In no way is a Toyota Camry a top desired platform of customizing. In fact, the Camry about as generic as it gets. But in this case, that’s the point. This is about taking your hand, and playing it well. Being resourceful. It’s about turning regular into radical. Looking at the world through your own lens & seeing the possibilities & potential in it.
Shaun is 21. Maybe 22 by now…
And for his first set of wheels, he got his mom’s hand-me-down Toyota Camry. But here’s the sentimental part: As a younger kid (with no preconceived notions, filters, or stigmas about the world yet), he was always drawn to the Camry. He just liked ‘em. So when his mom needed a new car, she decided to get a Camry & blow his little mind. That was this car. So while a lot of kids today would turn their nose up at a plain ol’ Camry, Shaun was stoked A) To have a car. Plus B), For it to be the Camry he always loved. Sure, maybe a Camry’s a little boring… but it’s solid, dependable… and is any car really boring when you’re a teenager?? Nah. So long story short, Shaun loved his Camry & damn near washed the paint off it.
Come Shaun’s 21st Birthday…
He did what most kids from California do… and went to Vegas. Kind of against his will honestly, but peer pressure’s a bitch sometimes… you know how it is. On the way home, he got tangled up with a tractor-trailer. The truck side-swiped his Camry & just kept rolling. Shaun was totally devastated. But that’s where our old pal Joe Schneider (Backyardjoe) stepped in. Our should I say – stepped up. Backyardjoe has a long history with Southern California Honda Culture – working at Skunk2 in the glory years, etc. He’s also Shaun’s dad… stepdad technically. And he was always careful not to over-push his own love for car culture on his stepson. “Let him do his thing… and be there if he asked and/or showed interest.” That was always the protocol. Well, Backyardjoe looked over the crashed Camry & came to the conclusion that…
Most of the damage on the Camry was just superficial…
Meaning – Shaun’s car was fixable. Joe said he’d help him fix it. And Shaun was so relieved & appreciative, that Backyardjoe decided to kick it up a notch. Without really divulging all his plans to Shaun, he started ordering some aftermarket parts for the Toyota Camry’s resurrection. A fender, hood, front bumper, and new suspension pieces were necessary pieces, but Joe decided to glow it up with Lexus headlights, a set of coilovers, & fender flares. For things like wheels, Joe would try to slyly work some potential options into regular conversation with Shaun… in order to get a feel for Shaun’s own personal style. “You think these wheels would look good on my Honda, or you like something like this instead?” Then he’d take that and apply it to Shaun’s Camry.
Backyardjoe has a long past (& present) in custom car graphics…
So there was no way this Camry was going out naked. As the car neared completion, an unforeseen sense of pressure fell over Joe. It’s one thing to build a car for yourself – you’re there every step of the way lol. And it’s also one thing to build a car with friends, where everyone’s on the same page. But building a car for someone else, especially someone so close to you, when they aren’t even aware of what’s going down?? Well that’s a horse of a different color. What if Shaun hated it?? Lol – that wasn’t really something Backyardjoe thought through until the final quarter. However – Shaun’s elation & excitement melted any previous doubt. He’s now consumed with a whole new side of car ownership – the car culture side. And Shaun’s still out there washing the paint off it. But to have people recognize him by his car in the parking lot… or come in his work asking who owns the slick Camry sitting outside… that’s a whole new world for Shaun.
Photos by Daniel Pulido (itsmedanimal)
Work VS-XX wheels 20×8.5 front & 20×10 rear
Falken tires
Kinda no-name fender flares
Rev 9 coilovers & camber kit
TRD strut bar
K&N drop-in filter
Pedal Commander
Lexus headlights & fogs
LED tails
Yofer rear diffusor
Hardtuned LED underglow
TRD rear wing
no-name window spoiler
Backyard Designz graphics
JDM window visors
