According to one of professional sports’ occasional truths, sometimes the greatness of an athlete is less defined by his own traits than his ability to match an equally powerful rival. Simply put, the greatest competitors are often defined by their adversaries as much as themselves. While this is somewhat true in team sports (think Celtics/Lakers or the Braves/Yankees match-ups of the ’90s), it is particularly relevant in an individual sport like boxing, where an off night cannot be overcome by the efforts of a teammate. Would Muhammed Ali have been “the greatest” without Joe Frazier? Ray Leonard as “Sugar” without Roberto Duran? And as indestructible as he currently is, was there not a more dramatic flair to Manny Pacquiao during his ferocious battles with Erik Morales?

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In 1988, Ray Krumian founded a small shop called Ron’s Tire and Wheel in North Hollywood, CA. Originally starting with only three workers, that local place has now become a top-notch automotive retail and customization outfit. More than two decades later, the little tire and wheel shop, now called RTW Motoring, has nearly 50 employees and has earned an honorable reputation among Southern California car dealerships, wholesalers and local car enthusiasts for their outstanding custom work and top tuning inventory.

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There’s no denying that the blazingly fast Lexus LFA is an exactingly engineered car.  With 10 years of development that included substantial input from Yamaha Motor on its V10 motor, the LFA offers race-inspired weight distribution with its rear-placed dual radiators and battery. Despite being a badass ride, the car is a bit of an enigma.

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Those who know him consider him peculiar. Well, those who resent him, that is.

Those who want to know him might say "eccentric" instead. They'd mean "sexy, in a dangerous way."
He just considers himself…a bit more…discerning than most men in his position. And yes, he's quite aware there aren't many. Men in his position, that is.

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We're sitting on 10-way power adjustable, heated and cooled seats swathed in rich black leather. Our hands are tight around a comfortably thick steering wheel, wrapped in the same luxurious leather, and heated against the cold.

We're not in a Mercedes S-Class.

In back, the passengers are watching live TV and listening to it on headphones. That way, they don't interfere with the rich sound we're getting from the 506-Watt Alpine stereo system, with its 10-inch subwoofer.

We're not in a BMW 7-Series.

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Comebacks don't usually work out very well.

Mike Tyson didn't win another belt. He just bit a man's ear and got a face tattoo.

Bret Favre this season? Are you serious?

So when Jeep announced plans to breathe new life into the Grand Cherokee – the vehicle that kicked off the SUV craze long ago, but had faded into a middle-of-the-pack contender built by a company perpetually on the edge of collapse – well, frankly, we expected the Michael-Jordan-in-a-Washington-Wizards uniform of SUVs.

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Let's get this out of the way first: It is possible for the entire world to be wrong about a thing?

Case in point – the 2011 Porsche Panamera.

Motor Trend called it "styling by Jelly Belly."

USA Today said it was "an ugly, elongated lump with a stretched hood ill-suited to the hatchback rear."

And Jeremy Clarkson called it "uglier than an inside-out monkey." (If you don't know who Jeremy Clarkson is, put down this magazine and don't come back until you've seen a season's worth of episodes)

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Ford’s new Fiesta offer limitless possibilities to let your individuality shine through, which is exactly what spoken-word artist, Xavi Moreno, has taken advantage of. Raised in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood of East L.A., Xavi doesn’t want to be just another car on the road. Instead, the self-proclaimed “Fresh Prince of Boyle Heights” wants he new Ford Fiesta to depict his own personal flavor.

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Let’s face it, if you had to build a list of the most blinged-out rides on Earth, chances are that two of our English friends from across the pond would make your list. No disrespect to American builders though. It’s just that Bentley and that other British company that owned them for 70 years paid their dues over the decades.

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Octavio “Topo” Villafana has turned his unique skill of transforming modern day pony cars into full-blown, wide-stanced, all-metal widebody muscle rides, which has become a highly sought after modification by many. It has spread throughout the country as a status symbol or necessity to have in owning a Mustang, Charger, Challenger and Camaro. Topo’s masterful widebody creations have also inspired other builders/shops to emulate his work and create their own version of the wide-hipped phenomenon.

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A muscle car performs two functions. Like most cars, it moves people and things between places. Unlike most cars, it makes you think you’re stronger than you are. It makes you tall enough to play power forward. It gives you 20-inch biceps. Stamp the accelerator, feather the clutch, throw the shifter...and it makes everything alright.

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Ford dealers nationwide are reporting receiving their first shipments of the hot new DUB Edition Mustang. We went out to Galpin Ford in North Hills to snap some on-site pics – check out the whole gallery for some of the first photos of the DUB Edition in the soft top convertible in a variety of colors.

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