I’ve been documenting the Lexus vehicles you all have modified and improved upon for several months now. You put a ton of time, money, and elbow grease into them – and all of that is shown in the finished products.
UK-based forum member PDP180180 brings dedication to a new level, though. It’s one thing to order parts and then have them delivered by cargo plane and ground service. It’s another to have your friends from the United States “mule” them over to you via passenger airliner or bring them with you on a flight.
All that effort appears to have been worth it. Just look at PDP180180‘s car. It’s got an aggressive vented hood, darkened headlight surrounds, front splitters, front fender ducts, aftermarket wheels, and a badass rear diffuser – as well as a liberal application of carbon fiber. The lightweight material even makes an appearance around the interior door switches and on the shift knob and rear center armrest.
Under the hood, the IS F’s might 5.0-liter V8 sits under a strut tower bar and breathes through a header-back exhaust system. (You can hear this international build start up and rev hard in the video below.)
Great work, PDP180180. Please keep up the great work and the updates coming in.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.