There’s also a nice Anceltion carbon engine cover to further emphasise the exterior’s mild sporty theme.Ī TOM’S strut tower bar is a nice final addition to the engine bay, and one that reminds us that almost everything we’ve seen fitted to the car so far has come via Japan. The 4.3L V8 in Samson’s LS has had a mild tune courtesy of a TOM’S carbon intake duct and upgraded filter, as well as Tanabe Medallion eR Tune dual exhaust system. Good luck seeing them when the LS is sitting like this though!Įngine bays are an area that are overlooked in Japanese VIP cars, although that seems to be changing of late. Some of links had to be modified to get more negative camber and all were painted in Honda Imola Orange before begin fitted underneath the car. To achieve the ‘right’ amount negative camber at car’s lowest setting Samson made a call to his friends at Nagisa Auto in Osaka and ordered front and rear upper control arms along with toe and traction rods. The rears get an upgrade too, albeit with a smaller Brembo 4-pot package.Īs for the fitment, the millimetre-perfect tuck both front and rear is achieved through carefully selected Air Runner air suspension components that lifts and drops the LS at a flick of a switch.Ĭontrol is via an AccuAir e-Level management system with the tank and compressors taking center stage in the trunk flanked by subwoofers and amps. The 20-inch wheels open up a lot of space for a brake upgrade and here Samson took full advantage by fitting 8-pot Brembo calipers and two-piece drilled 380mm rotors in the front. It might be VIP themed, but that hasn’t stopped Samson taking the more performance oriented route with aero fenders from Artisan Spirits and SSR MS3s in a catchy shade of Spectrum Silver. It’s here that for the first time I saw the car dropped all the way to the ground. But after much convincing he succumbed to my pressure and we took the car for a drive around the city and out towards the airport so that we could get a nice view of Waikiki. Samson almost didn’t want to let me shoot his pride and joy as there was a small dent on the metalwork right next to the grille that need fixing. It does everything so well and is a true modern day interpretation of what a proper JDM bippu ride should be – a car that Taketomi-san at Junction Produce has even given his nod of approval to. The best way I can describe his Lexus is ‘VIP done right’. The hard work and patience paid off when he found what he was looking for in California and had the LS430 shipped over to the tropical shores of Oahu. Wanting a car with low mileage, with the right options and one that had been well taken care of took a lot of time and effort. Samson likes to keep up with the newest and latest trends in the JDM VIP world, so it’s not a surprise he knew exactly how to tackle his Lexus – once he finally got it. He may have started out installing in-car entertainment and security gear, but now his shop does anything and everything from dumping cars to the ground on air suspension to advising customers on the right sorts of aero and wheels to order from Japan. “If you ever come to Hawaii, you have to come by my shop and check out my Lexus LS.” Well, it just so happened that a week after that chat I was flying to Honolulu for Offset Kings…Īuthenticity is a key to perfection, or at least that’s how I’ve come to understand Samson’s approach to this demo machine for his company, Revision Audio. Samson came over to Japan from his hometown of Honolulu to check out the show with his friends at Lexon, and that’s where we got to talking. I just had no idea how dedicated one could get until I met Samson Mak at Wekfest Japan earlier this year. But like with anything, some people are more dedicated to the cause than others… I get it – you have to have what’s tough to get your hands on. So the JDM look outside of Japan, or the current USDM fashion in Japan, are all approaches that I don’t mind. I respect when people tune their cars by staying true to a recognised and respected style – even more so when it involves hard to source parts. Congratulations, you are now rocking JDM Level 1 Pro Master Advance, and you are the talk of the town enjoying kudos from your peers at every car meet. Okay, so you own a Japanese car and you have spiced it up with a few Japan-sourced dress-up parts – maybe a set of wheels, some engine upgrades and that beginner-driver shoshinsha mark to tie it all in together.
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