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Posted
Nov 17 2009, 09:10 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 22 comment(s)
Well I'm glad the slammed BMW post from yesterday has gone down a treat... you can never tell with you guys are going to respond sometimes! So here's a quick look at a car from the opposite end of the spectrum to the BMW... It's a good example of an USDM Air Ride VIP styled machine. We spotted Vinh Vo's ground hugging Lexus IS350 last month at the Access Zero 42 car meet in Houston, Texas and instantly knew we had to move it to the opposite end of the parking lot for a quick photoshoot...
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Posted
Nov 13 2009, 10:48 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 32 comment(s)
Four or five years ago, I was at the SEMA Show when I saw a black VIP Style Y33 Infiniti Q45 in the Falken booth. As I looked at the car, I was wondering what the hell it was. Surely it was some sort of JDM-only luxury car imported for the show. Only after a closer look did I realize it was a USDM Q45. Up until this point I'd never seen a modified Y33 in the flesh. With it's stock wheels and suspension, this model Q45 could almost be mistaken for a Mercury or a Buick, but as I found out, a few simple changes completely transform this car.
That brings to me this ultra-sexy Q45 I spotted at the Autofashion meet last weekend....
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Posted
Nov 11 2009, 07:41 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 46 comment(s)
If you were to try and create a demographic history of VIP Style car owners in the USA, it's likely that most of these guys (and gals?) would've previously graduated from some kind of a sport compact car. It's a well established pattern; the owner would have spent some time modifying front drive cars (probably Hondas) and has now graduated to the ranks of large, stately Japanese sedans. Texas resident Zeem Choudhury definitely fits this mold. He's an ex-Honda guy who wanted a new...
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Posted
Nov 10 2009, 02:15 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 32 comment(s)
Have you had enough coverage of slammed Japanese luxury cars yet? Hopefully not, because here's some more photos from Sunday's VIP Festival held at Autofashion USA in San Diego. Personally I was pretty excited for this event, as I was itching to get my first real VIP car fix since moving back from Japan in the spring. Sure, you can flip through the pages of VIP Car or VIP Style at the local Japanese book store, or look at cell phone pics from Japan on the internet, but nothing beats the real thing!...
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Posted
Nov 10 2009, 12:10 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 21 comment(s)
Last week at the SEMA Show parked amongst all the WRX's in the Subaru booth was this 2010 "VIP" Legacy Sedan. Now you can argue for days about what makes a true VIP car, but the people putting this Legacy together certainly did their research. Even the official info Subaru provided about the car says "VIP style is known for a clean, yet heavily reworked luxury theme with an emphasis on impossibly-low ride height and aggressive wheels."...
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Posted
Nov 09 2009, 11:37 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 24 comment(s)
I'm going to be honest here, four or five years ago when the first VIP style cars started popping up in the USA, I doubted that the style would be able to catch on here. The key to having a legit VIP car is attention to detail, and I just wasn't sure us Americans were capable of it. I guess you can blame several Fast and Furious movies and years of over the top Spocom rides for that. In 2009 the US VIP movement still isn't quite "mainstream", but the following continues to grow, and the quality of cars is getting higher and higher. Nowhere was this more evident than at Autofashion USA's 3rd annual "VIP Festival" held this weekend in San Diego....
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Posted
Oct 15 2009, 03:04 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 10 comment(s)
I'm about to head out the door on the way to Irwindale Speedway to check out practice and the NFS Shift competition, but before I leave I wanted to post this dumped Accord Wagon photo from Minkara.
How cool would it be if Acura brought over the new Accord Wagon/Tourer as the TSX Wagon for the US market?
Not likely, but it's fun to think about.
OK, off to the House of Drift!
-Mike Garrett
...
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Posted
Oct 05 2009, 03:45 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 12 comment(s)
My latest browse through the Minkara database came up with this Kyushu-based UCF30 Celsior sporting Job Design aero and dropped on Bold World suspension. The wheels are Work Schwert SC1's in a unique 21" size. One-off touches include the fender ducts and colored wheel lips.
Just another example of modern VIP style at it's best.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Sep 02 2009, 03:40 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 17 comment(s)
With all this talk of historic BMW race cars and crazy drift machines, it shouldn't be forgotten that BMW's also make damn good luxo-barges - especially in 7-series form. The newer 7's are OK, but to me there's something great about the simple and classy lines of the E38 model. This Japan-based 740 is doing it right with proper VIP wheels and stance.
-Mike Garrett
...
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Posted
Aug 31 2009, 04:15 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 16 comment(s)
Just because it's been a while since I've posted a sweet van on Speedhunters, here's a photo of a dumped and flushed Toyota Estima from somewhere in Japan that's been sitting on my hard drive for a while.
This reminds me that I need to get to work at "personalizing" my own van...
-Mike Garrett
...
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Posted
Aug 17 2009, 03:02 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 16 comment(s)
At the recent Concourse event in Pebble Beach, Infiniti revealed the first renderings of the all new 2011 M Sedan. Using a clay model with projected with computer images, Infiniti certainly chose a classy place to show off their new flagship. With a bold new styling and more displacement under the hood, the new M should improve on what's already one of the best performing Japanese luxury sedans around....
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Posted
Jun 30 2009, 06:15 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 11 comment(s)
As a final bit of luxury material for this month, here's a car that combines the traditional Japanese luxury flagship with some of the kustom style that I showcased yesterday. I never knew the Toyota Century would look so natural in flat black slammed (with hydraulics) on some white walls with sidepipes. Who said VIP cars need wheels poking out from the fenders to be cool?
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Jun 29 2009, 06:06 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 11 comment(s)
Here's another bit of printed treasure that I picked up during my recent stay in Japan, and another magazine title that fits well with this month's theme - Style Wagon. Since I bought my own van earlier this spring, I've been keeping an extra close eye on this magazine along with some of the other wagon and van publications available in Japan. Van dress-up and customization continues to be extremely popular in Japan, so naturally Style Wagon has a large following there....
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Posted
Jun 28 2009, 06:45 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 5 comment(s)
Since it's luxury and exotic month (for another day or two at least), I thought it'd be a good time to take a look at one of the top magazines covering the VIP scene in Japan - VIP Style. Unlike here in the USA where the internet is where most automotive trends are born, print is still very influential Japan. After seeing so many US magazines shrink and disappear, one of things I love about Japan is going to the bookstore and getting lost in all the glossy pages of up to date automotive goodness....
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Posted
Jun 23 2009, 11:30 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 16 comment(s)
Following on from the Junction Produce LS460, it is now time to take a look at one ride that is especially suited for a bit of modern VIP tuning. The PGF50 President is based on the Cima, or Inifiniti Q45 for those more used to the US nomenclature. You would be forgiven for thinking they are the same car, as the differences are very small, most notably the big chrome grille and a more luxurious interior. The work Junction Produce have done starts off with the front bumper which features a flowing...
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Posted
Jun 20 2009, 12:15 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 24 comment(s)
Following on from the two Mercedes Benz S-Classes we saw the other day I wanted to take a look at a couple of more rides from Junction Produce. A true VIP car, "or "bippu" if you are going to pronounce á la Japanese, may well be a slightly older JDM sedan, but like most stuff in life things change and evolve so it wouldn't be right to ignore cars like the new LS Lexus you see here. Taketomi-san, the president of Junction Produce, has taken the opportunity to launch a new...
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Posted
Jun 12 2009, 07:47 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 22 comment(s)
Hmmm...maybe I should just end my search for cool luxury cars to look at this month. Is it even possible to find anything better than this?
This Jaguar X300 is equipped with parts from J-Complete, an Osaka-based shop that specializes in customizing high end European cars. I actually saw this particular car in person last year at the Tokyo Special Import Show, and it's even sexier than it is in the photo.
-Mike Garrett...
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Posted
Jun 11 2009, 08:57 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 19 comment(s)
My love of vans is no secret. To me there's just something great about a vehicle that can carry car parts, family members, or your bros around town in comfort and style. Whether it's a classic Ford Econoline or the sleek modern vans from Japan, I'm crazy for these things. Since it's luxury and exotic month, I'm quite pleased to be able to take a closer look at the vanning world. In Japan, there's one company in particular that's becoming the king of dressing up Honda's vans and compact cars - Noblesse. The Honda Fit, the Step Wagon, and even the new Insight have all been given the Noblesse touch, and their newest project is this RB3 Honda Odyssey Absolute.
...
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Posted
Jun 05 2009, 01:35 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 13 comment(s)
Want to take "the road less traveled" when doing a VIP car? Try a Cadillac Seville. I've actually seen a few later model VIP Caddys in Japan, including an especially nice one that was on the cover of VIP Style magazine earlier this year. The body seems to lend itself it well to the VIP treatment, no? Photo found on VIPStylecars.com -Mike Garrett
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Posted
Jun 04 2009, 03:29 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 31 comment(s)
With this month being dedicated to luxury and exotic cars, you can expect to see a nice selection of VIP cars over the next few weeks here on Speedhunters. To get started, I thought I'd share a few of the cars done by a shop in Mie Prefecture called Garage Excellent. G-Excellent is all about the "dress up" style - whether its on traditional Japanese sedans, European luxury cars, or the always-popular minivans. Looking at some of G-Excellent's recent demo and customer cars, you can get a good feel for the current state of the dress up and VIP scene in Japan....
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