My initial thought was to pass over it without mention, but the more I think about it, it’s quite surprising that the ES 350 has absolutely no body kits.

Why is that?

I think the major reason has to be that the ES 350 is no longer available in Japan, where most Lexus kits come from. The previous ES models were available there (as the Toyota Windom), but was discontinued with the ES 350’s release in 2007. Now the ES is sold only in North America, the Middle East, Korea and Taiwan.

Also, it stands to reason that most people who would consider a body kit in the first place would gravitate to the sportier models in the Lexus lineup, like the IS or GS. It can’t be denied, the ES 350 is a family car through and through, with an emphasis on comfort rather than performance or sportiness.

Still, there are a couple personalization options, available direct from Lexus, who offer a rear spoiler (which needs to be bolted on, and is therefore permanent) and side-body moldings:

The next part of my Lexus Body Kit Series is up, this time for the SC 430.

For a car closing in on seven years of production, and a purported sports coupe at that, there’s surprisingly few body kits to choose from, and the kits that are available are low in options, with most consisting of a front spoiler, side step and rear spoiler.

With that said, there are some rather nice kits out there, I was particularly impressed with the T’s Project version:

Wald International has just released their IS 250/350/220d body kit, and it’s a marked improvement over the photoshop mockups:

The sports fender ducts are still in development, and will hopefully stay that way. As it stands, the kit consists of a front spoiler, side step, a rear skirt and a trunk lid spoiler. The front spoiler and trunk lid spoiler are fairly typical, but the site-step and rear skirt are umm…unique:

I have no idea why the cars are wet, which strikes me as rather strange. No word on North American availability, but cost is listed at the Wald International website (in Yen).

The second part of my Lexus Body Kit Series has been posted, this time with the RX 330/350/400h.

There are some very interesting body kits for the RX, and most have the strange characteristic of making the vehicle look much smaller and car-like. I had to admit some surprise that Toyota themselves are in the game, with their Advanced and Impressive body kits.

My favorite has to be the Wald International Executive:

The vehicle barely resembles the base model, and I have a particular fondness for the replacement grille.

I was disappointed in the image quality that I found. Why these body kit manufacturers don’t have print-quality graphics, I’ll never know. I’m in contact with the manufacturers, and will be working to replace the smaller images.

I spent some time today on TOM’S, Toyota’s authorized tuning shop, taking a look at their various Lexus body kits and modifications. Their new tuned LS 460 is a beauty, matching the exteriors of the Fabulous and Wald offerings in subtlety, but also adding an extensive range of very real performance modifications.

Here’s a list of the available mods:

• Custom Exhaust System that fits with their rear bumper spoiler.
• Super RAM 2 Air Cleaner, that improves air flow all while enhancing dust-collection.
• Performer Brake Pads, that decreases brake dust and increases braking performance.

There’s also more in the pipeline, including a speed limiter overide and a hyper-compressor kit. You can check out more photos of TOM’s Lexus LS46 at their website.

I’ve sent an email to find out about North American availability, I’ll update once I get the details.

My favorite part about the body kits put out for the Lexus LS 460 is how absolutely subtle they are — first was the Wald International’s offering, and now we have the full gear from Fabulous:

The changes are so minute, the only part of the kit that’s immediately obvious is the mini-wing on the back, though the front and rear bumpers have been swapped out.

Totally love the wheels, I’m a big fan of the five spoke design. Still, I have yet to see a rim that looks as good as the one that comes straight from the factory.

Even though I’m a fan of stock rides (with the exception of some nice rims & tints), it’s impossible for me to avoid drooling over Kelvin Tohar’s VIP’d (AutoLuxury) 2000 GS 300:

I’m practically in love with the Junction Produce body kit, but I’m just not feeling the insanely tilted rims, which is due to squeezing 19-inch Scara rims and Falken tires under a severely dropped suspension. It’s part of the look though, and it’s not something that comes cheap:

The VIP style is quite tempting, but Kelvin warns that it isn’t cheap. Even though you can pick up a used GS 300 for around $15,000, the right parts will cost you nearly double that.

You can check out the full article and more photos @ Superstreet Magazine.

While I have strong doubts that Lexus will ever release a RX Wagoneer edition, one 400h owner isn’t about to wait to see. Discovered by Autoblog.it, this one-off wooden body kit was created by Italian tuner firm Castagna Milano for someone very rich and equally eco-obsessed:

Most of the reactions to this unique body modification are decidedly negative, but I’m not sure I share that opinion (I’ve always had a soft spot for the Wagoneer). With the RX model being Lexus’ most ubiquitous, it’s a real challenge to stand out in the crowd, and that’s certainly not going to be a problem here.

Click Read More for some additional shots, including a photo of the fully customized interior.

[Source: Autoblog.it]
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Wald International has been busy this week, releasing a new LS 460 body kit and now this, some behind-the scenes photos of the new IS 250/350 Sports Line body kit development:

Interesting to see the process behind the making of one of these kits, I especially like all the tape protecting the IS paintjob.

To get a better idea of the final product, a digital rendition is featured on their site:

I especially like the rear spoiler, thought it seems derivative of BMW 3-Series. The front bumper is different, but not necessarily better than the original, and I certainly don’t care for the modified fenders or side-skirting, which seem overly complicated and out of place, even on a body kit like this.

[Source: Club Lexus]

Click Read More to see more IS 250/350 production shots.
Read the rest of this entry »

Wald International, a Japanese tuning company, has been one of the premier body kit & modification developers for Lexus since the LS 400. The new LS 460 is their latest subject, which they treated with a very distinctive reverence:

Save for the rims, the USF40 Executive Line body kit is nothing overly flashy, and is a much more subdued look than would be expected. Of course, there’s more to it than that, as this bodykit replaces both bumpers and sideskirts, as well as adding both a roof and trunk spoiler. This package would retail in Japan for approximately ¥270,900 ($2,200USD). Add in the modified brakes and rims shoots the price up substantially to ¥2,395,000 ($19,600USD).

Wald also offers interior mods, including a full wood to carbon fibre conversion kit.

[Via: Nihon Car]