For a car that was built from the ground up to be a sharp-handling, lightweight coupé, the Toyota/Subaru twins have proven to be incredibly diverse when it comes to modification. We’ve seen 86s, FR-Ss and BRZs rebuilt into everything from drift cars with exotic engine swaps to rally racers, Pikes Peak challengers, competitive drag cars, and of course, fun daily drivers.
Now here’s another one to add to the list: VIP street cruiser.
In the traditional sense, the Japan-born VIP genre that brings to mind big-body Toyota and Nissan luxury sedans. Plush machines that ride low, wear incredibly wide wheels with lots of negative camber, and interiors that could be mistaken for night club luxury lounges.
And while the VIP movement was established with platforms like the Toyota Celsior and Nissan Cima, its traits don’t have to be limited to high-end Japanese sedans. Over the years we’ve seen VIP styling applied to everything from European luxury cars to boxy minivans and even gas-sipping hybrids. So why not a Scion FR-S too?
That’s the question that Robert Sia of Long Beach had in mind when he began to modify his black FR-S. He’d been watching the car’s development, drooling over the concepts and dreaming about the aftermarket potential before putting in his order at the local dealership.
After taking delivery of his FR-S, Robert drove and enjoyed the car in its stock from for about a year before the modifying began. He started off with simple stuff – Work Meister wheels and a set of Stance coilovers.
Like many FR-S owners, Robert saw the Rocket Bunny wide-body kit and liked the look. However, he wasn’t sure if his budget would allow a wide-body conversion and he was also apprehensive about cutting up the car’s fenders. He began saving funds and thinking about what he wanted to do for the next step.
The Road Less TraveledWhen he knew it was time to make the jump to a wide-body conversion, he had his eye on two kits – the Rocket Bunny V2 setup and VIP-themed kit from Aimgain in Japan.
It was a tough decision to make, but in the end, rather than going the more common Rocket Bunny route, Robert decided to go with the Aimgain look. Not only would it help the Scion stand out from the crowd, he’d previously owned a VIP-style Scion xB and thought he’d try and continue the theme with the FR-S.
It was a three-month wait for the kit to arrive from Japan, but once he saw the Aimgain parts installed he knew he’d made the right choice. There was just something about the Lexus-esque look that set it apart from the increasingly large pool of modified FR-Ss on the streets of SoCal.
After taking the car to a few events, Robert decided he would take it even further into the realm of VIP with some additional suspension work, a new set of wheels and tires and remodeled interior.
More specifically, he wanted to capture the over-the-top, aggressive look of the VIP sedans from Japan with their excessive negative camber and radically low ride heights.
Getting the camber set to his liking would prove to be one of the tougher parts of the project, and Robert not only ended up needing to modify the coil-over bodies, he also had to have a set of custom camber plates fabricated for the front.
Up until this point he was still running his previous Work Meisters with spacers to fill up the widened Aimgain fenders, but now it was time to find some better-fitting wheels.
The Weds Kranze Vishunu was Robert’s dream wheel, and when he set out to find a set he knew he wanted them to have massive lips.
The specs on the Weds are 18×10.5-inch -33 up front and 18×11-inch – 33 in the rear with 1-inch adapters to fit them onto the FR-S’s 5×100 hubs. The tires are sized 225/35R18 up front and 245/35R18 in the rear.
Bippu Sports
Once Robert had the wheels and suspension fitted, it took him hours of adjustment to get the ride height and camber settings adjusted to where he liked them. While we know excessive negative camber isn’t everyone’s look of choice, Robert has certainly nailed the wild VIP stance.
He also wanted to continue the VIP theme in the car’s cabin, so Robert had his seats upholstered with Clazzio red diamond covers and even added a custom VIP tray table and a custom shift knob and boot.
While making the car fast around a race track was obviously not Robert’s goal with the build, the flat-four has been treated to an EcuTek Stage 1 engine tune to wake it up a little.
And to give the FR-S a more aggressive sound while also further building the VIP credentials, the car has also been fitted with a custom muffer-less exhaust system which features quad tips out back.
Is Robert’s VIP-influenced FR-S for everyone? Absolutely not. I know there are many who won’t like the unconventional and non-functional modifications that have been made to this driver-focused sports car, but that’s the beauty of it. The Scion’s overall uniqueness is one of the big reasons we picked it as our FeatureThis winner at the Long Beach Offset Kings showcase earlier in the year.
We’ve seen Toyota and Subaru’s low-slung coupés built to do just about everything, and this VIP street build is just one more unique take on what’s proving to be an extremely versatile platform for car enthusiasts of all types.
Cheers to Robert for doing things his way and not looking back.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: japanifornia_media
mike@speedhunters.com
Photos by Louis Yio
Instagram: lusciousy
Robert Sia’s 2013 Scion FR-S
Engine
Factory 4U-GSE 2.0L boxer four, EcuTek Stage 1 tune, custom quad tip exhaust with muffler delete
Suspension/Chassis
Modified Stance coil-overs with Swift springs, Cusco strut bar, custom Racer-X upper control arm, custom front camber plates
Wheels & Tires
Weds Kranze Vishunu 18×10.5-inch -33 (front) 18×11.5-inch -33 (rear) 225/35R18 (front) 245/35R18 (rear) tires, 1-inch hub adapters all around
Exterior
Aimgain full wide-body kit, Winjet headlights, BeatSonic antenna, custom painted rear taillights
Interior
Clazzio red diamond stitched seat covers, custom VIP tray table, custom shift knob & shift boot
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This is what is called de-engineering.
Lol amen
Seriously nice grille. love the lexus lines! See i found something nice about it
its a nice car, not my style, and to each their own, but Ill never understand the VIP/Oni camber deal.
I admire the work put in but the FRS is such a well balanced little
sports car I don't know why you would want to mess with the handling.
Smh. Poor FRS......
This is a hate comment
too much camber for my liking but its not my car
Not only does it look riduculous (I know that is subjective), but you put on heavy wide rims that stick out more than the tire, stress all the suspension parts, totally kill all fuel efficientcy ( that one almost doesn't count) and make your 225/245mm tires as effective as a Huffy 10 speed tire. Sorry Speedhunters throwing money and parts at a car, even if nice parts, while making it less driveable and unsafe should not get a "FeatureThis" or a "Cheers".
And I have seen some NICE VIP cars on this site. Yes the red interior is awesome. But putting nice sests and a tray table doesn't make a car VIP.
I'm just here for the butthurt.
We all have a different opinion but all I will say is that if I saw this car in public, It would break my neck......
I like the how they re-badged it to be Toyota and the front end is beautiful great use of leds
Seriously Speedhunters?
Why is this thing featured here? Absolutely nothing special.
The only thing I don't like is the extreme camber. I know it's part of VIP style, but it's the only part that really bugs me.I feel that if it had wheel/tire fitment similar to Nakai-san's RWB porsches it would be great. I don't hate the car at all, it's very well executed for what he wanted.
lol love all the comments. This reinforces most of what the previous story speedhunters just did talking about people in the scene(which I'm sure most people skipped right by). Seen this car in person, even though I'd never build an FRS like this I love it. As far as a car built on style/stance its amazing. The comment referring to "fuel efficiency"..really..really? hahaha oh man the internet these days. thumbs up speedhunter
I would love to see the junk buckets you haters drive.
Come on, lets see them! Oh wait, you guys dont have a car worth featuring...
Keyboard courage is all u guys have. Lets hear you spout off the garbage you guys post online to the owner in person. You wont. Lol
This is probably a stupid question... but would authorities defect you for a lot of things for a street car like this over there?
In Aus, you wouldn't catch a street car even remotely close in flashiness to this build because we'd get taken down :/
Nope. Not feeling it.
i23sonny Depends on which state mostly. I used to live in California which has some of the strictest laws regarding the car modifications and whatnot.
To answer based on my knowledge and experience getting pulled over and other stuff, they only care about smog and how loud your exhaust is. There are rules about how low a car can be. The measurement is from the center of your headlight to the ground. Another measurement is from the lowest part of the car's body to the ground.
Looking at this car with the size wheels he has, it's not that low. Probably scrape his exhaust but can still manage some speed bumps at a slow speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfODykKzmIY
i23sonny Actually it all depends on where you live in Australia. I live in central Queensland and I've seen cars with wide body and stupidly stretched tires driving daily. Never get hassled by the local cops out here unless you're driving like an idiot, or you car is SERIOUSLY illegal. It's one of the few bonus to living so far from the cities.
Agreed
....isn't this speedhunters? that car from the factory makes a whopping 150hp and they found a way to make it slower...? i guess you guys posted that article about "haters" first, so you could share this nonsense.... stop selling out and focus on what made you guys popular, cool cars, that go fast.... leave this to stancenation
I'm afraid to post what I really think about this car because I'm scared because of the Paddy article.
This is a great car.
I love the hand brake knob
excellent execution of the VIP look
awesome to add a few horsepowerz too
being different is key in the Scion world, this accomplishes that!
Drive this to your next traffic fine. Can it be fixed?
Uhhhh...how about no.
I can't wait for this stupid stance trend to die, cause it really needs to. I'm all for people being unique and doing different things with there cars to express themselves but I REALLY cannot stand this trend. There's no purpose to it. It completely ruins the look and it ruins the functionality.
I always respect all style car but this one is average!
Hoonigan_RB "I'm all for people being unique and doing different things with there cars to express themselves"
Let him express himself.
Why are my tyres always wearing on the insides? Not hating the playa. Just tha stance game.
Is it on air?
LouisYio Hoonigan_RB He's driving on a public road with a very small contact patch. How long would that car take to stop at 40mph? I think express will take on a new meaning.
Dare to be different, track prepped and faux tracked prepped frs/brzs are a dime a dozen. Props to the owner.
Kill it with fire.
nothing here surprises me
That front end looks awesome. I like those extra rear lights on the rear also. The stance, not really my thing but I can look past it. The exhaust is bit OTT for my liking.
But come on......really? That handbrake button? I mean that takes style over function to, literally, painful levels.
It says coilover's in the spec section, shockingly (haha suspension puns)
What really interests me is - with such a heavy stance, do these wheels rub down faster on the inside?
@guest Interesting feedback. The way we see it, there are already many track-orientated, performance-focused FR-S/86 builds out there. As impressive as they are, we feel that a style-orientated build like this is refreshing. We're very aware of the sort of reaction that cars like this are going to receive, but it's our mission to appreciate and highlight all styles and subcultures of the car scene. It's what we've always done and will continue to do. Props to Robert for building something different that he enjoys!
That's the attitude! Thanks bluestreaksti
That front! Ikr it's an Aimgain front! Still can't believe the creativity level here
nice car, shame about he completely broken suspension
I love it. Nice looking car man.
Speedhunters I specifically remember a couple of years back when I first started reading Speedhunters there was a very interesting spotlight on a brown S2000 on Varrstoen wheels. It's style was totally different from anything I had seen before at the time, applying retro styling to a contemporary car. However, it got flamed for having 'fake wheels' and slighlty color mis-matched trim, and the article was subsequently removed from the site - purely because of the backlash from readers.
You could make exactly the same argument about that s2000 that you could with this car - that respect should be shown to the owner for building something that he clearly enjoys...
So I think it's really disingenuous to say that you appreciate and highlight 'all' styles and subcultures of the car scene when you clearly pick and choose exactly what you appreciate and highlight - i.e only cars built using what you deem to be 'genuine' parts. How does this have anything to do with owners enjoyment?
I would have thought that you can't have it both ways. Please educate me.
JOY OF MACHINE
@guest2 It's interesting that you mention that car. That was a long time ago (before my time) but from my understanding it was taken down because they were wheels replicating one of the designs from one of our partner companies. Obviously the cars Speedhunters feature have to be of a high standard, or be really different or be cool somehow - that's always the type of content we're hunting for - the most unique, interesting stuff in the world. If you go through our archives, you'll see stories on everything from grassroots track days, drag racing comps and casual car meets to professional shows and racing, from kei car features and Miatas to Ferraris and mental time attack Porsches... the ultimate goal is to have a mix of everything. That's exactly why this car got featured, because it represents a different part of the crazy-wide spectrum that is international car culture. It's not a part that everyone appreciates but it exists, so we're going to embrace it for as long as it's around. If there's something particular you'd like to see more of on here, let us know!
Good Lord, if this isn't one of the dumbest things I've seen in my life! Over the top LEDs, silly wide-body kit that does nothing to enhance the look of an already not too good looking car, stupid over-camber, ridiculous offset and tyre stretching; exactly how not to build a car. If you're going to do this....actually don't. If you're thinking of doing this go to a steakhouse and get a burger instead, then go have a beer, repeat this process whenever the thought of doing this your car pops into your head. I could have forgiven it if it had a really cool custom interior (as these 'VIP' cars often do) but it doesn't, it has really cool seat covers. To reiterate what another commenter has said below, " Uhhh...how about no."
I can respect the work of the owner/builder/operator ('respect the dignity of labour' and all that) but cannot respect the style he chose and modifications he made to this vehicle, but it's his car, not my place to make any pronouncements or be an arbiter of his decisions, so Power to you, man.
No it's not a car I would ever own but there's plenty of cool aspects so stop your hating, the owner clearly likes it so why would you hate on it?
Did your parents never teach you that if you have nothing nice to say then you can shut the fuck up? And apparently I'm supposed to be one of the young guys poisoning the Internet.
Taryn Croucher "...it was taken down because they were wheels replicating one of the designs from one of our partner companies."
Not to be rude or boorish in interjecting in your conversation like this, ma'am, but my takeaway from this is that @guest2 is right and you are letting your sponsors/partners if not dictate then at least obtrude in what your audience can be allowed to consume through this medium. I understand, I'm an entrepreneur myself, it's business; you have phone bills to settle, air tickets to buy, printers to run and salaries to make, someone has to pay those bills. But if it's true that we're deffering to the sponsors when deciding what consumers can see, pretty soon this site will devolve into another pop-culture venue and be as expendable and valuable as one. Kinda like Cycleworld.
Trentworth Let's not get into the 'genuine parts' debate... that could go on forever. Yes, Speedhunters has partners (we have for a long time) which is awesome. We respect and have a strong relationship with these brands, and naturally, we showcase their products from time to time because they're products we genuinely like and believe in. At the end of the day, every person that works for Speedhunters is a genuine car nut - we love cars and we do this because it's what we love. We do pick and choose our own content (because that's how it works) and we also listen to what our community says and we take that on board. That's really all there is to it!
This is not speedbunting. This frs can't reach any speed . You can't even have fun in it, sorry but this one is not cool!
This isn't about being cool - its about spending a whole lot of time and effort on something, that is your own definition of beauty - even when nobody would agree with you. Simply a piece of art.
I'm not a "stance" guy, and I can definitely see how certain aspects of the style are detrimental to performance, but who cares? That's what makes it cool and unique. I think the owner did a good job of nailing the VIP look, and it's a pretty rad car. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and everybody has different tastes, so instead of hating on something that we don't like, why not go out and build something that we do? Just my two cents.
Taryn Croucher Trust me, I've trawled through the archives, and read pretty much every article since 2012. Speedhunters in my eyes has become something that is totally wrapped up in aesthetics. Its not about the variety of content, it's about how it's portrayed.
I can say with a fair amount of certainty that most of us enjoy driving. However the vast majority of features don't give us any information as to how a car actually drives... it's just a parts list.
Recently I've really enjoyed Matt Farah's One Take's, where he looks at modified cars from where it matters most, behind the wheel. It's really interesting and inspiring to understand exactly why an owner picked certain parts for a car, how it evolved over time, and why the owner built it. The articles on here are totally soulless in comparison.
So to say you feature something because it's quality and the owner enjoys it, thats great, but how do they enjoy it? All you're showing us is images, a parts list, and reducing a car to simply a piece of art captured in a photograph when it is so much more than that. We don't even know if this car is a daily, or a garage queen.
I don't claim to have the answer as to where to go from here, but I think it's the reason why so many people don't get cars like this, they seem to be all about aesthetics, and you only compound the problem by not giving us an understanding of how the owner actually enjoys this car apart from hard parking it to look at!
rad.
@guest2 Although I disagree with some of the things you've said, I get where you're coming from in terms of wanting to know more about the cars we feature in that respect. That's a tricky one because we can't really ask all of the owners if we can take their cars out and give them a thrashing, but this is where we balance out our content with stories of personal experiences with our own project cars and the occasional dream drive story (which we'd all like to do more of, because who doesn't enjoy driving cars, right?) Anyway, thanks for the feedback!
Of cours its speedhunting. And of course you can have fun in it. Huge amounts of camber dosnt mean you cant hoon. I know its never gunna be as well handling as a properly set up car but mad camber dosnt mean driving slow!
I don't like this build, but I really respect the owner's eye for quality. Showroom worth!
I came here just to read the hate comments, hilarious.
Read another spotlight or feature and move on if you hate the car so much. Not like the owner is going to dismantle his car because of what a few forum readers think.
I'm not sure the abnormal shape of the Aimgain arches works with the copious camber and stretch. It almost makes the car look like it should be lowered further.
But that just might be my own personal views against this particular kit shining through.
never expected to see projects like this on SH... please do not ever do it again to us dear SH...
Absolutely retarded.
i hate to say it, since i've been a vip fan since 20 years, but this car doesn't benefit from camber. lookswise
Absolutely retarded comments.
Love the level of detail!
animala handbrake button is likely to be as a "drift button" style, where the spring loading has been removed to allow the button to stay depressed and give unhindered use off the handle but a simple push forward uses the ratchet again.
So you don't need to press the button every time I guess.
Love it! Such a fresh build. The hate is hilarious, like noone has ever seen agressive stance before. Go read Paddy's post from the other day sheesh. How boring would it be if the same style builds were posted over and over rather than finding something new like this?
not my thing at all...but I respect the work.
I lived in Japan and I didn't get the crazy negative camber, and I really don't get it now.
Helladumb.
a little of a good thing can be great. a lot of a good thing just normally makes you vomit...
People have so much hate nowadays.........
Still no. With that camber you have no control. And no control ends up doing random skids . I dont want to argue anyways i just wanted to show my opinion that i am not liking this car, since in old days sh was about race weapons not shiny not funtional cars.
What a ridiculously retarded piece of shit. What is the point of that kind of camber?
What’s to admire here, bolt on garbage and Chrome pimp wheels?
Any “sharp-handling” performance that was in the car has been deliberately degraded and ruined purely for the sake of looks. And it not a good look, there is no aesthetic appeal here except to someone who is illiterate in design and aesthetics.
hey Speedhunters, let's see a follow-up on this car in 12 months. i imagine Rob will continue to dial it in and the car will evolve...even if only a little. we all know sometimes a little is a lot.
i really like VIP cars and i feel that this one is very close to greatness. there is so much to like about it, no matter one's taste. i feel like the next iteration will really hit a home run and i think it'd be awesome if you guys were there to document it.
NicholasMaher you should go read all your previous comments in your 'full profile'
there is a steady stream of anger and hatred towards others and their cars.
have you ever considered contributing something positive?
NicholasMaher Damn. You must love going out of your way to bash something someone else worked to build.
@chris I am fully aware of all that I have said, there is absolutely no anger at the effort and passion that anybody puts into whatever they build.
When the result of such build clearly (in my subjective opinion, and objectively in the opinions of other enthusiasts) is something like this then such criticism is valid. That's the common theme you will find in what you have erroneously labeled as “steady stream of anger and hatred”.
I wouldn’t say I hate the end result either, an extreme well founded dislike yes, hate, no.
CharlesChris15 You're wrong also, see above.
I'm just the Commenthunter for this one LOL!
Onikyan has always been a particular part of car culture that I've struggled with, but I would love to go to Japan sometime and hit up some meets to get a better understanding.
Regardless, good on you, Robert, for building something that speaks to you. You've definitely got people talking and more importantly, thinking.
guess I've read too many Mike Kojima articles to allow me to like aggressive negative camber..........
"Thats fine, and you're entitled to your own opinion. But its wrong" adam demamp 2013.
"The Scion’s overall uniqueness is one of the big reasons we picked it as our FeatureThis winner"
Bolt on flares--- yep
Negatitve camber--- yep
ugly big rims--- yep
almost stock engine--- yep
Big spoiler--- no???
Airbags--- no????
Lack of big wing or airbags make this bolt on fender/neg camber look unique?
Speedhunters should change to Stance Hunters at least it would be more of a change than 90% of features lately, it`s really getting boring at this stage
The attention to detail and the overall look is amazing. I am absolutely in love with the Lexus-style front (always felt this car was an evolution of the LFA 'for masses', now it looks the part).
It's true that, were this my car, I'd keep all the customization except the negative camber, but that's no reason to hate on the decision.
Thumbs up!
How funny would it be to re-badge this thing with Lexus emblems? Can you imagine the utter confusion!
I'm torn. I absolutely love the look of the front, attention to detail, lighting, interior is amazing, wheel choice is great. The amount of work and patience that must have gone into this thing is up there. But yes...the whole stance thing makes it look so many points for me. The whole scene needs to go away. I've seen similar builds with a tasteful amount of camber with wheels that are slightly less aggressive that fit so much better. What is the point? You clearly are not gaining anything from it performance wise. I don't think I'll ever understand the scene and fascination with the stance crowd. At the end of the day it is not my car, so who really cares what I think.
Matt Burgess animala But why's it pointy?
A4999 You were quick to spring to action and dampen this thread.
Trentworth Taryn Croucher Slowly drifiting towards that, more's the pity. It's getting better but last year if you had any of the partner products (airlift or rotiform in particular) it was seemingly a guaranteed feature. It's good to see that things have wound back a bit in that respect - I understand that you've got bills to pay but there's a line between advertising and an Advertisment Feature over here in the UK. In print media you have to make the distinction if it's an advertorial.
As someone pointed out below, it's quite obvious SH posted Paddy's article riiiiiiiight before this one. I'll say props to the owner for completing their build they wanted....but I'm not going to apologize for disliking the car. I'm utterly sick of sporty cars made unfunctional in the eyes of style. I could not bring myself to actually pay money to make my car gain in looks, but lose so badly in performance. The concept of taking years to build a car, only to barely be able to drive it on the street to a parking lot so that uneducated low-sters can blow smoke up my skirt is, in my eyes, exactly why so many people hate on the modified car scene.
I'll say it straight up: You young kids missed the goddamn bus (and yes, the short one).....Parking Lots were NEVER the goal. The parking lot was only the meet-up spot. Where people saw each others cars, oohed and aahed, and then took their cars out and USED THEM. This guy? His car was never meant to make it past the parking lot. He missed the whole point..
deebideebi *facepalm* there is nothing new about this. Its a de-tuned ruined FRS on badly-fitted expensive wheels. There are quite a few just like this out there, I'm really suprised it's featured. Disappointed actually.
I won't say this car is stupid because there's an incredible amount of work into making it really cool, and that's something that sets it apart from stupid, and just because I don't like the style, it doesn't make it stupid, it's just that in my eyes this isn't cool. Anyway, nice feature and good job.
Body work is nice, but I don't really get the rest of the build. Not really in the spirit of a performance car at all.
D1RGE For the record, I really don't think the posts were planned this way, just a coincidence. Then again, we don't tend to be short on controversial cars or cars that force people to re-think things around these parts...
Paddy McGrath D1RGE I disagree with the parking lot thing, clearly this car drives. Fast and track worthy no but it can move (cruise) and there have been cruisers, or non function first builds, for a very, very long time.
Paddy McGrath D1RGE Paddy, let me please ask you directly: how far ahead of "print" do you need to submit your articles? i.e., how long did the editor have both of these articles before deciding when and in what order to release them?
I never said I wasn't down with controversial cars, this one just doesn't do it in any way for me. I've been coming to Speedhunters since it's first few months and I won't be leaving anytime soon. It's SH's job to expose us to car culture around the world and break automotive trends as they happen, whether we like them or not. And i do appreciate Sh for it, even if it's a car I don't like.
DaveT Paddy McGrath D1RGE IMO, for a soapbox, lowrider or luxury type car that never ever was meant to drive fast or nimble, I say low and slow all day err'day. But ruining a performance car for parking lot cool? Nah man. Nope. Don't get me wrong, I like modded cars and I like some camber. But when you fit a 10" wheel and camber it until you have less than a 2-inch contact patch? I've had my cambered low cars and dammit, it DOES ruin the handling and driving characteristics.
@caroosh extremely.
D1RGE DaveT Paddy McGrath Yeah I do get your point, but interestingly enough one of the first (some say the first) car on hydraulics was a Corvette (source: http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=X-Sonic) so people have been doing things like this (for themselves or to get a raise out of people we will truly never know) for a long time as well.
But I will agree that for a slammed car lover like myself even this is a little much.
D1RGE STOP LIKING THINGS THAT I DON'T LIKE
D1RGE Paddy McGrath "this one just doesn't do it in any way for me" ANNNNND nobody cares
D1RGE DaveT Paddy McGrath "it DOES ruin the handling and driving characteristics." ok. we all know it looks dumb but the guy who built it likes it and so do other people on this site so get over it and go read the 10,000 other articles on this site of cars you do like
Again, come on haters, post a pic of what u drive. Lets see it.
the upholstery absolutely hits this build out of the park, beautiful job. I don't even particularly like cars this slammed but this car is incredible. nice feature guys
NicholasMaher STOP LIKING THINGS THAT I DON'T LIKE
Trentworth the comment about the steak house means he's an official finer things connoisseur every1 please take advice from Trentworth on how to live your lives in the most fedora tipping ways possible. ONLY U CAN PREVENT AUTISM
purplepunch When you see a really hot girl walking in a set of high heels, do you complain because she can't run a mile?
NicholasMaher Yet, you don't see stance guys complaining about how a track car has terrible stance. Or how there is a small amount of tire gap that can be closed.
I bet you talk shit about a girl with fake tits and high heels because she's got bolt-ons and can't run a mile in high heels.
JackAM So.... an extremely crazy built time attack makes you vomit?
gcvphoto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9YD9WX20hU
@milano I actually think most people who post here have pretty nice cars.
D1RGE BRO YOU DON'T EVEN CAMBERGANG!!! HOLD MY VAPE PEN I'M GOING TO SHOW THIS GUY HOW TO HOON!
@BARRACK OBONGO D1RGE Paddy McGrath I'm sure the owner cares as much about my comment as I do yours.
Trentworth Thanks, now I want a burger and a beer. But I wouldn't go to a steakhouse for a burger.
I just want to add that despite the negativity, truth, opinion, facts etc. that are revealed through the comments section of these articles: I still LOVE this site.
SH has blossomed over the years and it's a visual treat to visit this site.
So I say to the folks at SH...keep it up. It's ok to post things as "click bait" or for "shock-value" from time to time.
I'm consistently impressed at the diverse content: I get it all from events, inspiration, enjoying the ride all the way to the unfamiliar and cooky (to me).
/rant
Ps still waiting for the feature on Magnus Walker's epic crash and the forthcoming WORK/VOSSEN wheels colloboration
PPS To the owner of this creation Robert: what do you think?
I don't want to come across as pedantic or critical, because I like this car and think it looks dope, but shouldn't a VIP car be comfortable, first and foremost? Those wheels/tires will make that car feel like it has wooden wheels on a cobblestone road.
purplepunch gcvphoto I said a mile....
Looks like this article became a social experiment. Obviously the community learned nothing from your article.
Everyone is giving people shit for "hating" on this build, and saying they should respect it for the effort that went into it...Did the owner actually build it? Or did he just pay a shop to build it? There is no way to tell from reading this article. From the way the article is written it makes it sound like he barely did anything himself, other than adjusting his suspension. I could care less how track capable his car is, but if you are gonna give him props on his effort you should probably know who actually did the real work.
"Once Robert had the wheels and suspension fitted"
"so Robert had his seats upholstered with Clazzio red diamond covers"
"he also had to have a set of custom camber plates fabricated for the front."
So all the truly original aspects of this car were done by other people? Good for you for paying someone to make your car look like shit. Luckily I am gifted enough to ruin my own cars and dont need to pay others to do it.
gcvphoto besides the fact, your comparison wasn't that great to be honest...
Well, to each his own, I guess. I don't really understand this style of modification. I mean I get that it is meant to be purely aesthetic......but for me there is a major disconnect between the end result and the platform chosen as the basis for the mod.
I grew up in South Texas and first got interested in car culture in the mid-seventies. I have always been fascinated by cars designed for high performance so when I first encountered low-riders, another style of mod that is purely aesthetic, I didn't get it. In fact, I thought they were pretty silly. I have since matured and can now see the artistry in a well designed and built low-rider. Some of them are amazing!
I think the difficulty I'm having appreciating the VIP and Slammed style of mod is that whereas the low-riders generally started with a vehicle that was meant as a cruiser from the start, these cars are more often than not built on a platform that was engineered as a performance car.
So for me, the low-rider mod pushes the original design in a positive direction while these mods diminish the original vehicle. That's just my opinion. I certainly don't mean to hate on anyone. Maybe one day I'll change my opinion about these cars too.
I can't think of a trend in the car world that has been as polarizing as this "camber" movement.
I consider myself very open minded. I like what looks good, and I can see the hard work that goes into a build. From Street Rods to Drift cars to Lowriders to JDM and VIP, you can find something to respect. This build isn't without things that are worthy of attention, but that camber makes people forget the rest and lose their minds.
I get that the owner says he "drives" it, and that other people who ware into this scene claim you can enjoy a car like this, but I think that is where my issue lies. Lowriders and cars on bags can be low, and functional. I can still drive it and enjoy it. This car loses its suspension travel and functionality in the name of looks, plain and simple. I am sure tons of people can say it drives, you can drive it like this, you just don't know, blah blah blah. I get it. You like it, you want to defend it, but be realistic, please. That much camber and that much stretch and that little suspension travel means it looks a whole lot better than it drives. Call it what it is.
My issue with this car is that it is labeled as something it's not. It isn't a driver. It's a show car. It gets parked and looked at. That's awesome in it's own way. We need to stop comparing Apples to Oranges and getting angry that they aren't the same thing. The sooner we embrace the real differences, the sooner we can respect the similarities.
MrTanuki - Film directors do not operate their cameras, act, write music, or edit but films are credited to them.... because they orchestrate the entire thing. Cars are the same. Regardless who did the actual work, the credit goes to the person calling the shots and WHY they did the work
It would be interesting to see this kind of thing done with a cone shaped wheel and tire so that the tire tread is flat on the pavement.......still cartoonish, but maybe in a much cooler way?
I've seen a couple guys run motorcycle tires, as there design to ride on an angle, and the look is awesome. Haven't seen it on speed hunter yet though...
I dislike it overall. But I do like the Aimgain Lexus-ish FR-S kit. I also like the effort to do something that doesn't please everyone.
The problem with the attitude that "it's his car, he can do what he wants" is incredibly selfish and short-sighted. Driving is not a right. Owning a car is not a right. Driving a car on public roads affects more than the driver!
In 2014, the province of Quebec in Canada banned "stanced" or "hellaflushed" cars. The real problem is that the wording in the new law is very ambiguous and really opens up any vehicle with altered suspension to get a ticket, impounded etc. THIS AFFECTS EVERYONE WHO ALTERS THEIR SUSPENSION. This kind of modification gets the wrong attention. The majority of the population are not car people, let alone car tuning type enthusiasts. This is low-lying fruit for witch-hunting politicians.
Not to mention the safety issue to others on the road. The problem with a 2" contact patch and insane camber is the obvious danger. How many videos are there around when one of these guys hits a bump at normal speeds and the car changes direction to disastrous effect?
This is why I have a problem with this. It's the "zero f's given" "I'm more important than everyone else" attitude and certain people who work for Speedhunters that support this that has the potential to have us all legislated against. Thanks for endorsing more inconsiderate garbage.
AP2TUDE and one day, positive camber will take over!!!
msvizzero MrTanuki I consider "doing the work" to mean "putting in the effort yourself", not paying someone else to do it for you. Many would consider that "hiring" someone. In this case I'm sure it was numerous "someones" but none the less I agree the martian was a great movie. What kind of car was the martian again?
MrTanuki msvizzero I do agree- " putting in work" is doing the work yourself. I misunderstood your post and now see you are commenting on the llanguage of the article I agree with you. I thought you were discrediting the owner as he had partners building his project.
AwesomnesPrime Any government can make something illegal, so the Canada law against vehicles like this is what Canada chose to do that doesn't really mean a lot in an argument. Yes it can be described as an unsafe driving situation, but in many states or governments it is still allowed. Driving is not a right, it is a privileged that can be granted or taken away; however, Owning a car is a right—it is property, that one can acquired, transferred, and disposed of in however manner they feel fit. My personal thoughts of the car are that is looks like a vehicle if it had broken axles or suspension, but I would hesitate to think that I could tell this person what they can or cannot do with their money. They are paying the bills on it, not me. Whereas the law is concerned, the only place that has made this illegal is in the Canada province, so outside of that, it is still allowed. Although, if he crashes into someone or causes an accident then his modifications will be under heavy scrutiny, but that is the same for any modded car in an accident.
There are actually many places with such laws, new York, for example has a minimum clearance law, as does California. Police may not enforce these laws... The tires are also required to be covered at the top (as per overfenders). I'd also like to know if this much camber passes the yearly safety inspection.
prazzi very true, but I was not responding to the minimum clearance or tires being covered part of the law. I was specifically responding to laws that were outlawing vehicles like the above which have reduced their contact patch and have wheels that have extreme camber.
Sorry, I misunderstood the comment. U0001f61c
gcvphoto You're the one talking shit. The stance is retarded, unsafe, stupid and it does not look good. It also make's the car useless for everyday use.
If the only thing changed was the camber, to something much more realistic, then it would be much less of a prima donna show piece though the wheels would still be tacky. Don't bet that you know how I think, you don't have the brain power.
Why?
Wildcardfox prazzi
its a show car people..calm down..lol man you guys take stuff too seriously
msvizzero Not quite as much credit for someone who paid to have the work done compared to someone who did it all themselves.
rwdybyz Wildcardfox prazzi dude, I think you're taking it too seriously... We're just having a conversation, no one here is blowing a gasket or having an ulcer.
Perfectly timed with the recent article heavily promoting political correctness.
You know something though? F political correctness, all it does is breed pansies who keep their mouths shut when the emperor walks by with no clothes on. F that.
If I was a cop and saw someone trying to take this on the freeway, he would be pulled over and towed. If you tried to drive this in Germany it would be impounded. They don't put up with this level of xxxxx (word removed for political correctness).
Yeah to each his own and I don't mind that SH covers this, I mean there are some nice things about it., but don't try to tell me this car doesn't win the highest dollar to useless ratio of the month award.
And don't tell people to shut up if you are going to post something like this, this is the internet after all.
A car is meant to do what the owner decides to do with it. They're the one who spent the money, time and effort saving money doing research etc they get to decide what THEIR car is going to be used for. Is everyone so mindless to not think a little out of the box? I don't see all these complaints when someone takes a beater and drops a mental engine in it to take it to the track because that car was a pos and isn't "designed for that". Stop being so narrow minded oh and if you don't like the car then don't read the article.
It's not about political correctness no one's saying you can't dislike the car and that you can't express that. It's about the people who add nothing to the conversation and discussion the "oh wow that's so retarded" or the "no way this owner should kill themselves" that's what paddy's article was about.
wojcei20 Okay, that makes me feel a little better. I've got a life long automotive engineering background and this kind of stuff rubs my fur the wrong way bigtime.
@purplepunch Why not? Maybe it's different where you are but round these here parts steakhouses often have the best burgers, better prepared and often meatier, if a little crass in how they're made. There's place not too far from my office that has a bacon & pulled brisket cheeseburger that'll make any day worth the 8 bucks it costs ($8,69 with chips and a 500ml coke if I'm honest)
Chri5 Duncan wojcei20 Yup, I definitely never said that people should or shouldn't like things. It's all about respect and the attitude towards our fellow enthusiasts and how something is said being just as important as what is being said.
D1RGE Paddy McGrath Honestly, and I only know from my own side, there's usually only a couple of days or sometimes even hours between a story being submitted and it being published. There's not like a backlog of stories that are waiting to be dripped out if that's what you mean. Everything is fresh from the proverbial oven.
For the record, I like the timing of both stories.
A4999 An accidental experiment, but an interesting one all the same. I've no issues with people liking or not liking it, but it's pretty disappointing - and it always will be - to see comments that are more about attracting attention for the commenter, than contributing to an informed conversation.
Agreed
wojcei20 The example you are giving (the POS) is to take a car and make it better. I'm referencing taking a good car and making it WORSE. Yes, its my opinion and the owner doesn't need to care. I respect having a goal and bringing it to fruition. When it works for the positive. I personally hate "cotton candy" mentality when it comes to things....looks amazing but once the sugar melts, there is no substance. Modify a car to look absolutely bad-ass? Awesome! Wait! Oh, there's nothing to back up the looks...in fact, a stock one would outperform it....total cotton candy build.
Make your car to stand out and get talked about, people are gonna talk about it. Some will like it, some won't. Thats the gamble and game the owner is playing and so are we all.
Paddy McGrath D1RGE Thanks Paddy. I've wondered it before, its a tactic many news outlets use. I would hope SH wasn't that devious but tbh I've questioned many things since His Rodness left the building.
That's your opinion that he made it worse which you're allowed to have, others will look at it and say he improved it. It's all about perspective. If you're not the one driving it I don't understand why people make such a huge deal about it, is it keeping you from sleeping at night? You guys act like he came he murdered someone. The day you build your FRS you can make all the decisions abouthow you modify it
Pretty useless expense of money and time.
Ha! Lets see them then!
@chri5 Duncan
Automotive engineer? You? You sure do engineer a whole boat load of comments on this website...
Just another hater who wants to control how others build a car. Wheres your SH feature?
If i am correct this car was approached and praised by one of the chief engineers who created the toyota 86... so fuck the haters cuz the man who created the car said its cool
I just don't get it.
Very Lexus. I love it
When Instagram likes are more important than driving pleasure, you got this.
I'm pretty open minded, and I think there's lots of good things about this car.
However, the camber/wheel choice on this ride is just another example of a regretfully typically human trait (flaw) - to take a trend to the extreme, to the point of ridiculous.
For many, trends are cool for originality (pants hanging low, hats offset with tag)... taking it to the point of not being able to walk, or not being able to wear a hat frequently for fear of loosing the tag or sales sticker is silly. It becomes more of a "look at me" rather than something original and (hopefully) casual/funny.
It probably cant keep up with an old Prius on a twisty road.
Damn people go to extremes just to hate. There are more hate comments then compliments. You can tell most comments are by folks who has never built a car because if they did they wouldnt toss around insults so frequently. If the car aint your taste click to the home page and find one that is. Simple as that.
I don't get all the hate, a car to me shows your personality and in many ways is a form of art. Just because this guy thinks and does things differently to most doesn't mean it's wrong or bad, just means he's different. I mean maybe this dude isn't into racing, doesn't like drifting, hell... What if he isn't into driving at all but likes cars for its art form alone and holds that as the highest priority far above all others.. Is that bad that he doesn't do as the majority expects? And isn't that what makes our community so cool, seeing people that push the envelope? I don't know about you guys but I love going to car meets and seeing a massive variety of cars, imagine seeing only "safe" cars that don't offend anyone, what a shit meet it would be. Our car community much like today's culture is becoming to safe to not offend or draw hate, but all we doing is locking in our personality and restricting who we really are for other people's approval.. It's fucked. I say go to town, do what makes you happy, don't be mainstream and do what everyone else expects. This a is clean as hell car with many attributes and details that make it very unique and awesome, it's not my personal taste but I can appreciate the time and effort involved for sure, no need to say anything else.
Bicycle tire contact patch ftw!
Dated. Old. Pointless. Laughable. Ridiculous.
Just my dismissive opinion of course but then that's the point of a vibrant forum for us performance lovers and nonsense haters right?
Oh yes, cards on the table, tell it like it is, spade's a spade, fully paid-up hater here.
Le sumum du ridicule !
This and Donks, two aspects of the automotive culture I'll never quite understand. To each his (or her) own though.
Awful just simply shit
Gary89 FORM > FUNCTION!
These ridiculous oni cambered cars are built for attention and it did just that lol
MPistol AP2TUDE Some lowriders have positive camber to help with all the jumping. We just need more lowriders to take over the streets.
Putslicksonit *grabs popcorn
MrTanuki I always get tired of people like yourself and the "built not bought" brigade. For sure people who are mechanically gifted should undoubtedly get the credit and recognition they deserve for doing so but at the same time people who take their rides to be worked on by professionals should not be denigrated. They didn't "build" their car but it's still their expression of what they want their car to look like. So I don't know how to paint a car, so I am undeserving of a custom ride? Don't be ridiculous. I mean, how far can we go with this MrTanuki, did you mine the iron ore from the ground to create the steel to make your car?
Fuck yeah! This is just the tits! Finally someone who is brave enough to chase what he wants and not give a flaming rat's penis. Originality FTW. This car is the tits, this car is balls deep in the style mouth of originality.
The wheels are epic, thank fuck there are no BBS RS to be seen.
If this ride blew a top gasket it would piss originality.
Give this man a cookie for flying above others swimming upstream.
Potatoes gonna potate.
HunterHunted I dunno about original, but it certainly does stand out somewhat in the stance crowd. Just more of the same to me. A bit more stretch. A bit more camber. Whatever. :shrug:
Serge914 ok
SeanStott finally some constructive criticism
IT's taken me a minute to figure out the words to describe how i feel about this car. There are things i like and things i don't like about it.
Like: Bodykit, interior, wheels
Don't like: camber, exhaust tips
There are some angle where you don't notice/can't really see the bicycle tire contact patch and Bozu-esque tail pipes and i think it really looks like a nice cruiser. But then again i'm probably just a little more reserved. I can appreciate the work and vision even if it's not quite to my taste
wtf
I'm sorry guys, but can anyone explain why do people like cars with wheels like that? I suppose, it's not safe and wheels will become useless much faster than in cars with normal wheel angle.
I definitely give this gu y some respect for the extremely creative front end. lexus touch is clever, but the stance isnt for me.
Y'know, the thing that bothers me the most is the use of 1-inch spacers to change the bolt pattern. It's not like Kranze Vishunu can't be ordered in 5x100, and this doesn't seem to be a budget-minded build. Maybe the owner had to add the ridiculous camber because they didn't get the wheels in the right offset? Without the spacers, the stance could have been fantastic.
Takes one of the best drivers cars, spends ungodly amounts of money to turn it into a giant piece of shit. Well done dude ...
Car itself looks good, but you dont VIP a FR-S.
The camber on that car is ridiculous, and just a waste of tires, money, and lack of safety. It serves no function in my opinion. If stance is what you want then lower the car, but keep the camber and toe in place so you can still drive the car to "VIP" events and not be looked like a joke.
HunterHunted You must love to drive 20mph or just waste money on non functional aesthetics on a car to say your "unique".
Gayer than aids
i dont know how you "vip" a tiny compact sports car that was made to drift and track on weekends. Everything is very nice about it the build except the retarded wheel fitment and camber with the dangerously stretched tires and .02mm of tread in contract with the road.. honestly cant wait for this phase to pass.
9eater Anything to do with motorsport or car culture is a very subjective subject. In essence, any money spent on a car is a waste of money. Be it running costs, repairs, or modifications. The reason it's a waste is because a car's number one purpose is to get from point A to point B, and with the efficiency of the internal combustion engine being so poor due to loss of energy in heat and friction, the car will always remain a black hole in terms of money spent versus return (if you happen to own a future guaranteed classic). Culturally, it's a different story as we now enter the anthropological realm of human endearment on what can best be described as an extension of one's personality.
We all possess this trait as it's abundantly clear in the clothes we choose to wear, the phones we choose to own, the shoes, hairstyle and anything else that defines us as different from any other one around us.
I say unique because I haven't seen another FRS/BRZ stanced like this, have you?
Can't you guys do this crap to another car...you know like one not built to race.....Never liked extreme stance anyways but can't you ruin a car that doesn't matter....what a waste
the car was very good
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This car seems more fitting to Stanceworks rather than Speedhunters. Style doesn't fit the bill here.