I was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. I own my company, Zarate Steel Works. We manufacture aftermarket accessories for three-wheel motorcycles and do custom CNC metalwork. We also do one-off custom builds but are very selective about them. When I was about 8 years old, I went to my first lowrider show, and that intrigued me enough to want to know more about custom cars. Then, I kept going to more car shows and would buy the lowrider magazines. Ever since I can remember, I have liked the lines, look, and sleekness of the Audi R8. It wasn't too flashy but had enough awe to it.

Front shot of a Bagged Audi R8

A Journey Through Custom Builds

My first car was an '81 El Camino that I built into a lowrider. That's what got me into the car scene; I wanted to know more about how to build the car and fix it up. I've had a couple of hot rods I built, one of them being a '54 Chevy Bel Air, mini trucks, full-size trucks, and a '04 Toyota Tacoma that was featured at SEMA 8 years ago. I did a completely crazy build to that one, having an LS Swap, made it a right-hand drive, and skin-grafted a rear roll-down window from a Forerunner. Street Trucks featured it as Mini Truck of the Year as well. And now an exotic. But I always find myself going back to mini trucks.

Building the Dream: The Bagged Audi R8

I built this car for myself as a sense of accomplishment. It made me feel good to have achieved building my dream car.

Advice For Beginners

Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't have what you're trying to achieve; there's always a way to make it happen. For modding, don't go cheap on your parts; spend the money once.

Bagged Audi R8: The Difference

Having Air-ride suspension on that type of car makes it different from the rest.

Bagged Audi R8 engine bay

Read our Article On What Is Liberty Walk

Bagged Audi R8 Modifications:

Engine/Drivetrain Modifications -

V10 VF Engineering Stage 1 tune

Suspension Modifications -

Custom Airlift Suspension, 3P system
Brakes/Wheels/Tires Modifications -
Three-piece custom wheels. 21x12 rear, 20x9.5 front with Pirelli tires

Interior Modifications -

Factory carbon accents
Alcantara headliner
Audio/Video -
Stock

Exterior Modifications -

Full Custom Carbon Fiber hood, had hood repainted with a silver accent to match the car
Carbon fiber front splitter
Carbon fiber rear diffuser
Carbon fiber side skirts
Carbon Fiber mirrors
Side body middle panels carbon-wrapped

Bagged Audi R8 interior

The Work

The whole build was done by me at our shop Zarate Steel Works. Next, I want to do a twin-turbo in the future. Basically, make it go faster.

The Car Scene

Severed Ties has been my only club that I have been in for over 17 years! “Anything Less is everything else. “ I’ve built a name for myself in the scene for the type of work I’ve displayed and put into all my builds, along with all the multiple features. I always set a higher standard for the next build. It’s always been my whole family's passion.

If you have any questions you can reach me at my email or website.

zaratesteelworks@gmail.com

www.zaratesteelworks.com

The Zarate Family

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Lamborghini Huracan LibertyWalk by Zarate Steel Works

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