I have been a big fan of VRS aero for a long time. They have been making quality carbon fiber and FRP products for all the highly sought after Japanese machines like the GTR, EVO and STI under the VARIS name.
With focus on lightweight, and stregnth with full functionality, they stir up full down force yielding creations that end up on race cars.
One such creation that we all love here is the StudieGlad R@cing Z4. Varis laid the front hood, rear diffuser and Wing for this Super GT, GT300 Class pure race machine.
They have taken this healthy dose of creativity to the new M3.
WSTO made its journey across the Pacific in mid January to meet with our partners in Japan. We had the opportunity to share views on modding, products and the philosophy behind tuning with them. What started out as a business trip, quickly became a constant state of awe and disbelief. Why? It is because I got the chance to see the best of BMW tuning in Japan in real life. Cars, tuned to the very extent of my imagination or beyond, tuning parts that i hadn't even heard of and most of all to get a glimpse of the thought process and brilliance of some of these tuners was simply overwhelming.
I can't even begin to share all of my experiences but I will do my best to share some of joy that i got through pictures with our fellow enthusiasts, here in the US.
We will spotlight three shops; Dort, Bond (Larger Corporation) and finally Studie (Tokyo & Yokohama).
This is the first spotlight: Dort
Located in the depths of Nagoya, Dort is a tuning shop for BMW and other fine European Marque that boasts 20 years of experience. Dort is responsible for many creations that grace the covers of many famous Japanese magazines, such as Special Cars and af imp.
The entire shop is wrapped with colors of the German Flag. A tribute to the origin of fine cars that Dort works on and i am sure a reflection of the character and boldness of the man behind the greatness of Dort, Yoshida-san. A distinguishing feature of Dort and of Yoshida-san is that he does not just sell products that customers ask for, but believes in the process of sharing his unique philosophy, knowledge and experience in tuning cars with his customers. He believes that this is the only way that the customers can truly realize the unique car that they are dreaming of. This is the motto of Dort.
Customers without knowledge of products or about modding, can step in to Dort and work with Yoshida-san, knowing that they are in good hands.
Although, Dort works on all makes and models of the European breed, majority of their customers are BMW owners. They carry all major performance products, such as BBS, Neez, Gruppe M, 3D Design, Volk, Advan, Arqray, Eisenmann, Akrapovic, Bilstein, Brembo, and many more.
Walking into the shop, I came in direct contact with a wall of Neez, volk and Japan only BBS wheels. I was in awe and could not keep my eyes off of them. As I turned, I could see a whole room filled with some of the products that we have only heard of in the US (or even that), such as ARC bracing, PIAA Japan LED and HID solutions, 3D Design coilovers (made by Ohlins), Belloff lighting, and many more
Like all respectable shops, they do not carry replicas and will insist, whenever they can on “Japan Only Product”. In Japan, replicas are frowned upon (deservingly) and if you do carry them, you cannot consider yourself to be amongst the ranks of true tuners. I truly believe that this is the way it should be in the US and any other part of the world for that matter.
By the way, Yoshida-san is friends with the living legend Michael Schumacher himself. The Race suit was presented to Yoshida-san after a race in person (don’t think it got washed).
Like many shops in japan, Dort is a full tuning shop with the ability to do anything from interior audio to performance, wheels and exterior.
On the lifts were a Phoenix Yellow E46 M3 and R56 Cooper S when we visited the shop with many other cars in the back lot.
We also got to see their stable of demo cars. First, is the brand new Mercedes Benz W204 C Class with Brabus conversion.
Of course one thing that caught my attention is Yoshid san’s E90 M3. This car was on the cover of the Rays Strahlen TE advertisement, as well as featured in af imp. Currently, on the outside, it wears a 3D Design front lip, 3D rear diffuser, 3D trunk lip spoiler, as well as hood vent accent by AC SChnitzer, CF front grille and an additional rear wing by Arqray (Might I say… didn’t think that would have turned out as nice as it did…). Custom pinstriping gives it a signature “Dort” appeal.
The car rides on Bilstein coilovers and 19” RE-V with Pirelli P-Zero rubber. Stopping power is via custom Brembo 6 piston front and 4-piston rears. (Notice the tinted side markers? That is 3M Tint vinyl, which is gaining popularity in Japan. Even on taillights).
On the performance end, Dort has managed to gain a healthy dose of HP with pulleys, GruppeM intake and the Akrapovic Evolution system.
The true pride and joy of Yoshida San is his Mini Cooper S (R53). According to Yoshida-san, the MINI is more fun to drive and from what I hear about the kind of investment that he made on it, it better be. This is the case where nothing was held back in modifying the car.
I don’t know where to begin on exterior mods. Wide fender flares, air inlet scoop with custom paint, taillights and a huge CF wing by Arqray, makes it not only unique but a true show piece.
It may look like a show piece but it sounds and drives like a race car. Engine mods range from Alta intercooler, Gruppe M intake, plasma direct ignition, Plasma ground, boosted supercharger, new engine mounts dampers and much more. Arqray exhaust with Black out tips add to the overall Red and Black theme.
It was sad to leave Dort and bid farewell to Yoshida-san. I had a great time at Dort. It was a learning experience on the Japanese culture of tuning and modding cars. There is definitely more to car modding than just trends and looks here. The culture is deep with strong foundations based on quality, performance and individuality.
Hope you all enjoyed the feature and stay tuned for more from WSTO.
For more pictures, please check out our Flickr Set on Dort
For more information, please feel free to contact WSTO.
These are obviously exciting times for the fans of quality wheels by Yokohama Original Designs.
At Tokyo Auto Salon 2010, they debuted a couple of new designs and all i can say is "WOW"
The RZ-DF
This is (to my knowledge) the first forged wheels from the Advan line.
And the exciting thing is that they do have offerings for BMW and other Euro Applications.
RZ-DF has Eruopean specs for Porsche, BMW, Audi, VW and Mercedes Benz.
And of course, it covers all the 5-114.3 bolt patterns.
Colors offered are:
- Machining & Platinum Silver
- Machining & Platinum Black
- Matte Black (shown Above)
Porsche GT3 RS with RZ-DF in Matte Black
The RG-D was another stunner from Advan
The RG-D (much like the RS-D) is a derivative of the RGII wheels, with a deep face.
This wheel, unlike the RZ-DF is not forged and is made from their Flow Form Casting process.
That does not mean that it is any weaker. Infact, the same kind of manufacturing technology is used to manufacture the Advan RS 17 - 9.0 wheels for the WTCC Scuderia Proteam from Italy.
The RG-D is only offerd for the Japan domestic cars with mostly 5-114.3 bolt pattern. Although, As a MINI owner, I am excited to see that they do have the 17 - 7.0 et42 in 4-100 bolt pattern.
Here is a fine specimen with the RG-D wheels
You are welcome to contact us for more information on the above fine products!
T | 312.730.7767
E | info@wheelsto.com
I have totally been slacking and not posting on all the good stuff that we have been up to. We have tons of new products, new photshoots and shop tours.
Today, I thought I'd give everyone the tour of the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Just last month, Johan made the trip to Tokyo. (Alone... :() He had lots of fun had had lots more to share with us.
Here are some pics for you all to enjoy!
Of course, we will start with a little something from our friends at 3D Design Japan.
we will have more later on this amazing E89 Z4.
checkshop E60
Bond Shop E92 M3 with G-Power supercharger and Awksher lip and wheels (more of this to come later again!)
the TPChecker M3 Drift machine
new offering from Toyota/suby??
What the TAS in abundance of was the GTR - R32 / R33 / R34 / R35...
Some Vintage JDM Flare~~
Rocking SSR MS1 with Brushed lip
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