling in my buddy’s Cherokee back when I lived in Arizona, so I’ve already been bitten by the bug!
GTI Sprinks
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/19/2016 at 09:25 |
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looked like a good group and a good ride. I had heard about this one but opted for cars and coffee in cville and lunch with friends. I know that’s a nice drive though.