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iM Event Coverage: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Part 4

Going to jump into some more coverage of a some other cars that caught my eye.

First up, and now that I’ve been through the pics several times this is probably my favorite car of the show…. the Greddy X BenSopra GTR. I would agree that the aero is way over the top but what the hell, why not. One piece front end, rear bumper mounted GT wing, crazy widebody fenders and vents everywhere haha. Go big or go home.

With the aero kit running a staggering 3,500,000 JPY ($46,000 CAD) and the wing another 500,000 JPY ($6,500 CAD) to state this kit doesn’t come cheap would be an understatement!

And here’s a couple more shots of one of the other BenSopra GTR’s that was on display.

We posted the new Varis Evo X the other day (cause it’s sick!) but none of their new STI aero kit. To tell you the truth I scolled right though the pics the first couple passed and didn’t even notice it but anyways here it is, Varis STI.

Sick stance bro! Infinit M45?

World’s. Sickest. Prius.

Knight Sports RX8

Looks like the boys over at Tommy Kaira were able to finish off their cars

HKS 86

How do you make a Mugen RR Civic even better? Deck it out with J’s goodies ,weld in a cage and slap on some ITB’s.

Sessions Toyota Aristo with a crazy rear bumper exit exhaust.

That’s all for today. Will probably close out the real coverage tomorrow before we roll through all the weird and crazy stuff from TAS.

Also once again, Stretch & Poke coverage HERE

*update*
Overloaded the site with too many pics so we’ve moved the remaining TAS pictures from this post onto our Flickr page HERE

Japan

iM Event Coverage: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Part 3

Today we’re going take a quick look at some the more popular manufacturer booths that were at the show. Also this is only a small portion of the booths/products on display, figured I keep it limited to some of the more recognizable names.

Getting started with Work Wheels.

They dropped their new Meister S1R & M1R wheels last year which they had on display in their various color/finish options. Also looks like they’re offering the Meister in truck fitment.

They also had their Equip line of wheels on display. Wish I had a car to rock those Meister CR-01’s (bottom wheel).

Work also had some variation of their classic Emotion CR’s on display. Not sure about the colored spokes but it’s always nice to see new wheel designs coming out of Japan.

What’s TAS without some GT wings. Voltx with their collection of wings, lots of choices for Evo and STI owners.

Defi with gauges on gauges on gauges….

Everyones favorite JDM wheel manufacturer! VOLK

TE37v’s available in 17″ sizing…. sick!

Couple new models on display

Similar to the Super Lap TE’s Volk now has a variation on the RE-30. Love the flat finish!

Rays Gram Light on display in all sorts of color variations

Not sure how long the 57Xtremes have been out but they were all over the show. 86/BRZ fitment coming soon.

Projet Mu whadup!

Of course Tein made an appearance. And like everyone else there 86/BRZ parts are on their way.

From the pictures coming out of TAS so far BBS had their fair share of GTR’s rocking their rollers. Loving the flat black/polished lip look.

Advan with tons of concave on display.

Bride with all sorts of material colors that I’ve never seen.

Endless $$$ brakes

Galen knows whats up with this! Vertex wheel crew! haha

More coming up again tomorrow!

Stretch & Poke Part 3 HERE

More TAS pictures can be found on our Flickr page HERE

Japan

iM Event Coverage: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Part 2

Here we go with part 2 of our TAS 2012 coverage. Still having a hard time picking what to post as there so much I think you guys will like.

Going to save all the product/wheel stuff for one day next week and probably will have a weird/wild/crazy car post sometime next week as well. There’s plenty of odd stuff over in Japan that is cool to see.

Gonna start with one of my favorites from the first batch of pictures… the Mugen RR CRZ concept car. Not only did they have the orange one that has been all over the internet on display but they also had a pastel green one which I had yet to see anywhere. Interesting color choice but I’m pretty sure any color would look good rocking that Mugen RR aero.

Another favorite from the first batch was the AIMGAIN Lexus LS600h… baller!

Next up that caught my eye was the Varis Evo X sporting their newly unveiled wide body kit.

There was a couple GTR’s at the show rocking this crazy, over the top widebody/front end/wing combo. Pretty crazy stuff.

Once again swing by Stretch and Poke’s site HERE as they have even more TAS coverage from Galen Wan.

*update*
Overloaded the site with too many pics so we’ve moved the remaining TAS pictures onto our Flickr page HERE

Japan

iM Event Coverage: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Part 1

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.

Read more “iM Event Coverage: Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 Part 1” →

iM Shop Spotlight

iM Shop Spotlight: Tommy Kaira & Wald International

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

iM Feature: Steve Plewes’ Numbskull Chopper

|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

iM Highlight: Taylor’s VR Coupe

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.

Read more “iM Highlight: Taylor’s VR Coupe” →

iM Decals

The iM Era Hoody

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

iM: The Re-Up 2011 (Sunday School)

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!

Read more “iM: The Re-Up 2011 (Sunday School)” →

DTP Vancouver

iM: The Re-Up 2011 (illmotion x DTP Vancouver)

Back on July 16, 2011 the illmotion crew headed out to Vancouver, BC and attended the DTP Auto Show that took place at the Rocky Mountaineer Station. This marked the first road trip ever for illmotion as a crew and what an amazing road trip it was!

The weather did play an important factor at DTP Vancouver however the rain did not stop anyone from coming out and showcasing a fine arsenal of cars from Vancouver and surrounding areas.

illmotion @ DTP Vancouver was definitely one for the books and we hope more road trips will happen in the future!

The crew meeting up before heading down to Vancouver together. First thing on the agenda was to fuel up and wait for the rest of the cars to show up.

On the way to Vancouver, got stuck in some rain.

Had to stop and let everyone catch up that got left behind.

What made the trip more fun was that we all had radios to talk to each other.

Had to get more gas in Salmon Arm and grab some lunch.

Steve losing some tape due to driving in the rain.

Decided to just take it off before it damaged the paint.

Ryan trying to figure out directions.

Some locals commenting on Ryan’s car.

Rolling shot of Punit’s car while Jackie tries to take a shot as well.

Quick rolling shot of the Low-Rolla.

Shot of Ryan’s EP3 rollin’.

Last stop before heading into Vancouver, where everyone decided to take the tape off their cars.

Entering Vancouver and stuck in rush hour traffic.

Finally got to the hotel.

Day of the show it was raining, but we still had to wash the cars.

Since it was raining on and off on the day of the show, we decided to buy a tent to stay warm and dry.

Some of us decided to get rentals for a day to get around.

Finally it stopped raining, time to take pictures of the cars at the show.

Updating our twitter and facebook accounts…or am I?

Checking out the cars.

Punit’s hood pins will not close when wet.

Terence chilling in the tent and eating lunch.

Everyone else decided to join him and take a break.

All our cars lined up.

Ryan pretending to dry his car after it stopped raining for the 10th time.

Corey got into the spirit and dried his Civic.

After the show ended we decided to get a little late night dinner.

We went go karting and got the entire track just for us.

The only thing Steve and Brad wanted to do was hit each other.

Heading back to Calgary and got stuck in more rain.

Finally back home.

What made this trip even more special was the iM Crew did not go home empty handed and brought home 4 awards: Best Stance Showoff, Best Subaru, Best Classic Showoff, and illmotion’s Punit Patel taking home 2nd Place Best Acura.

If you didn’t get a chance to peep our coverage from DTP Vancouver, peep the 3 part coverage here:

iM Event Coverage: DTP Vancouver July 16, 2011 (Part 1)

iM Event Coverage: DTP Vancouver July 16, 2011 (Part 2)

iM Event Coverage: DTP Vancouver July 16, 2011 (Part 3)