Story: Evan “Evo” Yates
Photography: Andrew Link
The custom-car realm is littered with people wanting to be different, but the desire to set your ride apart from the next man’s can lead people to gravely miss their intended mark. And the realization that your version of “different” is simply a mirrored, filtered image of everyone else’s is even worse—like the car world’s version of beer goggles. But there are some in the game who truly have broken through barriers and made a serious effort to change the game—and leading that charge is Khriz Castellanos of JC Customz.
Khriz and his crew at JC have had plenty of firsts. Back when people were simply putting wheels and Strut grilles on Bentleys, they hacked up fenders and converted it into a widebody—on top of completely gutting the interior. His next conquest stayed on the luxury tip: a convertible BMW 645i that Khriz took to limits most are still afraid to approach today. He and his crew widened and flared the rear, fiberglassed the interior and candied the exterior as if it were a Donk in Fort Lauderdale. The 645i marked a new era in late-model luxury vehicle customization, providing inspiration to a new generation of car builders and owners.
In early 2013, Khriz copped a Porsche Panamera, a vehicle he had customized many times, both for celebrities such as Game and for show cars bound for SEMA. But since those rides weren’t his, he wasn’t able to go as far as he liked. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do to it,” says Khriz. “I knew I was going to take it to that next level—that was the whole point.” After some disassembly, the Panamera took the short trip down the street to TS Designs for an authentic widebody conversion. Topo and the team at TS widened the front two inches and the rear three. “I’ve seen a couple Panameras with what looks like a widebody, but they just had add-on flares,” Khriz says. “We actually cut my car and widened it, like the other widebody cars.” In addition to the vehicle’s new width, a Misha body kit was also modified to fit the Panamera S, to further hammer home its unique aesthetic.
Another subtle custom touch added to this progressive Porsche is the molded rear wing. “That’s the only thing I don’t like about the Panameras: that rear end,” he says. “It’s like it has no ass.” Once all the body modifications were complete, a vivid hue was applied. The custom-mixed red shade is a color that has to be experienced in person to fully appreciate—and as Khriz explains, it took a lot to get it that way. “We mixed the House of Kolor red with colors like yellow and others, then made a special base coat for underneath,” he says. “And then we hit it with two coats of clear after it was all put together.” The painting process was the most difficult part, as the entire car had to be disassembled. As Khriz mentions, it’s not like breaking down a Chevy. “It was like a puzzle,” he says. “We took everything apart: the doors, the hood, everything. Not just anybody can do this.”
With the profound Porsche perfected, Khriz has achieved his objective of creating the most unique Panamera in the custom-car game. “I just want to keep updating and upgrading to the next thing,” he says, “and just keep doing things no one has done before.”
Spec The Technique:
Year/Make/Model: 2010 Porsche Panamera S
Performance: 4.8L 400hp V8 engine
Exterior: TS Designs widebody; Misha Designs body kit; custom-molded rear wing; custom-mixed exotic fire red with glossy black accents and eight coats of clear
Interior: Black leather with black suede and red stitching with Porsche emblem; suede headliner; red seat belts; all by California Upholstery
Ice: Two 8-inch JL Audio W7 subwoofers in custom enclosure, one 800-watt amplifier*
Wheels/Tires: Staggered 22-inch Forgiato F2.01 concave wheels with powder-coated black lip and matte black face; Pirelli P ZERO NERO tires, 265/30/22 front, 315/25/22 rear
*Added after the car was photographed.
