By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

Our friend Rob sent us some pictures of him doing the unexpected… taking his custom imported widebody kitted Range Rover Sport off-road! As Rob said to me, this is a complete rarity to see a widebodied Range Rover off-roading… and you know what, the car did excellent out there, all while I’m sure pissing off a few purists (which is probably more fun than the off-roading part)!

I think the same can be said for this situation as for those that look at a pretty sports cars and instantly accuse them of being trailer queens. Assumption is a bitch. You just never know when you might see a clean, heavily modified car getting dirty… Continue reading at the Real JDM.

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

With all news being GT-R related around here lately, today I looked for something as far opposite as possible to post. So here we go, a customer car of the most unique kind…a UKDM widebody Range Rover Sport! And not a GT-R. Check.

This is a cool story to me and is something I think a lot of readers can relate to that are in my age bracket. My client Rob started working with me almost five years ago on his Honda S2000. Over the years we worked together and he ended up putting together one of the cleanest and nicest S2000s I’ve still ever seen. It is absolutely a flawlessly executed street car build, top notch 100% (another post will come on that). Continue reading at The Real JDM

If you just looked at Ryan Mickle, you might not think he was a hippie—but don’t let the short hair and lack of a beard fool you, he is. And if there’s one thing we know about hippies, it’s that they can’t do anything by themselves. Case in point? Well, Mickle recently had an epiphany about the amount of pollution his gorgeous 2006 Range Rover Sport creates, and wants to get rid of it. But instead of just selling it and buying a bunch of carbon credits, or giving the money to Greenpeace, he wants it destroyed. And of course, because he’s a hippie, he needs people to submit ideas on how to do that. Barf. In the clip below, he actually proposes throwing into the Pacific, in the name of the environment. Bravo hippie, why don’t you celebrate that brilliant idea with a big fat bong toke! Head over to One Fewer to try to talk some sense into him.

The next stop on the DUB Tour isn’t until May 17th, when the crew will roll into Atlanta. Sure, it’s a little bit of a break, but every once in a while, the crew needs to spend a little time at home in the Golden State. Don’t worry, though, they’ve hooked us up with some exclusive content to tide you over until we post coverage from the stop in the Dirty South. Check out Kristie Bertucci’s interview with Kim Kardashian—and a bunch more pictures—after the jump. And if you think you’ve got what it takes to shine in the thick, glossy pages of DUB, make sure to check out the contest we’re running. We already have one finalist, and who knows, you could be next!

Kim Kardashian: The Fashionista Princess
Words: Kristie Bertucci
Photos: Elle G.

Kim Kardashian is not your average trust-fund kid from Beverly Hills, California. Just because she is the second-eldest daughter of the late O.J. Simpson attorney, Robert Kardashian, and a step-daughter of 1976 Olympic Games decathlon gold medalist Bruce Jenner, doesn’t mean all she does with her days is sit around the pool and go shopping. Okay, maybe she shops, but only because it’s her job. Yes, I said job.

Despite growing up in a world of immense privilege in what is quoted on her official website as “an almost fairytale childhood,” Kim Kardashian has actually been working since she was 16 years old with her father’s company, Movie Tunes.

“I find it funny when people just see me as being one of those rich kids,” she said. “I stopped getting money from my parents when I turned 18-years-old. There’s more to me than that; I’m a sister, a daughter and…fashionista.”

With the inherited entrepreneurial spirit from her father and a passion for fashion, Kim started her own celebrity styling business. Her first styling stint was for best friend Brandy Norwood when she was asked to style for her promotional tour for Afrodisiac (Atlantic Records, 2004).

“I thought she was kidding but then I got a call from her record label saying that I only had a week to style Brandy and all her backup dancers for the tour,” she said. “It gave me an amazing opportunity to get into the business I loved, and I never left it.”

She now has a successful business as Hollywood’s go-to girl for closet makeovers, where she dissects celebrity closets and even sells their outdated clothing on eBay. “My first closet makeover was for my godmother’s closet,” she said. “I also sold $25,000-worth of her old clothes and she took that money and placed it on a down payment for a Mercedes.”

In June 2006, Kim and two of her younger sisters opened up their own upscale clothing boutique in Calabasas, California titled “DASH” after their last name.

“My sister opened up a children’s store three years ago and when a space became available next to it, we jumped at the opportunity to open up an upscale clothing boutique,” she explained. “It was a dream of mine.”

With her store already a hot spot among her celebrity friends, like Paris Hilton, Kim is also working on designing her own clothing line.

“So far, designing is the most exciting thing I’ve done,” she said. “I have a vision of what I want [the clothes] to look like in my mind and it’s fun to see it come alive on paper.”

Aside from her store and upcoming clothing line, Kim is also pursuing an acting career and even walked the runway at L.A.’s fashion week in March.

“I was approached by Nickelodeon’s Teen Channel, The N, to film four episodes for their ‘Beyond the Break’ series in Hawaii,” Kim said. “I was really nervous, but they got an acting coach for me and after we started filming, I became more and more comfortable with being in front of the camera.”

Prior to flying to Hawaii, Kim made an appearance in Fall Out Boy’s “Thanks for the Memories” music video.

“I’m friends with the guys and I think it helped prep me for the show,” Kim said. “Acting is definitely something I plan to explore, and I have several projects in the works.”

Since Kim compares her childhood to a fairytale, it would only make sense that she considers herself a princess, but instead of a royal horse-drawn carriage, Kim parades around L.A. in her white 2007 Range Rover Supercharged complete with pink “princess” logos on the wheel’s center caps, pink emblems and color matched pink Brembo brake calipers.

The wheels are 24×10-inch Platinum PT1s laced with Cooper Zeon XST 295/35R24 tires. The Range’s original grille was replaced with a custom white-and-pink grille by Strut and all exterior body components were painted white to match the overall exterior of this rolling status symbol. Platinum Motorsports also provided Kim’s pink Range with a fully customized exhaust system.

Listening to her favorite tunes in style (as only a princess would), her audio system boasts two JL Audio 500/1 and one 300/4 amps, two 12-inch W6-V2 subwoofers, and two pairs of 6.5-inch component speakers.

Kim’s customizations were gifts for hosting a “House of Hype” Grammy party where Platinum Motorsport, Strut and JL Audio were sponsors of the event. “They wanted to hook up my car to show at the gala,” she said. “It was like a total dream. I love making my cars look good.”

But what does princess Kim know about cars? A lot actually.

“People are always impressed by how much car stuff I know,” she said. “My ex-husband loved exotic cars, and since then I’ve loved cars as much as I love clothes.” Kim actually asked to have the pink added to her Range Rover because she was tired of people asking if she was driving her boyfriend’s car and not hers. “I’ve always had the coolest cars, which sometimes seems like a guy should be driving them,” she explained. “I wanted a car no boy would ever want to drive and for people to know a girl is driving such a cool car.”

Given her impressive fashion sense and car knowledge, it was only a matter of time until Kim ventured into the world of car accessories. This summer, the hottest gals can ride around town in wheels Kim designed. “I collaborated with the guys at Platinum Motorsports and designed a line of rims that I’m calling “The Princess Line,” and I will also be designing car accessories for women,” Kim said.

Kim’s exquisite taste in fashion also goes hand-in-hand with her choice in cars as she paired with Platinum Motorsport on enhancing the timeless platform of her 2007 Bentley Flying Spur. She chose a full Mansory body kit, which includes a front spoiler with an integrated air grille, rear spoiler, side and rear skirts and an exhaust system with a Platinum Motorsport lowering module. The fenders are properly filled with 22×9.5-inch front and 22×10.5-inch rear Lowenhart LT8 Diamond Noir/ Chrome Multi-piece wheels dressed with Continental ContiSportContact 2 265/30R22 front and 295/25R22 rear tires. The two-tone interior was special ordered through Bentley and features reclining captain seats in the rear.

To unwind from her hectic days of styling, acting and designing, Kim jumps in her Range Rover and drives to her mom’s house, where the chaos there makes her forget about her own. “I love to be with my family; they relax me, really, and I love to bake there,” Kim said. For her more extravagant trips (like going to Malibu every weekend with the same set of friends since school), Kim opts for her Bentley.

With a busy future ahead of her, Kim Kardashian is proving to the world that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that she’s in the business for the long run.

Catching Up with Kim Kardashian

1. What’s your favorite street to cruise?
Robertson Avenue in Beverly Hills.

2. What’s your status?
Single.

3. Do you prefer to drive slow or fast?
Fast–I have a supercharged Range Rover.

4. What kinds of cars do you like guys driving?
An exotic car, but not one the color of a Skittle.

5. Favorite road trip destination?
Palm Springs with my girls.

6. Most expensive ticket?
I always forget to pay them when I get one, so once I had to pay $2,500 for a bunch I didn’t pay.

7. Favorite designer?
Dolce & Gabbana.

Right now, I’m cramming trying to get ready for the New York International Auto Show, and I’m super-stoked. The only bad part? I have to sleep on the plane. Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy. Here’s the news: 

• Nissan’s GTR has a history of winning races where it debuts, so the fact it took the checkered flag at Suzuka yesterday isn’t terribly surprising. But the brass still has to be stoked. Autoblog
• Looks like Mercedes-Benz might shut down Maybach. The uber-luxury marque hasn’t been performing against chief competitors Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and has sold only 10% of what M-B thought it would. That said, will anyone notice it’s gone? World Car Fans
• Tata is almost done buying Jag and Land Rover, and now the company is adding staff in Detroit. Who knew the company would actually have a presence in the Motor City? Freep
• Since everyone in Seattle is pretty clueless about driving in the snow, I’ve seen some pretty stupid snow-related behavior. But nothing like this. English Russia