Today we’ll be taking you to Odessa, Ukraine, where you’ll meet Lyonya and his wild Lexus IS Toyota Altezza. We’ve been exchanging emails back and forth for a couple of weeks now, and after a long wait, Lyonya’s photographer Vadim stepped up and hooked us up with some absolutely stunning pictures. This Altezza is one of the last “officially” registered right-hand cars in Ukraine, and just a month after he purchased it at a Japanese auction the government completely banned right-hand cars to be imported into the country. While waiting for it to be shipped to Ukraine, Lyonya started watching Drift Tengoku, Option and Best Motoring videos, which inspired him to make this a daily driven drift car that it is now.
Photos By: Vadim Uriychuk exclusively for StanceNation.com
Back in 2006 when he first purchased it, drifting was still in the very early stages in Ukraine. As the months passed, Lyonya got involved in the underground drifting scene more and more. He tells us that there are currently several awesome drifters in Ukraine but majority of their cars look plain and ugly, which motivated him to do something about his Altezza. This right here is where it stands now. Custom Widebody that added about 8cm’s, Elixir aero Altezza SXE10 body kit, custom hood and APR Front bumper canards were added to the outside for that mean look, and the tail lights were repainted. While the tails may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they definitely separate this Altezza from others.
The suspension was completely redone and the car is now sitting just about an inch off the ground at it’s lowest point. Cusco front and rear bars, along with TRD Rear Subframe brace keep things in place and the rare and aggressive set of SSR Koenig Wheels with that massive lip break necks on daily basis. You’ll have to scroll on the very bottom of the page to see the exact specs, but as far as we know it’s one of the most if not the most aggressive setups on the older IS/Altezzas out there! Stunning fitment aside, there is something else that this car has to offer that got us excited even more! You can find out what that is by clicking the Read More button below.
What you’re looking at is a TODA 2.2 stroker kit with Garret GT2871 mounted onto the standard 3S-GE motor. Lyonya has considered the 2JZ-GTE swap, but at the end chose to go with the more sophisticated 3S-GE, which he is pretty happy with might we add. Make sure you check out the full list of modifications under that mean hood below. We won’t get into details but Lyonya tells us that next year will be epic. Let’s just that Soarer JZZ30 engine is something he is strongly considering on doing as early as this upcoming spring. Sounds to us like we’ll have yet another feature again!
The interior was also completely gutted and redone. It now features a Weld-in Roll Cage, MOMO steering wheel and steering wheel hub and SABELT GT1 seats with the matching SABELT TOP FORMULA 6 seat belts. While Vadim wasn’t able to provide us with any interior pictures, we’ve dug up this older picture of it for you. (*click here for more*)
Lastly, we had to ask Lyonya about some of the future plans for the car. He tells us that they are all mostly smaller things, because most of the work has already been done. The only thing he did say he wanted to change up was the color of the wheels. There is a long cold winter ahead for Ukraine, and we just have a feeling that some new ideas will come to his head on those dark, cold nights. Next year however, he plans to compete in the Ukrainian Drifting Championship, but get this, he says that he is not interested in any titles or awards, strictly to enjoy himself and put smiles on peoples faces.
We’ll wrap this feature up with another great rolling shot captured by the very talented Vadim Uriychuk exclusively for StanceNation! We also want to give a big shout to all our Ukrainian fans as well as everyone over at Dropped! Wherever you are out there in the world, if you think your ride deserves the spotlight on our site, please make sure you shoot us an email! We’ll be waiting.
Photos By: Vadim Uriychuk exclusively for StanceNation.com
Full Spec List:
Chasis
Seats : SABELT GT1
Seat belts : SABELT TOP FORMULA 6
MOMO MOD 07 Steering wheel
MOMO Steering wheel hub
Weld-in Rollcage
Custom widebody
FRONT fender (custom) + 5cm
REAR fender (custom) + 8 cm
Elixir aero Altezza SXE10 bodykit
APR Front bumper canards
Custom plastic hood
Taillight cover
Suspension
Cusco front bar
Cusco rear bfar
TRD Rear Subframe brace
Cusco engine mounts
Apexi N1 Drift Dumper
C-one quick steering knuckle
c-one perfomance bar
Wheels
SSR Koenig Wheels
front 10×18 ET -5
rear 11,5×18 ET -6
225/35-18
255/35-18
Clutch
Ogura Racing Clutch
Ogura Lightweight fly wheel
Custom short shifter
Cusco 1,5-Way LSD
Engine
Apexi POWER FC
Greddy oil temp sensor
Greddy oil pres sensor
Greddy water temp sensor
Greddy boost sensor
Greddy EGT sensor
Custom Throttle
Greddy Oil Pan
HKS SQV BOV
Greddy Intake Manifold
Garrett GT2871R
Greddy manifold
Custom Turbo Coating
TRD Timing Belt
NGK Iridium 9 Race Spark Plugs
TRD Oil Cap
TODA Racing 3S-GE 2.2(Строкер) Engine:
TODA Racing Pulley Kit
TODA High Power profile CAMSHAFT 290 IN
TODA High Power profile CAMSHAFT 295 Ex
TODA Free Adjusting Cam Pulley
TODA UP rated valve Springs
TODA 2200 Low Comp Forged Piston Kit for turbo
TODA High Stopper 0,5 mm Metal Head Gasket
SARD 540cc
SARD fuel pump
SARD fuel rail
Aeromotive fuel regulator