Lexus – Royal Origin

Karuma Vs Lowballers Round III | Event Coverage

Feels like I’ve been here before, a Friday morning meet up to cruise to Vegas for a car meet, but this time with different faces. It’s been two years since I have given any effort to get back into the car scene and after a depression phase I really want to get back out there and hang with friends that I haven’t seen. The Karuma x Lowballers meet seemed like the perfect event for it and cruising with the homies to Vegas just brought back some nostalgia.

Like I always do, try to get some nice rollers of my friend’s cars. This is Kekoa’s xB rolling slammed on the 15. @alowha_kekoa

We stopped at a McDonalds to wait for Kekoa and ended up seeing a bunch of cool cars.

We asked where they were going and they were also going to Vegas for the Karuma x Lowballers meet.

We ended up going to In-N-Out to fix Kekoa’s air problem. Cuong’s E30, Kekoa’s xB, my GR86 and David’s FJ Cruiser. Oh yeah I bought a GR86.

@seldoondrol clean E30.

After being saved by AJ we were back on the road for more rollers and this time accompanied by AJ’s T-Demand Camry. @ayeeejayyy.

The day of the meet, everyone met up at the Airbnb to cruise together to the meet. Miguel’s Minty Porsche. @mintcoimports

Vince built his LS430 just in time for the meet! @vince_neil

Someone we haven’t seen in a long time, Neel’s LS400 on Work Schwert SC4. @implayaz9

The Lowballers boss, Andrew’s LS400 on TE-37s. @sohigaragedru

Karuma always making the coolest trophies for their meets.

The meet didn’t even start yet and we got people here early for merch.

Jay did a suicide trip in his NSX for the meet! @jaycraaay

Nimo accompanied him on the way to Vegas in his IS300. @findingnimo

Fast and Furious but make it cute.

Shout out to this girl for cosplaying in 100 degree weather.

First time trying Guam food and damn it was so good!

When Taylor gets on top of a car at a meet, bitches go crazy.

Thanks for the good times ridahs!

-NGUMINH

August 15, 2022

Our Favorites at Wekfest Nagoya 2019 | Event Coverage

Some of our favorites at Wekfest Nagoya 2019..

I’ve been following Seji’s S14 for the longest time ever since Big Country Labs posted his car on their Instagram. This S14 is ridiculous in every way from the wide body to the gigantic Big Country Lab wing and it’s static!

On the other side of the spectrum we have Masaki’s super clean S13. He perfected the clean body look for years now and has keep his car in such pristine condition!

You can’t even tell this sticker is like 6 years old.

Flashy is an understatement for this FD. The gold chrome wrap with the RE-Amemiya kit steals your attention from all the other cars around it.

I rarely see any TL wagons in the states, so seeing this one slammed on wheels caught my attention right away.

Japan just knows how to build 240s. It’s really amazing.

That shift knob is sick, uncomfortable but sick.

Nissan R32 on TE37s with a toy replica. So sick.

This Lotus Espirit is so cool, those formula mesh wheels pair really well with the old school theme. There’s an Espirit for sale near me, I kinda want it now..

No function, all style with this AE-86. Still looks awesome!

My favorites at the show was this line up of FDs with super awesome liviries.

Hiroki’s NSX is so nice from Level One Japan, I believe he won an award too!

Seji’s and this S14 are what kids in America are trying to make their shit boxes into.

Closing it with Yasu’s S2000 it is a subtle execution, but this car so many crazy parts!

My blogging game has been weak, so sorry for the lack of updates! I’ll try to put this as a priority…

-NGUMINH

June 25, 2019

Taylor’s BN Sport LS400 | Car Feature

Taylor from Karuma just recently got his car back from the paint shop and boy did he get some work done. Taylor had the body shop mold a BN Sports IS300 kit to his LS400 and it looks so good! We met up after work to get some quick shots in, but because of day light savings we didn’t have enough time for an extensive shoot. Check out what I got though with my limited time…

***********BONUS ROUND***********

I got some shots of Adry’s Lexus IS at the Chino Airport. Too bad Taylor’s car was too low to get into the driveway.

We’re definitely going to plan a re-shoot soon!

-NGUMINH

November 16, 2018

Tom Nguyen’s Lexus GS350 | Car Feature

The best thing about the internet is you can see what people are building even if they’re hundreds of miles away. I recently saw Tom installed an AIMGAIN kit on his GS and it looked really good. Luckily, he was already coming down for Toyotafest and had time for me too shoot his car. Here are the results, sorry if I’m a little rusty..

VIP GT style.

Tucking all four wheels is the best kind of tuck even better than getting tucked in at night by Gigi Hadid.

Advan GT in magnesium looks so good.

I thought checking out the art installation behind this art store would be pretty cool.

The photos were cool, but I still felt like I didn’t get the money shot yet. So, we decided to go to the beach and see if we can get some shots with the sun setting at the beach.

Tom giving the GS a quick detail before the shoot.

Damn I got a money shot with the first shot.

Perfection.

Thanks Tom for letting me shoot your car! Hope you enjoyed the photos! Hit me up if you’re trying to shoot or if you want to take me out to eat.

-NGUMINH

June 25, 2017

Boden Bash 2016 | Event Coverage

Boden AutoHaus a premium air suspension specialist shop in Costa Mesa, California put together a car meet that had a cars and coffee type vibe with a good variety of makes/models coming together to share their Saturday morning together. These are the cars that caught my eye.

Matt’s GS400 equipped with 326power and Black Magician kit on SSR Professor SP1.

After Boden Bash 2016, we head up to 714 Tires to meet up with John to hangout while he gets an alignment since we were getting lunch together after that.

John’s C6 Corvette on Rotiform LVS.

Shavi Wijegunaratne
Instagram: shaviw
shavi@royal-origin.com

August 29, 2016

Wekfest LB 2016 | Video Highlight

Just another Wekfest at Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, however, this time around this is the last one at this location. Nonetheless, they put together Southern California’s finest automotive builds together once again. Here is a video highlight from some clips Nimo capture, and I decided to quick edit together. Enjoy.

Shavi Wijegunaratne
Instagram: shaviw
shavi@royal-origin.com

June 10, 2016

Extreme Dimensions Car Show 2016| Event Coverage

The annual Extreme Dimensions Car Show was a couple of weeks ago and the turn out was amazing. There were cars from all walks of life and they had some crazy events that were going on during the show, but we’ll get into that in a bit. These two yellow FRS caught my eye from a far.

Bugeye on Work XD9.

So much gloss in the paint. Glad to be seeing more modified R32s in SoCal.

DNA Motoring’s S2000 for show.

A front end collision would suck for this Subaru. Wide body Mustang, so it could hit more people in crowds. That color tho. The Subie presence was strong at this meet.

Wow, 2nd generation IS with a 3rd gen front bumper molded on. John’s R35 on Advan GT. Evil looking Mustang.

Damn!! Satin black with gold accents on this S2000 looks amazing.

Low is an understatement.From satin black to all the colors of the rainbow. Perfect photo opportunity for this skyline syndicate. They were having a revving contest where the audience choose the winner. The one time revving your car at a meet was cool. The “Fuck Likes” sticker on this clean GS. Another 2nd gen IS with a 3rd gen bumper with excellent fitment. Neck breaker. Old school Mazda rolling out. Bagged and boosted S2000.

Best LS right now in Orange County and it’s owned by Tommy from Infinite Werks.

God, I love seeing a immaculate Civic.

After a long day at the show, a musubi from Musubi Monster ended the day.

Try it, it’ll change your life.

-NGUMINH

May 27, 2016

GMG Racing Open House | Event Coverage

GMG Racing open house is one of the best local events in Orange County, we get to see a crazy amount of super cars at this event and be in presence of cars that would probably cost two of your lifetimes to afford. The morning of the event I met up with Phat and Ashton for breakfast.

One does not belong… The Porsche/Mazda bros. Ashton’s 911 is looking great going back to the grey paint and adding the PNA Design wing.

We were waiting for the Phaze 2 caravan to come through and they brought the heat.

The roll-in was way tight just like Darren’s Porsche. Clean styling with this Porsche on BBS RS. Brendan’s widebody Supra was out and about at the event. These guys were talking about if this car was in the Fast and Furious or not. Roll out like a boss.

Mikey’s Amuse 370z on Volk TE-37 SL.

Mikey’s shiny 997 on Rotiforms. Darren’s GT3 got some prime parking at the event. Mikey with the surprise back rub. Bugatti to greet you before entering the warehouse. The car even had it’s own security to make sure no one leans on it. GMG Racing Audi R8 for sale. It would be a nice addition to my garage, but maybe in another life time. The R8 is pretty clean for a race car. Super cars on super cars. Every automotive photographer’s dreams were in this building. Those carbon fiber wheels tho. This F12 is so beautiful. Medusa RWB. Bugatti roll out.

Ending it with me spotting Devyn’s Itasha style Civic.

-NGUMINH

May 27, 2016

RO in Australia | Fitted Friday III

I recently had the opportunity, thanks to Tarik at Built To Order, to go to Sydney, Australia to transport custom made trophies from California, and take pictures for a car meet called, Fitted Friday III. And thank you to Tarik, his family, and friends for showing me Australian car culture and for showing me around Sydney.

I started out my journey getting informed that I needed to go to Australia immediately, and the very next day. So, packed up my bags, and lost a day getting to Sydney. I always wanted to go to to Australia, just never thought it would be so soon, and so unprepared.

The moment I arrived into Sydney, it was already the day of the car meet. Fitted Friday III is a mega car meet held Friday night that shows a vast variety of Australian automotive culture. For someone who knows nearly nothing about the culture down here, this meet was filled with premium examples of what the current car culture is like.

Behind the scenes before Fitted Friday III. Official starts at 7:00PM, and ends around 11:00PM.

The car display and DJ stage being constructed.

Fitted Friday staff discussing their plans to be executed.

Things I don’t see in the US.

The ramps for the stage, which will be used to move the unveiling cars off and onto the stage.

Jacob’s Evo VIII bagged with AirRex, and on RSV Forged RS10 D. A lot more photos of this another day.

The Offset was in town from Melbourne, helping out with Fitted Friday III.

Matthew Morgan’s Built To Order x RSV Forged Australia Toyota 86 on RSV Forged Retro Centre R1.

Just a preview of the variety. A lot of awesome trucks and bikes showed up.

Heasman Steering Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG on RSV Forged RS5Y by Built To Order.

BMW E92 M3 on a Liberty Walk kit by Heasman Steering.

25 year import rule currently gets us the Nissan Skyline R32 in the US. Something you really won’t see in the US. And here we have the Nissan Skyline R34 GTR.

The ESTBLSHD crew from Melbourne, which is about a 9 hour drive from Sydney. Good meeting you guys.

Australians definitely love their drag.

Aussie muscle.

Bagged out on a block.

Love seeing these older rotary platforms.

Even in Australia you can’t escape the rice.

These are the custom trophies built by Built To Order x RSV Forged for Fitted Friday III. These needed to arrive before the meet, so I was commissioned to take the journey with them.

I guess its an Australian thing to put wedding ribbons on your car. Saw other cars with them too.

Some LA low rider flavor.

Back to the Future fans.

Another good car we do not have in America. Toyota Chaser.

Classic Ghia.

Its not a car meet without the Supra.

They had a hookah vendor, where you can enjoy a personal or group hookah while at the car meet.

Clean S15.

Food trucks were rolling in and setting up.

The stage is ready for the mega meet.

The trophies were ready to be given to 16 people.

Very clean skylines.

See plenty of these in the states, but here it is known as the Toyota 86.

Clean, but too donk for my taste.

Very complete build. Love the sense of rawness it gives off.

Seeing this felt like home.

Wet S14.

Plenty of people all around.

Rolling in.

Even more people pouring n.

Inside the underground structure were even more cars.

Fitted Toyota Vitz

Seeing a simple clean Supra is nice.

Classic Toyota Crown kept immaculate.

Stance House Honda Accord Euro. Great meeting you guys as well.

Leading into Fitted Friday III.

Overhead view. That is a lot of people.

Mega Meet.

Gold plated everything. It works.

Varis widebody Toyota 86.

Time for the unveiling.

James’ Brown S14 on AG wheels 18 x 10.5 with 5 inch lip front and 18 x 11.5 with 6.5 inch rear lip.
Accomplished by Australia’s premium outlet for custom wheels and crazy fitment, Built To Order.

Garage 88 x Micheal May’s Varis widebody Toyota 86 on SSR Professors.

Palms Customs 24kt gold plated bike with custom airbrushing, and pin striping.

Rocket Bunny FD3S RX-7. Painted by 2 Sus Custom Resprays, Built To Order supplied RSV Sport Line RS5Y wheels kit series and Rocket Bunny kit, and Heasman Steering for all suspension work and brakes.

Killer Customs Toyota Supra on Built To Order RSV Forged RS10.

That is 20×16 -101 in the rear.

Rear camber shot.

The lucky winners are below with guest New Zealand judge Carl Thompson.

The Fitted Friday staff. I am impressed by Tarik at Built To Order for putting such an experience for the Australian community, and everyone that helped make Fitted Friday III happen. These are the type of events that should be created to share automotive passion with each other.