The VIP scene in the states here is finally on the move. We don’t want to say that it’s “changing”, but rather “evolving”. Big bodied Lexus’ & Infinitis sedans are nothing new, but days of only rocking fusas and window curtains are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Just like in Japan, nowadays it’s all about custom body work (wide & clean), negative camber (double digits is the new norm) and originality (one off bumpers, lighting & interiors). Not that it’s a competition, but Chris Daniel out of Long Beach, California happens to the first to really push the negative camber to another level. Our photographer Javier Santiago met up with Chris a couple of weeks ago and shot a few awesome photos for us. He tells us that the car was clipping reflectors and scraping away every time Chris changed lanes.
Photos By: Javier Santiago exclusively for StanceNation.com
So just what do we mean when we say “another level” of camber? Up front, Chris is running -10 degrees which is more than most and in the rear he is sitting at about -20 degrees at the moment. What’s also surprising is that as of recent, Chris is sitting on coilovers unlike many other VIP Style cars in the states here. The coilovers are Poweredby MAX VIP’s with 18/14kg spring rates along with poweredby MAX modified (chopped) knuckles. Chris also has STUDIO 1.50 inch/ 35mm Camber Roll Center Adapters, SPC Front Upper Control Arms (notched) & TC Sportline Rear Upper Control Arms (notched mounting points). And that right there is the recipe. Check out his build thread over on our forums.
The shoes on this ride are SSR Vienna Zweel’s. They’re not as aggressive as his last set (Work Equips) only because they allow him to do what he is currently doing with his fitment. Fronts are 19×9 with +5 offset and 215/35/19 tires while the rear is 19×10 with -32 offset and 225/35/19 tires. Surprisingly the car rides pretty smooth for only laying down about 3 to 4 inches of tire on the ground. For those assuming that he goes through tires every week, we’ll just say that it’s all in the toe, not the camber. Behind the beautiful SSR wheels sit a set of LS400 front and rear calipers. Up front Chris is also running R1 Drilled & Slotted rotors. Hit the Read More button for some more photos as well as a short video.
Chris says that his ONLY and MAIN goal for this build is for it to look like it was built in Japan, with any possible reasonable doubt! The exterior features a PPG Silver Star paint with color matched Toyota Sun Visors. It also features pulled and slightly radiused rear fenders as well as custom Phantom Vents made by Platinum VIP. It almost doesn’t seem legit to have a VIP inspired car and not have a Junction Produce product on it, so Chris is rocking a Junction Produce Grill up front as well as their awesome 3 piece spoiler in the rear. Check out this up-close shot of the rear fenders & camber!
He named his car Scarface, and even has Mr. Pacino on the sunroof! Interior does feature Junction Produce Fusa, Neck Pads & Curtains but as we said earlier, VIP has evolved into other things as well.
We’ll leave you with a couple more awesome photo shot by the talented Javier Santiago! Huge shout out to him and expect a lot more in the next few days. Also, we gotta give a huge shout out to Chris for pushing the US VIP scene even further. Last year we told you that we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw fender radiusing & Oni camber make their way to the states here, and look what we have here! We’re sure that there will be many Japanese guys looking through these photos with a smile on their faces.
What’s next for the USA you ask? If you ask us, we are pretty confident that we’ll see more and more cars pushing their camber even further as well as radiusing & custom body work. Perhaps, we may even see a few people get into the vaning & importing of Japanese sedans over! Let’s see what happens..
Here is something for your Tumblr!
He does it for fun, doesn’t care about “functionality” and enjoys hurting your feelings.
Huge shout out to Liberty VIP, Auto Fashion & Platinum VIP for everything!