"Hai! Hai! (Yes! Yes!) Can you please call your contact?" I quietly replied. Once again, glaring in my direction, he picks up the phone and begins to dial a number. Without warning, a henchmen with a stub of what once remained of his pinky quickly pulls me towards the door as not to overhear any of phone conversation. "Oi! (Hey!) Three cars will be here in 15 minutes!" yells Kimeda. "Go meet them outside in front of the building. And one more thing... you never mention this building or what you've seen to anyone. Understand?" I dared never to look back as I quickly stumbled down the staircase.
Still unsure of what exactly unraveled before my eyes, I stood in the middle of the street in a trance-induced state, all the while patiently waiting for the vehicles. From a far distance, I see three sets of HID headlights weaving their way through traffic. "Shit," I say to myself. "Don't tell me these Yak-cars (Yakuza cars) cruising towards my location are owned by Kimeda's henchmen. I ain't going out like that." I grit my teeth as the first vehicle in line, a 1998 Lexus GS shod in custom Spectra Blue Mica comes to a screeching halt, bringing the Blitz Nur-Spec exhaust to a dead silence. My heart nearly skips a beat as the Lexus suddenly emits a horrendous "whoosh" sound. The frame of the vehicle suddenly slams into the asphalt, fully engulfing the wheels into the tire well. "Holy shit," I mutter to myself, while keeping a close eye on the other two vehicles parked on opposite sides of the street. I hesitantly walk towards the GS, fully expecting some wiry-figured Asian gangster to suddenly leap out from the driver's seat with a samurai sword in one hand and a gun in the other, but to my dismay, I was relived to see a familiar face in that of Johnny Oddo of Norwood, N.J., executive director of Junction Produce of North America.
"What's up Johnny? So tell me the truth. How much did you spend on your Lexus?" He grins from ear to ear and says, "Damn Scott. Too much Yen (Japanese dollar)... way too much. This vehicle is one of many demo cars for Junction Produce but serves mainly as my very own pride and joy". We both climb into the vehicle as Oddo begins his historical rendition of how his ride went from an ordinary GS to pimp status in less than two years time. Being an exec for JP North America, it was only logical to assume Oddo would sport all the bells and whistles available though Junction Produce. The VIP transformation began with a full JP body kit, which was professionally mounted and painted by Terence Victoria and Matt Serino, whom Oddo claims are the two best painters this side of New Jersey. The two spent over four months sanding and prepping the body before the custom paint was slathered on the exterior. Along with a new paint scheme, additional exterior modifications included a Junction Produce roof spoiler, three-piece wing, JP taillights, and the ever popular Aristo (Japans name for the Lexus GS) rain guards. A Junction Produce hood emblem, trunk emblem and numerous decals now proudly represent the true nature of VIP.
Oddo ran his hands ever so slightly across the leather seats in admiration, only to disclose that the interior was reupholstered in full Junction Produce tan leather. The dash trim and center console received a full JP wood grain treatment. Proudly displayed on the rear view mirror sits the Junction Produce Fusa and Kitsuna lanyards. "So what's the bread and butter on your vehicle?" I ask. "How about a full Endless 6-piston brake package riding on a set of 19x9 Trafficstar RTS wheels up front and 19x10.5's in the rear?" replies Oddo. Fixed with a set of Falken FK452, the exclusive tire sponsor of Junction Produce enables Oddo's car to shoehorn a set of 235/30/19 up front and 265/30/19 in the rear. Just another requirement in a long list of products that define a VIP vehicle is a car rolled on an air suspension. Oddo's Lexus is bagged and slammed on a set of Japan's most popular air-ride system entitled, Air Runner suspension. Air Runner's air suspension setup gives Oddo the ability to raise and lower the car utilizing an air bag sleeve on a KYB 4-way adjustable dampening shock. With a simple flick of the switch, the car is quickly raised and lowered while being monitored though a Dakota Digital air gauge. With hundreds of more questions for me to ask Oddo about Junction Produce and his vehicle, he recieves a call on his cellular phone. Without hesitation, he hops into the driver's seat and hits the airbag, quickly lifting the vehicle to a more drivable position. "Sorry Scott...I got some important buisness to take care of. Go hit up Mark Yuen and his silver ride right across the street." Without a second's notice, Oddo goes barreling down the street as sounds from his custom Soundstream audio system cut though the air.