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Posted
Dec 17 2009, 08:16 AM
by
Kevve
with 26 comment(s)
A Lexus LS430 like this would be right at home in any wicked gang-banger, gun-toting computer game, but for lucky owner Jun Lu this car's sultry good looks is actually his reality up and down his local Texan streets. Bad ass! That's the only way to describe it, really. Up close with eyes closed, the burbling 4.3-litre V8 under the bonnet goes some way to allude to the intoxicating villany that stands before you, which then makes itself apparent as you slowly raise your eyebrows to visually...
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Posted
Nov 19 2009, 08:27 AM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 43 comment(s)
There is just no denying that many top Japanese tuners have fully turned their attention to ECO cars. The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are gaining in popularity so the tuners have been quick to hop on this trend. Aimgain has set out to personalize the Toyota Prius with a full workout including the exterior, interior, wheels and suspension. Aimgain went the familiar VIP route for which they are famous for. The car has been dropped using a complete adjustable suspension system and not with the familiar...
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Posted
Jun 17 2009, 09:53 AM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 34 comment(s)
Linhberg gave me a heads up about this car that he found on this flickr page, funny thing is that I just saw one in standard form this afternoon. The one that I saw already looked nice, but with a better stance and wheels the car goes into VIP territory.
The car belongs to Zeem Choudbury from Houston Texas. He just purchsed these Leon Hardiritt wheels and as you can see, they fit like a glove in the front....
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Posted
Feb 24 2009, 05:30 PM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 18 comment(s)
When I think VIP, there are a few companies that spring to mind. Two of them are Aimgain and Jobdesign. I think they are at the forefront of VIP styling. I have said it before and I will say it again, the VIP movement is nonexistent in Europe. I'm not sure what the cause is of that but I guess it has something to do with the costs and I only see ‘old' people driving in a GS or LS. It would be real cool to see one of those cars with the full VIP treatment cruising down the A1 in Holland...
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Posted
Feb 16 2009, 12:07 PM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 18 comment(s)
I just got an email from Jerry Truong from the Perfect Exposure Blog saying he had some pictures from the Club Lexus President's day meet. When looking through his pictures I was amazed the quality of the builds, there was one Lexus that really caught my eye. I know the blacked out theme or whatever it is called these days it played out, but this one just pulls it off perfectly. It reminded me of the 5 Axis Lexus that debuted on Sema. Let's have a look at all the other beauties shot by Jerry...
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Posted
Jan 11 2009, 01:16 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 14 comment(s)
The Auto Salon coverage just keeps on coming. Now it's time for a look at some of the VIP sedans from this year's show. Although it seems that fixed up vans and wagons are now outnumbering traditional luxury sedans by a fair amount, there were still a number of VIP style sedans at Tokyo Auto Salon 2009. All in all, it was a mix of old favorites like the Celsior and Aristo along with newer models like the Lexus LS460 and the redesigned Toyota Crown. VIP style itself is also evolving, and the current batch of cars look a lot different than the ones seen at Auto Salon a few years ago....
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Posted
Nov 05 2008, 12:37 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 18 comment(s)
Toyota and Lexus are known for making some great luxury sedans, but Nissan is right up there with them. Check out this Nissan Fuga 450GT (Infiniti M45 elsewhere) sitting low on a set of 20" BBS LM wheels in Osaka. In stock form these cars are already pretty cool, and with just a few minor mods they make for some of the coolest luxury sedans anywhere. Personally, I really dig this simpler style as opposed to the more aggressive VIP sedans. I have noticed that BBS LM's have been getting REALLY popular from the VIP crowd here in Japan and it's pretty easy to see why when looking at cars like this....
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Posted
Oct 30 2008, 09:11 AM
by
Antonio Alvendia
with 15 comment(s)
I just wanted to share this photo with you guys before I forgot... check out this old school Toyota Century that I spotted at JCCS in Irvine. I really dig this car - it has all the makings of an awesome old school street cruiser. This Century's low stance, gold Enkei 92 mesh wheels, and clean, original bodylines just bring one thought to my mind... "damn, that looks gangster!" Yeah yeah, people who think in proper book vocabulary or "the Queen's English" might roll their...
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Posted
Sep 10 2008, 02:26 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 11 comment(s)
We already had a look at some of the popular Japanese "racing" wheels, as well as plenty of vintage Japanese wheels, and now it is time to finish up this "Cool Japanese Wheels" series with a glimpse into the world of high end multi-piece and other "lipped" wheels that can be found on everything from Rauh Welt Porsches' to VIP sedans and wagons. Nearly every Japanese wheel manufacturer offers wheels to this market and new models are appearing all the time. There are so many different models of wheels out there, so as in the other posts I will be sticking to the more well known wheel models in attempt to give an intro for some of the folks who might not be familiar with this stuff....
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Posted
Aug 11 2008, 06:00 PM
by
Jeroen Willemsen
with 9 comment(s)
I wanted to continue on Mike's story about the VIP style. I had this picture as my wallpaper for a very long time, because I just loved the look of the Black FD on chrome Weds Bvillens. I consider the car, just like the RX8 in the back, build in true VIP fashion. But I do not associate small, nimble and light cars with VIP. When I see a car build like this RX7 I rather call it a Lux-Style build car. I got the term from reading an old Modified magzine where they introduced the red FD RX7 build...
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Posted
Aug 10 2008, 03:48 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 12 comment(s)
According to a recent post on Autoblog, Honda has been seriously considering the prospect of bringing more of its smaller, Japanese market cars to the United States. As a car enthusiast, it is hard to not be excited about the potential of seeing more cool "JDM" cars available outside of Japan. I'm sure that Honda has been looking at the success of the Fit in the US and is thinking "hey maybe we should try that with other models too". While none of the Honda cars that might make it across the pacific are hardcore performance machines, they still have plenty of potential as platforms for modification. I see these cool JDM-only cars driving around here all the time, and I always think to myself, "Man, that would be cool if they sold that thing back home......
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Posted
May 30 2008, 02:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 3 comment(s)
If you were to work for a Japanese company, chances are you would probably become quite familiar with the phrase " okyakusama wa kamisama" or "the customer is god". Obviously, Toyota is very keen on this idea. In Tokyo alone, they have not one, but two state of the art showrooms where people can sample their entire car line up and partake in a number of activities that promote both Toyota's vehicles and the automobile in general. One is called Megaweb and is located in Odaiba...
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Posted
May 22 2008, 05:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 3 comment(s)
As we wrap up our coverage of the 2008 Tokyo Special Import Car Show, I wanted to show just a little more of the craziness that went down at the Makuhari Messe this weekend during the event. Like I have probably mentioned before, I really admire the Japanese attention to authenticity when it comes to car building. From what I have seen, Japanese people seem live and breathe for their hobbies, and cars are no exception. When looking at the tuned European cars, I felt I like I could have been at one...
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Posted
May 20 2008, 08:36 AM
by
Mike Garrett
with 5 comment(s)
It's like Tokyo Auto Salon without all the Japanese cars. That's how I would describe the annual Tokyo Special Import Car Show, which happens to be held in the same location as Tokyo Auto Salon. Taking place in two sprawling halls at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, the Tokyo SIS is a showcase of everything that is happening in the world of import cars in Japan. The show has everything you would expect from an event of its type, and while it may not have quite the madness that Tokyo...
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