The Indonesian custom car scene has a saying: the best stanced cars come from Jogjakarta. These aren’t your typical stance builds, as here in Indonesia the scene is heavily influenced by Japanese bippu (VIP) style, hence the local catchphrase ‘Made in Jogja’.
Late last year I travelled to Jakarta for The Elite Showcase, but before seeing what this major Indonesian stance show had to offer, a friend invited to me to spend a few days in Jogjakarta where I could take a behind-the-scenes look at how local cars are built.
What I saw shocked me.
Laris Understeel is a well-known stance specialist in Indonesia. The shop’s reputation has been built on some amazingly clean builds, but what’s even more amazing than their cars is where and how they create them.
As you’ll clearly see from these images, the guys at Laris Understeel work in challenging conditions. The floor is mostly dirt and rocks, and wherever I looked there were parts.
Even the most basic of workshop equipment that most people take for granted is a luxury here, and as such many of the cars being worked on were sitting on piles of bricks and wooden blocks.
Laris’s speciality is suspension, getting stance cars to sit just right using both air ride and traditional static coilover setups.
But it’s not just fitting suspension kits, most of the work requires custom solutions, meaning everything from the fabrication of suspension arms to bodywork and paint is handled in house. And let’s not forgot the performance upgrades either.
They even do custom carbon fiber.
Most of the cars I’ve photographed before have come from this very shop, and I had no idea. That’s really testament to what Laris Understeel can achieve given the circumstances they’re faced with. It’s a mix of talent and hard work, which is what the ‘Made In Jogja’ ethos is all about.
Stay tuned for ‘A Long Road To The Elite Showcase’.
Rick Muda
Instagram: ardskellig
www.ard.haus
How To join the IATS program: We have always welcomed readers to contact us with examples of their work and believe that the best Speedhunter is always the person closest to the culture itself, right there on the street or local parking lot. If you think you have what it takes and would like to share your work with us then you should apply to become part of the IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program. Read how to get involved here.