The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/800610
2 0 1 - 8 6 9 - 2 2 7 2 7 2 01 R i ve r R d , N o r t h B e rg e n , N J 0 7 0 4 7 For a seriously clean car. making the kit less noticeable, and doesn't include the rivets Liberty Walks uses to attach the body kit. The Prior Design kit is usually glued on, though that isn't exactly what Stasiulewicz had in mind. "I wasn't going to glue them because my customer lives in New York City, and he likes to destroy stuff really fast," explained Stasiulewicz. "We also didn't want that bolt-on style where you see the bolts on the exterior, so we studded the whole inside of it so that they bolt onto the quarter-panels. There are studs on the inside, so if anything does happen it's easily replaceable." "These kits are all fiberglass and so they don't fit perfectly every time. We had to make sure all the gapping was proper and everything was right and fit properly." The widebody kit was painted white to match the factory color of the car. The 458 was then given a matte clear bra. The whole project took about two months and included an Armytrix exhaust system and Novitec suspension with a front-end lift, to make it easier going up and down driveways. The wheels on the 458 are custom one-offs designed by Stasiulewicz in conjunction with Alpha One Wheels. "My client likes to be a little flashy, so I wanted something on there that would make the car stand out," said Stasiulewicz, explaining the impetus for going with gold wheels. "For us it's all about keeping the clean lines and keeping everything together, keeping the car clean overall. Going over the top, it's a fine line. I don't try to one-up what the lead designer of the actual vehicle does. I just try to add onto it a little bit, and kind of create the car that they should've, or that they could've." The Ferrari 458 Spider, the convertible cousin to the Ferrari 458 Italia, made big waves at last autumn's SEMA show (the automotive trade-show hosted by the Specialty Equipment Market Association). "This is the only widebody Spider that's around with a Prior Design kit in the U.S. There was another one at SEMA but it was a yellow coupe. It had the same kit on it but they added some stuff on there and it kind of looked a little over-done. For this one [from Motorwerks] everybody was just blown away by how it didn't stand out - it isn't an 'oh my god, look at me' kind of car, it just has very clean lines and everyone was in love with it because it's a very clean car. Everybody was saying it was basically the best one [at SEMA]." VUE ON AUTOMOTIVE