When starting a new project most of us begin with nothing more than a stock chassis and an idea. We use this idea as the spring board to dive into the build both feet first, tearing apart what came from the factory in hopes that the finished product that sits in our driveway at the end of it all resembles the image we started with in our mind.
Once Minh’s IS300 car made the transition from imagination to reality it was easy to see that the mind behind this creation knew exactly what he was doing.
His clean interpretation of the first gen IS300 is sure to inspire other IS owners for a long, long time.
It almost feels a little redundant for me to say right out of the gate that one of the most appealing things about this car, in my eyes, is it’s stance.
It’s no secret that I am a BIG fan of the Enkei RPF-1 for being a great looking, lightweight, wheel that looks amazing on a variety of different platforms. Minh’s set measures out at 18×8.5 and 18×9.5 and have been installed with teal 5zigen lug nuts that really grab your attention against the ‘purple stuff’ paint job these Enkei’s have been covered in.
The tire setup on this car consists of Falken 912’s in 215/35 and 225/40 sizing which result in a stretch that flows very well with this cars overall look.
Suspension wise Minh’s IS rides on Stance GR+ coil overs that give it a perfect slightly raked forward stance. Other suspension modifications include a Tanabe rear strut bar, JIC CF front strut bar, and a FIGS Engineering toe links.
At this point in the feature you have probably already noticed that the exterior of this IS300 is far from stock, and yes while Minh has changed a considerable amount of body parts on this IS300 it’s all been done so well that even the original IS300 designers would think it looks sick.
The front end of the car has been treated to a Vertex S-Endurance bumper, a JDM Altezza grill and a VIS carbon hood that has been painted to match the body.
The result is that the only give away to the fact this hood is indeed a carbon fiber unit are the very subtle and attractive Aerocatch latches.
Moving to the side of the car Vertex side skirts have been added to the bottom, while Altezza window visors have been added to the top.
And finally heading out back a VIS rear bumper has been bolted in place of the stock one.
Under the hood Minh kept things simple and reliable by adding a Joe-z Intake and Medallion Touring exhaust.
Minh reps for Sexy Squad, Hoodrats, and the good people at the Lowballers and It’s JDM Yo.
When I read a thread title on Maxbimmer this morning talking about an Electric e30 I nearly choked on my Mini Wheats, my immediate first thought was ‘I would rather an eta(325e) over an electric e30!’. However curiosity got the best of me and I clicked through anyway and read the folllowing:
“Rimac created a 900-horsepower beast that can hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, top out at 174 mph and – depending on how much he flexes his right foot – travel for over 100 miles on charge.”
Reading that my tune changed a little bit because the 2.7L ‘Eta’ motor makes a lowly 121hp.
This is the car, I'm actually surprised it sits so high with all the batteries
From what I can gather the owner, Rimac from Croatia, had an e30 and the motor popped so instead of swapping in another fossil fuel mill he decided to convert it to electric.
But he didn’t want it to be slow so he created one with 900bhp and has since been taking it all over the place to whoop on both petrol and electric cars.
This is pretty cool because I think electric cars and hybrids really have the potential to appeal to more people if they started to look normal.
The only other problem to tackle is the other things that make gas motors so appealing, like the sound, smell, and feel.
Though all that torque right off the bat could be a lot of fun.
I’ll have a new featured ride up on Monday and I will probably throw up another sticker give away on Wednesday or Thursday. I have had all the stickers for awhile and just picked up a bunch more from Nextmod on Tuesday so I should liquidate.
Oh, and yes I am working on a turbo Dodge Theme Tuesday, it might not be ready for this Tuesday but I have a list to check off with what cars I want to appear in it.
Flashback Friday
This is kind of funny and a perfect example of how things change drastically in a couple years. In 2009 this was one of the best fitted first gen Speed3s I had never seen, but now it seems a little tame when compared to what’s going on in Texas.
Volk Rays CE28N – 18×8.5 +52mm offset
I still rather like it though as it’s wearing 235s Star Specs all around which is plenty of grip for the Speed3. Sits better than my car did on Eibach Sportlines too, damn.
Tucked away in the town of Milton Ontario is a place that every GTA based car enthusiast should make a point to visit, the Legendary Motorcar Company headquarters.
I feel ashamed to admit that this facility is only 40 minutes from my house and it’s taken me this long to go check it out. For some reason I had always assumed it was a private, but after doing some research online I learned it was open to the public so I made arrangements to check out both the shop and the showroom.
The Legendary Motorcar Company started from humble beginnings 25 years ago as a shop that specialized mostly in Shelby restorations.
Since then the company has expanded to the point where they are pushing the limits of the 55,000 square foot building they moved into in 2002.
A shot of the Legendary Motorcar Facility taken from the LMC website
The LMC headquarters is simply beautiful inside and out. The 100 car show room is essentially the tip of the iceberg because behind the staff only doors LMC has a fully equipped shop that’s ready to handle any level of restoration: basic maintenance, detailing, body work, custom fabrication and race preparation, can and is all done on site day in day out.
Essentially the first view I got of LMC
Shortly after I arrived at LMC, and had a chance to take a quick peek around the showroom, Bill DeBlois whom I had spoken with via email, came down from the second level (where even more cars were stored) to give me a tour of the shop facility.
I wasn’t permitted to take photos of the shop but take my word for it when I say therein lay some of the most impressive automotive work I have ever seen in person, at any capacity.
Body work? Flawless detail work? More of the same. Custom Fabrication and restoration? Mind BLOWING.
Every build I saw, no matter what level of completion, or what type of build it was, was done with the exceptional eye to detail that’s missing from a lot of other shops today.
When Bill informed me that the entire staff at LMC was in around the 20-30 number I was flabbergasted. Legendary Motorcar clearly runs on the hard work of a relatively small group of very talented and dedicated people.
More from the show room a little further down
After noticing my jaw was scratching the incredibly clean shop floor Bill lead me back to the showroom and showed me where the set of Dream Car Garage, a local enthusiast show, was located which was in the back corner of the incredibly packed show room.
Once our guided tour was over he let Lyndsey and I wander around and take as many photos as we wanted, below are those pictures with a special look at a very impressive car at the end.
The dream car garage set at LMCLMC really is a car enthusiasts dream facility
Vintage models
I wonder what the market for cars like this 31 Auburn 8-98C in the GTA is?Really liked the hood ornament on this carThe rim being an actually rim for old spares is coolAn all original Bentley Mark VI that is probably worth more than my houseThe flying B is nice but I think I still have to give it to the Auburn aboveThough Stanleys have rad hook ornaments as wellFirst Steamer I have ever seen in person, would have loved to see it run
Roadsters
51 XK120's look awesomeOne of many 427 Shelbys at the facility
Ford
Prestine GT350 MustangThis was Big Daddy Don Garlits personal Ford DeluxeTrio of Mustangs and a Shelby hiding in the cornerMustangs or Sardines? I wouldn't want to park these
Chevy
Never seen a Yeoman before but I liked what I sawSuperclean interior that showed no signs of the air ride setupPolished 502 under the hoodI loved this vintage Corvette race car Be sure to check out the race history of this car on legendarymotorcar.comThis Chevelle SS, though unfinished, looked greatShould look beautiful on the street when it's done
Mopar
1948 Plymouth Woody WagonLyndsey was a huge fan of this teal 69 ChargerAnd I thought the only bright Charger I liked was OrangeLike most of the cars at LMC this was also flawlessA 69 Dodge Super beeand a 69 numbers matching Charger DaytonaBeautiful road runnerWith duster graphics in tact
The Super Cuda
Since I’ve started this blog I have been lucky enough to see a number of beautifully built machines at shows all over the GTA, and obviously at SEMA in Vegas.
While I’m sure I am going to come across quite a few more awesome cars I think this one might stay as number 1 on my list for some time.
You probably already figured out I love this car
I’m not sure that there is anything else I could ask for in a car.
This car handles awesome thanks the the updated suspension setup, looks awesome because of the classic styling, and performs like a beast thanks to the twin turbo V-10 Viper motor under the hood.
The twin turbo viper V10 in it's new carbon fiber home
This Cuda embodies everything LMC is great at. The car is an absolute beauty to look at from every angle, from the paint to interior, the interior to the engine bay, and the engine bay to exterior, everything is terrific.
Beautiful from every angle
Based on the work done to the motor the LMC shop estimates that this car puts down around 1500 hp.
I say around not because they have not dynoed it but because the dyno in the shop ‘only’ goes up to 800hp and this Super Cuda maxed it out without breaking a sweat.
Push the pedal down and hold on tight
The final result of what LMC has created here is ’70 a Plymouth Barracuda that can take a Ferrari Enzo to school on a high speed ring and rip off it’s own windshield molding on the way to breaking the 200mph speed barrier.
CF trunk lip, CF diffuser
This car has it all, look, stance, attention to detail, and performance.
I want it.
Ya I took a lot of pictures of this car but can you blame me?Lots of grip, lots of stopOne last shot of the engine bay... perfect
Huge thanks to Bill and Legendary Motorcar Company for letting me visit the shop and get shutter happy in the show room.
Today is Groundhog day and as the years go by I become further convinced that this tradition is incredibly stupid. I can’t really put a lot of stock in what Wiarton Willy when it’s clear out he says winters is going to continue for six more weeks and on days like today when it’s clearly snowing he says that winter is soon over, right.
The movie Groundhog Day is awesome though, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis make a great team and if you don’t believe me you need to watch Ghostbusters again.
This e46 reminds me of the movie Groundhog day because while the car stays the same the wheels keep on changing.
This blue e46 looks great on: OEM 19sThis blue e46 looks great on: Work VS-XXsThis blue e46 looks great on: HRE C20s in dark gun metalThis blue e46 looks great on: Polished iForged AerosThis blue e46 looks great on: HRE C20s in a charcoal finishThis blue e46 looks great on: OEM 18sThis blue e46 looks great on: Work Meister S1sThis blue e46 looks great on: CCW Classics in a shot-peened finishThis blue e46 looks great on: BBS CH wheelsThis blue e46 looks great on: BMW ZCPs with polished BBS capsThis blue e46 looks great on: BBS LMs in goldThis blue e46 looks great on: Sand blasted BBS LMsThis blue e46 looks great on: Morr VS7sThis blue e46 looks great on: CCW classics fully polishedThis blue e46 looks great on: Sand blasted Volk CE28NsThis blue e46 looks great on: CCW classics in a bright brushed finish
Bet you were wondering how long I could keep that up for?
The owner has gone through quite a few sets of awesome looking wheels. If you want to follow J4K2onE to his next set of wheels vist his thread on E46 Fanatics.
Hopefully at least one of you watches Groundhog day or Ghostbusters today because of this post.
As I sit and type this (Tuesday night) I wait in anticipation for 30 predicted centimeters of snow to fall between now and the morning timed perfectly to make my morning commute hell. Times like these make me wish I had an awd car so I could be as low as I wanted and not really have to ever worry about getting stuck.
Subaru owners like Jason don’t have to worry about things like this because their cars were made to tackle dirt, mud, and snow fast and with no problems.
The most obvious mod on Jason’s Subaru is one that came straight from the Subaru factory, an STI front end swap, in addition to that he’s also got a 3 inch turbo back exhaust, blow off valve, short shifter, and tein flex coilovers.
Jason has his suspension set at a height that gives him the aesthetic and handling advantages of a low ride while maintaining enough ground clearance to be able to drive this Subbie daily through the streets of Vermont dry or snow covered.
Snow problem.... I know, bad punJason needs a Mr. Plow sticker 😉Jason's wagon looks sick with the STI front end swapI bet that 3" turbo back lets that boxer burbleJason's got more plans for his Subaru and I hope he shares them as he does em
Thanks go out to Chris (sent in the pictures) and Jason for contributing to this post.
If you want to send in some pictures of your dropped ride in the snow just shoot me an email at [email protected] (remove the dots).
I might post up later today how I fared in our snow ‘storm’.
I am kind of in between pulling together a few more unique (read: completely random) Theme Tuesdays right now and some of the more par for the course ones I have which are in the later stages of completion are missing that last final ‘it’ car before I’m really to call them a wrap.
So today I’ve decided to post up some of my Porsche photo collection.
There is a decent variety of model and vintage in this post but one thing that ties them all together (other than the iconic Porsche badge) is that they all look fantastic.
Kick things of with a classic CarreraThis cars got curves for daysClean black slant noseLucky driverThis brings to mind a similar photo of a 964 spitting flame on a dynoThis is the one I mentioned above, my desktop for a long timeI have no idea what race series this is but the photo is wickedThis could either be the end of or the beginning of a great day So what it's raining? Get on the gasHail to the classicsMaison DerrièreFrom the looks of it this car's got function and formNice bum where you from - Anyone used that line successfully?A ton of 1969 Porsche 917sTechart GT Street RS in a wind tunnel, wind tunnels are awesome
Next week I am either doing: Morris Minors, Evo X’s (again) or Honda Accords want one more than another? Let me know.
My friend Jay who is an E30 fitment guru, and one half of the driving force behind local BMW shop Stance Factory, gave me the heads up on this e36 that’s wearing 265 Hankook tires all around.
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this car, and I know the owner drives it hard, so I’m glad to see it’s still in once piece and still set up to have the wheels driven off of it.
Form > Function is starting to turn (back?) into Form = Function.
The specs on this setup are: 18 x 9.5 Work Meisters Forgeline Competitions, et19 all around without the help of spacers.
Suited and booted much respect to functional fitmentThis car is built to be drivenThe perfect street driven/track car compromise?Can't wait to see some photos of this car cornering hard, I'm sure they are comingLots of work has gone into those fenders to get all that sticky rubber to fit
Once again showing love to Canadians behind the lens, today’s featured photographer hails from the home of The Oilers, Edmonton Alberta.
David, who never really thought about getting into photography, started shooting photos as a way to generate original content for his automotive site Import Bible which is a combination of Alberta auto enthusiast content and unique automotive apparel.
Now a little over a year after he began David is hooked on capturing automotive imagery.
Everything about this photo is awesome but the composition really grabs me
David made the transition from casual shooter to employed photographer when a previous co worker asked him to take photos of exotics for a new project he was working on.
This arrangement worked out great for David because while he was getting paid to shoot cars he loved, he was also expanding his own professional portfolio.
Excellent capture of an awesome engine bay
When shooting his own projects David shoots with a Nikon D3000 and has an 18-55mm lens, 35mm 1.8F lens and a SB600 flash stored in his camera bag and when he shoots for his employer he still uses a Nikon but a D90 instead of his D3000.
Great photographers make even the simplest things look artistic
The photos you are looking at in this feature are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to David’s photographic talent.
Every photographer should be lucky enough to have a red Ferrari in their portfolioIt looks like Alberta has wonderful sceneryDavid seems to hang around with a lot of Lamborghini ownersAnother beautifully composed shotLooks like there are lots of high rollers in AlbertaNice capture of an SLSBlack beautyLooking like a lady showing a little leg
If you would like to see more of David’s work, get in touch with him for a project, see whats going on in Alberta, or purchase some new duds check out what he has going on at Import Bible.
The first video I in today’s post I saw Monday and thought to myself damn that was pretty awesome wonder why it took someone so long to do it. Then, a few days later my friend Marc sent me the second video which was more surprisingly more ridiculous than the first.
I am a big fan of vehicle on vehicle burnouts, environmentalists and the local authorities might not be but I think I have made enemies out of them long ago.
Site Updates
New featured photographer confirmed for Monday, actually it’s written and has been written since last Monday but I’ve decided to wait until this Monday to post it.
I am also going to be checking out a local facility tomorrow that’s all about classic cars which should be an awesome expirence to say the least. I’m bringing my camera so I should have that next week.
I’ve been meaning to go for awhile now and finally arranged all the details with them to make it happen. Keep an eye on facebook/twitter for live updates while I’m there.
Speaking of next week, Tuesday to Friday I am doing some more off-site training at work which means that posts will probably happen before (breakfast) and after (dinner) work just because I can’t really gauge how much time I will have to sneak away to blog during the training.
Posts won’t stop though.
Flashback Friday
The Accord Wagon I posted yesterday reminded me that I did a Theme Tuesday on cars with smooth wheels
I’ve been watching a lot of Dexter lately (just started season 4) and it most certainly had an influence on the title of this post.
The owner of this early body s10 certainly doesn’t murder people but he has killed any sign of gap between those up-sized Iroc reps and his Hot Rod Flatz painted fenders with a healthy body drop and air ride setup.
The built 350 under the hood is also sure to take a few miles of the life of the tires on those 20s.
About three or so years ago I wanted to do this same thing to a Blazer and truthfully I still sort of do…
This truck was destined to be posted here once I saw this shotDrag that sh!tThe cowl/intake hood setup on this truck is like none I have seen before350 bored over, ported and polished, planed heads, 500 lift 302 duration competition cam, pistons, holly 750, If this truck was any other color I probably wouldn't like the hood but I do in this case
