SP Rides: Where Purple Love Reigns
By Michael Kitchens
Name: Erika Sueko
Age: 24
Occupation: Vet tech, student
Hobbies: Cars
Year/Make/Model: 1993 Lexus GS300
Color: Midnight Purple 2
Build: 7 years
Exterior mods: JDM pieces include an Aristo front bumper and fog lights, window visors, 3-piece spoiler, grill, Aristo tail-lights (one off custom fitted with more than 400 LEDs), Custom 5 projector retro fitted headlights, Fenders and quarter panels pulled 3-inch and metal worked to fit wheels.
Interior: Pioneer DVD double din, Pioneer mids abd tweeters, every interior light replaced with LEDs
Suspension: Universal Air Suspension, billet upper bag mounts, GC valves, dual Viair 380c compressors, custom trunk setup with plexiglass and LED lighting, 8-gallon tank purple with silver flakes, custom copper hardlines
Wheels: Trafficstar RTV (fronts 19×10 +2 Rears: 19×11 -1 with Falken 245/45/19s and 235/35/19s)
Shout Outs: Special thanks to my parents and brother for their support; to Jon Castro at Southside Inc Garage for the paint; Ronald Ramos, Jeff Sibayan and the rest of the Southside Inc. family for all the help; Alvin Valencia at AG Customs, Samson at Revision Audio, Jaren Takamatsu, Raymond Rosales, Jeff Higa and Empire VIP Family for all the help and support. Last, but not least, thanks to my fiancé Sean Perreira for all your hard work throughout this never-ending build.
Cars have always been a big part of Erika Sueko’s world. They were with her as a youngster when she would spend weekends with family members at Hawaii Raceway Park, and have continued with her into adulthood, as evidenced by her and fiancé Sean Perriera’s collaborative efforts in turning this 1993 Lexus GS300 into a ride worthy of envy.
The car belongs to Erika, and she is the one responsible for planning its package. However, it’s Sean who implements the vision and takes care of most of the automobile’s modifications. This partnership is a comfortable collaboration between two car enthusiasts who also happen to be in love with each other.
Their ride has been through several versions, and its looks are constantly in flux. Currently the car rocks a gorgeous Midnight Purple II paint job — “infamous” in the import scene thanks to the automobile’s Skyline GT-R heritage. The exterior consists of tons of JDM goodness from the Japanese spec JZS147 that includes an Aristo front bumper, to fog lights, window visors and a gorgeous grill. The spoiler is a trick three-piece set that wraps itself around the rear portion of the ride. Both the fenders and quarter panels have been pulled 3 inches and worked to fit the current wheels.
Custom Aristo taillights illuminate the night with more than 400 LEDs. The headlights have been retrofitted with a five-projector setup. Continuing the LED theme, the interior has been mildly massaged with LED replacements as well as some sound for cruising, featuring a Pioneer double-din DVD player with a full swap of mids and tweeters.
This Lexus is slammed courtesy of a Universal Air Suspension Company kit fitted with billet upper bag mounts, GC valves and dual VIAIR 380c compressors. Sean built the trunk with fit Plexiglas, LED lighting and an eight-gallon custom-painted purple tank that glitters in the light. Custom copper hard lines add a visual flair while the car rides low and glows.
Erika loves wheels. She’s been through at least four types of them, including AMEs. After bagging this ride, she fell head over heels with the Trafficstar RTVs fitted at 19×10 with a +2 offset for the fronts while the rears are 19×11 -1. Falkens wrap all four wheels with 235/35/19s in front and 245/45/19s in the rear. The wheels themselves are incredibly detailed, with the rears featuring a stunningly deep lip.
Thanks to their love of cars, Erika and Sean have made more than a few friends while enjoying their hobby. They’re part of Empire VIP Family, which is a group of fellow VIP enthusiasts established in 2005. Erika admits that she enjoys being part of something bigger.
“I like it because I can hang out with people that are all into the same things as me. We have something in common,” she says.
