Archive for September 17th, 2007

Imagine a car inspired by a serpent. You have the Mitsuoka Orochi.

This serpent isn’t coming towards your babe with an apple and asking her to eat it.

But what it does though, is captivate your imagination.

Most anime loving fanboys will drool over this vehicle though. It looks like something out of Akira!

Alright some proper information. Orochi is designed by Mitsuoka Motors, a company which custom makes retro-looking vehicles from older engines such as the 240SX.

Due to Mitsouka’s exclusivity as a classic automobile builder, not many units are seen on the road.

As for the Orochi, it is powered by a 3MZ - FE, 3311cc V6 DOHC EFI engine, the same engine chassis as the Lexus RX models.

Sad. You would think that with such a beautiful design, the engine could have been more preppy.  Mitsuoka have taken a very big risk, and it looks to be backfiring.

The main reason? Mitsuoka has priced the car at $89,000 USD. Most rich guys with very little time would rather buy a Porsche and yet have a service center and parts available.

Looking at the interior, it still looks very MX-5 or Celica-ish. Circular airconditioning vents, Lexus cockpit style tachometer. What’s new?

Quite sad actually. Mitsouka could have created an icon for this generation of sports cars, but they ended up producing something for a fanboy’s collection.

I’ll give this a pass and get a real Japanese sports car like the Skyline GTR.

Dear readers:

As of today Engine Start Button will be going through slight changes.

Firstly, i got a new job as a Business Development guy in a Japanese Petroleum firm. Yes, you may think there’s more cash to be made but in truth, well, I work the Japanese way.

I don’t have to spell it out. Basically it means less time for my blog posts, sadly. But that’s a fact of life.

Nevertheless, i will still post, but maybe not as frequently.

Secondly, a friend, a kind soul, informed me that engine start button’s alignment and overall site design was amatuerish.

I have to admit he’s right. But I hope you guys cut me some slack, because I’m a first time blogger. Engine Start Button is my first (and to date, only) blog.

For those who have read my postings and voraciously continue to read new ones, I have to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I am grateful that you appreciate my expertise, advice & tips.

I will continue to churn out delicious nuggets of automotive advice and news. But i ask a favor of you, the reader.

Your feedback is valuable, and I would love you to talk to me.

Of course comments like: ”Wtf you chink? My badass f**king turbo is gonna blow your balls off” will NOT be answered, thank you very much.

I am looking for constructive feedback. If you have to be negative, go ahead, but slice off the immaturity and throw it in the dustbin first.

Thank you once again, my dear reader, and i look forward to many good years of automotive information exchanges between you and me!

Regards,

Philip Emmanuel Chan