1995 Toyota Celsior: SpaceX Welder Imports Grandma-Spec VIP Dream

Peter Nikolovski

1995 Toyota Celsior V.I.P Build

Instagram: @Mnymstk

Photographer: Marvin Recinos

Instagram:  @Mr2mivin

Performance Stats: 250 HP (stock 1UZ-FE)

"Sometimes it feels like I'm the main character even though I enjoy being in the background creating a vision I see in my head." – Peter Nikolovski

From Formula 1 to VIP: A Welder's Journey

Peter Nikolovski is a first-generation Macedonian-American born and raised in Southern California. Currently employed at SpaceX in Hawthorne as a welder, he's been building cars since he turned 18 and got his first car—and some adult money.

Growing up, Peter constantly watched Formula 1 and motorsports with his family, played countless racing video games, and collected more Hot Wheels than he can remember. Cars had a soul and an aura that captivated him every time he saw them on screen. Through years of BMX and skating that kept him on wheels, he eventually graduated to bigger wheels as he grew up.

He's always been a huge fan of slammed big-body bippu VIP cars from Japan—their aesthetic stood out among everything else. The LS400/Celsior was the top dog of that era, and building one had been in the back of his mind for years after seeing them at meets and shows in the JDM scene with his 240SXs.

The Search: When Two Wrecks Led to One Import

Late 2021, around Thanksgiving, Peter got into an accident in his daily driver—a 2014 Ford Focus. His father had also recently totaled his 2000 black-on-black Lexus GS400 in a crash caused by an inobservant driver.

Since Peter needed a new daily, he started hunting for something that wasn't just average traffic. He was all over the place initially—looking at used R35 GT-Rs, new MK5 Supras, original Honda Insights, even the Honda CR-Z. He didn't really know what he wanted.

Over the years, he'd met plenty of people who owned LS or GS platforms and always preached about how great they were. Since his dad already had a GS, Peter decided to see just how nice the LS400 really was.

After days of browsing Marketplace and OfferUp, finding a decent LS400 with less than 250k miles and a clean interior for under $8-10k seemed increasingly unlikely. But since they were plentiful in production numbers, Peter thought: What if I found a JDM LS400? How much would that cost?

He did some research and discovered that USDM and JDM versions are almost identical, minus small details—meaning he could source body parts locally and maintain it easily. Since his work wasn't far and he could survive a few months without a car, importing seemed justified.

Finding the One: 45k Miles and Doily Seat Covers

After a week or two of searching, Peter found @midoriworksjapan on Instagram—vetted by @team_free_spirit for auction history reports and translations. He locked in, checking out cars at Japanese auctions.

Sure enough, he found it: a super low-mile Grade 4 (very good condition) 1995 Toyota Celsior in pearl white with the silver two-tone. The car had 72,000 km (approximately 45,000 miles)—practically brand new for something that old.

But what sealed the deal? Beautiful lace seat covers in the listing photo that reminded him of family and old lace clothes used when guests came over. It was grandma-spec perfection. The listing said: "$7,500 shipped."

After tons of photos from Midoriworks, mixed opinions from friends and family, and some anxiety about sending money overseas sight unseen, Peter pulled the trigger in December 2021. The car arrived at the Port of Long Beach in March 2022.

After three months of shipping and another three months of registration hell, he finally had it.

The Build Evolution

When Peter picked up the Celsior from the port, it was coated in the most wax he'd ever seen—it took months to fully remove. The car was 100% bone stock minus minor paint work from a previous fender bender.

He got the bare necessities to make it road-worthy as a daily and enjoyed it like that for about six months—until he got into another fender bender with a newer Toyota Tacoma. The car went to paint jail for eight months, and when he got it back, the factory air ride in the rear started failing.

While at paint, he acquired a roof spoiler and trunk spoiler to add flair to the stock body lines, which the shop paint-matched. Since the rear air suspension was still functional but failing, he couldn't justify coilovers—the car rode like a cloud on factory air. Instead, he installed Air Lift 3P all around to pay homage to Toyota's engineering while being able to dump the car at meets like true VIP cars.

Custom OEM 3-Piece Wheel Conversion

The car came on OEM bottle cap monoblock cast wheels—not the most attractive Toyota made in the '90s, but not the worst. Peter was going for an OEM+ look.

When the Celsior was at the body shop, he also acquired a parts car LS400 and got a spare set of bottle cap wheels in factory chrome finish. This sparked the idea for an OEM 3-piece wheel conversion—something he'd always wanted to do.

He contacted Lee (@chamorroboy86) and spec'd out a custom set:

• OEM Celsior bottle caps converted to 3-piece
• Stepped from 16" to 19" diameter
• 9.5" front, 10.5" rear (fit stock body with full turn radius for daily driving and just tuck the lip)
• Chromed-out faces, polished lips, gold hardware
• Custom metal chrome-plated floating center caps

The result? Absolute class.

JDM K-Break Fenders and Rando Sports Lip Kit

With the wheels complete, the car needed a lip kit. Peter got in touch with Peter from @peterscarparts, who hooked him up with a Rando Sports lip kit from Japan in record time—though it had to sit in a box while waiting for paint shop availability.

During that wait, he had a full sound system installed: JBL high-frequency door speakers, a 10" Cerwin Vega sub, and a 4-channel JBL amp in the trunk.

The major standout piece? JDM K-Break vented Celsior fenders he randomly found on Facebook Marketplace one night at work. These were originally black, and the vents were coming apart. Bow at @HG_workshop repaired and painted them so flawlessly it looked like nothing was ever wrong—along with making the rest of the car and lip kit look perfect.

What Makes This Celsior Unique

Peter puts it best: "Unique is perspective. This one is mine, so it's unique to me."

It's his daily driver—super comfortable, sound system bumps, and he has deep appreciation for the engineering that went into it decades ago and the styling changes he's made. The reactions people give when they see it rolling down the street or aired out in a parking spot make it all worth it.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm the main character even though I enjoy being in the background creating a vision I see in my head."

Complete Build Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain

• Stock 1UZ-FE V8 (250 HP)
• Stock brakes

Suspension

• Air Lift 3P air suspension (all four corners)

Wheels

• Custom OEM 3-piece converted bottle cap wheels
• Stepped from 16" to 19" diameter
• 9.5" front, 10.5" rear
• Chrome faces, polished lips, gold hardware
• Custom chrome-plated floating center caps
• Built by @chamorroboy86

Exterior

• JDM K-Break vented metal OEM fenders
• Rando Sports lip kit
• eBay roof spoiler and trunk spoiler (paint-matched)
• Pearl white with silver two-tone

Interior

• OEM Celsior doily seat covers (original from Japan)
• Alpine double-din head unit
• JBL high-frequency door speakers
• Cerwin Vega 10" subwoofer
• JBL 4-channel amplifier
• Capacitor

Paint & Body

• Full paint correction and body work by @HG_workshop

Who Built It?

• Peter Nikolovski: Air Lift install, all maintenance work
• @HG_workshop (Bow): Paint work, K-Break fender repair and paint
• @chamorroboy86 (Lee): Custom 3-piece wheel conversion
• Professional shop: Sound system installation

Future Plans

Small updates are in the works: gold-plated Celsior badges, rear window and windshield curtains, and more VIP interior goodies. Finishing the trunk interior with a nice mounted tank setup is also on the list.

Beyond that? Keep the car in good shape and show up to as many shows and meets as possible to show off the build.

Dream Cars

Money no object: Pagani Zonda R or Koenigsegg Agera RS
Attainable dream: Nissan Stagea Autech 260RS with his own rendition

Shoutouts

@midoriworksjapan | @HG_workshop | @chamorroho86 | @peterscarparts | @mr2mivin | @gps_julian | @pashley707 | @jermrex.dc5 | @jdm_pawel | @b_motorwerks_ | @exc_chase | @cole__240z

Call to Action

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