Even minivans choose TOYO TIRES
TOYO TIRES fans are not only sports car and off-road enthusiasts! Mr. Shintaro Kimura, a Toyota Alphard driver with a cool landing style, was the only minivan user among the contestants at the TOYO TIRES FAN MEETING IN FUKUOKA. We take a closer look at what Mr. Kimura says is the contents of his “family car”, which also has an audio system installed in the luggage compartment.
He bought it as a family car after the birth of his second child
Among the sports cars and off-roaders, Kimura’s car, the Toyota Alphard (3rd generation, Type 30), stood out with its extremely low, low-down style. The birth of his second child was the reason, a common and common reason for a father to protect his family
“Before that, I used to enjoy drifting in an R32 Skyline GTS. I drove a total of three cars, but when I got married I moved on to my first Fuga, a 50. Then we had our second child, and I decided that a sedan would finally be inconvenient, so I bought this Alphard.”
In the beginning, he did not modify the car in any way and used it as normal for everyday use, but as his Alphard & Vellfire friends increased and their interaction deepened, Kimura’s desire for customization was rekindled. He would have been satisfied with dampers and 21-inch wheels to change only the suspension, but as a result, his desire for customization became more and more heated due to the influence of his friends around him.
“A lot of Alphard/Vellfire riders in Kyushu have air suspension systems. When I saw that, I couldn’t resist.”
Even with the audio system, the basic focus is on practicality
Mr. Kimura decided to go for a landing style with the second suspension change. The air suspension used for this was made by Airforce. To drop it even further completely, the wheels were downsized by an inch or so to 20-inch SSR Executor 05 wheels. And by using T-Dimend arms, they got the perfect look as you can see.
And we even started on the audio system inside. A Rockford amplifier is built in under the rear luggage space, with additional mids and tweeters above. The audio customization has also been completed with the addition of tweeters to the A-pillars in the seating area.
“Even with the audio system installed, we still want to have room for luggage, so this system under the luggage is usually covered and hidden so that it can be loaded without any problems. The speaker system in the top is also removable, so I remove this in everyday use. It is a family car, after all, so we have customized it with practicality properly in mind.”
Every part of the exterior is also decorated with a hand-engraved pattern of his own creation, made by engraving (an intaglio technique similar to printmaking), without any hesitation. It is also a point of interest to add a touch to the simple and luxurious Alphard to create a unique atmosphere.
“The wife doesn’t understand cars, so I don’t think she understands how much our family car has been modified.”
To avoid creating domestic discord in the Kimura family, we can only hope that his wife will never see this article.
translated by DeepL
