There’s no ignoring that one of the hottest so-called “trends” of late has been VIP style tuning. With stance and fitment solidifying themselves in the proverbial scene, and the prices of big, luxury sedans dropping due to age, a lot of people are trading in their Civics and 240s for something with a little more class. It doesn’t take much to turn these sedans from a bland cruiser to a head turner; a set of coilovers and the right set of wheels is all it really takes, but that’s not what VIP is all about. Enter Rodrigo Uehara’s JZS160 Aristo. A Brazilian’s take on Japanese style.
Photos By: Shogo U. exclusively for StanceNation.com
It’s always good to go back to ones roots every now and then, and when it comes to VIP cars there’s really only one place to look to, and that is Japan. Japan has given us plenty of genres and styles of tuning; from JDM to time-attack to drifting, but VIP is one area that they still hold the out-right crown to. We’ve featured a lot of US, VIP-styled cars as of late, and they are some impressive builds, but there’s just something special when I see a feature land in my inbox for a VIP car in Japan. Rodrigo’s Aristo has all the classic, VIP touches with a few modern twists thrown in, but the car is distinctly Japanese both in quality and form.
We’ll start, as we always do, with that stance. Trademark as it may be, it’s what has you looking here at this Aristo. Classic VIP to a T with a bit of Shakotan thrown in to get you tight in the pants (or wet in the pants for you female readers). Rodrigo’s Aristo rolls hard on a set of custom coilovers so he can drive it like he parks it. No traditional air-ride here. However, this Aristo takes it a step further with a plethora of adjustable suspension pieces that would make any suspension-geek blush. Up front there’s T-Demand upper arms, shot-knuckles, and center adjusters. Out back is a set of T-Demand upper arms, Nagisa Auto lower arms, Silk Road tension arms and toe arms. This is complete suspension tuning and what a lot of people overlook when building a “VIP” themed car.
All of that fine tuning leads to that trademark, VIP stance; nice and flush up front, and a perfect amount of tuck out back. The SSR Koenigs are sized up at 18×10 up front and 18×11 out back, and combined with the -9 and -13 degrees of camber, tuck up nicely under the arches. The stance and fitment are just on point and are definitely a big part of what make this car stand out, but like I said before this VIP car is a lot more than just coilovers and wheels.
The rest of the exterior isn’t anything crazy or over-the-top, but you still can’t ignore this car. I guess that’s the thing about how Japan does VIP. It’s the subtlety and overall flow of the car that really draw you in. Rodrigo’s Aristo wears body-armor from the typical, big-name VIP producers such as K-Break and Aimgain resulting in a classic look that suits the rest of the car. One feature I really like about the exterior of Rodrigo’s Aristo is the blacked out head-lamps and tail-lamps. This is definitely a hot trend right now over in Japan and I’m definitely digging it. Then, when Rodrigo flips the lights on, the one-off LS600 angel eyes really grab people’s attention. Custom lighting solutions are also something that is big right now over in Japan, and the setups like Rodrigo’s are just amazing.
Rodrigo’s Aristo definitely does a great job of representing the VIP scene over in Japan. Like I said earlier, it’s good to take a look at what’s going on back in the home-land, and see see what’s trending over there. Eventually, those trends and styling cues will end up on VIP builds here in the US. That’s not saying we don’t have our own style here the US. We definitely have a lot of resources to pull from which I think is great. Still, this Aristo is just another example of why Japan still holds the VIP crown. With more work planned on this beauty, definitely expect us to keep in touch with Rodrigo and share the new look. It’s sure to be as killer as this one.
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[toggle_item title=”Wheels/Tires/Suspension” active=”true”]wheel ssr koenig 18×10 18×11,5
tires front ATRsport 215/35 rear tires pirelli 255/35
front camber -9
rear camber -13
front arms
T-demand upper arm
T-demand shot knucle
T-demand center ajuster
rear arms
T-demand upper arm
nagisa auto lower arm
silkroad tension arm
silkroad toe arm[/toggle_item]
[toggle_item title=”Exterior” active=”false”]front bumper k-break platinium
grill k-break platinium
side step aimgain
rear k-break
fog lamp lexus
door miller benz type[/toggle_item]
[toggle_item title=”Engine” active=”false”]one off muffler 2cm up and center pipe zxspeed 2cm up
one off headlight replic LS600 angel eyes[/toggle_item]
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