Pictures by: Mike Alonso | Article by: Jason Siu
Courtesy of: ImportSpeed-South.com

Well look what we have here. While everyone makes their usual rounds around car shows, we spot the normal sport compact vehicles, which most of our market entails. Our scene has been hyped up more and more, especially with the introduction of the Fast & Furious series to set the norm with sport compact cars within the scene. With this in mind, every time we run across something that makes our eyes glitch twice we force ourselves to consider it twice for a feature. However, Lawrence 's '01 Highlander only required a blip on our radar brain to pull it aside for some digital photos.

Starting on the outside, this is definitely not a Highlander we see everyday. Representing Team FLuX, Lawrence started off with a custom carbon fiber hood and a TRD spoiler and running boards. Up front are Molly Designs Eyelids and a Molly Designs front grille to accent the natural lines. The entire car was splashed with House of Kolors custom Solar Gold paint to give the Highlander a bright new hue. Last accents to send more attraction to the vehicle at night shows include a full Street Glow underbody lighting kit, strobes in the headlights and the calipers painted a nice clean red.

Now with any show vehicle, there has to be some sort of mods under the hood. Lawrence had to go with some customization here, as the market doesn't offer much for the Highlander. A custom short-ram intake was built for the engine, while an APEX'i N1 muffler shoots out the rear through custom full piping. For show points, parts of the engine were chromed, while others were match painted red.

Now with plenty of room to play with in the interior, stepping foot and sitting down in this Highlander is a totally new experience. The interior was custom 2-toned with leather and carbon fiber inserts, done by none other than Kreative. The panels were matched to the Solar Gold exterior hue, while Street Glow equips the car with neon bars and strobes. Turn the key, start the electronics, and become overwhelmed with entertainment. A custom trunk was done by Creative Audio, housing 4 15" Kicker Solo Barics L7's. 2 Autotek 1500-watt amps power the subs while a Rockford Fosgate amp powers the highs and mids. 2 blue top Optima batteries keep the car charged, while 4 lightning capacitors and 2 voltage meters keep all the electronics in check. Not custom enough? Check this out - a Technic 1200 turntable with Ortofon needle readily available for custom spinning. Seven TV's provide the entertainment throughout the vehicle - Alpine IVA 801 motorized head unit, 2 in the 5 inch visors, and 2 6.8 inch ICON in the headrests and 2 13" Nesa pop down TV's. 2 Video Amps make sure everything is crystal clear, and last but not least, a Sony PS2 video game system is available to play. Oh wait, forgot to mention the camera that shows the whole system.

On the exterior nothing but 20's support the vehicle that's already custom fitted on Air Struts. A switch box equipped with 9 switches and two 3-gallon tanks gives the ride the Highlander needs to compete in shows. The wheels are 9.5 inch wide all around, and are 3-piece Intro-Forged wheels wrapped with Yokohama AVS Sport tires - 245/40/20 variety.

Lawrence would like to send a special shout out to IntroForged rims, Meguiars, K&N, Kool Kustoms paint shop, Kreative Auto Interior, and Creative Audio in helping build his ultimate ride - one that separates himself from the rest of the competition rather well.

SPECS

Exterior:

• House Of Colors Custom Solar Gold Paint
• Custom Made Carbon Fiber Hood
• Trd Spoiler And Running Boars
• Calipers Painted Red
• Full Street Glow Underbody Lighting And Strobes In Headlights
• Molly Designs Eyelids
• Molly Designs Front Grille

Engine:

• Custom Made Short-Ram Intake
• Blue Top Optima Battery
• Parts Of Engine Chromed And Other Parts Painted Red
• A-Pexi N-1 Muffler With Full Piping

Sound/Video:

• Custom Trunk Done By Creative Audio
• 4 15-Inch Kicker Solo Barics L7
• 2 1500-Watt Autotek Amplifiers
• Focal Highs And Mids
• Rockford Fosgate Amplifier For The Highs And Mids
• 2 Blue Top Optima Batteries
• 4 Lightning Capacitors
• 2 Voltage Meters
• Technic 1200 Turntable With Ortofon Needle
• 7 Tv's : Alpine Iva 801 Motorized Headunit , 2 5 Inch Visor , 2 6.8 Inch Icon Headrest And 2 13-Inch Nesa Pop Down
• 2 Video Amps
• Sony Playstation 2 Video Game System
• Camera (Shows The System)

Interior:

• 2-Toned Interior, Leather And Carbon Fiber Inserts Done By Kreative
• Panels Color Matched Solar Gold
• Street Blow Bars And Strobes

Wheels And Tires:

• 20x9.5 Inch Custom Made 3-Piece Intro-Forged Rims ( 2 Inch Lip)
• Yokohama Avs Sport Tires ; 245-40-20

Suspension:

• Custom Fitted Air Strutts ( Air Suspension ): Switch Box With 9 Switches, 2 3 Gallon Chrome Tanks Custom Mounted In Trunk, 2 200 Psi Compressors.

Sponsors (Special Thanks To):

• Introforged Rims, Meguires, K&N, Kool Kustoms Paint Shop, Kreative Auto Interior And Creative Audio.

Trophies Won:

• 4 Times Best Ice (In- Car Entertainment) At Import Revolution, Hot Import Nights And Hot Import Daze
• 3 Times Best Suv At Import Showoff, Import Revolution And Hot Import Daze
• 1 3rd Place Best Car Of The 2000 Era At The Triple A Show
• 1 Best Import Suv At Import Revolution
• 1 3rd Place 4 Door Mild At Hot Import Daze
• 1 2nd Place Suv At Extreme Autofest.
• 1 2nd Place Sound Presentaion At Import Revolution

Future Plans:

• Jdm Wild Sports Body Kit Coming Soon
• Jdm Wild Sports Body Kit Consists Of: Jdm Front Grille, Jdm Side Skirts, Jdm Front Lip And Jdm Back Lip
• Some Sort Of Engine Work, Either Supercharged Or Nos Or Both
• Full Interior
• More Tvs