Taking it too far
01-10-13, 01:45 PM
#16
Lead Lap
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Virginia
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Yes. I do have a lot to learn about VIP. My GS is my daily driver. The car that's received 100% of my modification attention for the last several years is my Roadster. I'm a fan of craftsmanship and design, though. Anything that's executed well will get props from me whether it's my style or not. I'm a designer by trade and I find that a car is the perfect palette for all types of designers to express themselves on.
For what it's worth - my personal style (of the moment) is a blend of form and function. I like a car wearing rare, noteworthy parts or hand-crafted accessories and one-off, personalized touches that can blast around a track flat out with reckless abandon.
Again - I don't disagree with you. The cars in this thread seem to be at the top of their game (mostly) and are very well executed. But I don't see anything fresh, new or creative. This could be because I don't know the subtleties and intricacies of the "VIP" style and what is creative about these cars is really only appreciable to the true connoisseur. If that's the case, maybe in time I'll learn to spot those things. But for now, they seem fairly run-of-the-mill to me. By saying that I'm not trying to take anything away from the time, effort and money spent on them. I'm sure lots of people look at my Roadster and think "There goes another Miata" while all true Roadster enthusiasts around the world drool over some of the finer parts that they know are next to impossible for anyone else to procure or the unique touches that were once only on my car and have since started trends.
For what it's worth - my personal style (of the moment) is a blend of form and function. I like a car wearing rare, noteworthy parts or hand-crafted accessories and one-off, personalized touches that can blast around a track flat out with reckless abandon.
Again - I don't disagree with you. The cars in this thread seem to be at the top of their game (mostly) and are very well executed. But I don't see anything fresh, new or creative. This could be because I don't know the subtleties and intricacies of the "VIP" style and what is creative about these cars is really only appreciable to the true connoisseur. If that's the case, maybe in time I'll learn to spot those things. But for now, they seem fairly run-of-the-mill to me. By saying that I'm not trying to take anything away from the time, effort and money spent on them. I'm sure lots of people look at my Roadster and think "There goes another Miata" while all true Roadster enthusiasts around the world drool over some of the finer parts that they know are next to impossible for anyone else to procure or the unique touches that were once only on my car and have since started trends.
BTW- I took a look at your Miata and you've done an excellent job with it. Very understated and lots of very cool parts. I think the cluster is my favorite part.
This isn't a pissing contest. It's people talking about their opinions in a mature, passionate way. I think conversations like this should be encouraged. Without them our community will lie stagnant and never evolve into further ways of thinking about our hobby.
Healthy debate brings about progress.
Healthy debate brings about progress.
Agree'd
01-10-13, 02:05 PM
#18
Well, generally when it comes to cars most anything and everything has been done at one point or another. We (in the US) may be unaware of it, but it doesn't mean it's new. Take classic Boyd Coddington hot rods for example. He certainly wasn't building innovative cars, just simple clean cars with some nice body mods, that 95% of people would never realize (removing rain gutters for example). Hell Boyd had been radiusing fenders way before Japan starting doing it on VIP cars. The point being that creative isn't always doing something new, but doing something thats been done in a new way or to a new application.
BTW- I took a look at your Miata and you've done an excellent job with it. Very understated and lots of very cool parts. I think the cluster is my favorite part.
BTW- I took a look at your Miata and you've done an excellent job with it. Very understated and lots of very cool parts. I think the cluster is my favorite part.
01-10-13, 02:30 PM
#20
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
This isn't a pissing contest. It's people talking about their opinions in a mature, passionate way. I think conversations like this should be encouraged. Without them our community will lie stagnant and never evolve into further ways of thinking about our hobby.
Healthy debate brings about progress.
Healthy debate brings about progress.
Looks like its headed back in the right direction.
Last edited by DaveGS4; 01-10-13 at 03:47 PM.
and yeah, yeah, I know, I know....
01-10-13, 08:08 PM
#23
... Been on here for about 3-4 years now and it's like uhh....... Are we gonna make any attempts at even reaching half of what the Japanes/Thai do?! I mean we sure do comment on what they do a lot, you'd think we'd at least give half the effort they do to be making such comments about their style. Lmao! It's like someone who drives a Honda comes up to you and comments on your Lexus and tells you how to mod it. Do they do the stuff that you do? No, so do they have the right to comment on what you do? Absolutely not. IMO, unless you're willing to step into somebodies shoes and do what they're doing you have 0 rights to comment on what they do. (Entirely my opinion)
Like myself, i'm more of a looks guy. I'll be the guy with a beastly kit and wheels and interior before I even think of doing a swap and when I do i'll only push 400 to the wheel or so, because i'm not a performance type guy, so i'm not going to tell someone who drives a boosted car what turbo, wastegate, intercooler, BOV or injectors to run.. It would be stupid if I even tried..
By the way, I gotta ask this.. there's still nothing uber special about the Q45. It's just another super low, super clean big-body.
If there is nothing special about that K-Break Q45 then what in the heck is a 'Special' VIP car?
By far out of all models of VIP rides in the states that is definitely in the top 10. K-Break Body Kit, LS600 Fog Lights, One Off Double Projector w/ LED turn signal headlights, Custom Triple Exhaust, Range Rover HSE Sport Vents (Fenders), Weds Wheels, Custom Painted Grille.. I mean that Q45 kills. That is one of the best VIP cars stateside hands down, so I gotta know, if that's not special in your opinion then what is?
(Please nobody get hurt by my comments, it's seriously my personal opinion on the scene in the U.S.)
01-10-13, 08:13 PM
#24
Lol. Such a beautiful car. But imho I never understood the reasoning behind only wanting 20% of the tire contacting the ground. Also, I could be wrong but I would think this would put added stress to the suspension as well...all for a look. I guess to each his own though.
01-10-13, 08:30 PM
#25
just out of curiosity... is this more to your taste's?
i see them all being very individual. each provides a particular look that work's for them.
and beside's..... if some people do not push the envelope of whats acceptable then others will stop as well. things will begin to go stale, and we will slowly loose the ability to become an individuals.
it's not just what you have, its how you put it together, present it and/or use it.
i see them all being very individual. each provides a particular look that work's for them.
and beside's..... if some people do not push the envelope of whats acceptable then others will stop as well. things will begin to go stale, and we will slowly loose the ability to become an individuals.
it's not just what you have, its how you put it together, present it and/or use it.
01-10-13, 08:53 PM
#26
That GS, in fact both of them are great show car's. Store them in the garage till the next VIP car show. Not for driving. One ding in the bumper and the whole car is ruined until that is corrected. And what's that in the back round behind the orange GS? A pink Corvette? lol
01-10-13, 09:58 PM
#28
Off the shelf body kit, laying frame, stretching tires, light retrofits, grafted on vents, custom exhaust....nothing on that list is creative. It can all be done with excellence...but that doesn't make it innovation.
Remember - this whole debate started when I called the black GS a bandwagon car. I think we can all agree that the super low, super cambered, super stretched look is definitely a bandwagon that people are happy to jump on.
So the next logical question is, "What would be an innovative VIP car?" I don't think we'll know until someone pulls it off. If I knew what the next truly creative thing was that would start the next trend as big as camber and stretch or hybrid bumpers, I'd do it and become internet famous.
But I don't have the inclination, so I'll just wait until someone else does
