Oh, What a Feeling

A FACTORY V8 PETROL-POWERED LEXUS GX470 BASED ON A PRADO AND ROLLING ON 37-INCH TYRES. WHY CAN'T WE BUILD THEM LIKE THIS IN AUSTRALIA?

- EVAN SPENCE

ONCE again, the good old USA shows us not only how it is done but how hard it can be to modify four-wheel drives in Australia in order to keep on the right side of the law. When is the last time you saw a J150 Prado fitted with 37-inch tyres driving the streets of Sydney? I'll answer that for you, probably never. In America, where vehicle modification laws appear far more relaxed, this Lexus is the result of building what you want.

This Prado, sorry, Lexus GX470, is Chase's first 4WD, and I don't know many people who can say their first fourby was a V8-powered wagon on 37s. He decided to get into the game after messing around with a 2WD Toyota 4Runner, spending 15 years before that drifting his Nissan S13 which is still buried up the back of his garage. When asked about why he decided to build up a Lexus GX470, Chase said: "I wanted a reliable mid-size SUV for tight trails in Arizona, where I live, that was capable of getting me to some of the harder-to-reach spots in the south-west.

"All Lexus GX470s come with the extremely reliable 2UZ-FE V8 and are full-time 4WD with Torsen centre locking differential.

Finding a fourth-gen 4Runner with the same powertrain and low miles was extremely hard to do at the time as most of them came with a V6. Also, Lexus tend to be cared for better and not abused as much," Chase tells us.

"I bought this one in absolute mint condition, with only 99,000 miles on the clock. I managed to buy the nicest one I could find." So, while it probably can't be done legally in Australia, this is a damn good indicator that it can be done, and done well. Besides, it just looks cool. Let's take a closer look at one of the most insane Lexus GX470s we've ever seen.