SP Rides: Bold and Beautiful

sp-121115-atley-joseph-2011-honda-cr-z-ex-8344

Image 1 of 11

By MICHAEL KITCHENS

Name:  Atley Joseph
Age: 37
Occupation: Navy
Hobbies: Techie stuff, gaming
Year/Make/Model: 2011 Honda CR-Z EX
Color: Delta Shift Pearls Plastidip (Under Pearl White)
Engine: Jackson Racing Supercharger, Dressupbolts.com Titanium bolts, 51R Battery, Hood Dampers, Kansai Service Carbon shroud and Want a GB for J’s Carbon Cooling Shroud.
Exterior: Custom Plastidip job by DipHawaii, Rexxstyling Mugen RR Rep Kit, Webasto sunroof 321L, CarID side window visors, HPD diffuser, 10k Garax HID, iJDMTOY DRLs, iJDMTOY bright reverse lights, T1R Side Mirrors, Seibon CF OEM Hood, Authentic JDM Red Badges and Reverse camera license plate.
Interior: iJDMTOY Purple LEDS, GT Footwell Mod to Blue Lights, CRZ illuminated Door Sills, Aries front and cargo floor mats, Zoom Monaco 240 Rear view Mirros, Catskin on side doors, Black Clazzios, OEM Black Armrest, JDM Hazard button need to retrofit to dash kit, J’s Red steering wheel emblem, CF wrapped interior pieces and Tint.
Suspension: Project Kics Neo Chrome and Airtek E-level/iLevel.
Wheels/Brakes: 18-inch ADV.1 10 Track Spec wheels and R1Concepts Premium-Series Double Drilled & Diamond Slotted Brake Rotor, PosiQuiet Ceramic Pads.
I.C.E.: Pioneer 8100NEX, Cerwin Vega full audio setup, V84dv2 8-inch subs in custom rear enclosure, V465c 6.5-inch components, V465 6.5 rear speakers, V1100.5 5-channel amplifier, 2014 Honda Navigation DVD No more need and Viper SmartKey

The Honda CR-Z is the spiritual successor to the Honda CR-X — the tuner world’s legendary model known for its ease of modding and performance potential. First manufactured in 2010, the CR-Z was driven in a slightly different direction than its successor and marketed as a sport hybrid coupe. Although the car is recognized as a zero-emissions vehicle, it retained many of the sporty characteristics that made it a wild ride once modified.

Atley Joseph saw the plusses in the vehicle and proceeded to take his 2011 model to the next level. Consider the ride’s absolutely wicked exterior, done courtesy of DYC installer London Fee at Diphawaii, where the car was plasti-dipped in gorgeous Delta Shift Pearl paint.

Joseph afforded Fee absolute freedom in adding details to the car that you rarely see. The paint has oodles of intricacies hidden within it, including embedded stickers and Fee’s perfect spray art. When combined with the color-changing luster of the Plastidip, the impact is considerable. Seriously, this head-turning paint job breaks necks!

The Plastidip is luxuriously applied to the awesome Rexxstyling Mugen RR kit, which features a modified front bumper with wide-scooping grills for massive air intake and aggressive looks. LEDs fill the front bumper as it extends to the sculpted sideskirts and rear bumper/diffuser combo. A dual-piped HPD exhaust juts out from the center of the rear bumper, giving the ride an exotic appeal.

Michael Choi from Street Culture installed an Airtekk Accuair Elevil/iLevel system featuring Accuair components that allow the CR-Z to drop low over the 18-inch ADV.1 10 Track Spec wheels. Originally from a Honda-commissioned CRZ, the wheels been powder coated purple for a perfect match and a new home to roll on.

With all of this show must come some go. The 122HP 1.5L engine was upgraded using a Jackson Racing Supercharger. The installation, which was personally supervised by Oscar Jackson Sr. in California, brought the car up by an estimated 50HP and 45 lb-ft of torque to the slightly anemic factory power. The install includes a laundry list of components designed to retain decent fuel economy, but provide instantaneous power.

The rear interior features a full audio setup by Cerwin Vega in a custom white enclosure with two 8-inch V84dv2 subs. The entire system is powered by a Pioneer 8100NEX receiver with a V1100.5 amplifier. Look up, and you’ll see something absolutely rare: a custom sunroof installation done by Coach Auto Restyler.

Joseph set out to do something cool and unique with his ride, and succeeded. He encourages others to follow suit. “It’s your car, do what you want,” he said. “Ignore the status quo and do what you want to do. Be different.”

LATEST POSTS