Japan Trip / Rides 2

Second half of my ride-specific pics. 

Oh look, the perfect car for everything, aka RS4 Avant. 

S class rocking a full Lorinser kit!

Japan has some strange cars, but never would have expected a modded XKR! Looks like it would have come straight out of a catalog from the late 90's.

Tokyo is definitely the place to be for some perfect condition Euro classics!

This 901 seems more fitting going to a meet at Venice Beach than cruising Tokyo, but it works there too!

Admiring the beautiful bikes in this city when suddenly a wild Dodge Ram van appears!

American cars are far from popular in Japan, but whenever you spot one, it's always an interesting model. 

Something timelessly classic about the Toyota Century. 

Shy little guy

I think I'm in love...

And on the very last night, near our place, I finally ran into a proper R34 GT-R, though I spotted some interesting mods. It has some aggressive venting on the passenger side of the bumper but not the other side. But then it's also rocking Endless calipers and what appears to be BBS RE-MG wheels (!!!), so who am I to judge? 

London / Holland Park Pt 2

Oh hey there. 

While roaming around Holland Park, we found Kyoto Garden, a zen garden complete with Koi fish and water falls. 

Animals here can get pretty nosy. 

Peacocks...   they're basically turkeys dressed in drag. As I've often seen in gardens, these guys were just roaming about where ever they pleased. 

The weather and surroundings offered a great opportunity for some folks to do a photo shoot. 

Even Michelle got in on the action. #selfie

After leaving the park, we started heading towards a nearby museum. On the way, we spotted a fewer rare cars including a Spec V. 

And a real Exige S, though the wing and front splitter don't match. Owner likely added the newer wing to an older model; looks good!

Astons are almost a daily sighting here, not that I think I'll ever get tired of their looks.  

Car Spotlight / Ben Sopra GTR

Let's be honest, as much as the internet loves to rave about the Ben Sopra kit, credit card and air saw in hand, not many would actually bite the bullet and go through the irreversible transformation. Speaking from experience, the car actually became less fun to drive, for all the reasons any car with an expensive aero kit would have. Being lower, wider, and having a brittle and long front lip is just part of the cost of the Sopra life (not to mention loss of a trunk, thanks to it's oversized wing). But, when you actually take a moment to stand back and really look at the shape of it, those changes really shape the body into sculpture of speed. It may not be as livable as the stock car or as functional as a Sumo Power GTR, but when it comes to giving the R35 the look of speed, the Ben Sopra really has it nailed.