Looking good and hauling-ass is no stranger to Chen, and neither is the color yellow. "it's my favorite [color]" James tells us "all my shit is yellow." With a stable of 14 cars (all yellow), including a '64 Ferrari 250GT/L lusso, '86 Lamborghini Countach QV DD, '07 Porsche GT3, '02 Lamborghini Muricelago and a '60 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (twin-turbo) to name a few, James might be considered a connoisseur by many. Having a fleet of true super cars, classics, luxurys and other collectible automotive marvels, we had to ask... why even bother with the GT-R? "I wanted an everyday super car to drive around," Chen explains, "The Nissan GT-R fits the bill, it is fast, comfortable and somewhat practical. With automatic transmission and a real trunk it is quite pragmatic."
When compared to true super cars, by someone who is an authority on such, he speaks highly of Nissan's masterpiece. "I really want a Ferrari 599 GTB, this GT-R has similar performance with much more potential at 1/5 the price, now that is value!" You can take that to You can take that to the bank, and while you're at, it feel free to rub it into your import-hating friends' faces. The GT-R is a serious piece of machinery, but how can one man afford all of these amazing vehicles? By now, you may have already pieced together a hypothesis.
James is the owner of Axis wheels, which is why there is no coincidence that all of his cars, wheels, accessories and even clothing match. "[Yellow] is a great marketing color" James explains. Starting the company back in 1997 Axis has been evolving constantly since then. His involvement in the auto industry has extended beyond then for over 20 years now. "It has been a passion that has turned into a career!" James proudly mentions. Clearly his passion has driven his success and given him plenty of new toys to enjoy. When asked about the reason behind the build Chen jokes, "I needed to have a car that was on the cover of Super Street!" Well James there's one more goal you can cross off the list.
Fast Facts
2009 Nissan GT-R
Owner James Chen
Hometown Sante Fe Springs, CA
Daily Grind wheel hustler for axis wheels
Under The Hood 3.8L Turbocharged VR38DETT; Password:JDM cooling plate, carbon intake manifold cover, ram air intake, Ti hood prop; K&N air filter
Drivetrain OEM R35 brains COBB Tuning GT-R AcessPORT
Stiff Stuff COBB Tuning coilovers
Stoppers OEM R35 Brembo calipers painted Porsche PCCB yellow
Rollers 20X10 (front) 20X11 (rear) Axis Power wheels in matte black w/yellow pinstripe wrapped in Toyo T1-R 275/35/20 (front) 305/30/20 (rear) for the street; 20X10 (front) 20X11 (rear) Axis Attack wheels wrapped in Toyo R888 285/35/20 (front) 315/30/20 (rear) for track use
Outside Laborghini Giallo Orion paint aka "Axis yellow"; APR carbon front wind splitter, carbon GTC adjustable rear wing, carbon front canards; Password:JDM dry carbon hood w/NACA ducts, dry carbon trunk, dry carbon rear diffuser blades; Modern Image graphics
Inside Sparco 4 point harnesses and harness bar ice OEM R35 sound system
Props I'd like to thank Steve at Password:JDM, KC at APR, Warren at Sparco, Joe at Wet Works, Christian at COBB tuning and Stan at Toyo Tires
www aprperformance.com; axiswheels.com; cobbtuning.com; passwordjdm.com; sparcousa.com; toyo.com