Mix and match. We all want to do it. Perhaps you like your current job, but wish it had the schedule of your last one. Your apartment is in a great part of town; if only the rent for it were what you paid at your last place. Unfortunately, you can’t really mix and match in such situations.
However, you can do that with the second-generation Lexus IS if you’re willing to put in the time, money, and effort. Forum member xvector did. He started early, buying an IS250 with the more powerful V6 from the IS350 under its hood. He dressed the body in a variety of upgrades, including some in carbon fiber, such as the hood, trunk spoiler, and rear diffuser. A strut tower bar stiffens up xvector‘s IS while LED headlights help it better illuminate the road in front of it, lowering springs keep it closer to the road, and a JDM-spec limited-slip diff aids in turning the rear tires into smoky 11s.
xvector‘s front end conversion must turn heads wherever he drives. He seamlessly integrated the striking spindle grille of the 3IS into the lines of his second-generation model.
Great work, xvector. You created something that appears to be a great mix that’s hard to match.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
