You don't just go looking for new floor mats for your car and accidentally walk into Vilner's shop - the people who book their services know exactly what they're getting themselves in, and that's very detailed interiors with good quality and questionable taste.
That last part can often be the client's fault, and when they're willing to pay for it, there aren't a lot of customization shops that can afford to say "pass." Especially since these modifications usually go for pretty hefty sums of money.
The fact modding of this level is rather expensive makes investing in this 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart mind-boggling. The Japanese sedan is not a special car by any stretch of the imagination, so why choose it for this project? Well, it has one intrinsic quality that no Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz does: it's Japanese.
On the outside, the Lancer looks pretty tame. Vilner only gave it a two-tone appearance highlighting its off-road abilities as well as having its name - Allroads Ronin - written at the back. It even keeps the stock wheels, only they too get a coat of paint, only this time it's red.
If all this sounds a bit confusing since the only Ronin you know is the one played by Rober De Niro, it all gets sorted out once you step inside. It's here that Vilner really gave it its best shot, and regardless whether you like the outcome or not, the work that has gone into the conversion is impressive.
We don't know for sure (though Vilner claims so), but it sure looks like no square inch was left unchanged. The highlight is probably the heat and pressured velour you see on the door panels, the headrests, and the central armrest, displaying a motif inspired by a samurai's armor.
There's a bit of wood on the dashboard and center console, but the rest of it is wrapped in Amaretta, a special Japanese fabric that's very resistant, which made it an ideal - and also Japanese - replacement for the common Alcantara.
The headliner is going to give you headaches, sporting the kind of drawing you'd expect to see tattooed on the back of a Yakuza member. Luckily, it won't sit within your field of view while driving, but this is the kind of touch that makes us think Vilner doesn't know when to stop, less is more and all that thing.
Browsing the interior will give the samurai theme countless chances to pop up from unsuspecting places. Every plastic insert has been replaced with a sculpted metallic one, and if the leather-wrapped handbrake handle wasn't a clear enough hint at a katana, then the actual sword lying on the rear sits should do the trick. Though we doubt carrying that thing in the car is advisable.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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