LEXUS RC350 F-SPORT
Gerick Gonzales began working on his insane Lexus RC350, which you may have scene at Driven Edmonton. With custom decals that read “Follow Your Dreams” (and wheels wider than a Dodge Viper’s), you know a lot of love went into this project. We caught up with Gerard to find out more about his ride, his inspirations, and how a loss ended up bringing this car to life.
Name: Gerick Gonzales Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Car club: Lost Royalty Sponsors: Black out tinting | Invision | Stndrd Issue | 7eighty Automotive | Lexus of Edmonton | FreshAir
THIS LEXUS IS INSANE, AND YOU’VE ONLY BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR 6 MONTHS – THAT’S INCREDIBLE. TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THIS PROJECT GOT STARTED. “To be honest, the idea for this project started after I lost a competition at Driven Calgary 2015. At the time I had an FRS, which I entered into the “Car of the Show” contest. It was a wide body, and I did so much work on the car, I was sure it was going to win. It was my first car show, and after losing, I knew I wanted to come back and win. I wanted to come back from failure…so a few weeks after the show I traded my FRS for this Lexus. I worked on it for only a few months, and I entered it for Best Lexus of the Show at Driven Calgary 2016, and won. I’m really proud of that story, I came back from failure and was determined to win. The work I put in paid off.”
WHAT WERE THE FIRST MODS? “The first thing I did was paint it. Then after a month I went in hard on the mods. I wanted to work on the body, so I order a Rocket Bunny kit from Japan. They’ve never made on for a Lexus RC350, and they don’t even have Lexus in Japan, so I’m sure there was some difficult customization involved. Lexus’ are very hard to mod, but I’m glad with how the kit turned out. The wheels were next, they’re Volx Ultra TE37, in Diamond Black. Then after that just some little stuff, like suspension, the stickers, the tire lettering, and some interior stuff.”
WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD? “I haven’t done any work on the engine yet. I didn’t really feel like I had to – the stock engine has 300hp. But in the future, man, trust me, there’s going to be some power under there. There aren’t too many aftermarket options for this Lexus because its brand new, so I know that’s going to be hard – like I said it’s really hard to mod a Lexus. Even … for me to get the car really low, I had to get RSR coil overs, and there are only two types available for this car.”
WHAT’S THE NEXT MOD GOING TO BE? “The next mod is going to be a big wing spoiler, for sure.”
LOOKING AT THE CAR NOW, IT LOOKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM A STOCK LEXUS, BUT WHAT STANDS OUT MOST IN THE CUSTOMIZED DECALS AND WHEEL TEXT, WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THOSE? “When I lost my first Driven show it was tough. I put a lot of work in, and it was hard to take. So when I started this project I wanted to motivate myself. Nobody likes to lose, and the “Follow Your Dreams” decal is my daily reminder. I dream about competing again…basically my dream is to win, and keep winning. So it means a lot to me. I got them done at my friends tire shop. The other quote, “everybody has Darkness inside them”, is about staying positive. Everyone has darkness in them, but it’s all about how much you let out. I think it’ a great message. This is more than a car to me, it’s my motivation to accomplish more.”
YOU’VE DONE SO MUCH TO THIS CAR - WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MODIFICATION? My favourite aspect of the build is how the rocket bunny kit and the functional stance look brings out the hidden beast within the Lexus RC350. It's a beautiful car stock and extremely capable of putting the power down in a spectacular fashion way but the wide body look I have been aiming towards truly compliments the spirit and purpose of this car. I love how the build is now both sophisticated yet masculine and aggressive at the same time without being overly done. I think the kit adds a whole new level of character to the build, making me feel like I have a brand new car all over again.
FAVORITE CRUISING MUSIC? “hip hop and RnB!”
ANY SHOUT OUTS OR THANKS? The amount of support I get from my family, friends and of course my Lost Royalty crew. I would like to thank my followers on Instagram. I may not know them personally but they play such a big role in supporting me throughout my journey. Some have been following me since I've had my FRS and they're the ones who keep inspiring me to do more, to believe and to keep chasing after my dreams and goals. I look up to bigger people and people who have been in this kind of industry for so long. Every build is unique and I appreciate every single one of them.