Japan
At this point I don’t think the Tokyo Auto Salon really requires much of an introduction so we’ll jump right into the event coverage.
Day 1 at the TAS is a wrap for Galen and here is a very small portion of what he was able to check out. We have more pictures than we know what to do with so check back again tomorrow as we’re rolling through new stuff every day for as long as everyone keeps enjoying it.
iM Shop Spotlight
We are extremely excited to be presenting our readers with our very first collab posts courtesy of Galan Wan and our fellow bloggers Stretch & Poke from out east. With coverage coming straight out of Japan, we have lots of shop features and tons of Tokyo Auto Salon stuff in the coming days/weeks so be sure to check back often, 56k be warned.
| Tommy Kaira:
We’re starting off with the Japanese car tuning company Tommy Kaira. In addition to being a distributor for many manufacturers they also design and manufacture their own aero products. Their aero kits are designed and rendered by company president Mr. Hiei and then passed off to their modeler to sculpt and refine the design in clay, full scale, till it’s just right.
They’re pushing really hard to get into the Euro market this year with the brand name “Rowen” which is evident by the cars they are franticly preparing for TAS. Just to clarify, these pictures were taken yesterday… 3 days before TAS starts. Some of the cars/kits still need to be finished, painted, and detailed before the 2 hour bullet train ride to the show. I guess the last minute rushing everyone is oh so familiar with this side of the Pacific isn’t lost in Japan.
Also be sure to check out Tommy Kaira at SEMA 2012 as they are planning on making the long trip to showcase their work in North America.
More Tommy Kaira pictures can be found on our Flickr page HERE
| Wald International:
Next up was a quick stop at Wald International. Known for their wheel and aero products for whatever ‘baller’ car you may own. The pictures speak for themselves.
The only information Galen was able to gather from the sales rep was that all the cars in the shop, with exception to the Maserati, are all owned by Wald. Nice collection!
More Wald pictures can be found on our Flickr page HERE
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the start of our TAS 2012 coverage!
Custom
|OWNER: Steve Plewes
|VEHICLE: Custom Numbskull Chopper
About a week ago, we received an email from Steve Plewe wondering if we’d be interested in doing a feature on his chopper. First thought that came to my mind was “Of course!” although it may not be a a R35 GTR, Ducatti, or RWB Porsche – it is definitely different and we love nothing more than something a project that is completely unique.
Steve went on to say that it’s never been done before, gave the details of his bike and that it has not been exposed to public. At all. A couple things came to mind after reading this though
1 – What HASN’T been done that this guy has managed to accomplish?
2 – OK so it hasn’t been shown since last year, what could possibly be different this year?
and 3 – I hope he isn’t just pulling our legs.
Well shit, was I ever wrong. The attached pictures he let us see blew my socks off. I hit myself for doubting Steve so I immediately emailed Steve back and said “Let’s do this ASAP”. Lo and behold, I met Steve today and holy Chuck Norris was this thing wicked. Let’s get started…
With the restriction of the road conditions and weather, Steve was kind enough to even let me shoot the bike. The bike had been in the shop for almost a year and just recently got dropped off at his house and parked until I got there. He had never took it out before that, so it was a real pleasure to be there for the first time.
Performance Machine 6 piston brake
At first, I thought nothing of it but a simple detail. However, after delving into more details about the bike, this is a chrome crown gas cap home to a one-off gas tank holding 3.5 gallons of fuel. This isn’t a bike just for show, Steve plans on riding this thing hard.
The power plant that Numbskull holds is an Ultima 113 cubic inch motor putting out a crazy 120 hp and 120 lbs of torque. Steve plans on doing a dyno run once Spring time rolls around. The Sinful custom exhaust is hand made with two-tone materials. Black powder coated from the heads with a chrome heatshield and chrome tips to finish off the bling factor. An apocalypse air cleaner was made to accent the exhaust and accentuate the bikes overall “sinister” theme. There is a 2″ BDL primary that distributes the power to the rear while not over-crowding the left bank of the frame.
The beautiful custom airbrushed paint comes from House of Kolor and has a Pagan gold base and gold flake mixed into vibrant Tangelo orange to obtain the brightest sparkling yellows under the sun and the richest deep orange hues in the shade.
When Steve went to bring the bike out, I witnessed the air suspension in action which is just as cool as seeing it on a car. Steve’s air suspension, however consists of the frame housing all the supplied air to raise and lower the frame with the push of a button on the handles, ultimately getting rid of a kickstand.
Lowered
Raised
The rims are made by Pickard USA, fitting 21×3.25″ in the front and a massive 300mm 18×10.5″ in the rear. The custom sheet metal work has been handmade to ensure elongated continuous flow throughout the frame.
Coles notes:
Frame: 8 Ball Manufacturing
Builders: Koolkustomz (Union City, Michigan), Precision Frameworx (Calgary, AB)
Wheels: Metzler
Rims: Pickard USA, 300mm rear, 21″ front
Motor: Ultima 113 cubic inch (1845cc)
Paint: house of Colors
Painter: MOB Airbrush (Nobleford, AB)
Exhaust: Frankie Serrano Designs (FSD)
Aircleaner: stainless Steel Creations
Primary: BDL
Speedo: Motogadget
Front Brake: Performance Machine 6 piston
Rear Brake: Hubless 360
Again, huge thanks to Steve for bringing a custom project like this forward, even before exposing it to an even bigger scene. We are super glad to be able to have it on illmotion, and as always, it shows that with the dedication, passion and of course, money, you can do amazing things. Steve is the perfect example.
iM Highlight
Often times I find that I am being asked by many others to shoot their cars that it is extremely hard to find the time to shoot my own. I usually go out with the regular group of car enthusiasts, thinking that I will finally take a few shots of my car, the end result being I am taking photos of others. This past week was different, I set out a day away from the crowds and it was actually great to get my first “real” photos of the car I have been staring at for so long thinking of the possibilities. While winter is in full force on the island, the day resulted in having dry roads and the opportunity to put the summer shoes on for a few waterfront photos. Hope you enjoy my mk2 coupe.
iM Decals
In celebration of the new 2012 year we are proud to share this exciting new release with y’all. As per your requests, we would like to introduce to you the all new “iM Era” hoody!
Because the illmotion era is continuing to grow with no signs of stopping, we’ve come up with a design that we felt best represents the “iM Era” movement.
The screen-printed design is featured on the chest of the hooded sweat shirt, with the ‘iM’ crown embroidered on the hood. Available in Blue, Red, Purple, Grey or Black and ranging from sizes XS to 3XL, be sure to pre-order your hoody starting on January 3rd at Noon!
We must also note that Blue, Red, Purple and Grey are only available on the pre-order, so don’t miss out on the pre-order if you want any of those colors, as Black will be the only color available after the pre-order in super limited quantities.
Hoodies are $35.00CDN pre-order, and will be $40.00CDN after the pre-order (in black only).
It’s a new year, so let’s keep the iM Era going even harder with these fresh and new “iM Era” hoodies & new decals to match your new hoodies too!
Re-Up 2011
August 21st was the biggest day for the city and illmotion. We had the opportunity to set up one of the best car shows Calgary has ever seen thanks to Rhys from Revwerks and all the local shops that sponsored and attended the event.
On behalf of the illmotion crew, I want to thank everybody that participated in entering their cars, coming out to check out the cars, and making it such a successful event for us. We want to try and push this participation into next year, so over this long winter, we hope that everybody is still working on their cars and doing what they love to do!