Ken Miura is the man behind TRA-Kyoto, a shop in Japan that designs body kits while using modern CAD design. Their Rocket Bunny kits are most well known for being on the Nissan S chassis but now the 42 year old former kanjo racer has focused his attention on the Scion FR-S. The first things you notice about the Rocket Bunny Scion FR-S is its widebody fenders and the large rear spoiler. Signature Rocket Bunny features like the exposed bolts on the fenders that give the car its raw look and unique style.

The sound of the Invidia Catback Exhaust rumbled and echoed through the empty building we were shooting in. It was a fantastic sound!

The wheels of choice are Rays Gram Lights 57 Extreme f: 18×9.5 r: 18×10.5 in Winning Blue. A great choice since the color combination works well with the car. This FR-S also has a Seibon carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber foglight surroundings and APR carbon fibrer side mirrors.

The aggressive signature Rocket Bunny rear spoiler gives it a low and wide stance.

Thank you to OpenRoad Autogroup for giving us the opportunity to shoot this unique car! Its one thing to see the Rocket Bunny FR-S online but to have a chance to photograph one in our own backyard is truly an experience.

The new F12 Berlinetta has a 6.3L naturally aspirated V12 engine that produces 740hp @ 8250 RPM and 508 lb-ft of torque @ 6000 RPM. This is enough to propel the 3500+lb car to 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds.

The interior of this F12 is a mix of leather and alcantara.

The drivers console features 2 digital displays on either side of the large tachometer.

Want to have your car featured on Artofstance? Got a car that is unique or interesting? Consider these tips before sending in submissions.

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Want to have your car featured on Artofstance? Got a car that is unique or interesting? Consider these tips before sending in submissions.

The focus of the site is primarily car photography.

1. Submit your three best photos
2. Take the time to consider your composition and details
3. Please no wider than 1024 pixels (Don’t kill our email with huge files please!)
4. Don’t put a huge watermark on it. Just let us know who the photographer is and we’ll be sure to make sure they are credited. Make sure you have permission to submit their photos!
5. Write us a brief description about your car!

Email your submission to info@artofstance.com

Follow us on instagram @artofstance

Follow us on Facebook! @artofstance

Follow us on Twitter @artofstance

Submit your best car photos to our Flickr pool! @artofstance

Davids biggest problems with building the car as with many car enthusiasts was the finance. He bought it in his senior years in high school and as a student with a part time job, his budget went to his gas! After saving money for his build with a wish list of parts he wanted to purchase, something went horrifically wrong. During the summer of 2011, David was attending a cruise up to Squamish with a local car club for a BBQ. Things turned for the worst after the fun event on the way back to Vancouver. A turbo coolant hose blew midway on the Sea to Sky highway and David had no idea as the car drove perfectly fine. He looked down at his gauges and noticed the temperature gauge showed quite hot. By the time David let off the throttle, it was too late. The car had stalled out, compression was lost and number 5 and 6 cylinders were scored. The engine was toast and a new motor had to be swapped in. All the money David had saved was spent on rebuilding the car. Today the car has been quite reliable and hasn’t given David any problems at all.

The car is far from completion and David tells us that it may never be “finished” as the possibilities of modifying a car seem limitless. Winter season is coming up and the car has already been stored and new parts are on its way.

Well I’ve been into modifying cars since the late 90′s. I started off with an EG Civic and then a S13 180SX which eventually ended up getting stolen. About 5-6 years ago, I was in the car importing business when the whole GT-R and RHD craze was going on. During this time one of our customers requested import a Y32 Nissan Cima as a VIP platform that was slammed with a Junction Produce body kit and wheels. At the time the whole “bippu” style was all new to me, and to be honest i wasn’t a fan at first until I actually saw it in person. When we first picked it up out of the port, my first reaction was that it looked absolutely gangster. Very japanese mafioso like (which then I later realized is where this styling all began). It was only then I wanted to get one for myself. My only problem was that I still had the bug for a sporty car, so I made a compromise. I ended up getting a widebody first gen Aristo V300. From this moment on, I was all in. Going from ridiculously uncomfortable bucket seats, coilovers and loud exhausts to style, class and comfort and the twin turbo 2JZ didn’t hurt either . After a couple years of the VIP life and getting a bit older, I wanted to take it to the next level and get something a little more updated and a little more subtle. After a couple months of searching I picked up a 2000 GS300.

Justin took his time researching the parts and modifications for his car before pulling the trigger so no problems would arise. However, one mod he should of had done was a front license plate plate bracket before he picked up the car from the body shop. In BC, you can get a ticket for no front plate and unfortunately that’s what happened right before our shoot.

So what’s next for the GS300?

Justin gives us a bit of info about Team Empire VIP club.

So why didn’t John just get a Mazdaspeed 3 instead? He thought about trading the car in for a Speed 3 but getting a custom turbocharged regular 3 felt more special then getting a stock pre-turboed car to John. Cobb tuning wasn’t available back then which made it extremely hard to tune the Speed 3 due to its direct injection engine at the time.

Turbocharging the car didn’t come without its own issues and problems

John enjoyed daily driving the car after turbocharging although he wished his clutch wasn’t so !#@% heavy. So what future plans does John have for his monster hatchback?

Fluids:
Royal Purple 5W30 motor oil
Royal Purple Max Gear 75W90 transmission oil
Motul DOT 5.1 brake fluid

345BHP, 389ft/lb torque

“I came across the car quite by coincidence. Nine months after my last car was totalled by a wayward semi-truck, I stumbled upon the ad for this car and immediately fell in love. But why a 40 year old Japanese sports car in the first place? My dad was a Nissan fanatic ever since I was a kid and like him, I loved cars; my first steps were accompanied by a dinner tray held in my hands as I ‘raced’ around the house. The Z32 300ZX came out at around the same time and I adored it’s beautiful lines and promised myself that I would have one when I was old enough. That time came and went but Z32 ownership never came into fruition. However, the Z’s styling never lost its luster to me so when this came up, I pounced on it.”

“I heard the car long before I saw it and I knew right then and there that this thing is going to be mine. That first drive was insane – the car was absolutely deafening, rock hard, slammed to the pavement, it reeked of gasoline and engine oil, and the shifter was so beyond functional that you could barely shift but nothing could have wiped off that smile on my face. I’ve never driven anything with so much presence and character. The driving experience it produces is so raw and pure. It’s absolutely stunning to every sense.”

 ”I daily drive the car and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cars are meant to be driven and when you have something that makes you smile and giggle like a 6 year old everytime you get into it, you tend to not mind things like piss poor gas mileage. The only issue I’ve had was when the alternator died as I was out on a first date. Breaking down on a hill, in the left lane, in a black car at night in the pouring rain, and having to call your dad out to follow you and jump you every 4 blocks probably explained why I never heard back from her. This is the only car I’ve had that every time I drive it, I smile the same way I did when I first drove it.”

Unfortunately Kenneth has sold the car and we hope that its new owner treats the new car well.

Modifications

Fully restored 1973 Datsun 240Z
L28 from a 280Z with accompanying 5 speed transmission
Engine stroked to 3.1L
Triple 44mm. Mikuni carburetors
MSA headers
MSD ignition
Custom 3″ straight pipe
Hyperco coilovers on Tokico Illumina struts
Suspension Techniques front/rear swaybars
Cusco front/rear strut bars
4 piston front calipers with 280ZX master cylinder, stainless lines, and drilled & slotted rotors
15×9 +0 Rota Shakotans
Nardi Classic wood steering wheel w/ NRG carbon fibre quick-release hub
Recaro SPGs with custom leather upholstery
Carbon fibre front/rear bumpers & BRE spoiler

The 740 turbo was an old car and didn’t live up to his dreams of him owning a Honda, but Vincent took it in stride because in the end, it was free after he got his drivers license. Vincent started to enjoy the car more and after starting some research, he was amazed that there was a community of Volvo owners that love their cars! First impressions of a typical Volvo owner are the older generation but Vincent is one of many that breaks down those stereotypes.

After about two years of driving the wagon, Vincent started to hunt down the legendary 850R and eventually buying one. He was in bliss of his Swedish beauty. Then in 2004, Volvo released the S60R and it was over, Vincent’s mind was blown and he knew he had to get his hands on one. Six years after it was released, Vincent was blessed enough to acquire a S60R at a killer deal.

There was some issues during the build process of his car. The biggest one was the rear bumper kit from Elevate (formerly known as Evolve) which did not fit properly at all on the 2005 models as it was made for the 2004s. It was a huge headache for Vincent as many of the shops he took it too would not do any fitment adjustments. After many tries, he was able to find someone that was willing to take a look at it and came up with the idea to get it to fit. The aftermarket bumper was cut  and left on as a rear add-on to the OEM bumper. The shop did an amazing job and the finish was exactly what Vincent was looking for. BC being a limited market for Volvos, its hard to find professionals that know what they are doing in terms of performance and tuning.

Vincent tells me the Volvo S60R is not the best daily driver with today’s gas prices. Vancouver has some of the highest gas prices in Canada. However Vincent says his S60R is a great sedan with plenty of power for the road. Though as with all cars, it could be faster…

Vincent’s favorite part of the car are his 19×8.5 Vanilla wheels. Its hard to find wheels that look good and even harder to find wheels that fit the Volvo’s bolt pattern. He had to wait a year to put the wheels on due to order and shipment issues. In the end it was all worth it because they look gorgeous! In the future, Vincent is planning a full Stage 2 ECU tune and more carbon fibre parts on the way.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to feature Vincent’s Volvo. It’s something different then what you would normally see in the modified car scene.