SP Rides: It’s All in the Details
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Adrian Herrera
Age: 24
Occupation: Electrician
Hobbies: Chillin’ with the homies, cars
Year/Make/Model: 2002 Lexus SC430
Color: Emerald Green
Exterior: Custom one off front bumper w/ led; Custom vented fenders; Custom vented side skirts; Custom one off rear bumper w/ led, dual exhaust tips
Interior: Two-tone diamond stitched interior; Color-matched engine bay; Rockford speakers
Suspension: BC Coilovers; Aftermarket FUCA; Aftermarket rear lower control arm and toe arm
Wheels: Leon Hardiritt Wheels @ 18×10.5 -63 (front) 225/35/18 and 18×11 -55 (rear) 245/35/18 Nexen N’FERA SU1
Lexus is a brand known for VIP-style cars full of Japanese luxury. Rides such as the GS400, the IS variants and the LS430 are common mainstays in the VIP community here on Oahu. Rarely, though, is the SC430 given any love here — which is exactly why Adrian Herrera chose this 2002 as the platform to roll with.
“It feels like there’s only a top 10 of SC430s out there worldwide. No one really even touches this chassis here,” said Herrera.
He purchased this vehicle — a 2002 Lexus SC430 — to make a statement, claiming he saw potential in a car that’s not regularly done up. Herrera actually purchased this pristine example from Arizona, a move that may seem costly, but ended up being more affordable than a local purchase.
Although this iteration was built in about four months, the car was bagged and running some nice wheels as soon as it was off the boat. After a few months of enjoying the ride, Herrera decided to get serious for Spocom. It must have worked, because he took second place in the VIP category.
One look at this beauty and you’ll know why. The number of kits available for the SC430 are limited, which means that you usually end up with a modified car that looks the same as everyone else. With this in mind, Herrera and his friends took a BMW M4 kit, chopped it up, molded and plastic-welded it to fit. We’re talking about four months of fabrication work. Even the reverse lights and LED fog lights have been custom-molded to fit. The end result is phenomenal and the wide body fender flares change the entire look of the vehicle.
The vehicle rides on BC coilovers, meaning that the fabrication had to be spot on. Since it’s a static setup, it was important to determine how far the wheels would travel among other important details. Airbags would have made it easier, but this is quite an accomplishment. The deep-dish wheels are 18-inch Leon Hardiritts, known as a premiere line of luxury wheels, and are absolutely epic. Wrapped with Nexen N’FERA SU1 225/35ZR18s in the front and 245/35ZR18s in the rear, they stand out big time. A camber kit has been added to handle the alignment issues for such a steep drop on a coilover kit. The engine has been color matched and dual exhaust tips add some flair to the rear of the car.
Still, the exterior is not the only part of this ride that’s been shown considerable love. Since this is a convertible, a lot of attention to detail is provided by the fully customized interior. The handsome leather seats have been hit up with excellent two-tone diamond stitch-work done by Al’s Upholstery. LED lighting has been added to the cabin to highlight his company and Rockford Fosgate speakers smooth out the sounds.
This project is a custom fabrication — not a simple-bolt-on kit. What people don’t usually see are all the time, trial and errors that a custom build like this takes. Until you get behind a welder or a sanding block yourself, it’s hard to fully appreciate the build. And for that reason, the car’s beauty is really in the details.
