SEMA WEEK: LIBERTY WALK
Posted: 26 September 2014 | Story & photos: Nish | Location: Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA.

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Liberty Walk: Two words I heard many times before. I had seen the pictures of various Liberty Walk cars in the year preceding SEMA ... It really is an old cliché, but nothing can prepare you for the sheer insanity and detail of a Liberty Walk equipped car live and in person.


Liberty Walk has been around since 1993 believe it or not. From Beemers to GT-R's to Lamborghinis and Ferrari's. These guys have really taken it to the next level.


It takes a very special kind of company to create a body kit for a multi million rand supercar and then proceed to bolt it on with screws and Allen key bolts with such perfection that it seem as if that is the way it was meant to be released in the first place.


The Liberty Walk Ferrari 458 was definitely the star of the show. Everyone and I mean everyone was talking about it.


We must have walked past the main Liberty Walk stand three or four times before I even noticed Wataru Kato, head of this insane Tuning Company. I had heard that he didn't speak much English so I wasn't going to run up and greet him like a giddy School Boy.


At that time he was doing an interview for SpeedHunters, interpreter and all. So, instead we just opted for a walk by and gave the man a nod and grin to which he reciprocated nodding and smiling back.


Thinking about it now, we should have made a better effort to at least meet the man.


A little birdie at the show told me that in 2011 or 2012, Kato-San had already spent a small fortune trying to steal the show at SEMA and that at that point he was almost ready to throw in the towel. At SEMA 2013 not only did Liberty Walk steal the Show, they were expected to.


I read an interview somewhere where Kato-San is quoted as saying "I Like to build cars that make people happy". Kato-San, from RACEWEB we would just like to say, you and your company have succeeded!

Nish