Comfortably sprawled out in the rear seat, Benji Cosca flips though the latest issue of Japan's popular VIP Car magazine. "How you doing Scott? You know... I've been browsing though these magazines since I bought this car back in September of 2005 with the intention of building my dream car while doing things right the first time," he says.
After further discussion with Cosca, I had learned that this resident of Maryland's import car roots began with the pure desire for speed. Previously owning a supercharged Maxima, and most recently, taking to the circuits in his SR20DET-powered Nissan S14 drift machine, this once power-hungry individual, hell-bent on horsepower, sacrificed all creature comforts and amenities including ice cold air conditioning with the notion that comfort always comes in second to power. As time went on, Cosca's financial status blossomed as well as his maturity. Cosca yearned for the finer things in life including a more luxurious car. It was no surprise that the sweltering heat of Fort Washington Maryland had taken a toll on his psyche. Cosca was in need of a change and his savior proved to be in the form of a midnight black Infiniti Q45. Purchased for the rock bottom price of $9000 dollars, the Q45 served as a perfect canvas for his planned work of art for the next six months. He spent no more than $5000 dollars on building his project. Cosca revealed a promising fact the world that VIP styling truly doesn't cost an arm and a leg-well...perhaps in this case, a pinky.
Showcased as a daily-driven ride, Cosca used his automotive skills to its maximum potential in building his ride. Purchasing a full WALD Exchange EX Line front lip, side skirts, and rear valence from Japan, Cosca performed all the necessary bodywork and modifications himself. Three days of preparation including six long hours of custom body kit installation and modification to accept the original U.S.-spec bumpers served to be a royal pain in the ass. But hey! Who said custom work would be easy? With the kit properly installed and form fitted to the Q45's silky smooth exterior, the vehicle was taken to AutoBody Specialists located in Clinton, MD, where the outer skin received generous layers of Super Black paint. With the exterior complete, the next stage of transforming the Q into super VIP status was applying the proper suspension and wheel package. "I could have gone more aggressive on the offset, but decided upon using a 19x8.5 and 19x9.5 with +7 offset with my Work Euroline DH wheels O-disk wheels." Mounted on a set of Falken FK-452's, they were a perfect fit for the Infiniti as the custom rolled fenders gave way to a finger-tight clearance. With the aid of some custom suspension components that are currently under wraps, the black VIP monster began to slowly take shape.
Searching high and low for rare products on Japan's Yahoo auction and the multiple internet forums, Cosca was able to track down a rare 5Zigen Border GT exhaust system, Nissan Cima window visors and custom HID headlights, along with matching fog lights to accentuate his ride. True to the VIP theme, a set of Anceltion VIP casual curtains were installed to ward off any intruderous eyes looking to see who's in the back seat of the Q-even if Cosca doesn't admit to getting busy in the back every so often. It's an often-quoted motto that "growing up is showing up." For Cosca, the new-found enjoyment of a pleasurable full audio system in comparison to his earlier youth when drift 240SX's only obnoxious music was the roar of the engine and screeching of the tires. Pioneer's popular AVH-P5700 DVD in-dash receiver in conjunction with a Pioneer GEX-P5700TV hide-away T.V. tuner brings enjoyment to Cosca and his passengers as LCD screens were installed on each headrest providing full in-car entertainment when cruising down the road while a set of trademark Junction Produce white Fusa and silver Gitsuna, conveniently placed behind the rear view mirror sway with every motion of the car. "I'm swapping out my original headlights for a set of Nissan Cima specs. It's funny that the Nissan badges and Cima front grill always tend to throw off the untrained eye. Ordinary people off the street just don't know exactly what type of car this is. I get a kick out of that," said Cosca, smiling. "Sorry Scott. I've got other plans but ill catch up with you later"
"Damn...why are these guys in such a rush?" I think to myself as I watch the Infiniti slowly cruise southbound towards the highway. I catch a glimpse of the Illumina remote-activated puddle lamp system he had mentioned earlier as the undercarriage emits an array of colors while the license plate read "Bippu." I smiled a mischievous grin as I mumble to myself, "Scott ,was all this shit you went through today even worth it?" You best believe.