Written by Dave Pankew | Photos By: Clearstar Media Group
There is something to be said for dedication to the auto tuning game. Despite any setbacks, challenges and other things life throws at you, the OG-tuner behind this super VIP Lexus is still going hard after 25 years in the custom car scene.
Mark Yuen has truly seen it all and surpassed the quarter century mark as a car enthusiast and appears to be only warming up. His first car was a 1964 Pontiac GTO, so he is old enough to appreciate the classics and doesn’t think the car customization craze started with ‘bubbleback’ Civics. As he matured, he moved from the
pocket-rocket tuner cars to more upscale luxury cars. His current rides include an Infiniti M45 and this GS300. Now that the GS is complete, he plans to add a Lexus LS460 to the fleet and roll like Obama wherever he goes.
Yuen’s Lexus started out simple enough by staying mostly factory with a handful of upgrades, but once he started, he just couldn’t turn back. Under the lid, the V8 received a little attention in the form of an HKS Suction intake kit and an Aimgain dual exhaust straight outta Japan. The result isn’t much more than factory, but the GS is quick out of the box anyway.
The attention turned to the exterior of the car where several upgrades from Japan set this GS apart from the crowd. A Job Design kit was sourced from Japan for unique looks and exacting fitment. The Job Design kit features a front bumper, rear bumper and side sills to make the car appear even lower. Up front is an Admiration carbon fiber front grille and other accents include a Junction Produce hood spoiler and roof spoiler. INGs of Japan supplied the rear trunk spoiler, carbon fiber pillars, grilles and lower trim. Finally, the lighting was addressed with a set of puddle lights, JDM mirror LEDs, LED tails and 8000K fogs.
Since the GS is a big car, it will take all of the help it can get in the footwork area. The wheels and tires were ditched in favor of a set of staggered 20-inch Advanti TrafficStar wheels wrapped in Vredestein Sessantas. The right stance was achieved with using JIC Magic FLT-FAS coilovers dumped to perfection. The roll was eliminated with F-Sport anti-sway bars and the brakes were upgraded with some F-Sport stoppers right from the dealer catalog.
Inside, the GS dash was overlaid with a full carbon fiber dash panel including CF handle pods and matching ashtray. The console was refinished in piano black along with matching switch plates. An F-Sport suede shift knob was added to the equation and custom suede door inserts with “F-Sport” embroidery compliments the look. The focus shifted to the audio and multimedia install that would take all of Yuen’s the time and attention.
Since the GS was equipped with the award-winning Mark Levinson sound system, it would be tough to top. The Mark Levinson headunit remains and has been integrated with a JBL MS-8 digital processor with a 31-band equalizer and Logic7 surround processing! Up front are the Infinity KAPPA Perfect 6.1 components with a matching set in the rear doors complete with crossovers. The quartet of components is driven with an Infinity Kappa Four amp mounted in the trunk. The lows are belted out using an Infinity Kappa One amplifier driving a pair of front-facing Infinity Kappa 10-inch subs. The trunk area is now an elaborate enclosure featuring Plexiglas and carbon fiber materials. The system is linked up thanks to Mobile Spec including a front fuse holder and distribution blocks in addition to the power wire and capacitors.
With the best of all worlds, Yuen describes his car as show and go. With a new Lexus LS460 on the way and long-term plans for a GT-R, we are not sure about the fate of this GS. But at the same time, Yuen accomplished what he set out to do, build a VIP cruiser that would look at home on the streets of Japan or here in the USA.
ESSENTIALS
Owner: Mark Yuen
Location: McLean, VA
Vehicle: 2006 Lexus GS460
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
HKS Suction Intake
EXHAUST
Aimgain dual exhaust
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
TrafficStar Wheels
Vredestein Sessanta Tires
F-Sport Big Brakes
SUSPENSION
JIC Magic FLT-FAS Coilovers
F-Sport Sway Bars
Crown Upper Strut Bar
EXTERIOR
Job Design Aero Kit
Admiration carbon front grill
Junction Produce bonnet spoiler
Junction Produce roof spoiler
Ings trunk spoiler
Carbon fiber pillars, lower trim, grill and bumper trim
LED puddle lights
JSpec LED mirror winkers
LED tailights
HID 8000k foglights
Blue Pearl over Glacier Frost Mica
AUDIO & MULTIMEDIA
Mark Levinson Processors
JBL MS-8 digital processor w/31 band equalizer
Infiniti Kappa Crossovers:
Infinity KAPPA PERFECT 6.1 components front
Infinity KAPPA PERFECT 6.1 components rear
Infinity KAPPA FOUR component amp
Infinity KAPPA One sub amp
Infinity KAPPA 10-inch subs x2
Mobile Spec Fuse Holder, Power Wires, Distribution Blocks and Capacitor
SHOUT-OUTS
Vredestein Tires
Infinity / JBL
Mackin Industries
ClearStar Media Group
Intercity Concepts
Mobile Spec
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