The moment Arnon pulls into the lot, I can feel a great big grin plaster itself across my face. His Acura Integra is sweeter than the white mocha extravaganza I'm slurping, with its
Japanese type-R front-end conversion, turbo charger with intercooler, VIS carbon fiber hood, VIS carbon fiber hatch lid and Volk wheels. I notice that my Dodge Charger rental, parked right
next to Arnon's prize-winning Integra, is turning an ever so subtle shade of envy green (or maybe that's just me) and we haven't even popped the lid yet! But when we do, my eyes greedily
seize upon the Garrett turbo, aluminum radiator, gold valve cover, MSD ignition, B&M fuel pieces and polished turbo piping, all as clean and shiny as a brand new platinum Rolex, while Arnon
humbly downplays the goods, claiming his need for a paintjob, pointing out body areas that could stand some touch-up, and detailing his desire for a big brake kit that would improve the
standard GSR setup.
Yeah, sure Arnon, I understand -- it's easy to see the flaws in the machine when you're the one who lives with it. To my eyes, this is one impressive ride, and the interior is just as
tasty, boasting a set of popular Brides, a Greddy boost controller, turbo timers, a series of AutoMeter gauges and rear-mounted Alpine amps to match the Alpine subs, speakers and head unit.
So this beast rocks as well as rolls.
To make the meeting even more of an event, Arnon and I drive to Altamonte Springs to meet up with a few friends of his who are also avid Carster members. Pulling into the Panda Express
parking lot, we come grille to grille with a stealthy Mitsubishi Evo and a slammin' Honda Civic hatchback replete with pop-off steering wheel. Nice. Over some quick Chinese takeout, we
discuss Cartser and internet car clubs. They tell me about everything they've poured into their cars, their various jobs, and their lives in Florida. I find out that our contest winner,
Arnon, is presently a full-time nursing student and is just preparing for school to start back up in the fall. Having recently relocated from New Jersey, he's adjusting to the heat and making
new friends while remaining close to his family, who also live in the area.
But the sun is starting to drop and we need to get some photo shots in, so we choose an empty lot in a business park where Arnon can burn his tires and throw a few gears for the camera.
His car sounds like a street-champ with its full-throated turbo growl as he slams it through its paces, and I have to marvel at the way the tricked-out four-cylinder, front-wheel drive import
handles like it's ready for an American race track.
-rc1320 Carster Co-Founder
