Garage Boso definitely holds it down for Hawaii in the City of Angels. Spreading that Aloha spirit where people play dirty, and specializing in everything from suspension work, to paint; and tuning to full builds.
Hit the jump to see the full write up of these Boso boys are all about!
Hailing out of the West Compton/Gardena area, these guys do work. They are one of those shops that make people flock to ‘SoCal’ to have their cars built; easily adding to the sterotype that Southern California has nice imports. Right now their shop looks a bit empty, but that is just because they just finished all their customers cars about a week or so ago… But whatever you need, they probably have… and with no compromise at all. The shop is known for producing and maintaining top notch cars. They tune and maintain many cars that compete in the Formula Drift series as well as play host to the abundance of Japanese drivers that compete in D1GP when they compete in the states.
Just as I left, they got a call to dial in some time attack cars for a session that was going on the next day. Thats how reputable the shop is.. For any last minute fix, Ross and Frank will have no problem getting it done.
Caught this 2JZ under going a full build for one of their customers when I was there.
But you can’t work without your water right? Nah… But before I came, Frank was hard at work doing his thing. Once I came, so did the phone calls. His phone rang off the hook, and Ross was no where to be found! He was actually off getting some supplies for the shop. Whats crazy about this shop and these guys is that they are the only two who make the shop go round. If you see anything reppin their logos, it is most likely that it was either Ross or Frank who worked on that car. And it would be, without a doubt, the best possible. NO HALF ASS JOBS DONE HERE!
Little behind their work table was their parts cart. Talk about the load of random stuff laying around, But I guess every shop has their random tid bits.
But they had more…
Transmissions and engines for their drift cars and some of their other clients… All waiting to be put into each owns battle machine.
They had a nice hefty pile of tires on the right side as well as many different wheels that they use, but the one thing I liked aside from the Bride seat laying around was their Nismo Posters… If any clients need any specific parts from Japan, Frank and Ross would probably be able to get it since the shop crew is tight with shops such as Signal, the Option Magazine guys, and a TON of other shops (I forget who they named since the list was so fricken long!).
Check out their stickied out tool box. They had a lot of random stickers all over the shop, but this was the most concentrated I saw from when I first arrived. This tool box has been all over. Always in the Boso box truck when an event is away from home.
Franks mode of transportation around the shop.. Nahh, but when ever they go to races, if you don’t see him by the car, he’s usually crusin’ around on his bike. And whats that in the back ground??? I’ll get to it later!
Their 14 was undergoing some work.. I didn’t bother to ask. How foolish of me! But this was the original rasta car that led to the 15 becoming rasta colored as well! Doesn’t it look so naked without stickers?
Next to the two lifts, there was a Nissan Stagea, a Nissan Cefiro, and Daijiro Inada’s Celica. Although these cars may not look that special to the untrained eye, any Japanese car enthusiast would know that neither the Stagea nor the Cefiro were sold in the states, and that Inada’s Celica sports an sr20det. If none of these cars put a smirk on your face, then don’t consider yourself a Japanese car enthusiast.
Infront of the Celica is the shops Boso bike once more. If you didn’t already see it in the other post here, I’ll explain it once more. This bike is a the epitome of Bosozoku. Bad asses on bikes who terrorize the streets.
Turning myself around I found the entrance to another room… Where Frank builds his engines. As you can tell, whenever he gets bored or tired of building, he instantly turns around and rocks the shit out of the shop. Or maybe Ross does so while Frank builds the motors that the are notorious for their great build.
I know there were a few of you staring at the wheel, so this is for you guys!
And another gem stored away in the room above the shelf of parts… Just look at that turbo and nicely finished velocity stack…
Going into the office, this is what greets you. An arcade machines all stickied up as well… I spy?
The Green Bottle boys well represented up here. I saw their sticker on everything these Boso boys owned! I kid you not! Fridge? Welding Mask? Dyno? Damnnn!
Some of their recent creations pictures awards with some interesting looking DVDs?
…Yeah, definitely JDM. Fits right in! Sorry, I had to censor it out or else I would have gotten fired 
Soon enough I took a step outside to start shooting the infamous Rasta S15 that they built. By the time you read this, the car will have already undergone it’s second transformation of the season! Making the green greener than it was to give it a little more pop.
The shop is actually located at the end of this alley with the businesses in the front stealing all the customers. It’s a harsh location but it’s reality. Beats their former East Los Angeles location. For those who don’t know, East Los Angeles is known for gang violence and interracial violence… Not some where you want to get lost in nor set up shop, hence the reason why they relocated when the opportunity opened!
This is the Boso truck that takes their tools from one event to another. Literally driving cross country to keep their car in the best shape possible! You can also see part of their half pipe for when they get tired of wrenching. Who said car guys can’t have fun out side of the car?
Not too long later, I started taking some snaps of the car. If you don’t like to read and soak up knowledge, look at these pictures, and read my commentary from my other Boso post by checking it out here. If you want to learn a thing or two about the team and their drift car, be prepared!
The car in general is just a ‘hate it or love it’ car. Some make like the vinyls and color scheme, others may not.
Some may think that it would look nicer in a simple color, and although I love cars that look simple and clean, if you don’t like this car, then you need a sense of creativity. These guys were the first to run a crazy multi colored car that actually ‘worked’. Well yeah, Formula Drift may be composed of many colorful cars, but none has as much character as this! Their rasta theme… All us Hawaii people should be grateful he’s representing the ’808′ for his car number rather than the ’420′ that they just love down at the shop. I mean, I’m not comparing the two, I’m just sayin’.
You may be wondering where the shisa (Okinawan lion dog) went from last season, but like anthing, things need to be changed and redone; As cool as the former graphics were, there was no exception. The left side of the car as well as the hood both have graphics of a Okinawan demons (Tengu) which represent the impact that living in Okinawa had on his life. These characters were chosen because they are known to be supernatural and often worshiped as Gods. Why is the one on the hood different from the side of the car? Well, tengu come in various shapes and forms and are known to be able to morph into different shapes and sizes. Ever see masks around in restraunts or other places in Hawaii? Well thats what they are, tengu.
On the right side of the car, Ross wanted to represent Hawaii with something that wasn’t used before. At first they were going to use something related to King Kamehameha but soon dropped the idea as so many already his stature to represent islands and that many mainlanders commonly mistake his figure for that of a Trojan (I’m not joking, so many people tell me I have a nice ‘Trojan’ hat when they see my Fitted Kamehameha hat; Don’t worry, I support these local brands!). After further brainstorming they team came up with the idea of using the graphics of a Hawaiian God… but since there are so many, which would project the strongest image, maintain a high but unique stature, and still be recognizable to the unfamiliar eyes?? Ku, the Hawaiian God of War. But not only did Jeff make a visual of the God, but he also translated into a more fierce stance than just a normal ‘Tiki’ which he is usually seen as. He’s a God with an attitude ready to attack the track just as Ross is every time he lines up at the starting grid.
Aside from the most obvious ascetics, this is definitely something that sets this car apart from all others in the Formula Drift series. How many other drift cars are this clean? Full interior? Door panels? Power locks/windows that still function? I don’t recall seeing very much or any at all when I was down at Long Beach a couple weeks ago.
This thing is purpose built with NO compromise at all! Full one off roll cage built where the rest of the car was built. Working double din. Everything about Garage Boso’s work is so F’n clean! Everything that was done to the car was done in their own shop by Frank and Ross themselves with the exception of the occasional drop in of friends.
In addition to the main graphics, the team also added a Selassie graphic on the roof. If you don’t know who he is, he is a rasta God who led many to peace and prosperity. Many revered him back then and there are some who still do so today, but many people who smoke out to reggae know who this significant figure is and often hear his name in an alternative to that of ‘Jah’ or ‘Jah Rastafari’ . Although the rastafari culture has had an influence on Ross and Franks life, the reason why this graphic was placed on the roof was to be over the cabin… Always looking over Ross while he does his thing on the track along with other reasons.
The designs are all one off and designed just for this car by Jeff over at Angry Art Studios who also did the graphics for Daijiro Yoshihara’s s13 as well as many others. These graphics specifically emphasizes the roots of what Ross felt impacted his life… Specifically the Okinawan and Hawaiian culture that he was surrounded by when he grew up. He was constantly moving around, as he was a gypsy, but obviously these cultures had an emphasis on who he is today.
This concludes my series of photos of their s15 Silvia BUT NOT THEIR GARAGE! Being pressed for time, we went back into shop to shoot what many were also waiting to see… Ross’s Stagea.
Ross acquired a while back and has been piecing it together over time. I would be more than happy to share his story, but maybe I’ll do so once I get the go ahead from him next time I see him.. And maybe I’ll be able to pull a feature for his car as well? But this will definitely suffice for now.
His car usually has it’s hood on, but underneath sits an RB26 and not just a single turbo either. It also had a lot of other things but I didn’t have enough time to sit, stare, and drool, as me and my friend needed to be somewhere soon.
It’s a Stagea.. It’s rare in Japan. And the way it is right now and with the spec’s it has would make for it to be rarer than rare even if it were in Japan. Just keep lusting over it people. Because I will be too!
I don’t know if you can smell it from where you are sitting, but his car smells amazing too! Don’t make a weird face, I’m serious. It had the new car smell and everything. This thing has a full interior and is flawless! I can’t wait to see it completed! Well as with the rest of everyone on US shores…
The last shot I took of it… I never did realize how skinny the spokes on the OEM GTR wheels were until that day. This car is literally many peoples dream car… even for those who live in the land of the rising sun! Don’t stare too much, you might drool on your keyboard.
This is a shot of Ross playing handball with the neighbors. Everyday after work they come out and play some serious games… And so I hear Ross is always making money off of them. I wonder if it’s true? Can he play handball as good as he can drift?
And so this concludes my write up of their shop. If anyone needs any good work done whether you be in Los Angeles, Hawaii, or anywhere, come down to Garage Boso to get a sure job done. It’s the real deal and they’ll help you with whatever your needs… I can guarantee it! If they don’t have what you need, they’ll refer you over to someone who does. Also, if you haven’t seen their build thread, check it out here! I highly encourage you to interact with them. Big ups to Frank and Ross of Garage Boso for letting SpeedHawaii get an inside of you guys do things at the shop!
From the land where people speed up when they see others blinkers turned on, I’m out. I hope you enjoyed!
Shooooootssss!
