How many times in our lives have we been given an impossible project with an even more impossible deadline? Less than two months ago, we headed over to our friend Clark Ishihara’s shop, VIP Auto Salon in Torrance. When we walked in through the back bay, to the left were the cars parked and ready to go for the film shoot….and a Matador Red (better known as the burgandy color) IS350-C . The car looked awfully familiar to the demo car Lexus had been using on the auto show circuit. One look at the dealer plates confirmed it was an image car and almost at the very same time, the reality struck me that this was a SEMA project three weeks before the big event that doesn’t even have a concept or plan laid out. These thoughts were immediately followed by hopes that Clark wasn’t going to ask for our help and he had it handled.
Clark immediately notifies us that JTuned is building the IS-C with VIP Auto Salon. We must have missed that memo, but impossible projects are our specialty. Screw it, let’s make it happen was our motto from the get go. Step one of any image car build starts off by scouring the internet and catalogs for products that are available for the car.
After a few phone calls and test fits, it turns out most of the 2010 IS-C is slightly different that the sedans. So by now we have two and half weeks left to finish this car. At this point we begin planning for a complete one-off build…
During the planning of the build, we discussed a half dozen options of what to do with the paint from leaving it stock to stripping the car down for a color change. The idea of flattening the factory color had been discussed but was a bit risky since, not many others have used it yet. If we tried it and it didn’t work, we wouldn’t have been able to respray it in time for the show.
In the end, we decided to go for it. The last thing we wanted to do was build a car that wouldn’t get people thinking. “Love it or hate it, you will talk about it” was our motto here. Yes you can have two mottos with one project. We wanted to make this an exercise in automotive styling.
So we set out to get our ultra matte clear from BASF. This stuff is not for the faint of heart. Sean Griffin of Griffinwurxz went to work prepping and painting the IS-C. When the car was in the spray booth it was horrific. The paint was incredibly blotchy and uneven. Once we calmed down and went through a pack of cigerettes each, we decided to let the car fully dry before deciding on a tear down.Once we headed back in the morning to check out the car, it looked perfect. Completely even and flat. We were ready to finish the car.
In the meantime we contacted APEXi regarding a set a S1 Dampers. The S1 is the newest damper line APEXi offers. What makes the S1 great is it integrates the high quality motorsport dampers APEXi is famous for with valving suited for street driving. So when they notified us that the application wasn’t available yet, we were disappointed. APEXi followed up by offering to create a one-off set of S1’s for the car. We took the offer and the car was sent off to APEXi. While there, they carefully measured the OE shock lengths and strokes. Once the dimensions were figured out, the factory dampers were placed on a shock dyno for analysis. From there the valving was determined and they went to work assembling the S1 internal structure using N1 damper cases. Once installed, the car felt as if it were stock but with an increased confidence in the vehicle. The wallowing was diminished with almost no sacrifice in ride quality. Perfect for a luxury convertible.
Once the car left APEXi, Peter over at Downforce in Anaheim developed a custom carbon aero splitter and diffuser kit. Peter and his staff worked incredibly hard to turn the kit around in time for the show. In the end, the fit and finish nearly rivaled any OEM carbon application.
The final touch came in four Work Wheel boxes from Japan just days before the show. The custom ordered 20×10.5 inch Gnosis GS1’s with matte black centers and stepped tubs looked amazing just in the box. Once the rollers were wrapped in Hankook rubber, the car was assembled and sent off to SEMA. Clark and the crew at VIP worked through many sleepless nights to complete the car on time.
Once the car hit the floor at SEMA in the LEXUS Hospitality tent, we were excited to hear and see the comments and reactions. Our intention with the car was to experiment with styles to create a look not yet being used. We think a new look was achieved. The raw industrial look on the outside with the luxurious white leather interior complemented each other well. Less noticeable modifications including the ceramic tint, smoked and candied lights and matte sills are the minor details people normally don’t consciously catch but make all the difference in the world.
In the end whether people loved it or hated it. Folks we’re talking about it. Mission accomplished.
Links
VIP Auto Salon
APEXi
Work Wheels
Seibon Carbon
Hankook Tire
Not sure when it happened but sometime over the past couple of years, it seems people have forgotten how to tune street cars with simple and modest virtues. It seems we’re back on our way to seeing gaudy, ill-fitting knock off carbon and aero appointments trying to resemble J style.
On February 12, Bergenholtz Racing debuted their new Mazda RX8 in Long Beach, California. The new RX8 has been re-engineered from the ground up and not much of the 2009 car remains. The big surprise was the extensive sponsorship deal BR Racing acquired from online poker haven, Full Tilt Poker.
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