Breaking News! Dyno Day a Hit!

Great turn out Saturday at the ImagineAuto Dyno Day. Thanks to all who entered, attended, helped with and cheered on the cars. A nice variety of makes were represented: Mitsubishi Evo 9’s, Subaru STI Wagon, Corvettes, Turbo Mustang, Dodge SRT 8 Wagon, Audi S4, and a couple of Porsches. I actually was the last one standing when it came to grilling burgers for everyone and after the first couple hockey pucks, actually got into the groove. It was hard to tell though whether the smoke smell I carried away with me on Saturday was from the grill or the Mustang that was dyno’d!
A little excitement ensued when Brian Huff showed up in his 1988 Mustang 2.3 Turbo. Once it was strapped down on the dyno and some power was put down, it gave off quite a large amount of smoke. After iA made absolute certain that Brian understood that there was a possibility it was going to explode, the car actually put out an impressive 306 HP. Not bad considering the turbo, the motor and everything in between was in jeopardy of blowing up! Of course iA’s resident 6 year old was very disappointed that the explosion didn’t actually occur!
Below are the HP results:
Robert Lemmon – 2001 Mitsubishi Evo 9 – 342 HP
Richard Moncayo – 2006 Mitsubishi Evo 9 – 324 HP
Justin Mutch – 1998 Subaru STI Wagon – 227 HP
Joe Moncada – 2007 Corvette – 373 HP
Brian Huff – 1988 Mustang 2.3 Turbo – 306 HP
Mike Jacobs – 1989 930 Porsche – 488 HP
Jeff Parlato – 1999 Corvette – 354 HP
Peter Granat – 2001 Porsche 996TT – 271 HP
Dale Berry – 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 Wagon – 440 HP
Charles Waters – 2000 Audi S4 – 270 HP
Remember that ImagineAuto has the AWD Mustang Dyno available every day if you are interested in challenging your friend to a run-off. We also are pleased to offer car club discounts on multiple dyno runs. Call iA to arrange your next gathering here. I’d be happy to grill some burgers for you! 😉

Dyno Day at iA, Saturday December 6th – Don’t Miss!

No doubt all your Christmas shopping is done by now and you are looking for something to do this weekend?!  ImagineAuto has you covered.

10 Dyno Spots – ONLY 5 REMAIN – ONLY 2 REMAIN – any make, any model.  Are you up for the challenge?

Bring your friends and your friends’ friends and enjoy a day filled with revved engines, raw horsepower, and a little smack talk.  Admission is free and ImagineAuto is providing a free BBQ lunch.

Meet the ImagineAuto tuning specialists! PLUS Chad and his gang from KC Trends will be on hand to show off some of their product and join in the fun.

Call 913-310-9927 or email questions@imagineauto.com for more information.

Buffalo Run 2008 Pictures

It was another awesome year at the KC Magazine’s Buffalo Run 2008 version!  ImagineAuto had the pleasure of sponsoring the event for the third year in a row and we as usual, had a really great time.

Friday night’s event took place at Harrah’s Casino’s Voodoo Lounge.  With Cooranbong Vodka flowing freely, the Rally participants mingled with friends and competitors while listening to guest concert artist Gavin DeGraw.  While Gavin proved to be an interesting character, the event was a great time!  And Team ImagineAuto followed up the evening (well, it was actually already Saturday I believe) with a hearty Denny’s meal to get carbed up and raring to go for the Concours and Rally.

Five thirty a.m. arrived way too soon and as the cars were parked on the Plaza by 6:45.  It was a very cold but beautiful October morning and by mid-morning the streets of the Plaza were packed with participants and spectators alike.  Of course there was a ton of good-hearted trash talk that took place – most of it fueled by one Melvin…

IA’s 997TT actually headed back to the shop after the Concours to anticipate a rush of Rally participants as they stormed the shop for their piece of the deck on the Poker Run leg of the event.  That was a blast watching all of the cars squealing through our otherwise quiet business park setting and coming to a slow enough roll that our 6 year old, Quinn, could hand them a card out of the deck.  The plan was that if there was a close race at the end, the best poker hand would win.

From what we hear the Rally was a great drive and upon its end, landed the participants at Aristocrat Motors.  Congratulations to fellow ImagineAuto Team Rob and Leslie Dorrell who came in second place with their 2008 M5 BMW.

Oh, by the way, I’m back to bloggin’ – YES! 

High Style through Eye Style

Sunglasses define your personality on first glance.  Take a few of the options available through Porsche:

These Porsche Carrera sunglasses were worn by Yoko Ono on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1980s.  Huge on style, sporty and not for the shy personality:

 

1980s version Hollywood glam Porsche sunglasses.  Very chic…

Porsche Carrera aviators.  Retro charm, current style – the whole package:

For the more subtle female Porsche driving fan, this style designed by Professor F.A. Porsche himself may be more you:

And then there is always the updated but classic aviator style Porsche sunglasses.  These are made from titanium and contain no lens screws to loosen up as you wear them:

Porsche sunglass styles can be found by the dozens.  These are just a sampling of a few unique and classic statements.  Whether it’s Porsche automobiles or Porsche fashion, you know you are getting top of the line materials, craftsmenship and cutting edge style.  Happy shopping!

 

Kids Day & Swap Shop Reminder

We are gearing up for a great time at the first ever Kids Day and Swap Meet at iA this Saturday, August 16th!  It’s not too late to reserve a spot to sell at the Swap Meet and those of you looking for parts of course there is no need to RSVP. 

Kids!  Bring your bikes, trikes, motorcycles, your favorite rides and have a blast!  Face painter, moonwalk, driving course, detail center, treats and lots of kid-like fun. 

If it rains, we’ll reschedule!!!  See you Saturday!

Porsche Style

Depends on the individual without a doubt, but I would say most of us are at least conscious of making a concerted effort to look good.  Obviously driving the cars you drive, i.e., Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, etc., you’ve at least thought about your appearance.  I always seem to preface my blogs with the fact that I’m the only female blogging and while I know enough to be dangerous in the world of Porsche technicality, my interests lie in more frivolous Porsche topics.

Which is how I came across some interesting new Porsche fashion statements tonight.  Available for the 2008-2009 season is the Porsche Cayenne jacket for her.  Crisp, white, sleek and oh so stylish, just like the Cayenne you’ll be driving the kids to football practice in. 

Also available is a whole line of Adidas-made Porsche brand shoes for men.  This line of nearly a dozen different Porsche-inspired sneakers was designed with sleek lines, luxurious materials, state of the art technology and classic style. 

The shoes are styled for casual wear, athletic wear, or actual Porsche driving.  Shoes can be found on zappos.com

Tweed Porsche

Veronique Branquinho has been a driving force of forward fashion since the launch of her women’s line in 1997.  Now the Belgian – and proud new owner of a vintage Porsche racecar – turns her sights to menswear.  More interesting than that however, is her “Porschewear.”

During an art/fashion showing in April 2008, Branquinho provided an overcoat for the discerning man, along with a Porsche outfitted in matching tweed, both inside and out. Presented along with a video of a car racing through the open desert, we’re finally ready to go. The desert provides the metaphor of endless openness as we head forward into our unknown future. At least we – and your Porsche – can be well dressed for the surprises that await us.

Kids Day @ iA

As the self-appointed social director at ImagineAuto, I try to keep things interesting around here.  We’ve built and raced wooden cars, had water balloon fights, Drive-In Movie night, of course held Spring Car Thing 1 2 & 3, and many other memorable events.  While everyone here is a kid at heart, I decided it was time to do something exclusively for the kids!

So, in conjunction with the already-blogged-about Swap Meet here on August 16th (check out July 2nd post), we will be holding the first ever Kids Day @ iA.  Bring your kids, kids bring your friends but most importantly kids – BRING YOUR FAVORITE RIDE!  Bicycle, tricycle, scooter, skateboard, motorcycle, anything with wheels and hang out iA-Style!  

Activities Include:

Driving Course, Car Wash/Detail Center, Inflatable Maze, Food, Face Painting, T-Shirts, Goodie Bags & More!

WHEN: SATURDAY AUGUST 16TH

TIME: 10AM TO 2PM

PLACE: IMAGINEAUTO – 8344 MELROSE DR., LENEXA, KS 66214

QUESTIONS:  913-310-9927 OR QUESTIONS@IMAGINEAUTO.COM

Porsche painting

It was my idea to start the ImagineAuto blog and it’s my role to be the “Blog Nazi” and encourage everyone to blog on their assigned day.  Needless to say we are all incredibly busy but most everyone has, as of late, found time to blog.  I’m pushing it tonight since it is 11:50pm and I’m just now doing this so I’m stretching for a topic!  I feel like the techs and salesmen have a huge advantage over me with their expansive knowledge and limitless blog-ability.  But here goes nothing…(btw, it IS Porsche-related):

A blonde teenager, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a ‘handy-woman’ and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do.

‘Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch,’ he said, ‘How much will you charge me?’

Delighted, the girl quickly responded, ‘How about $50?’

The man agreed and told her that the paint brushes and everything she would need was in the garage. The man’s wife, hearing the conversation said to her husband, ‘Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?’

He responded, ‘That’s a bit cynical, isn’t it?’

The wife replied, ‘You’re right. I guess I’m starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes we’ve been getting by e-mail lately.’

Later that day, the blonde came to the door to collect her money. ‘You’re finished already?’ the startled husband asked.

‘Yes, the blonde replied, and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats’

Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along with a ten dollar tip.

‘And by the way, ‘ the blonde added, ‘it’s not a Porch, it’s a Lexus.’

 

Funny Story…

Since I’ve literally grown up around Porsches and live and breathe them now, they are second nature – a part of me.  I sometimes forget about their exotic intrigue.  The awe in people’s eyes when they see the 997TT we drive on a daily basis, often goes unnoticed.  I am by no means belittling the fact that we drive a magnificent machine.  It wasn’t an easy road for us to get to the car we currently drive.  Buy, rebuild, modify, sell; buy, rebuild, modify, sell, and so on until we climbed the Porsche ladder and landed at the 997TT. 

We are in the process of moving and are having our new deck power washed and re-stained.  I had talked by phone to two college kids that we contracted to do the work but had yet to meet them until today.  I stopped by the new house and met one of the guys who had just started the power wash process.  Somehow we got on the topic of what I (we) did for a living.  I always keep it pretty simple and say we service and modify Porsches.  This kid was impressed to say the least and then started in with a story of his own.

He said that there is some guy that lives out our way that drives a yellow twin turbo Porsche.  He has raced a buddy of his who apparently has a supercharged Viper.  (The  Porsche won.)  He also owns a martial arts school.  I calmly say to the kid – I know the guy.  Really?? Is his response.  Oh man, that’s so cool!  I quietly tell him that’s my husband, Stephen, and he owns ImagineAuto and doesn’t own the martial arts school but he is a 2nd Degree Black Belt and a TKD and Gracie Jiu Jitsu instructor.  The kid flips out and starts talking about street racing and horsepower and martial arts and everything else he can spew out before taking a breath.

It wasn’t the conversation itself that left an impression today.  It was the excitement, the mystic, the legacy that is our speed yellow 997TT.  It was the excitement in that young man’s eyes when he told of the mysterious car and guy inside and the the wild fish tale that apparently has grown over time.  That’s ok with us of course.  This kid is the next generation of ImagineAuto customers and we can always use some security in this uncertain world! Be on the lookout for the next spotting of a speed yellow 997TT.  But look fast, it’s going to be passing you!