The passion for fast imports is still going strong at Cartune Auto Repair in San Diego. By: Mike Madriaga In the 1990s, import car builders in San Diego who specialized in Japanese vehicles had a tough time competing at the nearby Carlsbad Raceway quarter-mile track. “The hot rod builders laughed; there was no acceptance really […]
On November 29, a person driving a white Toyota Prius crashed into the Tower Bar in City Heights. The 90-plus-year-old punk rock concert venue was struck so hard that the bar inside moved a couple of inches, but nobody was injured. Mick Rossler, owner of the place, said to me that the Prius driver was […]
If you’re a Phoenix Suns fan and have been on Instagram or TikTok lately, a smidgen of a purple-and-orange lowrider might’ve caused you to stop scrolling. It’s a clip posted on the Suns Instagram page on Nov. 2, and it’s still making its rounds on the internet. Like a scene out of a movie, Devin […]
In 2021, the California Highway Patrol reportedly responded to calls to more than 7300 sideshows statewide, many of them here in San Diego County. Sideshows, or takeovers, take place when car enthusiasts block off city streets and take turns performing stunts such as donuts, burnouts, and drifting. The street mayhem, which holds up traffic until the […]
On September 7, the El Cajon Police Department received an automated license plate recognition notice of a stolen 2016 Hyundai Sonata by Mollison Avenue and Chase Avenue. The officers in the vicinity spotted and stopped the vehicle driven by a 17-year-old male on probation for auto theft. The day before, the police received similar notices […]
On August 12, a motorcyclist popped a wheelie on the I-5 freeway heading northbound, then wiped out and fell to the pavement feet away from a fast-moving car — as depicted on an Instagram video uploaded by @sandiegoville. The California Highway Patrol commented about the Friday afternoon motorcycle crash, relayed by 619newsmedia. “It occurred around 3:40 p.m. […]
By Mike Madriaga Lisa H. from Valley Center wishes she could’ve joined her fellow semi-truckers when they left for Altadena, California, on February 23, to caravan with The People’s Convoy en route to Washington DC. “What an awesome experience to be a part of,” she said to me on February 25 as the convoy approached […]
By Mike Madriaga On the morning of July 12, workers in the Otay Mesa area called the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to check on an abandoned, white-colored, Isuzu flatbed truck that contained about 700 gallons of used motor oil. “[It’s] a truck leaking what appeared to be motor oil, leaking possibly into the storm drain,” […]
By Mike Madriaga On June 2, the San Diego Police Department Facebooked a photo of a stolen red moped. “A community member notified us of a man parking a moped and then running away, which [the man who reported it] thought was suspicious,” SDPD captioned the photo in part. “After tracking down the registered owner, […]
By Mike Madriaga On September 16, a person who wore a dark-colored hoodie and carried a red-colored gas container walked up to Mervynn Fernandez’s 1990 Nissan 240SX near the Paradise Valley neighborhood on Dillard Street. “He poured gas on it and lit it on fire at 2:50 a.m.,” Fernandez said to me on September 26. […]
By Mike Madriaga On August 26, a driver of a yellow Kia Rio crashed into a tree in front of Top Gun Wash & Groom on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights. “I had just crossed the street,” Jonathan Conklin explained to me via DM on September 4. “So, if I were 15 seconds slower in […]
By Mike Madriaga The palabra within the off-road community is that reggaeton star Karol G has brought some new fans and racers into off-roadin’ culture. “I think it’s awesome that more women are getting involved in off-roading,” said Yolie Stover, who has covered the off-road racing scene since the ’90s, when Karol G was birthed […]
By Mike Madriaga Michelle Cardenas from San Diego became worried to hear that Angeles Verdes (Green Angels), a free of charge and national road service, might be discontinued in certain parts of Mexico. “The Green Angels towed our car to Rosarito when we broke down on the toll road,” she said, “they came up at […]
By Mike Madriaga When Lando Martinez returned to his south San Diego home on January 20, his 1995 Honda Del Sol was missing. “I parked the car in front of our new house on the 16th,” he said, “and we flew out to Texas to visit family. When we came back the following Monday, I […]
By Mike Madriaga “I see about one of these cars with stolen catalytic converters a week, go through my repair shop in Rancho Bernardo,” said Justin Goen. “It pisses me off and I think recyclers need to figure something out to help stop this.” Recyclers pay good money for certain catalytic converters because of the […]