BLKonBLK98

i agree he (as well as a couple others, including you) could hang with the japanese but i almost consider this a different style. nobody has really built anything in this newer over-aggresive (imo) style that i have seen.

i feel the same as far as this style being kind of tacky, but there's a big difference between where vip started and where most of us became aquainted with it. go back to the true beginnings and it's really not that far off other than the level of detail being much greater now.

it is what it is. i don't like most of it but i'm not going to sit here in tx reading japanese magazines and translating websites and pretend like it's my place to deicde if it''s vip. it's their thing, they can do what they want. meanwhile, i'll be over here doing what i want (can) and reminise the good ol' days. lol.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

^ ^ ^,, agreed. also though if we all made like 2-3 times what we are making now we would also have a lot more serious coinage to throw at these cars on mods... remember that. cost of living aside, you can buy a lot more 6k sets of wheels when your making 180k than you can at 75k a year

BulletproofAuto

Yes! Those headlights are a huge amount of work and are the most impressive aspect of the car to me.

"If people want to see" in the context of inspiring, enlightening and entertaining. To me, those are the reasons people spend time on forums and I want to contribute in any way I can. I represent a business and we absolutely hope that one day you see something you want for your own car, but at Bulletproof we are all genuine enthusiasts and I personally enjoy sharing cars like the Black Pearl Celsior.

\
My mistake. I was thinking about the 460/600 quite a bit and had an obvious brain fart when I posted.

Interestingly, these shots were actually taken from VIP Car magazine and VIP Style magazine. Obviously someone in Japan thinks this is VIP and that someone is much more involved in the VIP scene than you or me.

That being said, I would tend to agree that this does not fit my own definition of VIP and I never said it was. However I don't think the fact that it isn't VIP to us makes this car any less relevant. I think there are several aspects of this car that would suit a car going by a strict definition of what VIP should be and it's also an inspirational build for those who aren't necessarily trying to fit into a certain style.

-Patrick

sojah

iTrader: (1)

dude,

i know where the pics came from, i believe i have an issue or two with that same car featured in it. i never said you said it was vip, i just said i said i didn't think it was vip... wow that just sounds funny to me... anyways i lived in japan for a minute and was in the vip scene when i lived out there, went to meets n shows n what not and i'm just saying that just by taking a vip car and ricing it out doesn't make the end result vip...

i like the originality of it but putting on every possible aftermarket piece you can find isn't exactly my cup of tee. again nice to look at but i wouldn't do it to a car that i would own and operate. way to much attention. i'm diggin the headlights for sure though.

so you represent a company apparently that offers vip parts?? what parts on this car would you be able to offer??

i've thought long and hard about trying to offer my own blend of parts to the u.s. market that are readily available in jp and i came up with what i found in a few vip mags as diy's... buying the little cut outs or fish gill type body inserts right, then buying oem stock fenders for say 2gs, 3gs, ls 430-460's and using the diy directions to cut the fenders or body kit pieces and molding in the inserts then painting them whatever color and mailing them out to people who ordered them... it is a really easy process if you have a garage and the right tools (i have neither)... plus you can get the parts for a fraction of what the only 2 companies i have seen these being offered at charge and you stand to make a significant amount of monies off of this... i am sure there is enough of a market out here to justify making a few of them,, what do you think about this as a new product.??

ejthomp

I think both those cars look ridiculous. What benefit is there to putting on rims and tires that don't fit in the wheel well and make the ride feel like you're on an old skateboard with metal wheels?

Sorry, but I just don't like modifications that take too much away from functionality. To each his own though.... cheers.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

yeah the ride is prolly a little harsher than stock but trust that the car wouldn't be driven at that height... most of these high end cars you see that are sitting that low to the ground are also on air suspension setups so the owners would likely raise the car a few inches before driving off. the owner prolly doesn't want to wreck their front bumper either

BulletproofAuto

I work for Bulletproof Automotive and we can get nearly anything from Japan. Black Pearl in particular tends to do more custom work than parts, but we can arrange for headlight and taillight conversions or just get some floormats. Also, I didn't mean to challenge your credentials or anything, and I want to re-state that I agree this car isn't VIP by my definition.

To be honest, from a totally pragmatic standpoint it doesn't make any sense at all. In reality, cars are very emotional objects and everything is subjective. Many people love the big wheels and ridiculous fitment and are willing to put up with reduced ride quality. This particular car is on air-suspension and below is a picture of the car on the way to a show. It doesn't look great with the wheels sticking out and plastic on the front. However, the car was built to attract attention and show what can be done. I feel it accomplishes this goal very well.