From a 1987 Corolla to Track-Ready Infiniti: Banging Gears the Wrong Way! 🇯🇵💨

Can you turn a family sedan into a track weapon? Adam proves you can—even if you have to engineer an automatic transmission to "bang gears" like a manual. 🏎️🔧

In this episode, we sit down with Adam to trace his automotive evolution from the late '80s to today. It all started with a peppy 1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16 (a rare 2-door hatchback with the legendary 4A-GE engine) that ignited his inner "shade-tree mechanic."

From there, Adam takes us through his tuner phase with a 1996 Nissan Maxima—where he pushed the boundaries of what a V6 sedan could do—and into the modern era with his Infiniti Q50, a daily driver he regularly pushes to the limit on the track.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• 🔰 The Corolla FX-16: Why this forgotten 80s hatchback was the perfect first car for a budding enthusiast.
• 🔧 "Banging Gears" in an Auto: How Adam modified his automatic Nissan Maxima to shift manually, long before paddle shifters were standard.
• 🏁 Track Day Tales: Taking a luxury sport sedan (Infiniti Q50) to the Texas Motor Speedway and proving that everyday cars can deliver adrenaline.
• 🛠️ Junkyard Gold: The lost art of scouring junkyards for parts and learning to wrench out of necessity.
• 📈 The Import Evolution: A look at how the Japanese import scene evolved from the late 80s econoboxes to today's high-tech sport sedans.

Listen to Adam's favorite featuring his wife, "Melissa Turbo"who shares her LeBaron Turbo and Jeep Cherokee stories: https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/16066469

Whether you're a fan of old-school Toyotas, a Nissan VQ enthusiast, or just love a good story about modifying cars in your driveway, this episode is a high-revving trip down memory lane.

• Visit our Linktree to find all of our content: 🔗🌲https://linktr.ee/carsloved
• Check out our Guest-inspired Road Trip Playlist on Spotify: 🎧🚗 https://carsloved.com/playlist

📢 Join the Conversation: Have you ever taken your daily driver to the track? Let us know on Instagram @toallthecarsivelovedbefore

          *** Your Favorite Podcast Automotive Nostalgia Podcast ***

Connect with us: 

📧 Email: stories@carsloved.com 

🔗🌳 Visit our LinkTree for all 70+ episodes: https://linktr.ee/carsloved

Love the show? Please follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transcript

00:00.00
Christian
Welcome back America this is your podcast about cars. Remember there's american history. There's automotive history and then there's your history. We are at the vin diagram intersection of those 3 and this week's another episode and we're going to get into. Ah, thoughts about cars whether it parents cars road trip cars your first cars. The cars that have meant something to you. This is to all the cars I've loved before check us out online at carslove.com cars loved.com we all kinds of wonderful stuff there embarrassing photos. There's a forum if you want to be on the show. Ah yeah, join the millions of americans that have never heard to it heard of us and I'm going to kick it over it. My name is Christian and I'm going to kick it over to co-host my co-host doug my co-pilot. My co-driver co-passenger as it were Doug as he introduces today's very special guest.

01:02.72
Doug
Thank you Christian yeah, so we've got a ah blast from the past for me my I think it's safe to say best friend growing up Adam he no longer resides in Maryland he's in the great state of Texas where everything is great and bigger.

01:05.62
Christian
Love it.

01:19.60
Christian
Great greater than how how how how far apart did you guys live growing up.

01:19.83
Doug
And Adam's got a great automative history I feel ah probably half a mile if that yep when we we did.

01:28.00
Christian
<unk> Fantastic Oh ding. Love that Love that.

01:28.30
Adam
We're pretty close. Yeah, you could walk if you really really wanted to.

01:36.26
Doug
Before we could before we could drive but I'm sure there's some stories there. So Adam. Thanks thanks for coming on the show. Um, yeah, happy to have you please ah tell us a little bit about yourself or our listeners if you will.

01:43.70
Adam
Thanks for having me. Thanks.

01:51.16
Adam
So my name's Adam grew up in the northeast between New York and Maryland but have been in Texas and Dallas in Dallas since gosh pla 98 work brought me down here and enjoying the heat and him.

02:06.78
Christian
In humidity. Never forget the humidity. Yeah man, what did you guys get the power grid fixed or you still like ah light and candles for heat.

02:07.71
Doug
And don't forget the cold and the power spikes.

02:12.16
Adam
It's not dry but it's not like up there.

02:18.55
Adam
It's the best dang pararid in the world or something like that I'm a Roman it was west Texas west texas has a lot of windmills yet.

02:20.91
Doug
Is.

02:22.53
Christian
Now is it a lot of it's a lot of windmills right? It's a lot of windmills and because you're flat actually West Texas yeah and I will say okay before we get into it. Got it got to say now my aunt is my mother's.

02:31.79
Doug
We're talking about North Dallas it's a different different animal right? Adam.

02:42.50
Christian
Youngest sister lives out in Amarillo and I went and took my god my kids to visit her I say god right? as we were coming out of covid and we were able to fly again and it's so flat I mean it is flat I've never seen anything so flat.

02:43.92
Adam
Yes, yeah.

03:00.10
Christian
There are no hills you can see for miles down the road everybody drives eighty miles an hour like even you know people that have to because you can see it and so it's and so the wind flies through when you can see these enormous when I never see anything like that in my life but it was um, yeah yeah, so we would.

03:15.87
Adam
Giant farms of them giant giant farms of them. Yeah, we drove through through there once like a few years ago yeah

03:18.43
Christian
Um, yeah, dig it. Dig it Sorry didn't mean interrupt didn't mean interrupt. No yeah, yeah.

03:24.23
Doug
Cool I'll learn something learn something I didn't know. Yeah, so for if if you're new if you're a new listener or if you're just coming back. We're gonna talk to Adam about some ah significant cars in his life. It could be a car that. That ah his first car when he acquired how he got it the color what he liked about it what he hated about it would happen to the car cars that significant things in his life. He happened to own the car during that time maybe at his first date in the car. Maybe his.

03:43.70
Christian
Yeah.

03:53.96
Christian
Um, yeah.

03:57.67
Doug
His first child was born in the back seat I don't know so all.

04:01.29
Christian
That's what happened to to Michael J Fox and Doc Hollywood we should. We should maybe have him on great movie by the way Julie Warner ah sorry good

04:07.13
Doug
Yep, it is a great movie. So so so yeah Adam you want to start out with a early car. This is this is really all about you way back.

04:14.66
Adam
We'll go early. We'll go. We'll go to the very beginning Doug. You remember this car I had a I don't know what year it was 87 ish toyota corla fx through door hat 2 door hatchback effect correct I'm sorry yes.

04:16.64
Christian
Love that Love that.

04:25.44
Christian
Um, oh.

04:25.53
Doug
Um, fx 6 fx sixteen if I remember correctly.

04:31.91
Adam
Good good point fx sixteen it was not the base model. It had the 16 valve engine but it was not the gts model that had this stick shift in the 14 s I had the automatic in the thirteens but it did have a mean I think a factory toy to decal on the side. It was it was pretty it was pretty ride

04:37.13
Christian
Um, oh.

04:42.26
Doug
Thirteens.

04:45.86
Christian
I Love those most people hate him I Love him. That's my official position on that. My official position is the decals on the side. Sorry go ahead.

04:49.53
Doug
Yeah, Seth.

04:55.51
Adam
But I mean like anybody's oh like anybody's first car just lots of fun in my car learned I mean it was white. It was white and I ended up with it because my my.

04:57.31
Doug
That's okay so how. Yeah, had it. How did you end up with that car. Adam.

05:04.62
Christian
Um, what color love it.

05:13.62
Adam
Yeah, my parents divorced my dad was in Indianapolis at the time and went out there one summer he bought it for me and we drove it back together and he flew back? Ah, but that was go.

05:19.39
Doug
And if if memory serves sorry sorry to interrupt you if memory serves your dad was quite a car aficionato as well. He changed cars quite a bit. Yeah.

05:30.41
Adam
He changed cars quite a bit he changed. Um, but that was that was a fun car learned how to I think work on brakes on that car learned how to go to a Junkyard and acquire replacement parts. All kinds of good life skills. Good life skills.

05:41.39
Christian
Um, Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was my kids and I were On. We were going somewhere. Maybe it was long I 10 and I and we're just passing Junkyard I said man look at that Junkyard. My kid said what's that what's that and I said oh well this is where cars pile up and you go and you find your car you extract parts. You know you barter with the Junkyard owner you try not get to get bitten By. You know the dog from the movie the sandlot and they had no clue because typically what happens to to to. Old cars now is they just get get crushed down into cubes and they salvage what they can they recycle.

06:23.11
Doug
Yep, that that that is true that is true and yeah, really really great point about how how times have changed right? And yeah I I seen her remember you for sure I remember.

06:33.65
Christian
Um, it was much more a throw away society back then? yeah.

06:39.46
Doug
A few junkyard trips with Adam of course. So yeah, so so first car Adam learned to drive in it right? It it was a nice car as I recall. Um.

06:43.32
Christian
Um, I wish they would have thrown away my childhood pride preferring 1 sorry go ahead.

06:56.93
Doug
For our viewers. It was a basically ah kind of a twin of a Honda Civic Tu door it looked. We had a mutual friend with a Honda Civic Tu door and that's look like ah yeah, very boxy roomy.

07:07.60
Adam
Yeah, it was very boxy.

07:10.73
Christian
Yeah, yeah group.

07:14.45
Doug
Remain inside 2 door white. Um and let's see I'm trying to remember what else was there any significant feature like tape deck.

07:23.81
Adam
No, it did have a cool aftermarket equalizer hanging off the bottom I think the previous owner installed it so that was always like fun to play with when a great sound system but but it had a like a 10 segment equalizer on it.

07:38.72
Doug
Yep, and I know I said Tape deck for for those viewers that listeners who remember that? um yeah tape decks were fun and the secret when they're not working is a is a pencil right.

07:47.50
Christian
I.

07:55.88
Doug
And a lot of people don't know how a pencil and a tape work together but they do.

07:58.99
Adam
Their best bodies.

07:59.31
Christian
I used to used to love having equalizers you know I'd love to play with the little sliders and you know and I thought I was Dr Dray or something I couldn't hear a difference ever on any of the equalizers I had his well boy I thought I was fancy sliding the little the slide and the little levers up and down.

08:18.30
Doug
Yeah, yeah, how how? um would would um, sorry sorry if I may a Christian Adam would happen to that car.

08:18.32
Christian
Anyway, all right hey good stuff. Um, is there a second car. Oh go ahead.

08:28.67
Adam
That car What happened to that car. It wasn't an accident but I don't remember if that was the terminal event for that car. Yeah, that was it that was that was yeah that was the end of the car that was that that was the terminal event of the car. Um.

08:41.86
Doug
Yes, I'm pretty I'm pretty sure my head my head hit the side window during that accident. No, it didn't there. Oh yeah I would I was fine a concussion later Toyos are safe. You guys heard it here.

08:42.50
Christian
Terminal bit to love it.

08:50.34
Christian
Um, oh Wow Present at creation. Love it.

08:50.97
Adam
Um, but it didn't It didn't crack the window so you're fine.

08:58.94
Christian
Yeah I heard that a free concussion came with that trim package. So anyway, hey let's pivot to the next car that meant something to Adam Love that.

09:00.80
Adam
Yeah, yeah.

09:00.95
Doug
First.

09:06.70
Doug
Yet that that was important. Yes.

09:09.13
Adam
Next one not in chronological order. But my first probably adult car. So when I first moved to Dallas went to the dealer bought in 98 and bought a 96 nisa maxima which had that for a long time.

09:21.69
Doug
Nice.

09:25.38
Christian
Um, car. Yeah yep, good looking to.

09:27.42
Adam
Love that car. It was quick. Um, it was well equipped. Awesome yeah, well. Nice, big, big old sun roof. Um and I ended up in the later years doing a lot of mods to that car. Um I the kids would know it what I we did a? ah ah what the kids call pre cat delete.

09:39.81
Doug
Tell tell us about moms.

09:40.45
Christian
Um, oh.

09:47.26
Adam
But they ah pipe the bypass the the precats give it which which was ah a big bang for the buck for that car. Ah I know I put some lowering springs on it I know I rebuilt the brakes number of times and I'm pretty sure.

09:50.85
Doug
Nice.

09:59.30
Doug
Are.

10:03.46
Adam
I dropped the automatic transmission valve by sent it off to some crazy shop somewhere that did that drilled some holes a little bit bigger increased fluid pressure and it was basically a shift kit right? So under light light throttle. You wouldn't notice the difference but full throttle. The thing would like bank second are really really hard and even third.

10:12.18
Doug
Nice.

10:18.15
Doug
Wow I forgot all forgot I don't think I knew about that stuff that you had done it I mean yep.

10:20.18
Adam
Gave it a little little bit more little bit more path.

10:21.26
Christian
Um, so that did you yeah are now. Did you do that or did you have that done or did you collaborate with some people or.

10:28.17
Adam
It was that was a long time ago a long time ago I So I did I did all that myself except the um that shift kit work and that you you send off so the car sits idle while you you drop the part box that send it. They do.

10:45.26
Christian
I think I see.

10:46.90
Adam
Magic over a week and they send it back. You hopeful you and hopefully you install it correctly. Hopefully remember all where all the springs and screws went um, you know that man I the lot to that car that car car also had so the variety of that car. They sold in the Middle East had a um like a variable length runner and you could buy it.

10:53.30
Christian
Um, yeah.

11:05.92
Adam
After Marketet install that so I did that on it and give it a little bit more power and hit hook up at rpm switch and all kinds of crazy stuff to get to work but that was that was a fun car. All kinds of work on that.

11:11.95
Christian
Good job, Good job.

11:16.00
Doug
Nice, nice. And yeah I do I do remember that car. What color was it Adam it oh it was another white car. Interesting. Yeah.

11:21.56
Adam
That was white too. That was why to and that one got God that one got sold to my neighbor across the alley and if you're listening to this podcast I apologize.

11:28.39
Christian
Um, yeah, ever Nope please continue you're you're the guest.

11:36.26
Doug
Hope that.

11:40.20
Christian
I.

11:40.63
Adam
But yeah, the the ah the the kid ah the the high schooler across the alley from us. Um in Dallas I don't for the listeners that don't know most neighborhoods have alleys and you put your trash in the alley and you pull into your garage from from the back from the alley so not less people park in front of the house people are parked like behind the house.

11:52.10
Doug
Are there.

11:53.60
Christian
Um, you got.

12:00.20
Adam
So you make you make more almost friends more with the people across the alley and behind you than in front of you on the street because you're out in the in the driveway. What? what? not back there. So anyway the neighbor behind me said hey will you sell me your car for my teenage son and this was I already had another car and I said sure and we we came up to a good price.

12:06.34
Christian
Gotcha gotcha.

12:16.27
Doug
Nice, nice and sit.

12:17.26
Christian
I love that I love by the way the preamble which is the blanket apology to every citizen of Dallas in you know Texas writ larger I guess that's always to anyone I've ever offended about anything very helpful in today's society

12:23.31
Doug
Um, yeah.

12:35.52
Christian
Good stuff. No I was just going to say when you ah the white seemed to be a theme on these first 2 early cards you were good. Were you.

12:36.21
Doug
Um, and.

12:41.86
Adam
Ah, now I think there's too happy. Be white but they're all all across I had I had all across the spectrum. So.

12:49.38
Christian
Got you? Well Well what I was going to say is yeah you you ever drive down the road now I'm in the market for a car now sort of always in the market for a car but you go down the road and you ever see like white gray black white Gray black white Gray Black blue.

12:51.60
Doug
Um, yeah.

13:06.95
Christian
White Gray black white. It's It's just I mean I get that it's a way to keep cost down but my goodness I mean every car looks Windswept now. But there's just seems to be very little variability in color I don't know just want to throw that out there. We can move to the next car If if that's a dumb thing to say.

13:21.96
Doug
Yeah, well I wanted to I remembered some marketing and I think nissan still uses it. It was the 4 door sports car. But and if I remember your dad had 1 I had one later.

13:29.87
Adam
Yes, yeah.

13:37.70
Adam
Yeah, he had the prior Gen yeah, the prior Gen that's when when it started um the model year through 94 and then mine was the model year it was 96 but it was 95 through I think 98 was that style.

13:40.35
Doug
Yeah.

13:54.43
Adam
And through that yes through that is short or sports car I don't know if it had it kept it after that or not and just yep I remember that.

13:58.45
Doug
Yep yep, but yeah, that's ah, that's a marketing and I think I had a friend. We had a mutual friend in high school. We had a older maybe original one and had a digital dash and God back in the day that was just the coolest thing.

14:13.30
Adam
Digital flashes were cool.

14:15.75
Doug
Now Everything's digital but in a different way.

14:17.87
Christian
The funny thing is you ever ah get into a car and you've got these enormous analog and this's the new newer cars. Maybe maybe not the newest cars. But maybe 5 years old or so they would have these huge analog dials Speededometer tachometer. And then this tiny digital area in between and it's sort of you know if you just think of it in terms of real estate on the cluster I don't need these analog gauges like all the meat is right here and now I got to click the button 26 times. What's my range. What's my efficiency. What's the temperature. What's this.

14:51.82
Adam
That thorough. Yep.

14:57.15
Christian
It's very um I don't know I don't I don't care for them.

14:59.35
Adam
I Feel like you've got like bosch or one manufacturer somewhere making some widget that every car manufacturer just pops in there and and is done with it and and maybe that's that's what it is.

15:07.40
Christian
Ah, yeah, yeah, well that needs to move move into the twenty first century all right? We're we're at 15 past is is there another car or we hold till next season where you at what do you think? addd.

15:21.67
Adam
Ah, gosh I mean we can do a quick third car I had a o eight infinity q fifty which is probably my most fun car I actually had three so so I lease and I had 3 of those and o 8 and 11 and a 14 um. That series of cars I loved a lot of fun to drive that first one I did a lot of my modifications too I won't get into but in Dallas they have ah Texas motor speedway which is ah a big Nascar loop and they hold private events and I did some high performance driving stuff there in that car. Um, there's a lot of fun lot of fun in that car.

15:50.79
Christian
Wow.

15:51.90
Doug
Wow! Yeah, so what did what did you love about those cars since she had 3 of them there had to be a few things.

16:02.35
Adam
It was quick. It looked good. Um I liked how it drove it had all the options I wanted and I couldn't find like Bmw Mercedes Outi was too expensive and then.

16:03.23
Christian
Yeah, yeah.

16:18.59
Adam
You know down from there. It's got kind of a nice Mill ground. You know your your premium but you weren't like spending B and W money.

16:22.50
Christian
Exactly There's a there's a term in the industry near luxury and and and I love the candor of that statement like I've had a few accuracies and I felt like it was um, you know there but not there.

16:27.53
Adam
Near luxury.

16:37.44
Christian
Kind of one foot on either side so you can go all in and buy something european or more more reasonable for the pocketbook. That's a really good point. Good point.

16:44.69
Doug
So so did those cars. Obviously you leave so you had to return them. Did they get better with each successive one. So every 3 years you got a new one.

16:50.30
Adam
Um, yep.

16:56.27
Adam
The first. My first one was second gen then second 2 were third generation. So the second two were were basically the same. Um, so from the first to the second two either. There are big differences and you can get a lot more sport bigger wheels bigger breaks than the later ones. But otherwise you.

17:05.76
Doug
Gotcha.

17:14.75
Adam
Car itself would didn't change a whole lot at all I thought yeah now yeah I mean these were it was a 3 point 7 b six and it was I don't it was.

17:15.80
Christian
Ah, yeah, gotcha.

17:16.62
Doug
And and that was a rear wheel drive car with a big b 6 right? 30400 horsepower

17:31.80
Christian
Yeah, yeah, he's right, He's right? That's right, Yeah, that's before you put the lower on it like fast in the it fast and the curious. Yeah hey good stuff all right? So as we wrap up good stories. Um.

17:31.22
Adam
Load him at two hundreds at the time I don't remember what it was but I mean it moved.

17:32.58
Doug
Well well, that's before you deleted the cats and all that stuff. But you know we'll fit after another f Yes, oh yeah, yeah.

17:38.30
Adam
I'll let you wallet. Well.

17:48.58
Christian
Anything before we say tata here to to all the cars I've loved before nation any thoughts as we wrap up a man. It's been years since I've heard your voice. It's sort of wonderful I think ah.

17:58.80
Adam
Love you guys. Thanks for listening.

18:07.63
Christian
There was probably some sort of wild night out in Dc was our last tourah so you look good. You sound good. Thanks for making the time and we're definitely going to have you back in season 2 because you're ah you're a great interview assuming there is a season. Yeah, go by 3 so we can talk about him.

18:17.77
Doug
For for sure and.

18:22.14
Adam
Um, I'll I'll get 3 more lined up I'll get 3 more lined up.

18:25.24
Doug
Well yeah, and and Adam if there's something you forget about the car. The chances are that I'll probably remember.

18:27.40
Christian
No I'm just kidding.

18:32.48
Christian
Well what? what are the odds that your lovely wife would want to be on the podcast Adam.

18:32.54
Adam
Yes, oh absolutely.

18:43.80
Adam
She's a big podcast fan. So I bet she would love to do that because when I told her I think she got a little jealous So I think we might be able to make that happen.

18:43.35
Christian
Oh.

18:51.51
Christian
Right? Well we couldn't have a spinoff car. Yeah, we we could have a spinoff podcast to all the cars of the spouses that we've loved before could work could line up my ex-wife. It's beautiful. Just kidding I think that's all for this week thank you guys remember we're online at cars. Loved.

18:52.29
Doug
Ah, we can't have that nobody nobody message with missy.

19:11.42
Doug
And and where and where you find your favorite podcast. Do all the cars I've loved before.

19:11.42
Christian
Dot com check us out at carslo.com yeah where you find your favorite podcast which in in terms of yeah in in terms of this podcast. Most people will find it in the nearest recycle bin. But hey you know we're we're we're the young up and comer.

19:18.81
Adam
So where do you find it. So.

19:30.80
Christian
On the street hey thanks for listening. We'll see you next week cars. Loved dotcom check us out carslove.com take care.