Finally! The Lexus emblems!!!

and here we go again....the restarting of the "ghetto" comments....lol

While I appreciate your "official diagnosis", my car is not ghetto.

 

Well, when mom bought me the Prius, I knew I would have to mod it to be able to "endure it" after all the luxury/sport rides preceding it. I absolutely HATED the "T" on the car. It looks, to me, like an outline of that blimp MICHELIN MAN character in the Michelin ads. When I began researching all the body kits available, it was immediately apparent to me that it was very common in Japan to have modified Prii with various forms of Lexus emblems. They looked SO much better, and were just what I was looking for, and clearly the direction I had envisioned pursuing for the car. The emblems just seemed perfect for the whole look of the car after the modifications and bodystyle changes resulting from the body kits I was most drawn to. Having the "T" on them would indeed seem less appropriate than the "L". I liked many design cues from various Lexus models, and therefore had them custom-fabricated into the whole designing process of my body kit. Anyway, when sitting next to a "plain" Prius, the emblems on my car seem quite appropriate due to all the Lexus characteristics (and parts) that it bears. I don't consider it ghetto, or "posing" at all. Instead, I think it tastefully honors the Lexus brand.

Also, thanks for your compliments in your post. I have put what seems to be a lifetime of work into this car! lol

 

Thank you for your kind comments!

 

Thanks, man!

 

I first spent months contacting numerous companies to fabricate a custom set of emblems, but real "auto-quality" emblems required a minimum order of 1,000 pieces... Needless to say, I definitely didn't need that! Yikes! I went to companies that made signs and various adhesive/magnetic custom advertising-related items that are put on cars/trucks/vans/motorcycles. They all looked downright cheap. When it was sitting at the body shop for that year, my car looked "bare" without any emblems on it....kinda like a car that has been in a wreck and wasn't completely put back together all the way. So, I knew being "shaved" wasn't quite right. Since using the Lexus badges was so popular in Toyota's homeland, and since I was incorporating design elements and countless actual parts from various Lexus models, it just made sense to use the Lexus emblems (since having custom nameplates wasn't working out as my first choice). I've spent well over $25K on the mods on my car so far, so (just for argument's sake) the car is just as much NOT a Toyota any longer as it IS a Toyota. lol! I know I'll never get anything worthwhile money-wise out of it whenever I decide to sell it (as has always been the case with previous modded cars of mine --- although the dealerships sold them the same day I traded them in...probably for a mint!); however, the intent of the whole process was to keep my mind pre0ccupied from the extreme stress of my current caretaking role, so I guess it was money well spent to preserve my sanity! lol! Although, the whole process got WAY bigger than I initially intended, so I am now starting to be stressed about ever being finished with it!

Thanks for your kind comments everyone! It's a constant work in progress, as most of you fellow (and gal) modders know! I still have ALL of the wiring of all the external and internal lighting/sound/mirrors/etc. to get done, but I am having some painting done at the moment and have sent my headlights back off for some "tweaking", and am having my rear hatch glass replaced from a run-in with a garage door......so all of that wiring stuff will have to remain on my to-do list a while longer. Now I'm dealing with having ripped/torn rotator cuffs in BOTH shoulders now from picking my grandmother up and down all the time....and my 3rd botched surgery on my right hand.... Any fantasies I had about doing any of this stuff myself are long gone! What I wouldn't give to have a few of you geniuses from the forum over here for a few days to knock all this electrical stuff out for me so it can all be OVER! A fellow can only dream!

 

"Interesting. Lexus emblem on a toyota. Oversized wing on a hybrid. And what looks to be some kind of hood scoop. Interesting.

You might not think ghetto, but I would say not functional."[/quote]


Well, I would say it's not for everyone.....but if it was, then I wouldn't be driving it. (On a side note, I'm glad to know I rated as being your first post on your first day on the forum! ) The hood scoop (Tommy Kaira/Toyota Celica custom piece), rear hatch spoiler (SilkBlaze item), and Tommy Kaira rear wing are all designed to work seamlessly with one another for downforce at high speeds on the Interstate (my specialty....). They almost work too well, cause I feel like the faster I go I'm gonna start seeing sparks flying out underneath the car from the bottom grinding along on the pavement. It's truly a flashback to days gone by when I had a car with a ride height adjustment switch. I've torn the inside fenderwell piece loose on the driver's side front already on the Interstate when it's gotten super low around 95mph (just doing an experiment on a closed track..I swear! ) ....but don't want to adjust the coilovers any because I like it sitting really really low without any fender gap. You can't get your hands between the tires and the car body.....and that's how I like it. Anyway, my big concern when I got the car was driving 200+miles on the Interstate nightly and feeling like the car was super unsteady and unsafe at higher speeds. It felt hard to keep going in a straight line in windier situations, making me scared about the other lanes of traffic all around me. But, now it almost feels guided down the road. So, when you say not functional, it may not be for you, but it is totally functional for me and makes me feel safe once more behind the wheel of this car. So, my feeling of being safer now is considered highly functional in my book! Thanks for your post! Enjoy the forum! There are very, very helpful people on the forum who are very kind; and there are also those who seem to enjoy fueling negativity. I'm sure you'll find your niche and possibly learn more about Prii amongst our posts!

 

The gas tank lid cover is from the overseas customizing/aftermarket company Branew. I first wanted to get one of their body kits, but felt drawn more to those with the Audi R8 "slats" on the front spoiler/bumper. Anyhow, my friends have called me "B" forever (unsolicited by me), so I really liked that their gas tank cover just had a "B" logo on it. So, I guess you could say it's my signature on my piece of work. Thanks for your comments!

 

That nonstop laughing must be awkward in certain situations...and a little phony sounding to those around you! On the good side, though, I hear they have medicine for that... It would also lighten up my mood today to see some awesome pics of the amazing work you've done on your genuine car. Could you post some, please? It could possibly be very encouraging to everyone to see what REAL mods should be on a Prius --- as opposed to them being subjected to my mods which might cause others to inappropriately lose control of their laughter. Pics of your car might also help me further gauge the level of implied expertise you seem to have acquired regarding what I have chosen to do with my car. It sounds like I might need to turn to you for future guidance with my modifications since you imply I have strayed from what you like.

 

Actually, the truth is......it's MY CAR!!! (sorry to see that you are still stricken with this laughter bug.... perhaps a vaccine will be on the way soon! "lol")