From Wild to Wald:
Mr. Lee’s Lexus LX570
When it comes to wild builds there are a dime a dozen here in the Philippines.
Whether it be wide-body Italian exotics, full catalog-spec Japanese tuners, or simply clean stance builds they are all over town; you just need to know where to look. Oddly enough though, only a handful of people are willing to go to take a build to Japan’s wild side. This is beyond Liberty Walk, RWB, and the usual Japanese brands we’ve come to know - We’re talking about something closer to what you’d find in that one hall in Osaka Automesse. Seeing full-blown VIP builds done on a proper luxury platform is quite a rare occurrence here in Manila, and one of the few who are keen to play that game is Mr. Lee.
He chooses to remain somewhat lowkey in the local scene and often lets his cars do the talking. If you have been to a Stance Pilipinas meet back in 2016-2017, then chances are you might have come across some of his VIP builds before – a green Lexus LS460 and possibly the only Toyota Vellfire (Alphard converted to JDM Vellfire) in the country, both of which are fitted with a Black Pearl Complete body kit. Never heard of the brand? Well, neither did we until we got to meet him and see the big Lexus and rocket-ship-esque Vellfire up close and personal.
Today, the Vellfire still remains with him, but the LS460 has long been sold. In place of the VIP-kitted Lexus’ flagship sedan, he bought something more practical and much larger as a replacement – a Lexus LX570.
It didn’t take long though before parts for the LX570 arrived. At first, it was just the small bits and pieces including the “黑 Kuro” and “Black Edition S” badges. As Lexus Philippines doesn’t offer the Black Editon S Kuro locally, he also sourced all the other dark chrome exterior trim pieces to match the new badges. From the dark chrome grill to the smoked headlights, taillights, and fog lights, he has essentially turned it into the murdered out SUV sold by Lexus everywhere else in the world.
This was just the beginning though. Following the small (and big) Black Edition pieces, he wanted to fit a kit as well. Given the popularity of the LX with aftermarket tuners in Japan, there were a lot of options to choose from. At the end of the day, he settled with the complete Wald Sports Line widebody kit.
More often than not, you’ll see Wald kits fitted onto 200-Series Land Cruisers roaming around town. Rarely do you see it on its Lexus counterpart. Needless to say, the kit looks good especially with the wide fenders fitted on. Instead of the usual black or white unit, the silver paint helps the LX blend in better (somewhat) on the road even with the Wald kit. It also looks a lot more distinct compared to other Wald-kitted LXs in the country.
Rather than going the for the usual wheel options of either Rays TE37s or Homura, Mr. Lee chose a unique set of 22-inch Wald Jarret wheels. In fact, there are only 200 sets worldwide of these wheels in this specific color scheme. From his knowledge, there are only two sets of these in the country. Though its hard to see, look closely and you’ll find large Brembo brakes hidden behind them.
Though he could easily picked up the larger 24-inch Jarrets, he says the current ones will preserve the comfortable ride of the LX. While it does look low in the photo, that’s thanks to the factory’s active suspension which can lower or raise the ride height in an instant.
The LX570 may not be as wild as some of his previous builds, but knowing Mr. Lee’s penchant for taking his builds all-out, he’s not yet done with it. He is still waiting on some parts to arrive including a Wald side-exit exhaust. Given the on-going pandemic, however, it might be a while before they get here. One thing for sure is, the modifications on this LX will continue.
We’re still waiting for the next crazy build to come from Mr. Lee. We don’t know what it is yet, but knowing him, it will certainly be wild. For now, this Wald LX570 is more than enough to break necks wherever he goes. And at the same time, he can drive it around town comfortably thanks to all the Lexus magic in it.
Then again, if he really wants to stand out, he can always bring out his Black Pearl kitted Vellfire, and that one will surely attract attention.
Words by Jose Altoveros
Photos by Jose Altoveros and Alec Mendez
2020 Lexus LX570
Exterior
Complete Wald Sports Line widebody kit
黑 Kuro and Black Edition badges, dark chrome trim
黑 Kuro/Black Edition S headlights, taillights
Wheels, Brakes, and Suspension
Walds Jarret 2020 Limited Color 22”
Brembo big brake kit
Factory Lexus active suspension
