As car enthusiasts, we all strive for a sense of individuality when we decide to customize our vehicles.
Despite this intention, a funny thing happens and we still end up copying each other, following the latest trend, or fitting the same set of wheels as another guy. I’d argue that it’s actually pretty tough to come up with something truly unique.
Yogi from Fatlace knew this when he set out to build his GS430. VIP styling would have been the obvious choice, but he surveyed the scene and decided to try something different.
He had these ideas – the ones you see implemented in the car before you – swirling in his head for a long time. In fact, he had initially planned to apply them to an Infiniti M45 (aka Nissan Gloria), but after an exhaustive search that led nowhere, he began looking at Toyota’s luxury marque instead.
Working with Mark Arcenal of Fatlace and Illest fame, I suppose there was some pressure on Yogi to be a tastemaker too. Or maybe it’s just in his blood to set a trend rather than follow one.
Either way, this build didn’t happen by accident. Yogi spent hours poring over photos of cars from Japan, because they just seemed more wild than anything that was happening here in the States. He was inspired by styling cues from all sorts of different vehicles, ranging from track cars to the VIP style he was trying to work around.
He took these details into Photoshop to pull it all into one cohesive vision for his GS. Once he had his plan, a rendering from JDMego sold him on the car. He had to build it.
With rendering in hand, Yogi paid a visit to Buddha Concept Design (BCD), the shop that would be playing a huge role in making the GS a one-off creation. Here we see the most drastic and recognizable of the mods performed at BCD – the hand-built, all-metal fenders with custom vents.
Sitting a full three inches wider per side in the rear and two and a quarter inches up front, Yogi came in with a strong opinion about the shape of the new fenders. Rather than simply flaring them outward with no real sense of form, it was critical that the new shapes followed and embellished the factory body lines.
While the styling is certainly drastic, it does flow exceptionally well. As they were rebuilding the fenders, consideration had to be paid to the Vertex bodykit too.
The flared fenders continue onto the Vertex bumpers, so of course they had to be modified to work with the new flow.
Being a sedan, the swollen rear arches also ran right into the rear door. Anyone who has attempted sheetmetal work can recognize this was a monumental task – especially to execute with this level of intention and quality.
Track Day Details
Perhaps the most ‘VIP’ part of the build is the airbagged suspension. Say the words ‘bagged Lexus’ and you can’t help but picture a VIP-styled build, but Yogi wanted to be able to drop the car down for looks and lift it up to drive it around. He does drive the car almost every day of the week, you know.
While it looks flat-out amazing when dumped, the wheels camber up nicely to fill the fenders at ride height too.
Then Yogi can proceed to fly around LA without fear of damaging the extensive aero that been fabricated specifically for this car.
While the Vertex kit serves as the base, additional aero was made from scratch at Buddha Concept Design to bolster the race aesthetic.
Contrasting the Dodge Viper Red paint, there’s some carbon fiber in the hood and canards, and everything that was once chrome has been sprayed a candy black.
One-piece WedsSport SA-15R wheels are also decidedly racey, and not something you would normally find on a VIP car: perfect for what Yogi was trying to accomplish. The Falken lettering only reinforces the look, and I’ve found it helps the wheel and tire combo pop visually in the wheelwell too.
Inside sits a StopTech big brake kit.
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now – there’s a gigantic APR GTC-500 rear wing on the trunk with extended stands to make it sit up even more prominently. It’s by far the most polarizing part on the car. Yogi admits that a few years ago he would be standing right next to you talking trash about it, but he knew it was a key component to the racy Super Sedan look he was after.
Look at this picture and squint your eyes a bit. Imagine the car without a big wing. It just wouldn’t have the same effect, would it?
For power Yogi just added an Injen intake, Megan mid-pipe and GReddy Evo3 exhaust to the Toyota V8. This makes an interesting point – although the car is styled after a race car, it’s not one and it makes no declaration that is it either.
So why does the Lexus have composite Bride Low Max buckets then? Style points, I suppose. Yogi says he just wants people to look at it and go ‘Oh sh*t!’
Surrounding the lightweight race seats is a plush Lexus interior with a custom shifter for the automatic transmission.
So what to make of Yogi’s creation? Is it a race car? A stance car? VIP?
Or – and this is my personal opinion – is it a glimpse into the mind of someone who’s not afraid to do what he wants?
So again I’ll pose the question I asked in the title of this story: Is race car a style? You’re looking at it.
Keith Charvonia
Instagram: SpeedhuntersKeith
keith@speedhunters.com
Photos by Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
larry@speedhunters.com
Yogi’s 2006 Lexus GS430
Engine
Lexus 3UZ-FE, Injen intake, GReddy Evo3 axle-back exhaust, Megan Racing mid-pipe, Optima Red Top battery
Driveline
Factory automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive
Suspension/Brakes
AirREX air struts and wireless management, Megan front camber arms, rear LCA, rear camber arms, toe arms and traction arms, StopTech big brake kit, 6-piston front calipers with 265mm rotors, 4-piston rear calipers with 255mm rotors
Wheels/Tires
WedsSport SA-15R 19×10.5 +25 wheels in Light Blue Chrome, Falken Azenis FK453 275/35R19 tires, WedsSport competition steel lug nuts
Exterior
Customized by Buddha Concept Design, all-metal wide-body conversion with 2.25-inch wider front fenders and 3-inch wider rear fenders, modified Vertex Digna body kit , updated ’08-11 grille, custom front splitter, carbon fiber canards, rear diffuser and skirt splitters, Seibon vented carbon fiber hood, Dodge Viper red paint, all trim painted candy black, Takata tow straps, OEM Lexus window visors, APR GTC-500 rear wing with extended stands by RyokuRob.
Interior
Bride Low Max reclining seats, custom brackets built by Buddha Concept Design, steel tall shifter
Yogi would like to thank: Buddha Concept Design for all their hard work, amazing talent and long hours spent at the shop, Phaze2, RawHeart, Fatlace, AirREX USA, Weds Wheels, Megan Racing, Vertex USA/Speed Alliance, Falken Tire, Showstoppers USA, JDMego, StickIcons, RyokuRob, Wheel Warehouse, Mark Arcenal, Hubert Barnum, Aero Product International
Cutting Room Floor
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Larry...Please teach me some photography skills! Top notch as always!
godlike
Make sure you guys check out presentation mode for a high res experience.
I can't dog that e46 M3 and not dog this. That wing and those Bride seats are just horrible. Maybe some meaty Recaro seats and a TRD shifter would have gone with the rest of the interior. A M3 type of duck tail would have finished the car off nicely. I love the paint job and the worked arches. I reckon if they had to make a GS-F S190, then this will be pretty close to it. Nice job
If it were static, then yes race car is a look
Although I don't mind how the wing looks, I do think it would look just as good without it.
Ray Goodwin Thanks for the kind words and thanks for the support.
im guessing its fake ass racer month? i get that everyone wants a race car but seriously build one dont make it a style point. at least touch the engine for god sakes.
My personal opinion, it looks like a throwback to the late 90s.
Not that it's a bad thing at all, I lived in San Diego in the late 90s and early 2000s. This brings me back to the late nights and loud Civics.
The workmanship looks flawless and I applaud his commitment to doing what he wants. That being said this is, by definition, Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancements. You say it makes no declaration of being a race car, I beg to differ. White letter tyres, GT wing, carbon canards, Viper red paint and loud exhaust say "Look, I'm a race car"
Like I said, the craftsmanship is awesome, but it needs some go for all that show.
Haha. I do get your point and honesty.
I have the super street mag with this car in it and it looks just as amazing in that feature as if does in this personally i think its pretty cool that the " race" look is really coming into its own these days espicially the race look with a car floating on bags is a nice touch as well.
@hahaha Ahh, but I don't think Yogi wanted a race car at all. I think he used a race car as a reference point to build the style he wanted into his car.
Appreciate it. I do agree I need more go, which I am working on. But with only two years of the 430 3rd gen model, a lot of the companies that had engine mods available were cut short when they had the mid model upgrades from the 300 to the 350s and the 430s to the 460s. Company's like Greddy made only 3 supercharger units because the demand was no longer there. Now it's turned into parts hunting for speed hunting. Again, appreciate the honestly and I'll give you my word I'll make Ricky bobby proud.
Cheers
Race car is always function over form (fashion), and good design incorporates both. I see a lot of fashion and not a lot of function with this car. A lot of those parts are supposed to do something, yes, but only if properly tuned. A lot of aero stuff will just hurt you if not set up correctly. It looks cool, using the more sophisticated elements of a race car, but if it isn't being used or set up properly, Ex. if you don't run track days, don't have a tow point, it's just kinda lame to me, but definitely to each their own, not hating, just commenting on the topic.
This is awesome, seeing a car that doesn't easily drop into one style or another is pretty rare in my opinion! It's not my style at all but that's what's so brilliant, the dude went and built the car that he wanted and did it with quality as a forethought. Reminds me of the v8 sedans that race here in Australia.
KootenayDub I agree, a race car is not a fashion item - while we see race cars in an aesthetic light, the aesthetic message is unequivocally function.
For me, this is an example of fantastic craftsmanship but it sends mixed messages. I love the R34 and other sedan drifters you see, highlighting the commitment that some have to converting 'family' cars into race machines. They have a unique beauty that is confused in this car. I respect the build, but can't love it.
I have to couch this with the fact that I have been considering putting air suspension on my BRZ - I think doing it will spoil my commitment to the race aesthetic and change the direction of my build.
Pug_BRZ KootenayDub Air suspension doesn't HAVE to spoil the direction of your build IMO.
Larry Chen Dude, Nice Shot (Shoot) ! you are a real Hunter ! But you are using Camera instead of Rifle.
I really like this one :
Here's a question: When does "race" become "rice"? I thought a few years back the definition of a ricer was a person who put parts on their car that served no tangible purpose - given the type of car it was, or how it was used. Cars having a "sporty" look (even from the factory, fake rear diffusers on pretty much every car - ie ft86) is pretty much the norm - so modifying a car to look sportier isn't exactly "ricing" but when you start putting bucket seats in, wings... Yeah... Not entirely sure if I dig it or not.
Love this race car
"Ricing"?
KeithCharvonia You really need to ask yourself a question: How many purpose built race cars run air suspension? None, and for a good reason, it has no functionality in the track environment.
I really want to dislike this car and call it ricer or STANCE BRO but hating it would probably give the owner a sense of satisfaction for his individuality. I commend that drive to have something different and can appreciate other people's take on a variety of scenes.
Thank you
I like the 2 cents, thanks for your thoughts And time !
ca_bimmer KeithCharvonia I was talking about my rug....
Pug_BRZ was referring to his daily driver BRZ, not a purpose built race car. Air suspension does just fine for the daily driver that sees an occasional track day.
Here is what I don't get, for the price of this car, and all of its mods you could have built a serious track machine on a chassis that comes fast stock has more aftermarket support, but you instead choose to go with this? I get the whole "individuality" idea, but why try for the race car look when its definitely not one? Maybe YogiFatlace can offer an explanation...
KeithCharvonia you many be 100% correct(I'm guessing you have used it), but I see air as more of an aesthetic modification for stance, whereas a nice set of coilovers can offer you a bit of low and great functionality for the track.
MOU89 Thanks. Glad you like it.
I really love and appreciate the track oriented look. Yes, I do wish you could have more go on your GS. The way you actually approached your build (looking at the Japan scene from track to VIP cars) is actually the same way I've been thinking about doing an S13 (when I'm done with school, I'm making it a goal to get one). Great build Yogi and fantastic photos Larry.
It's a street car! It makes great sense. Let me put it this way. I'm looking into buying a VW for commuting. If I mod the thing, its not going to be for track use, or tire squeeling. Ill have a few choice upgrades that keeps my vw a vw.
I think there's a lot to be said about making a car that you drive all g-damn damn day at least LOOK the way you want it to. Not to mention, besides the air suspension there is not that much extreme work done to the guts of the car. It's got a powerful 8cyl which is plenty for roadway use.
Bravo.
James NZ in that same light, why not turn all those fake go fast goodies on cars into the real thing and just keep the engine the same. It's a v8. I think it stay nicely on the side of race style .
I am really sorry, I tried. I didn't comment on the M3, but now...
First of all, I don't think there is anything "wrong" with this car. There are things I like and things i like... Less, to put it nicely. BUT. What's interesting, is the fact, that this creation (from what I understand and read in this article) is an expression of yourself. If so, than you seem like the kind of guy with big watch, big hat and small... Feet. However, the beauty of diversity is that some like to look fast, and some like to go fast. Would be boring if we were all the same.
I love the wide body conversion. BCD did some seriously great work there.
As for making people go "oh shit"... I'm pretty sure they will, especially after leaving you from a set of lights in their stock-looking, lightly-tuned miata
Cheers!
awesome, maybe the wing could be a bit lower
Function should equal form. But this is form trying to romanticise function and theres nothing wrong with that if that makes you happy. It doesn't make me happy though.
**thank you for doing this article! i have always considered building a gs for drifting. Im not a fan of the vip look and thats all you see with these cars. im a big guy and driving around in an s14 in not always the easiest so ive considered getting a bigger car. the GS is a pretty good size car but i cant stand the automatic transmission and the sun roof. other than that, i love these cars.
ca_bimmer YogiFatlace This car seems to me to be a rich guys version of the $2000 civic you see in the McDonalds carpark. All Big wings and body kits with race seats and no real performance. Just super expensive rice. I'm surprised it doesn't have neons and a nitrous purge system. They might have spent a lot of money to build this car, but money can't always buy good taste.
James NZ This is definately ricer, its just high doller ricer. which doesn't forgive it at all. If anything its even worse because they don't have the excuse of this is all i can afford as a 17 year old to make my civic look tough.
KeithCharvonia ca_bimmer Pug_BRZ While I respect that people (who may or not be associated with the air suspension industry) have an belief in the track ability of air suspension, I'm unconvinced by videos such as Air Ride's air v coilovers comparison. There are so many variables involved in setting up suspension (not that I'm telling you anything new), I won't be convinced until I actually see one in the flesh.
Unfortunately, there are very few people I know that run air suspension and none that are willing to track their stance machines. Maybe you should take your air'd KM4SH out to Willow and see how it goes?
Still, in my mind if you're doing an aesthetic build (rather than real race car development), the Speedhunters 86 is race style, not this.
Pug_BRZ KeithCharvonia agree 100%, especially on the variables idea. Using air SEVERELY limits where you can go in terms of adjusting suspension geometry. But as soon as Keith's KM4SH starts destroying at track days, I'll start to reconsider.
Very nice car! Looks like a real high quality, original build. Don't know why all these people feel the need to share their negative opinion/attitude all the time. Ok, we get it. It's not your taste... keep the crap to yourself and respect the owners style. It's his car afterall, and I bet 90% procent of the people on this site do like it.
Pug_BRZ KeithCharvonia ca_bimmer Autocross is next on my list, but I guarantee you the car is more capable than my driving skills. Not sure what I'll be able to prove.
ca_bimmer Pug_BRZ KeithCharvonia Not challenging you at all, I like this conversation, so please explain which adjustment is limited when you use an air spring instead of a coil. My air system uses a threaded body strut with adjustable compression and rebound valving, exactly like a coilover. You must be referring to spring rate?
And just to be clear, I'm not here to defend the use of air on a track. I do have it on my car and happen to love it for my application though.
I will get to everyone's questions as soon as I get home. I am a driver for my work so its hard to pull over and reply to everyone, hah. But honestly and I genuinely mean this. Whether a good comment or negative comment, I appreciate all the love and honesty. What I have created is what I vision and more wild style than anything. I am not surprised when someone tells me that they don't like my car,it is actually more excepted by me and welcomed. Even when sketching out the car and doing the rendering for the many companies supporting my build, The one thing that was most expect that out of this was the criticism. I know what it is and I know what it is not, it's not like I'm going around telling people, "yeah; that wing is for all the downforce I need at the track". What you see is what I envision and I brought it to life. It is an ongoing project and a never ending one like every other car enthusiast. I chose a car with a pretty potent powerplant just to have a little fun here and there, and I do want more. To be totally honest I was even surprise that Larry Chen and the speed hunters crew approached me at Sema. I knew that all of you would tear me a new ones once they published the story! Hahaha. But I'm glad the story is published and I'm glad to be reading those negative comments because I am learning from it. I will tell all of you I am a very humble guy and welcome your opinion.
Oh and to those who like it, thank you. It means the world to me. To the rest, thanks for your honest and your time looking through this article ! Thank you SPEEDHUNTERS !
Is this speedhunters or ricehunters? That e46 wouldve been a mental track monster but nope its a ricer. This rexus.... I 'unno. Dat wing, fuuuaarrkk me dead. Nothing against the owner, your car your style and its done quite well and youre obviously passionate.
My gripes with SH, went from a cool low key blog that featured track cars from all over to a 'mainstream', keep everyone happy 'lifestyle' site. Its more about the articles, the 'artiness' of the photos than the bloody car being featured.
Great job on the pictures!
Baube Thanks, I'm glad you like them.
I'm having a hard time understanding both this car and the e46. Now I'm a big fan of both track-prepped cars tearing up tsukuba and shakotan/kyusha rides such as Kato's kenmeri. So I guess I have some idea of your "style" if we shall call it that. But I feel like you're taking it a bit far honestly. The big GT wing and canards are simply too purposeful to simply be used as a style. Yeah sure its just for looks but its kinda like saying I wear Navy dress blues just for looks...
I will give you props for doing what you like but, hey, I guess you can't please everyone.
KeithCharvonia Pug_BRZ I like this conversation too
I agree that spring rate is the chief issue, but we should unpack that a little more. First your air springs are progressive, meaning the more it's compressed, the stiffer it gets. This is bad because it has a different rate at every point in its travel making tuning close to impossible. Its also harder to change base spring rate without raising or lowering the car. There is the issue of consistent pressure, where you may have each corner of the car at a slightly different pressure which means you aren't at your optimal "spring" parameters, as opposed to a spring suspension where rates are constant. Finally the issue of complexity and weight, there is a higher probability something goes wrong the more components you enter into a suspension system, especially when it relies on air compression. This inherent complexity leads to your car weighing more. Keep in mind this is me talking about air specifically for autocross/track use, it seems mad functional for that FRS you built.
Side note: If you want to autocross go look at SCCA class rules and find out where you stand.
MatthewBortot Was it really ever JUST about track cars.....I don't remember that?
Megan and APR? You go 99.% on the build and then cheap out. Help me understand.
BBerryski Unfortunately I agree, I think to some extent people love to have "haters" these days......why? I'm not saying that's what's happening here, but it's common. I like the car, but ditch a few things and take away some of things that really are for race only.
Awesome car man and kudos for trying to be original and as far as I'm concern you are the inventor of "race style. Qeustion though so i get your daily is this car and its bagged and all but does it see the track at all? I mean surly you fit a auto cross in every once in awhile.
YogiFatlace Yo, this explanation makes sense. Sounds like you put a whole bunch of though into this thing, and made something you wanted. While it this is not my "scene", respect to you for fulfilling a vision.
Thank you! jacobherman14 a friend and a mentor of mine, Jim Wang of WedsWheels and formerly of Work Wheels is actually a big influence on how the car was styled. What he has dubbed the car and many of his peers in the Japanese community call it the "Super Sedan" they've defined it as basically "Enjoy the 4 door". Instead of running a super wide wheel and stretched tire, we went with a very conservative fitment and stuck with a good size wheel and a very hearty tire. The 4 wheels are all exact in size and once the the body was cut up, the car was aligned at its new ride height (at the tire) and was matched to the the factory camber/toe. Do I want to run this around a track, yes! I would love to. I haven't found the time to just as of yet. Will I get fast lap times, probably. But I will have fun. There was nothing really fun about building my car to be a "VIP" car. I like to take turns, I wanted to not be afraid of the road, I wanted speed bumpers to be the least of my worries. I can say my car its more functional then what the car could've been destined for. I can see why people are arguing about the air and in some ways I can agree. If the people here actually knew me in person and seen the way I treat my car, they may think a little different. I like my share of speed and cornering and it doesn't what I myself can handle. When the day comes, Ill make sure video myself at an event. We can all laugh together, ahaha.
Hey Yogi, congrats on the feature first of all. The reason why i love this car is because you did what you wanted from the start. The best thing is that it doesn't fit a conceived idea of a drift car, vip or stance car etc. Everyone follows trends and its nice to see some people have some balls to go out and create something a little different. Take criticism with a grain of salt and enjoy the hard work you've spent on designing & finishing this project yourself.
ca_bimmer KeithCharvonia Pug_BRZ You've hit a few of the issues that concern me about going air on my build. Firstly, most can't get past the "air is only for stance" idea, so glad we're past that. From what I can gather, if you set up your rates and geometry at your ideal track height (presumably your regular ride height for use), air suspension should not be significantly different to coilovers. Where it may be a problem is if you leave them too soft which may lead to issues with progressive rates. The airlift performance struts which Keith runs with are meant to resolve the issue of progressive rates.
I would like to see a bagged car that is tracked to see if these are real issues or simply speculation.
Apparently, and I haven't seen the scales on this, but the whole setup of an airlift performance package is reported to be less than or equal to a standard coil package. I'm not sure how this is possible, but that's the word on the street (read advertising and owner-based cognitive dissonance speaking). For me, weight is not the ultimate issue but it remains a factor. The big draw is the flexibility of being able to ride high over appalling roads. Probably refer back to my initial comment, which is about a track looking daily driver BRZ.
airforce1 I can't speak for APR and a company, but Megan has been a great help in the build. The good people there also agree that their products carry a bad stigma in the community. As far as the Items that are on the car, if you feel like doing the research, they're not that many companies that supply what they were able to supply to me. We installed each and every product in my garage, we thoroughly looked at each product before installation and fitment was great and the items were well built. I drive the car 5-7 days a week, I lift the car every month to inspect each of my parts and those things are doing great with me. Again, their products may not fancy you, but hey, I can't sell you one what you don't want
As far as APR wing, Its what was available here. Personally, I don't see whats wrong with APR's products, I guess you've had bad experience with them, I'm ok. They're not involved in the build so It came out of my pocket and I chose the deck. We had to fab/cnc the stands and everything else in house.
OnCam31 Thank you my friend, I really appreciate it. Again, Doesn't hurt me much. Im pretty sure if I took the wing off, the negativity would be a little lower. But, I'd be letting peoples opinions get the best of me. It's there to stay for now, I do have some things brewing over at Buddha Concept Design's. Again, the build isn't over, this is just the beginning to something that'll never end.
sonic2896 its one of those, "To his their own" type of thing. Thank you though !
ca_bimmer YogiFatlace Thank you and cheers!
MatthewBortot In reading the comments it doesn't appear that this is a 'keep everyone happy lifestyle site' lol. Seeing cars not built only for speed on a site called Speedhunters is a bit confusing but I think they cover 'car culture at large'. Interpret that how you wish.
@FunkyChild Hahaha. G-Shock, LA hat (size 8), big feet... PENIS SMALL. hahahah.
haha. Thanks my friend.
The guys at BCD did and amazing job, their craftsmanship, attention to detail and paint passed my expectations 10x. I've just went down the food chain, just below a miata
qaped Thank you my friend! Appreciate it
Im a big boy too, I've owned a swapped a/t to m/t vert FC when I was a teen and that was the first and last two door I'll ever own. Sunroof standard, automatic standard, Maybe we'll do something about that if the supercharger doesn't fall through *rolls eyes*
johnbezt Thanks !
KRaZyAmmo Cheers!
It's interesting how you had the build digitally rendered before hand. Did it come out as planned? I'd love to see the drawing if you don't mind sharing it.
Also, this site has given me so much inspiration. I love the no boundaries perspective. http://www.autemo.com/profiles/
Rendering by Judson Bryan
This was completed in May 2014, car was finished October 2014.
airforce1 Corners were cut everywhere. A skilled photographer and low light can make almost anything look good.
MatthewBortot Guess they're running out of worthy feature cars
ca_bimmer YogiFatlace I know you you replied to the other comment I made, but ill answer this still :).
example. Why buy a Honda Civic. Personally I have many friends in the Honda Community that spends thousands of dollars, Thousands of dollars you can simply pick up another car and done very little mods too, and it'll be 3-5 times faster, stock. Why? maybe its for the love of the build. I could've picked up a, lets say... E46 M3 for about the same price as my car at the time. Why didn't I? It just didn't intrigue me as much as doing a sporty 4 door. Again, anytime you try something different, expect heat from the other kids. Its expected to happen.
Cant please everyone. Like I said, you don't like it, fine by me. It was to be expected. Cant really win this argument. Either way, Cheers mate.
oioioi
hmfatlace Thanks!
Larry Chen guess we should shoot day time next? haha
@RaceCarEngineer MatthewBortot Obviously you not do you remember when dino and larry went to the parking garage in japan and said they got over 60 stories... On top of that if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all obviously speed hunters knew some like myself would like this car and what it stands for in other words screw off if you can't be open minded and feel like you need to make harsh comments!!!
This looks exactly the same as the E46 M3, Speedhunters is half the site it used to be...
That's what I wanted when I saw a Lexus GS, I think it has the soul of a super sedan in it. Great job Yogi, I really like it.
YogiFatlace ca_bimmer But I mean you have a good attitude about it! You said it best "its for the love of the build". The car community is full of opinions, and nothing ever changes them, don't let that be a deterrent from building what you want to build :).
As suspected, no performance modifications besides some very mild bolt ons. Auo trans and airbags.
This is not a race car, it just looks fast.
this is Rice in 2015.
Individuality????? Blasphemy I tell you!!
YogiFatlace I think where this is going wrong is that you're taking peoples comments personally. KeithCharvonia in writing the article has asked people to express their thoughts. This is the kind of thing you just have to put out and let be, it's the author interacting with the reader through Larry Chen 's images. Clearly you have invested a great deal of yourself in your car, for which you should be understandably proud. Just because a reader answers the questions that Keith poses in a negative fashion, doesn't in turn mean that it is a criticism of you and your vision for your car. That's between you and your car.
Lighten up bro, if you enjoy your car, that's all that matters.
YogiFatlace there is no way i would ever fit into a FC lol
it sucks for big guys like us. i cant fit into miatas,s2000's, lotus', rx7's
The only big enough RWD japanese cars that i fit in nicely are luxury cars and they always come with a damn sun roof and an a/t transmission. i find the sun roof pointless. i never use them, i live in a place so hot that it messes up the motors and wiring and they just add weight.
Yogi good luck my friend. if you do swap the tranny and delete that sun roof. post your progress!!! it will be even more inspiring.
P.S. Marks s14 looks amazing! it was love at first sight for me lol
Everyone can't agree on everything but SH's for sure catered to all car genres from the very beginning. This is nothing new. Also nearly EVERY single kit that most people out there yearn to get is functional to some degree now BUT they're NOT used functionally for majority of the cars they're put on. As a matter of fact they're mostly there just for style points. These same cars we freak out over day in and day out. Countless Evo's and STI's are online with racing kits that race NO WHERE; however we love them once they have a tuned engine. It's all rice if you ask me, but there's a difference between quality rice and rice that wasn't washed before you consumed it.
This car looks great, point blank. Would I do it as my daily driver??! No, but my word does it look fantastic static or rolling. Majority of us have lots of go and show on our cars and don't use them for anything besides boosting our egos. It's time big men and women stop denying the facts and face reality. We all love some form of "rice" cars or the other.
Its an awesome build. Not everyone likes the idea of cars being built just for looks, but like a lot of people say, we aren't all race teams that need to go get the quickest time at whatever track. I've always liked taking the big VIP sedans and taking them to a more track/purpose look. There are a few things I would have done, like take off the damn plastic engine cover and clean up the engine bay. I'd also at least get a manual trans on the thing cause who says this doesn't drive well? Might as well be able to whip it around some local roads and enjoy the performance you get with that big v8.
Either way, the car is cool no matter what. Whether you like the fashion side of the build or hate the lack of performance, the thing is still awesome looking.
YogiFatlace KRaZyAmmo Now I feel like I wanna render the S13 because of the digital render of your car.
A lot of bagged cars can end up looking pretty strange when aired up, but this one looks quite good aired up!
We're nearly 90 comments in now, and people STILL aren't understanding the fact that it's clearly not a performance oriented build. Haha.
Daaaaaaaamn, that should be a print for sale somewhere!
Nailed it.
Wasn't there a feature on a street drifting GT86 on bags? That should be some indication of their actual functionality. Also if you're calling this rice because the mods have no function your car must be pretty damn plain... How can you have a problem with someone making their car look how they want?
Pug_BRZ ca_bimmer KeithCharvonia
Scales can be found here: http://www.airsociety.net/forums/showthread.php/1406-Zoom-zoom-zoom!-Project-Mazda3?p=15662&viewfull=1#post15662
Or Cole's Notes:
Strut weight: -4.215lbs (-8.43lbs combined)
Rear shock/airspring: +1.48lbs (+2.96lbs combined)
Mounted control system: +28.25lbs total
Total added weight from air suspension: +22.78lbs
Total unsprung mass change: 37.47lbs
and the attached is a time attack car. It runs super street rear wheel drive in a local series.
I can dig up results and track photos later...
E Sutton well yeah, you'd think they'd get that given its an automatic
I'd say it's a subtle, WTCC-themed Lexus.
As someone who is more or less always focused on the exterior aesthetics of a car first, I def think the 'race car' look can be considered a style. Half the people who see this car on the street are going to judge it by its looks - not it's track ability - so what else is it other than a visual stimulation to stir emotion and conversation (aka a style*) -_- Props to Yogi for executing his vision and not giving af. love the car
why all the haters? you guys hating better be driving something faster than this or shut your pie hole. i do agree the rear wing is a bit much though i mean its not like your taking this on tsukuba lol i feel like a nice big duck tail spoiler would work better for the look
@trollforsure Because it's a luxury sedan. It's not even remotely a performance-oriented vehicle.
Good looking car, I give props to the owner for his vision. However, unlike the previous post of the E46 where it had outrageous looks, it had the power to back up the race theme/look ...and this got me interested at first when I saw the big brake kit, wheels and tires but then came the plastics in the engine and the auto transmission and it completely ruined it for me. Yogi's car has a lot of potential and could be an amazing car but there's still a lot to do and I know he's not done. I hope you take the criticism as something positive to improve on the weaknesses of the car. And maybe this sort of builds shouldn't be posted until the owner is completely satisfied with it, otherwise it ends up being a car with looks and no soul.
Ugh I thought this was speedhunters, not hardparkedhunters.
DaveT Pug_BRZ ca_bimmer KeithCharvonia Time attack LS swapped C300!! As for the weights posted, that's far better than I expected.
Sorry for the question, but why it does look to me like the car is more "orange" than "Dodge Viper Red"?
It is what it always was: Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancemens.
oldschoolcat Wings are wrong, on street cars. Ever seen an e30m3 with wing delete? Looks sick and you can see the cops behind you to boot...
oldschoolcat
YogiFatlace its not meant as hate, just constructive criticism i come here for good builds and this a very good one just lacking in some aspects and i think it awesome you read my comment the way you did cause you could have spouted off about my opinion not being worth a damn but you where humble and i respect that i hope to see more come from this build keep on working on it and refining
It is definitely a peek inside someones mind, very intersting car. I can understand it
But, without any hate on these words, if we let all the prejudice out of the expression, this car literally has Race Inspired Cosmethic Enhancements, doesn't?
Again im not talking bad about it, it is a great car, i'd daily driver it and i bet it is fun to do so!
At night it looks very orange, daytime it's super bright red
I love the Overall Styling of the car, but it would look so much better without the plastic cover in the engine bay, with a proper race steering wheel and with a Manual Transmission istead of the Auto...
@trollforsure because everyone is allowed an opinion? Just because it may be negative doesn't make them a 'hater'
My two cents, had been this car with extra 200 horses, comments
would have been different.....YogiFatlace
I'm a Datsun/Nissan/Infiniti guy, and I think your car is brilliantly
beautiful, now to stand out even more, supercharge the engine, and find a dual
clutch automatic with pedal shifters, (instead of convintional manual that everyone is doing), and you shall be all cool & praised
that UZ motor is a great start, and I'm sure the GS has a great platform that handles...
If I had a bigger wallet, I would have worked on a Gloria GT from the year 1999, and dropped a VQ35DE (Supercharged)... that would be awesome as well
@trollforsure i don't have to paint something nicer than the Mona Lisa, to tell it's about an ugly woman.
Oh how the masses can turn. Just a few articles ago people were raving about how the last month had been Speedhunter's best ever. Two street cars with spoilers and bam its doom and gloom.
People are weird.
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat Just to play devil's advocate, I just see another BMW in that picture.
YogiFatlace You have an awesome perspective on the negativity man.
Sorry, nice ride but not my cup of coffee.
Lose the oversized wing and the air ride and you got an awesome lil Lexus.
Jusayin.
Mahfoodh YogiFatlace thank you sir. I was hoping i could find 1 of the 3 greddy superchargers that were produced but discontinued. There was actually 4, 1 fitted to an ISF, 1 in Japan, 1 In Seattle and one I have no idea. Before going further with the current company I'm meeting with, I want to see if I can find the owners of the 2 SC that i know are still local.
If it had a heap of negative camber I would think it was a JDM VIP car. One way to really stand out...
Reminds me of SKD55's
Bit ricer much? Not my cuppa, way too much orientated to get scenepoints...
I live stress free. Can't make everyone happy, so make yourself happy and be positive about the negatives
Cheers! Thanks bud
YogiFatlace I kinda like the way you deal with those negative message. Keep it up, and never be bothered.. to me, your car is a dream, keep everything it has, just work on power now
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat The E30 M3 just doesnt work being wingless tbh, the wing is part of what makes the car look so good.
YogiFatlace Hahaha winning reply
hmmm this is real middle of the road for me....honestly idgaf about the wing its high enough that he can see out the back and its a daily folks! how many of us daily a 600hp TT track beast...?
Not normally a fan of this style, but top build. Looks maaaaad
ca_bimmer DaveT Pug_BRZ KeithCharvonia It is far better than most people suspect.
Most of the weight is from the compressor, and management of your choice.
While the possibility of things going wrong is greater on a bagged car there really isn't that much that could go wrong as far as unexpected failure. The system (assuming Air Lift Auto Pilot v2) maintains pressure with no power so you're fine there, it maintains pressure if the tank is 0 for whatever reason as well. The only area I see extra vulnerability are the lines which installation could make a moot point.
Bags have come a long way, they are just so closely tied to the aggressive fitment crowd people write them off.
JoshuaWhitcombe GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat Woah. That looks so weird.
I actually don't like it at all. Looks unbalanced.
On the flip side I like wingless Supras and people say exactly what I just said about those.
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat Love it, looks great without the M3 wing.
YogiFatlace Well, never mind the car - your attitude wins it for me.
(when it comes to "smiles per gallon" it's very high in the food chain in my opinion... Got bored with straight line performance. Besides, that's what the bike is for 
I am 5ft11, what some would call skinny, I wear girls pants, old, worn out tshirts, lots of tats, old rock always around and I drive a... Miata
This thread has one of the best comment sections ever.
Cheers mate!
It reminds me a lot of the big body sedans racing is D1GP. Which is a good thing.
I get that some cars look better with or without a wing. However I think the wingless trend is just that, another trend. It's a backlash against wings. Before it was cool to have one, so it must be cooler to not have one. We're already seeing the swing back in the other direction with a few individuals choosing massive chassis mounted
wings to be different and surprise people.
kphillips9936 why lose air? these cars is boat (i have one)
YogiFatlace Mahfoodh the one from TRD for Tundra can be made to fit in 1UZ/3UZ..not much gain there though..maybe 30 hp..need ECU to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9x2m6jDeTY&feature=youtu.be
sorry for potato english
These massive wings just look shit IMO.
This isnt usually my thing but it flows so well with this car! Awesome article and pics
The hate is strong with this one.
Sir please
Don't lie SH readers... you like the controversy and polarizing builds even if you squirm at first.
The attention this car is getting is testament to this! I think it's a cool build that approaches a vehicle platform from an angle no one has really attempted before. For that it gets originality points and is a fresh take on an old chassis. It would be cool though to see this turn up at Buttonwillow for a track day. Yogi, indulge yourself!
By the way, has anyone ever told you your car looks like/has similar styling cues to Ken Suen's Big Red FD2 Civic?
I love this car! great build YogiFatlace. You really need to see the high res shots to fully enjoy the photos. Great work Larry Chen
Mahfoodh YogiFatlace Here's the thing... you don't need 200 extra horses to make it a performance car. Hell, you can take Mom's Buick out for a track day, bro - and still have a blast.
The car looks very good. IMO, better when its aired up.
But what gets me riled is mocking Racecar style, but why can't it be a play car? Why can't you hit the track? Dodge some cones? Or go dive bombing off ramps?
Engine mods / tunes don't draw the line between show car or performance car. WHERE and HOW the driver DRIVES the car is what makes it.
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat
Unless you're one of the many who tracks your street car, no?
Ha ha yeah I saw it at Sema and every time I would walk by it with friends they would tell me it really resembles mine. I've always enjoyed those FD Civics and was actually trying to buy an SI for work.
@turbo BEAMS ae86 kphillips9936 Not a fan of air ride is all. IMO, they do more damage to the frame than good especially when you do the drop-n-tuck bit.
Again, just not my cup of coffee.
I disagree that it's not making any declarations of being a race car, it definitely is declaring that. That said, I think it's a cool looking build and you've done it up right. You didn't cut any corners so nice job! When you turn up the wick on power you're going to shut up a lot of doubters. Air Ride can be track-oriented so no problems there. A friend of mine prioritized a build by saying "first you make the car stop, then you make the car turn, THEN you make the car go fast. Massive power is great until you drive off a cliff because you've overwhelmed the brakes and can't turn." Seems like you've gone down the right path with this build
oldschoolcat GrammarPatrol911 If the unwashed masses, or better yet cops, can't tell at a glance that you're driving something special. all the better IMO. My example needs the red delete too... Diamondblack all the way...
Jagdroach GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat Hopefully same thing applies to every cop who has a glance. If the unwashed masses dont get it either, all the better.
Nice build yogi,very inspiring for those of us who just need 300hp and a nice build,show stopper
YogiFatlace 'work'..all clear now
Eroc22 Ain't that the truth. We get used to seeing monster builds with more horsepower than anyone can really use on the street, so when something comes along with anything less everyone complains like we're all driving 800 horsepower racecars. It's nice to see some content that gives the rest of us shade tree mechanics some hope to be featured on a cool site someday.
People in the comments are either loving the fact that they hate it or hating the fact that they love it.
LOOKS pretty good, although not a fan of the interior. Hmmm, very conflicted about this build.
Awesome build and great article!
I've got no clue what to think. It's really awesome and being a poser (kind of) at the same time. Worse still, everything's been done right so you can't hate on poor execution. Interesting.
LouisYio Or they are hating the fact they..... shut up.
@Jeroen Willemsen I miss your face.
Michael Atwell These two words will kinda answer your question, it will make sense.
"Awkward Boner."
No joke, it will make sense, kinda.
Keith, great design brief. I could see ducktail and not wing though...Beautiful shoot Larry! Looks like you had fun. Sweet ride. Look haters, ultimately every design is a compromise because the street and the track are different places. Yogi did what he wanted, go do likewise
http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Larry_Chen_Speedhunters_TAS_spotlight-27.jpg
Of course it's a style, here's an Odyssey from 2009 TAS http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/van11_VKOw_1.jpg
The rise of popularity of TRA Kyoto & RWB are testament to that, too
this car is so bad ass. f*ck haters. i wanted to do something like this to the older gs and throw the aristo face... but something about just seeing it all come together on the newer car... damn. i love this gt/vip style. thanks for the inspiration. every pic saved and desktopped.
d_rav Thank you for the kind words my friend. Means much to me
Cheers.
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat
I guess the comments reflect it is a taste-thing..
Another example: the Vauxhall/Opel Manta. love it without, others love it with:
Yogi, you need new seats. Recaros out of something expensive like a Porsche.
thanks for daring to be different! kid shows up with different shoes/game boy/iPhone/ canards whatever n everybody is talking about him... next thing you know everybody is doing it.... but we all know who dared to be different when it was foreign to us at the time.
Yo! Yogi you the man bro, there are some of us that will always appreciate those that take there own route and then there will always be haters but we both know the haters are a shitty necessity, I've have already Dubbed this style VIP-R a race inspired luxury sedan you are one of the first in the spot lite but here in AZ, we love the shit. I've followed your build since Halloween 2014, with much admiration I hope to gain the same recognition with my g35 sedan, your a tough act to follow so Ima need a little more time.
DamonAllen Man, really honor hearing that. Thank you my friend! can't wait to see your build
kphillips9936 Where is this damage documented? If you can show me a study which conclusively proves that airbags cause more frame damage than is worth the slick look, I will stop dreaming about them.
GrammarPatrol911 oldschoolcat Simple and clean, that is a beautiful machine (the BMW). Although I admire the amount of work that went into the GS (seriously the craftsmanship of the fenders alone is amazing, the paint and the aero bits?...dont get me started) I dont see the point of the air suspension and massive wing. One has nothing to do with the 'race-car look'. The other just looks bad on anything but a dedicated track car.
Huge wings are supposed to be for generating downforce...they never really looked pretty (unless its on an F1/GT/DTM/WRC chassis)...and unfortunately off the track just come out looking like rice (thank the F&F movement for that). Which really hurts in this case cause of how well most ideas came to life on this GS. Different strokes for different folks, but Yogi you certainly got people talking.
More Rice than Race
Well it's kind of hard to "rice" a luxury car. You're already given the balance performance of power and handling at stock. It would probably hold fine on track. All it would really need to make it shine more than it already does is a little power boost/tune with suspension setup. I dig this build
The wing is nice, but I did picture it without it, and it STILL looks super sick!!!
This car is perfect. I actually really like the big rear wing even if it's not functional.
Send this car to Japan for AutoSalon need more style. Tired of seeing the same stuff here. Good Stuff Larry Chen and Yogi Big High Five to the whole direction of this. !!!!
Support from Japan
http://www.facebook.com/allthatlow
ummm so this guy just modified the body of the car so he can pretend that he has a racecar? seems to me like it was built for attention seeking not for the love of cars
blehhhh I don't get it. But this car making its rounds through different sites and publications like Super Street show it's all about who you know in the industry.
SkanderFekir you know much about me for some reason! What else can you tell me about me?
@DMC sure.
It doesn't matter. Your car tells it all. I've said enough
SkanderFekir: yes, you've said enough. No, the car does not tell it all. First of all, there is nothing wrong with a car that is a blend of street comfort and race audacity. Second, there is nothing to say that more serious mechanical mods aren't still to come. Third, this isn't your car.
I'm sorry my opinion does not match yours. This car is getting coveted because it "LOOKS" like a race car....even says so in the article. Therefore its all useless decorations. Like girls painting their nails. Has this car ever even gone over a 100?
Apparently I needed to say more since someone else needs to defend this guys honor.
I'm not getting pissed off because your opinion doesn't match mine. I'm getting pissed off because your haughty and condescending attitude towards style has gone too far, even for me. That's an abuse of freedom of speech, and this isn't even a true public board.
Ummm excuse me? I'm abusing my freedom of speech? Isn't telling someone what to say and do an abuse of freedom of speech? I'm stating this car does not do what it looks like it does. In my opinion, it is useless. I'm exercising my freedom of speech by saying that the owner did all of this because of attention seeking. I'm sorry you and he are both extremely sensitive about "style." But just because you're sensitive it does not give you the right to tell me what to say or do. Excuse yourself.
Now who the hell are you?
SkanderFekir No. You and I say what we want. The difference is that I don't feel the need to express douchebaggery with impunity. And let me tell you, it takes a special brand of impertinence to get me riled up.
I'm the douche yet you're the one coming at me and telling me what I can and can't do. Also you're getting into something that has nothing to do with you. I insulted the car and credibility of the driver, you could have kept scrolling but instead decided not to mind your business and get in it. Also I don't believe I called anyone names. You're starting shit on the Internet. Good job tough guy. And no matter what you say this car still sucks in my eyes because it's done for attention and nothing else. Seems to me like you're trying to play the nice guy for the same reason he built this car: attention. I don't like it and voiced it. Get over it and stop being so sensitive over a comment that wasn't even made to you. Such a tough keyboard warrior.
No, stupid, I'm not doing it for attention drawn to myself. I'm speaking out for community because you appear to have no interest in blending in or constructive expression. I am part of this SpeedHunters group because I enjoy the content. That content includes the images, articles AND comments from the majority of contributing readers who enjoy variety. So you see, anything that happens here can and often does involve me. And I did not start the shit; it is plainly obvious that you did, my fine lobotomized neighbor.
But of course, none of that is of interest to you, so by all means, carry on.
Yup and I frequent this site just about daily should I feel entitled to get myself in other people's business? Get your head out of your ass man and grow the fuck up. You're still insulting. Why because I wasn't calling you names and it made you feel like some bad ass. You're what's wrong with the car scene. A bunch of pussies that spend money on looking pretty and don't even know how to drive a car. Just because you can pay someone to work on your car doesn't make you a gear head. Just a poser with money and I'm willing to bet you're one of them. Fuck outta here with your dumb ass self.
You're nothing but a hypocrite
So much presumption. So little brain.
Perhaps the moderators could exercise some power and remove this entire flamewar, beginning with Skander's root comment.
Right. So let me get this straight. I say say I think this car is for attention. You get your feelings hurt and decide to get in, calling me names and all around talking shit. When I respond in the language you speak you act like you're innocent. Hypocrite through and through. You start shit then you cry.
And on top of that you're telling me I'm abusing my freedom of speech while you're the one telling me what I can and can't say because you are sensitive
totophi also just to prove a point, heres what my little brain is capable of
https://www.facebook.com/skander.fekir/videos/171973472947669/
It's those flares.... They look soo damn factory!!! This car looks superb. It's a bit out there but that's why I love it. Extremely pretty car. It's a well thought out build and kudos to the owner and the people who made this happen! #lovefromindia
JitheshJagadeesan Thank you for the kind words!!
the car was very good
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