Gentlemen, Start Hacking Your Engines nytimes.com
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One of the computer products in which Venom takes most pride is a nitrous oxide injection system controlled by a Palm organizer. Once a mysterious gas known as much for blowing up engines as making them go faster, the horsepower-enhancing ability of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, gained wide credibility in 2001 when the film "The Fast and the Furious" shone a spotlight on high-tech (and highly illegal) street racing.
"The Palm Pilot piggybacks off your E.C.U.," Mr. Lakey said, referring to the engine control unit. "Instead of using your PC, now you can sit in your car and change your whole system. The Palm Pilot has all your engine configurations. You can set it to full race mode in seconds."
Mr. Lakey said that the company came up with the product not only for convenience, but also because it is a great marketing tool. "A kid wants to be able to say, 'I can program my car with a Palm Pilot.' " . . .
With the Honda tested and tuned, he disappeared from the garage in a cloud of tire smoke. "These small cars appeal to a new generation of kids who are very technologically savvy," Mr. Church said. Although he sees many makes of cars in his shop, he said, Hondas are the most popular among hot rodders today. "They've always built efficient, high-tech cars,'' he said. "But I think the real genius was that they designed things to be easy to replace, easy to modify, and they always leave room in their engines for more power."
Back at Hondata, a clearly pleased Mr. Rascon went over the final numbers on his car with Mr. Macmillan. "My mom says to me, 'Why are you doing this?' " he said. " 'I'm sick and tired of it. Let's go buy you a new 350Z or Lexus and I'll help you with payments.' "
But Mr. Rascon is sure he does not want a Lexus or a Nissan 350Z. "You get a Lexus or 350Z, and, sure, people will look at you, but that's now what this is about," he said. "This is about getting into something I built and whipping a 350Z. That's the best feeling in the world." |
