Daily Slideshow: Swapping Speed for that VIP Styling

Roy Moncada mods for style over specs.

We think custom car projects like this one are a major part of what keeps car culture so interesting. While a stock version typically needs to be conservative with its styling to appeal to the most people, anyone with the sufficient know-how and enthusiasm can make their car an extension of their personality, resulting in a vehicle as unique as the owner himself.

Roy Moncada was no stranger to modding by the time he crossed paths with this 2003 IS 300. However, taking a cue from the "VIP school" of car modification, he set out to emphasize the car's style and luxury over engine upgrades. The car itself may not drive differently from a regular Lexus at the moment, but Moncada's design flourishes on the inside and out are sure to transform the feeling you get behind the wheel.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

Lexus is a perfect fit for VIP modding.

Car owner stereotypes are grossly overgeneralized by nature. Still, it's fair to say Lexus owners tend to be more reserved and practical on average. No one buys a Lexus for its horsepower or how fast it goes from 0-60. Most of the reasoning we've heard for buying a Lexus revolves around the practical quality and the regal elegance.

Roy Moncada had been finding himself increasingly taken to the idea of VIP modding, well before signing this car to his name. Given the luxurious nature of Lexus by default, it was pure synchronicity for Moncada's VIP aspirations and the IS 300 to become paired.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

Moncada sought something fresh in Lexus.

It was mere happenstance that caused Moncada to switch over to Lexus. After a few cars and many years as a loyal Honda customer, bad experiences with tuning his Integra Type R were finally enough to turn him away for good.

As the story goes, the tuning shop assigned to Moncada's Honda powertrain sold the engine to someone else. Whether this was an honest mistake or deliberately bad business on the shop's part isn't clear, but it wouldn't be long before fate dealt its hand. One of Moncada's co-workers was selling an IS 300 and Moncada picked it up. Whether this choice was because of his pre-existing love for the VIP mod scene is only for Roy to know for sure, but we're confident it had to have played some part.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

Adding luxury upon luxury.

The Lexus IS300 already has the tendency to turn heads in its stock form. Although Roy saved his radical choices for the car's inside, the custom vents, wide-body configuration, and tinted windows give the exterior some suggestion of the experience waiting inside. The signed Falken tires give this Lexus some low-key racing style as well.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

It's got a flashy interior like you wouldn't dream.

Even if this IS 300 doesn't demand attention like the exterior makeovers of other mod cars, the interior is another story. Custom seating, a redesigned layout, bold styling and meticulous trims. If being on the inside of this car wouldn't make you feel like a VIP, you might think you're on another planet.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

The speed will come in time.

One interesting thing about these personal projects is that there's never a clearcut finish line; modders tend to have some idea where they want to take it from the start, but the sky's the limit for those with the cash to burn.

Most of the projects we hear about emphasize performance and power above all else; the aesthetic changes are usually made to reflect the sharper specs. Considering Moncada's history with owning Hondas, you would have expected him to start modding the IS 300 with a tuner kit. Surprisingly, he's kept the motor stock in the meantime while he works with the car's style.

That's not to say he doesn't have plans, however; when time and money permits, he's got an eight-cylinder LS block in mind. Once the V8 madness takes hold, the car will perform just as well as it looks.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

Perfectionism will keep the wheels of change turning.

Roy Moncada is a self-admitted perfectionist. That probably explains why he's redone the interior of this Lexus a few times over. Although he's left a ton of opportunity to enhance the car's performance, it's hard to imagine what he could add to the inside. He's already put a ton of work into this creation, and it shows.

Many car projects with fine-tuned specs and special engines will never get to see their abilities put to the test, at least not in real life. For a VIP experience like this one, however, Moncada gets to enjoy the fruits of his effort every time he gets in to drive it.

>>Join the conversation about this VIP style first gen IS right here in Club Lexus.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.