Autoblog

Lexus is really getting into this whole SEMA thing. Besides the IS F, plenty of which we'll be showing you shortly, there was this slick GS 460 done up by long-time Toyota collaborator Five Axis. The Project GS is Troy Sumitomo's follow-up to last year's sweet IS F. It features a Five Axis widebody conversion slathered in PPG custom formulated Satin Titanium Pearl paint with onyx and papaya accents, a custom fabricated exhaust with dual finishers by Five Axis, Five:AD ONYX 20-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan concept tires, sport shocks, performance lowering springs and a high-performance Big Brake Kit. While the front fascia is a bit too Mazda concept-ish, the overall look is slick and stealth. Matte finishes are probably just at the end of their useful lifespan, but these guys do it right. Hit the jump for official details from Lexus and check out the gallery for more live shots in hi-res.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Brad Wood/Weblogs, Inc.

Toyota gave a sneak peak of its two tuned Venzas ahead of their unveiling at SEMA, and the first, designed and executed by Five Axis, is an attempt to portrait the jacked-up wagon as the go-to vehicle for active lifestyle types.

The Venza AS V (Active Sports Versatility) features a custom body kit, Five Axis-designed AD R6:F_SPEC 20x10.5-inch deep dish wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan ST tires (305/45s all around), TRD big brakes with six-piston calipers gripping 15-inch discs up front and four-piston calipers clamping 13.6-inch rotors in the rear, along with a custom rear cargo unit and a Magna Car Top cargo lifter mounted on the rear bumper.

All the details are in the press release below the fold and expect more live images to follow in a few weeks.

[Source: Toyota | Image: Jalopnik]

Lexus is gearing up for a big showing at SEMA. In addition to bringing four tuned IS Fs, including one from our friends at 0-60 magazine and another from Fox Marketing/Artisan Performance, long-time Toyota collaborator, Five Axis, will be debuting a heavily reworked GS 460 in Vegas.

Also on hand will be IS Fs from Import Tuner/Tein and MotorworldHype, along with an ICON-designed LX 570 sporting serious off-road upgrades, an IS 350 kitted out with F-Sport accessories and a prototype body kit, plus the 2009 IS F with a handful of upgrades and a new interior color. Hit the jump for all the details.

When you think about the Toyota Venza, we doubt the first thing that comes to mind is customization. But that hasn't stopped Toyota from tapping Street Image, Inc. and long-time partner Five Axis to create a duo of Venza project cars for November's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The two low-slung crossovers (don't call them wagons) attempt to highlight and accentuate the active lifestyles of the Venza's core demographic, beginning with the Street Image variant (above) that boasts an upgraded engine and brakes, massive rollers, a lowered ride height, body kit, a black/burgundy interior and a sat-nav-equipped entertainment system. Toyota says the Street Image SportLux version attempts "to give the occupants the feel of a refined sports car while retaining the Venza's utility and functionality." We say, good luck.

Five Axis makes a slightly more compelling case for customizing the Venza with a stow-away rack system created by Magna Car Top Systems that can transport everything from bicycles to skis. New front and rear bumpers, wider fenders and pot-hole averse 20x10.5-inch wheels round out the exterior mods on the Venza AS V.

We'll be checking out both models in Vegas in a few weeks, but check the gallery below now for a preview.


[Source: Toyota Open Road Blog]

***UPDATE: Video link added***

Click image above for high-res gallery of festival pics

When a friend mentioned that he was heading out to El Toro Marine Base for a day of tuner fun courtesy of GReddy, we decided to tag along and check it out for ourselves. The 2008 GReddy Garage Sale and Performance Festival ended up being a pretty fun event, one of countless such organized automotive activities going on around the country on any given weekend. Seeing as how this particular day of fun was sponsored by GReddy, we were eager to see if we could spot our beloved Five Axis Yaris Club, which featured several GReddy goodies, but alas, it was nowhere to be found. We did see a bunch of GReddy-tuned goodness though, including a couple of Z-cars like the one above that were sporting that trick new VQ35HR twin-turbo system we spotlighted at SEMA last year. If you look closely at our gallery, you'll also spot a different Yaris that tackled the autocross with aplomb. Well, maybe that's a stretch. It certainly leaned a lot less than we expected through the cones.

Check out the gallery to see for yourself. While you're there you'll also see examples of cars participating in other activities, like the Drift 101 demo with a pair of tire-melting Silvias, the Groovy Drift RC demo that rivaled the action on the full-scale tracks, and the huge car club meet with dozens of S2000s, Z-cars, Civic Sis, Evos, STis, RXes, and the like snaking down the old runways for what felt like miles. Besides those sign-then-drive activities there were vendors, a huge free raffle and a big garage sale of GReddy parts with on-site installations and tuning available. Very cool. Best of all, the event was free to all. Without further ado, here are the pics.

***Follow this link for video from the GReddy event by Duane Steiner over at SpeedAndMotion.com.***

Click image to see the Five Axis Scion xD Toy Crane in action

Those of you who attend your local auto show every year know that the Scion booth is always loaded with free swag for showgoers. This year, in addition to the free goodies at the desk (knit beanies, a DJ mix CD), we noticed a line of hacks behind what looks like an xD tuned by Five Axis. A closer look reveals why people are lining up: that's no regular xD, it's a toy crane! The car is literally filled with plush tC, xD, and xB replicas. Best of all, it's free and the claw is modified so that you have to be profoundly untalented to not come out a winner every time. Check out the gallery below to see how free toys happen over at the Scion booth. The photos run in order, so start with number 1 and click through.

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the FiveAxis Lexus IS-F

We've berated the styling of the Lexus IS-F at length, but throw the Southern California team over at FiveAxis into the mix and we're ready to drive it out the front doors of the LA Auto Show. The combination of a custom six-inch wide body kit, Satin Black Pearl Paint and Satin Bronze accents make this IS-F a sports sedan we'd be happy to roll in. The installation of FiveAxis' own custom 20-inch wheels (20x8.5 in front and 20x10.5 out back), swathed in the same bronze hue as the ducting, diffusers and exhausts, ties everything together, and the lowered ride height provided by the Tein adjustable coilovers brings it all down to earth, literally.

Performance is aided by a custom exhaust system and what FiveAxis is calling a "Stage 2" engine package. What that means is beyond us, but we're sure it's got potential. Slowing those undefined extra horses is a set of Brembos at all four corners: 380 mm discs with six-piston calipers up front and 345 mm plates grabbed by two-piston calipers in the rear.

Wheels are like shoes for your car (deep, huh?), as they come in a wide variety of colors and styles, plus they are easy to change dependent on your tastes and budget. Unfortunately not every wheel company seems to produce original designs and even if they do it doesn't mean they're pretty. That is where Five Axis fits in. Riding on the success of their Scion concept vehicles, the design house known for its coachbuilt concepts has just unveiled its new line of wheels dubbed Five:AD at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The light weight aluminum alloy wheels were displayed on the Five Axis Toyota Yaris Club, Lexus IS-F and Scion xB concept vehicles. The complete wheel lineup consists of five designs available in multiple finishes that are all as unique as this company's corporate-sponsored fantasy cars. The sizes range from 17- to 20-inches and feature bolt patterns available for almost any application. See the complete press release after the jump.

[Source: Five Axis, Wheel Supply Systems]

click above image to view more high-res pics of the Yaris Club

Is it possible to get excited about a Yaris? In short, no. But throw Five Axis into the game – one of the country's premier customizers – and you'll come away with a new found respect for the pensioner's penalty box. The crew at Five Axis decided to take Toyota's staid means of moribund transport and convert it into a track day tramp, which Toyota claims plays homage to its participation in the Group 7 Can-Am series of the '60s.

The Yaris Club loses its roof and any other means of civilian transport, only making due with a stripped out interior, a racing bucket, a few gauges and chopped windshield. Five Axis fabbed up the hard top tonneau conversion, added JDM front and rear Vitz bumpers, taillights, foglamps and then finished it all in Ivory White Paint.

Under the hood – where it counts – the stock 1.5-liter inline four takes deep breaths through a TRD/TTE Supercharger and cold air intake, bringing output up from 106 hp to 166 HP. A DC sports header takes care of spent exhaust gases and a Greddy TIC exhaust expels it out the back. 17-inch wheels are fitted fore and aft, wrapped in custom Five Axis Yokoyamas sized 255/45R17. The suspension has been retrofitted with Tein Super Street Dampers and a TRD strut brace, while slowing the flyweight are Greddy six-piston brakes sized 282mm all around.

You can glean all the deets after the jump and check out our gallery of images below.

CNet's Alpha blog pointed us in the direction of this interesting video, describing the design and development of Scion's FUSE concept car unveiled last week in New York. The video, titled "Scion FUSE: An Evolution" was produced by UrbanRacer.com, and debuted on their site last week.

The 18-minute video follows the evolution of the FUSE from the design phase at Calty Design Research (Toyota's Newport Beach, California design studio) on through to its fabrication by SEMA-favorite custom car developers Five Axis Models.

[Sources: CNET; UrbanRacer.com]