iM: The Re-Up 2013 (Part 2)

Going to keep things rolling with Part 2 of our Re-Up 2013 series…

Without a doubt one of the most influential features we’ve done here on illmotion come from the crew over at PoorForm. To back up that last sentence two members from illmotion even went as far as switching up their projects and going in the direction of VIP/Lexus modding. Definitely stay tuned for more from PoorForm later on this year!


iM Highlight: Poorform Lexus LSs

Another first on illmotion comes from Devon Mori and a dual feature of his Honda Civic EG6 and Honda CBR600RR. With both of Devon’s means of transportation painted the same color, seeing both his car and bike in motion for the rolling shot was definitely an awesome moment!


iM Feature: Devon Mori’s 1992 Honda Civic EG6 & 2006 Honda CBR600RR

illmotion’s own Prashant Topiwala surprised most of us this year when he sold this car, a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. While most of us can’t wait to see what Prashant has in store for next season, we’re pretty sure Prashant will regret getting rid of this once he looks at pictures from this feature again. Let’s take a moment to remember Prashant’s C63 AMG, shall we?


iM Highlight: Prashant Topiwala’s 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

One of the very first “official” shoots of the season was Andy’s Mint Green Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. We had the pleasure of being able to shoot this car earlier on in the year as this car went on to become one of the biggest internet sensations of 2013. Doing his own thing and not paying attention to the negativity of others definitely got everyone talking about Andy and his GT-R.


iM Feature: Andy’s Nissan Skyline GT-R R32

Photographer Taylor Smith blessed us once again last year with another clean Euro in the form of Lani’s MK4 Jetta VR6. Rocking the super rare original Votex kit from Volkswagen and sitting on BBS CH Wheels, let’s revisit Lani’s immaculate MK4 Jetta.


iM Highlight: Lani’s MK4 Jetta VR6

iM Random Snaps: MDM Visuals x Lexus GS450h

MDM Visuals Lexus GS450h Shoot

Photos by: Mike McConnell of MDM Visuals
Words by: JC Tenchavez
Vehicle: 2007 Lexus GS450h
Owner: Punit Patel

This past weekend, illmotion’s own Punit Patel informed me that he was next up for a shoot with the incredible Mike McConnell of MDM Visuals. You may remember the LS460L and CT200h photo shoot that Mike did for Jason Hoang and myself (Click HERE to refresh you memory), so when Punit asked me if I would like to tag along for his shoot, I had no hesitations as I love the whole “behind the scenes” atmosphere of being at a shoot, especially one of Mike McConnell’s. One thing I love about Mike’s shoots is the way he gets everyone involved to not only get a little assistance, but to make his photos that much more amazing (you’ll see what I mean with the night shots that were taken).

Before we get to the pictures however, here’s a little background story on Punit’s latest platform, a 2007 Lexus GS450h. Last winter, Jason, Punit and I were in talks to switch up our cars and try something that was very new to all of us, “VIP modding”. To make a long story short, Jason and I had already acquired our cars (a Lexus LS460L, and a CT200h respectively) and Punit was in search of THE Lexus he’s been wanting for a long time, the GS. After a couple test drives with two GS460 and two GS450h models, Punit eventually found himself as the owner of a Dark Blue Pearl GS450h.

Currently sitting modestly low on a set of BC Racing BR Coilovers and a rare set of AME Shallen LX wheels, Punit wasted no time getting his GS450h looking exactly how he envisioned it, and this is only the beginning. With plans for air suspension, aero, and a new set of wheels next year, it’s safe to say that Punit’s got this whole “VIP” thing figured out!

In the mean time, let’s enjoy a few super dope shots of Punit’s GS450h through the eyes of Mike McConnell of MDM Visuals.








I had mentioned earlier that Mike’s shoots get everybody involved, and this is where Punit and I were holding flashes from two different angles making this shot turn out the way you see it here! Love the interaction Mike incorporates into his shoots!

Possibly the most epic photo bomb ever courtesy of Jesse and his MKII! Haha!

Without a doubt this is one of the coolest shots that Mike captured featuring Punit’s latest Jordan cop, Glow 4s!

Fading to black with another successful MDM Visuals shoot in the bag!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to give MDM Visuals a like on Facebook HERE
For more photos by MDM Visuals be sure to check their Flickr page here as well: MDM Visuals Flickr

Thanks for looking!!!

iM Random Snaps: MDM Visuals LS460L & CT200h Shoot

MDM Visuals: LS460L & CT200H Shoot

Words by: JC Tenchavez
Photos by: Mike McConnell of MDM Visuals
Vehicles: Lexus LS460L // Owned by: Jason Hoang
Lexus CT200h // Owned by: JC Tenchavez

A few days ago, Jason sent me a text informing me that Mike McConnell from MDM Visuals wanted to shoot his car. Without any hesitation, I immediately agreed to come along with him as I’ve seen Mike’s photos on Instagram (@mdmvis) and was super stoked to witness one of his photo shoots in person. Fast forward to the day of the shoot, Jason and I met up with Mike and his friend Jesse, who was playing the role as the chase car for the rolling shots.

As this was my first time meeting Mike and Jesse, I’m happy to say that these dudes were super chill and easy to work with. As this was the first time Jason had someone shooting his car, it was actually kinda weird to have him chillin’ with Jesse and I since I’m so used to doing photo shoots with him and he’s always taking pictures; but at the same time it was pretty refreshing to have him relax and have someone else shoot his car for once!

The part that surprised me the most during the shoot was Mike asking if he could shoot my car as well! Luckily, my car was clean and ready to go (it usually always is, working at a place with access to a car wash FTW!) and I just could not pass up on this opportunity! Long story short, we hit up two different locations and did rolling shots in transit from the first location to the second location, and finished with more rolling shots before we parted ways.

A big thank you to Mike and Jesse once again for the shoot! The pictures came out amazing as I expected from Mike, and with the sun getting ready to set at the time we were shooting, there’s no denying the fact this was all part of Mike’s master plan for the shoot!

But instead of continuing to talk about it, here’s a few of the photos that were taken by Mike…

NOTE: This is not the official feature for our cars, please stay tuned for that later on this year! Our cars are far from finished, as we are very new to this whole “VIP” thing. So please enjoy an MDM Visuals look at what we have done so far!

Starting off at the first location with Jason’s bagged Lexus LS460L on 21″ SSR Vienna Merisia wheels!

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First location, featuring my CT200h lowered on Work VS-XXs that were previously on my 10th Generation Corolla XRS.

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Now moving on to the second location, continuing with the CT…

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Second location, featuring Jason’s LS…

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Rear shot, with Jason and I chillin’ in the background
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Moving on to the dual shots, which Mike absolutely killed! Check out that sun set!

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Now onto our favorite part of any shoot, the rollers!

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Rollin’ together!

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Gonna end it with another roller of Jason’s LS! Hope you enjoyed these photos as much as Jason and I enjoyed the shoot!

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For more photos from this shoot and other shoots taken by Mike McConnell, check out the MDM Visuals Flickr page HERE

And be sure to “LIKE” MDM Visuals on Facebook: MDM Visuals

Thanks for looking!

iM Random Snaps: Cruise to Banff

With the busy week that was ahead of us prior to Sunday School, a few of the homies decided that it would be a great idea to take a little break and enjoy our cars by taking them out for a little cruise to Banff. The best part of the cruise? Corey was able to get more practice with his camera and get a few rolling shots of our cars on route to Banff. Check it out!


JC and Gopesh sitting pretty at the meeting location


Errol, Brad and Jackie’s cars chillin’.


The rest of us obviously did not get the “Red Shirt, Grey Shorts” memo. TFTI guys.


Ready to roll out!


On the road, Steve was up first!


Brad rollin’ like a SiR. Haaaa get it?…moving on.


For some reason, Gopesh doesn’t look too happy. But his car looks so dope rolling!


Errol and his Amuse kitted S2000!


Took a break halfway, Adrian’s EG Coupe ahead of the pack. Super clean.


Everyone parked off to the side, enjoying the view.


Punit’s GS on his super wide AME wheels.


Back on the road, Ryan’s always clean EP3!


Adrian rollin’. We definitely gotta feature this car soon!


Zero Limit Bawse Jackie T. and his NSX before it’s transformation!


Alex’s super mint Integra GSR!


Steve’s RSX with a beautiful view of the mountains!


Aldo’s S2000. Surprised he’s not dancing here! LOL!


Those AMEs when they’re rolling though!


Ryan’s Genesis Coupe rollin’ on Vossens. Throwin’ up the deuces!


Ending it with a rolling shot of JC’s Prius. Errr I mean…CT200h rollin’ on Work VSXX wheels. He probably only used less than a quarter of a tank of gas to get to Banff and back. LOL!

With summer closing in it was definitely refreshing to get out and cruise! Hopefully before summer comes to an end we can get out one more time and do this again! Thanks for lookin’!

For more pics check out our Flickr set here: Banff Cruise August 2013

iM Event Coverage: Weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Meet – July…

Better late than never, right? Sorry for the delay, been busy over here. Here are a bunch of pics from the July 24th 403 Honda/Beyond.ca meet. Nice to see the diversity in vehicles continue with more and more cars from different manufacturers showing up.

Here are a few snaps from the night, these and more can be found here on our Flickr set: HERE

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And a few bloopers:

Errol working on the ass of his car… Mario working on Errol’s ass… I won’t ask:
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Ollie the dog knows how to attract the ladies:
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Ryan does not:
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See you guys again soon!

iM Event Coverage: Weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Meet – June…

It was a nice sunny day on Wednesday June 15 to head up to the weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca meets. With the rain finally deciding to let up for a night, it was nice to get out there and check out some rides. Actually, it was a little too sunny out as you can tell by some of my pictures, and was getting hard to fight the sun and the shadows, so I gave up and went inside to eat, only to come back outside with it being cloudy again.

Here are a few shots that turned out, all the rest can be found on our Flickr set: HERE

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Hope to see you guys out at Chinook on Wednesday!

iM Event Coverage: Weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Meet – April…

It was a gorgeous night out for the last 403 Honda/Beyond.ca at Chinook, and that meant a really awesome turnout, the best turnout we’ve seen all season. Hopefully the meets stay as busy as they have been, if not busier!

Here’s a few of the many shots I took. To see the rest, check out the set on our Flickr stream: HERE

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And for my buddy Aldo, I know where you hide your snacks now… in your bumper.
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Make sure to come on down and hang out the next meet at Chinook on May 1st, 2013.

iM Event Coverage: Weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Meet – April…

Another week has gone by, and that means another edition of the weekly 403 Honda/Beyond.ca Meet! Its nice to see these meets getting busier and busier as the weeks go by and the weather starts cooperating. Its nice to see cars that come every week, and see how they progress as the season goes by. Its also been great in the fact that the cars are getting more and more diverse.

Here’s a quick taste of some of the cars that were out this week, for lots more shots, check out the set on our Flickr stream: HERE

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Make sure to check out the next meet at Chinook on April 18, 2013.

iM Highlight: PoorForm Lexus LSs

Towards the end of the season last summer, we were ecstatic to be given the opportunity to shoot two cars we’ve been interested in shooting since our Sunday School Show & Shine, a pair of Lexus LS luxury sedans owned by none other than PoorForm members Jimmy Bailey and Daniel Kowall. For a little background on PoorForm, they are a group of friends, also based out of Calgary, Alberta who we feel, embody that perfect fusion of high end luxury with true motorsport performance. Their slogan, “Ruining perfectly good cars and subjecting them to what they weren’t for…Poor Form indeed.” is certainly a slogan we can all attest to with our own builds, so it’s only fitting that we showcase the builds that the members of Poor Form have to offer; starting with these two Lexus LSs.

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For those who may remember Daniel and his BMW M3 GTR that we featured not to long ago, we are pleased to showcase his daily driver, a 2004 Lexus LS430. When we say daily driver, we are talking about the real deal, driven both in the winter and summer on the daily. Sitting slammed courtesy of Tanabe Z40 Coilovers paired with Work LS406 wheels, simplicity definitely goes a long way especially with the clean cut lines that are featured on Lexus’s flagship model.

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Owner: Daniel Kowall
Car: 2004 Lexus LS430

Suspension.&.Brakes
Tanabe Z40 Coilovers (Custom-Valved by Poor Form)
Endless SSY Brake Pads

Wheels
Work LS406 Wheels
-Front 20×9.5
-Rear 20×10.5

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Next up we have Jimmy Bailey’s 2001 Lexus LS430 sitting low on a Datasystems ASC680 air ride controller, combined with Work’s Gnosis HS203 in a custom gold finish. As this car is also Jimmy’s daily driver, Jimmy’s LS is equipped with quite the arsenal of in car electronics. For a little performance, Jimmy has implemented a custom exhaust set up with 5Zigen fireball mufflers, and for stopping power, slotted race rotors with Endless SSM brake pads.

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Owner: Jimmy Bailey
Car: 2001 Lexus LS430

In.Car.Electronics
Beatsonic dash kit
Pioneer AVHP8400BH deck
Focal KRX2 front speakers
Focal 33WX2 sub x 2
Steg K202 amp (subs)
Steg K402 amp (fronts bi-amped)
Audison bitOne processing unit
Escort 9500ix radar
Escort Smart cord
Junction Produce Kintuna
Junction Produce Fusa

Suspension.&.Brakes
Datasystems ASC680 air ride controller
Youzealand SS Pro kit
Endless SSM brake pads
Endless RF650 fluid
Slotted race rotors

Engine
5Zigen Fireball mufflers with custom exhaust system
HKS hybrid air filter

Wheels
WORK Gnosis HS203, step lip in custom GLD finish
-Front: 20×9.5
-Rear: 20×10.5

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While this certainly is not the last you will see from Poor Form on illmotion, definitely stay tuned for more from these guys in the future. For a little more information on Poor Form and their incredible builds, check out PoorForm.ca be sure to join their facebook group HERE and be sure to join their forum, forums.poorform.ca.

For more pictures, check out our Flickr page here: Poor Form Lexus LSs

iM Feature: Chuck’s Supercharged 2007 Lexus IS350

Back in the day, there were a few categorizations of car. One of them was ‘Luxury’. A usually expensive name brand car with leather seats, a nice soft cushy ride, a large amount of sound deadening, and buttons to control a bunch of things in the car that weren’t really needed, but made you feel right at home. Another one of the categorizations was ‘sporty’. These were the cars that were quick, but at the same time were louder, with a harsh back breaking ride, and nothing but the essentials.

Nowadays, these lines are blurred. There are all kinds of car groups these days that have blended the lines. What was once a separated SUV and Sedan category has blended into crossovers. And in keeping with the theme, there are now also a bunch of luxury sport sedans. These cars come from high end manufacturers, with tons of power like their sport forefathers, but also comes with a whole host of luxury features.

One of those cars is the Lexus IS350. A mid level luxury sedan that rode very comfortably and sporty at the same time, with the power to back it up with a 3.5L V6 engine which was named in Ward’s 10 Best Engines list in 2007. With this in mind, Chuck opted to build upon this with this IS350 you see before you, which by the way, has seen a few transformations.

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Taking the IS’s good looks a few steps further, a few choice parts were added to the mix. A Vertex front lip and side skirts, along with a custom ISF rear bumper conversion help make the bodywork come a little closer to the ground. Also on the back end are a Wald trunk spoiler and a Jun-TW roof spoiler. A few more subtle additions to add to the overall picture are JDM window visors, LX Mode front grille, VIP puddle lights, a custom painted black/gold pearl roof, and a 2012 ISF LED headlamp upgrade. More lighting changes come in the form of Garax 6000K low beams and fog lights, and VLEDs LED DRLs.

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To improve in the handling department, a set of BC Racing coilovers were added to all 4 corners, complimented with a set F-Sport front and rear sway bars, and an LSD to keep the power to the ground. Braking duties to slow this beast down are provided by a set of Stoptech Drilled Rotors with the 4 pot calipers. To finish things off, a set of Work Varianza T1S wheels with a step lip in Machine Silver Polish were added to complete the look and compliment the pearl white paint beautifully.

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Stepping into the office, you will find Junction Produce neck pads and pillows, an F-Sport carbon fiber shift knob, and white Lexus illuminating door sills. Sounds are provided by JL Audio in the form of a 1000/2 amplifier, full components and tweeters, and a W7 12″ subwoofer. Hardwired into the rear view mirror, you’ll find a Valentine One radar detector on duty to watch out for radar traps.

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But what good is all that without the power to back it up? The biggest answer to that is the addition of an LMS Procharger intercooled supercharger. Adding to that is an HKS SSQV blow-off valve, PPE Jet Hot coated headers, a custom titanium mid pipe, and GReddy titanium quad exhaust. But you wouldn’t know it looking under the hood because most of it is covered up by a custom paint matched pearl white engine cover.

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A few more things are on the way this year for this IS350 including a Wald carbon fiber rear diffuser and an HKS FCon VPro to help with the tuning. Is Chuck done with this car? Like the rest of us enthusiasts, not even close. From what I’ve heard it may go through another transformation. But I’m sure he’ll stay focused and will not stop unless it is where he’s happy with it. By from previous experiences with my own projects will tell me… never.

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