October Featured Car of the Month
Joe Perry and his 2011 Black Mica MazdaSpeed3
Joe found himself at a dealership, looking for a Mustang. As fate would have it though, he got the chance to check out a Mazdaspeed 3 instead and something just clicked. After the test drive, and finding out that the deal was just too good to pass up, he sealed the deal. Having owned a Miata previously, he knew Mazda could build an exciting car, even if it the Speed was a little different. Mostly, Joe just enjoyed the fact that his head didn’t stick above the roof!
With the purchase of his 2011 Black Speed 3 he decided to give modifying a try. Looking for a crisp feel and wanting to remove the excessive engine movement he was experiencing, especially when launching, he purchased the CorkSport Rear Motor Mount Insert. Once installed, the mod bug hit hard. Just check out this list:
Performance mods
-ETS tmic
-Autotech HPFP internals
-SURE intake
-SURE turbo inlet
-Forge V1 bpv
-Ultimate Racing downpipe
–Corksport Racepipe
-Ultimate Racing cat-back exhaust
-Corksport Exhaust Hangars
-Corksport Short Shift Plate
-Corksport Race Rear Motor Mount
-Corksport Oil Catch Can
-Denso ITV22 spark plugs
Wheels & suspension
-10mm spacers
-Continental sport contact DW tires
-Eibach Pro-kit springs
-Koni yellow shocks
-Akebono Euro brake pads
Exterior goodies
-OEM mazda window visors
-20% tint
-Rally Armor mud flaps
Joe’s most frequent passenger is his girlfriend Elizabeth, who may be a little jealous of the attention his Speed 3 gets, but is always up for the “zoom zoom-boost,” as she calls it. “She loves the car, and there are times you’ll hear her say, ‘Just go fast’”.
Joe hasn’t found himself at many Mazda Meets or events, but he’ll regularly troll through the classic car shows and let the guys gawk at his ‘OCD Clean’ ride. “The old guys love it, a big contrast from theirs, but car people appreciate clean, powerful cars”.
You can find Joe and his beauty “cruising the winding back roads of the reservoir; a local spot through the woods with some good twists and turns”, or to and from work as a correctional officer. “Inmates look out the window and take notice of any and all changes I make to the ride, or just listen to the sound of it…” he says with a chuckle.
He loves his Pro Tune from Lex @ Stratified, and looks forward to some Work-Emotion Wheels and a possible upgraded turbo next summer.
This is Joe’s first ‘award’ of any kind, “I love the car and keep it crazy clean, but haven’t really shared it much”. So ladies and gents he’s batting 1.000!
I’m going to end this with my own thoughts here and say:
“Just look at that GRIN!”
Cheers – Kim