VIP – Gripshiftslide

AKDP :: Wrapped & Bagged Gloria

Grant — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 10:51:42 +0000

If you’re reading this from outside Japan than chances are this car won’t be instantly familiar to you. It is of course a 1999 Y33 Nissan Gloria.
We met Miyake Jyoko and his impressive Gloria while arranging our shoot of Sumida-San’s STI Forester.
Jyoko-San is another member of the AKDP crew we met up with while in Osaka. Once we saw the car in the light we just had to do a full feature.

The Nissan Gloria is an interesting car to look at by all accounts, a large four door saloon with a host of creature comforts and soft suspension for a smooth and comfortable ride. This particular variant is no slouch ether with a factory boosted 3.0l V6.

The headlights are arguable the most striking feature of the Y33 Gloria and Jyoko-San tells us that they are just one of the reasons he fell in love with the shape of the Gloria some 3 years ago.

This Gloria is a far cry from Jyoko-San’s previous car. Believe it or not Jyoko-San’s first car was a tiny Daihatsu Mira!! (We’ve been told he has picked up another Mira and we can’t wait to see what he does with it!)

Filling out the arches you will find a set of “SX” Seeker’s by Work Wheels. The fronts measure in at 18″ x 9.5″ -5mm.

The rears sit in at 18″ x 10″ -12mm and the generous amount of dish looks impressive tucked up into the rear guards.

Helping get the Gloria to seemingly beach itself over it’s own wheels is an Air Suspension system comprised of Algernon shocks and a Universal Air Compressor.

Inside the car is a large helping of the same style and flair that Jyoko-San has so liberally applied to the exterior. Including a snake skin wrap…

An Avenue steering wheel does away with the giant plastic air bag equipped factory unit. Controlling the suspension height of the Gloria is no harder than using an unlock code on your favorite video game thanks to this PlayStation controller.

It also seems the only thing fresher than the look of the car is the air that Jyoko-San breathes. When I pointed to the small forest of air fresheners hanging from his rear view mirror he couldn’t help but laugh with a grin on his face.

Stepping back the car absolutely oozes Jyoko-San’s style. Easily the the most obvious visual feature is the head to toe wrap. There is no matte or chrome finishes here. It’s all about texture.

Jyoko-San was working at an automotive wrapping company and his Gloria chosen to be the demo car/guinea pig for a VIP Event.
The wrap is a combination of camouflage and crocodile skin.

Separating the two wraps is a unique stitched line running the length of the car. Jyoko-San originally chose the combination as he had never seen anything like it before.

Beneath the wrap the Gloria is sporting a full Rando Ryu LUX body kit.

Adding to the overall look the fenders have also been pulled by 25mm on all four corners to help fit the wheels into the guards.

Together the wrap, suspension and wheels make for a lasting impression.

Poking out from the rear bar is a trio of blast pipes…

Hand crafted by another AKDP member, Yuta Takahashi. He works out of the B-Factory workshop and knows his way around a welder or two.

Under the hood the performance mods have stayed on the conservative side.

The VQ30DET can now breath easy thanks to an A’PEXi intercooler and Trust air filter.

With most ‘VIP’ styled builds performance is never the focus, what Jyoko-San has focused on has been executed perfectly.

The aim of the game is attention and it’s hard to argue that seeing this Gloria roll down the street wouldn’t cause a stir.

Seeing the car the night before the details in the wrap were lost, it looked just like any another matte black wrapped car.

In the light of day it comes alive as the sun hits every textured bump on the surface. The camouflage almost gives a marble effect.

After finishing our shoot it was time to head back to my apartment as I had a Shinkansen to catch, The ADKP crew were more than happy to drop me at the doorstep.

Cruising the streets of Osaka with these guys will be a happy memory to last a lifetime.
I would like to thank the AKDP boys again for sharing their time with us and chauffeuring me around town.
We still have a handful of cars from the group to share with you so keep your eyes out for our third and final AKDP feature.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

The-Lowdown Presents :: Showcased

Grant — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:44:04 +0000

Last weekend New South Wales stepped it’s car game up and smashed the ball right out of the court!
The-Lowdown.com hosted it’s first ever car show, aiming to break the boarders of the online based medium and put on a car show like no other.

The event was named “Showcased” which suited it perfectly with many new builds being displayed and a few cars that have completely reinvented them selves since they last saw the public eye.

Crowds and cars alike traveled near and far, the Queensland contingent of photographers from Streetkarnage and Downshiftaus brought a few exciting cars down with them.

Charlie’s infamous MX5, now track spec with one very aggressive looking wing and certainly one of the most intricate looking exhaust systems we have ever seen!

Sydney’s famous Accord Euro, dropped on a set of very exclusive VIP Modular VX310 wheels with a ‘Dubai Gold Face’ finish, the car is now bagged to prevent ruining the expensive wheels on NSW’s less than fantastic roads.

The Stancework crew and Team Agentz from Melbourne invaded the show and brought with them some of best cars the state has to offer.
No trailer queens here, these cars drove up! :S

Seemingly from pictures sent across the oceans this heavily US inspired EK Civic crossed over through our computer monitors and into real life…
This engine bay was amazing!
K20 swap with shaved and tucked everything. No washer was unturned, binned and replaced!

JDM Yard unveiled their newly finished track spec DC5 Integra with a few years behind the build it was sure not to disappoint!

The Zen Garage boys don’t just sit around and look at cool cars online… They build them too!
Sergio’s S15 is a work of art, with so many nice examples these days it is very hard to stand out. Well done!!

One of the stars of the show was this C10 Skyline, they don’t get much more classic than this!
Manufactured from 1968 to 1972 these things are rare in Japan let alone across the globe in Australia!

With such bold lines it is definitely a thing of beauty, worlds apart in styling from the same era Toyota’s and Honda’s it is a very special car!

But wait, what’s this?!
There was another Hakosuka and a GT-R too!
Hands down the best car show on the calendar!!

From old to new… It’s truly amazing to see the same name continued on 50 years later, now worlds apart with electronic gadgetry and sheer size compared to the old C10.
They both share the same sense of something special, not just metal slapped together the right way in a factory… They have a soul!
Easily one of the only cars from Japan to have this unique quality, there are literally 100’s of cars from this wonderful country that hold a special place in peoples hearts but none have reached as wide an audience as the Nissan Skyline!

Must buy Zen…. T… Shirt…

Rising sun feature painted on the underside of my bonnet… Check!
Rising sun cape… Check! Let’s go party!!

Some people will see this car as pretty pointless and almost a waste, the Evo was designed to be a true champion on all surfaces, a feat of automotive engineering and electronic aids…
Now it’s time for the nerd to scrub up, whack on a leather jacket and pick up some chicks (or at least some car geeks).

NSW’s own Mathew Everingham and his chariot of choice, when he is not shooting cool cars he is driving one!

The show was all done and dusted in just one day, on one rooftop car park by one busy bunch of guys, with some support from sponsors the show was a massive success and hopefully a sign of things to come!
We would like to thank SB Captures for their awesome shots from the event and helping us bring you some of the best cars this country has to offer.
The official winners are as follows ::
SHOWCASED TROPHY AWARD WINNERS:

- Japanese Performance: Jason, Entrant 126, Bodyform Nissan S15 Silvia, BPROOF
- European Class: Aaron Vumbaca, Entrant 184, BMW M3, 00343
- Perfect Fitment: Chookie, Entrant 108, Built To Order Lexus GS300, BO55GS
- #1 Car Club: Stanceworks Australia
- Border Crossers: Street Karnage
- People’s Choice: Albert Nghiem, Entrant 102, Cars For Hope Honda Integra DC2R, NR11CH
- Best in Show: Nathan Ross, Entrant 037, TRD JZ80 Supra

Meguiars 3M Winners:

Stephen Blake, Entrant 088, Corona
Reece, Entrant 080, Agentz Toyota Camry
Hendra Parulian, Entrant 027, J Racing Subaru WRX
Mohammad DubDub, Entrant 104, JDMYard Honda Civic

Random Snap :: Have You Met Gloria Yet?

Grant — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:04:57 +0000

A few weeks ago I spotted this very clean Nissan Gloria, on the way to a Vic Drift practice day at Winton.
It was around 5am when i snapped this pic and I don’t think the owner was awake enough to notice me creeping around his car. To my surprise I found the car again later at the racecourse. This is Japanese VIP at it’s best and such a massive grill too! It’s a shame there aren’t more of these Y34 Gloria’s in Australia. This is the 11th and last generation from Nissan but hopefully it’s not forever. After a few minutes walking around it, I was in love! A touch of VIP flare, a hood ornament sets the car off perfectly!Oh and yes… It’s a genuine Autech version too!
Thanks for reading
-Gwyn.