▀▄ eas | Tons of Hi-Res MFEST 2011 Photos

[MrHarris]

lol @ domo face. the event looked like a great success

[aj@fluid]

Originally Posted by Brosef

what for? that X5 is a joke. It won't do shit off road unless the owner installed 4-wheel drive (not AWD, but 4WD) with a low-range transfer case at a minimum. Doubt they did that though as it would cost an arm and a leg for the custom fabrication that would have to be done.

It's probably just a suspension lift, mud tires and a snorkel (which is laughable, btw, since I'm sure the electronics aren't properly waterproofed and the differentials probably have breathers that would allow water in).

it's a nice looking "SAV" though.

What for? Because everything behind this X5 is anything but "a joke." No it does not have all the electronics sealed and a different transfer case. Why? Because we hadn't gotten that far yet. It is not a matter of us not wanting to pay someone to fabricate the upgrades. You see, every inch of this vehicle has been fabricated...by us. The lift kit...designed and fabricated by us. The front bumper...designed and fabricated by us. The roof rack and tire mount...designed and fabricated by us. The snorkel...designed and fabricated by us. The complete exhaust system...designed and fabricated by us. The blacked out interior...done by us. Tune...us.

You are correct...it would have problems actually being totally submerged in water...but thats not what we built it for. We are not a competitive off road company. In fact this is the first vehicle we have actually gone skyward with instead of south. We built it to show what we are capable of doing and to get our company attention. We built it because, we as a company, do things to vehicles that are not considered the norm. Thus the reason you will not find ANY of the upgrades on our X5 on any shelves of any stores on the planet. All four of the vehicles we drove nearly 2000 miles from Chicago to Vegas for the show follow the same motive. If you could have ridden with me down the Vegas strip and witnessed the mob it drew you would have realized we accomplished our goal.

But seeing as you are a fellow Chicago local I trust you won't just take my word for it. Our facility is just outside the city and you are more than welcome to come check out what we do in person. It would be my pleasure to give you or anyone else a tour...hell, if you give us a visit and still aren't convinced we're about as far from a joke as you can get I'll buy you lunch. Check our site out at www.fluidmotorunion.com and feel free to shoot us any questions about any build we ever do.

Its hard to be mad at a fellow BMW fanatic...and with all the bolt on parts and shelf bought upgrades seen at shows it is completely understandable why someone would come to some or your conclusions. But I'm not a guy that likes grudges...too tired after a 32 hour drive home for that. I'd rather you check us out in person...I'm sure we'd get along like peas and carrots.

[Kensta335]

Originally Posted by RyuHayabusa

What color blue is this? Is this a vinyl wrap or MCB? Looks gorgeous.

It's painted Matte Estoril Blue

[iconoclast1]

Great looking cars.. great looking women.. Everyone's a winner!

[RyuHayabusa]

Originally Posted by Kensta335

It's painted Matte Estoril Blue

Thanks!

[MMMorish]

Nice shots! Great to see Amway is still in business!!

[ADV.1 Matt]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing with us!

[Gladius]

Originally Posted by aj@fluid

W

If you could have ridden with me down the Vegas strip and witnessed the mob it drew you would have realized we accomplished our goal.

AJ, yours was one of my two favorite cars at the event. I love the German-army motif. And the girl you had with you was equally amazing...

[Maseroche]

Excellent pics!

E34 M5 looks good!

[Brosef]

Originally Posted by aj@fluid

What for? Because everything behind this X5 is anything but "a joke." No it does not have all the electronics sealed and a different transfer case. Why? Because we hadn't gotten that far yet. It is not a matter of us not wanting to pay someone to fabricate the upgrades. You see, every inch of this vehicle has been fabricated...by us. The lift kit...designed and fabricated by us. The front bumper...designed and fabricated by us. The roof rack and tire mount...designed and fabricated by us. The snorkel...designed and fabricated by us. The complete exhaust system...designed and fabricated by us. The blacked out interior...done by us. Tune...us.

You are correct...it would have problems actually being totally submerged in water...but thats not what we built it for. We are not a competitive off road company. In fact this is the first vehicle we have actually gone skyward with instead of south. We built it to show what we are capable of doing and to get our company attention. We built it because, we as a company, do things to vehicles that are not considered the norm. Thus the reason you will not find ANY of the upgrades on our X5 on any shelves of any stores on the planet. All four of the vehicles we drove nearly 2000 miles from Chicago to Vegas for the show follow the same motive. If you could have ridden with me down the Vegas strip and witnessed the mob it drew you would have realized we accomplished our goal.

But seeing as you are a fellow Chicago local I trust you won't just take my word for it. Our facility is just outside the city and you are more than welcome to come check out what we do in person. It would be my pleasure to give you or anyone else a tour...hell, if you give us a visit and still aren't convinced we're about as far from a joke as you can get I'll buy you lunch. Check our site out at www.fluidmotorunion.com and feel free to shoot us any questions about any build we ever do.

Its hard to be mad at a fellow BMW fanatic...and with all the bolt on parts and shelf bought upgrades seen at shows it is completely understandable why someone would come to some or your conclusions. But I'm not a guy that likes grudges...too tired after a 32 hour drive home for that. I'd rather you check us out in person...I'm sure we'd get along like peas and carrots.

just saw this post. listen, I'm sorry to have offended you. calling your creation a joke was harsh, and for that I apologize. I admire you guys for your creativity, and the fact that you said that you built this to get attention for your business explains this misunderstanding. fabricating a custom lift (especially on an vehicle with an independent suspension front and rear) is not an easy task, so you have my respect with regards to your capabilities.

however, I hope you can at least understand why I would call modifications such as a snorkel on that truck a joke. four-wheeling has been a hobby of mine for about 15 years, and I'm much more familiar with off road vehicles than performance cars. I know full well what it takes for a vehicle to be competent off road, and the reality is that a snorkel would be one of the last modifications you would make to that car if your goal was to make it trail worthy. a snorkel on an X5 is as useless as tits on a boar. there are so many more important pieces of hardware that you're missing (not least of which is a 4-wheel drive transfer case), and it would be so expensive to add those that it makes absolutely no sense and becomes a pointless endeavor (hence my comments for calling it a joke). an X5 is just a terrible platform for an off-road vehicle.

having said that, I now understand why you've made such modifications (i.e. to showcase your talents), so I hope you can accept my apologies for the misunderstanding. I'm an asshole, but I try not to be when I can.

for what it's worth, I think it looks badass. maybe I'll swing by sometime to see your operation.

[MikeM5]

i love Fluid's X5...been following the build on their blog for awhile. still gotta see/hear that thing in person sometime.

that fire orange/black P43S combo is just AWESOME. nice photos, guys!

[aj@fluid]

Originally Posted by Brosef

just saw this post. listen, I'm sorry to have offended you. calling your creation a joke was harsh, and for that I apologize. I admire you guys for your creativity, and the fact that you said that you built this to get attention for your business explains this misunderstanding. fabricating a custom lift (especially on an vehicle with an independent suspension front and rear) is not an easy task, so you have my respect with regards to your capabilities.

however, I hope you can at least understand why I would call modifications such as a snorkel on that truck a joke. four-wheeling has been a hobby of mine for about 15 years, and I'm much more familiar with off road vehicles than performance cars. I know full well what it takes for a vehicle to be competent off road, and the reality is that a snorkel would be one of the last modifications you would make to that car if your goal was to make it trail worthy. a snorkel on an X5 is as useless as tits on a boar. there are so many more important pieces of hardware that you're missing (not least of which is a 4-wheel drive transfer case), and it would be so expensive to add those that it makes absolutely no sense and becomes a pointless endeavor (hence my comments for calling it a joke). an X5 is just a terrible platform for an off-road vehicle.

having said that, I now understand why you've made such modifications (i.e. to showcase your talents), so I hope you can accept my apologies for the misunderstanding. I'm an asshole, but I try not to be when I can.

for what it's worth, I think it looks badass. maybe I'll swing by sometime to see your operation.

I could tell by the technical detail of your comments that you knew more than a thing or two about off roading. Sounds like I know where to go when we want to make this a legitimate off road X5. I get the same way when it comes to superbike racing...I like to see what works and improves performance. I gotta respect a guy like you.

Like I said, would love to have you come by and take a tour of the facility. The invitation is always open even if only for curiousity. Fellow car enthusiast, on or off road, are welcome anytime. Just ask for AJ (Aaron).

[Brosef]

Originally Posted by aj@fluid

I could tell by the technical detail of your comments that you knew more than a thing or two about off roading. Sounds like I know where to go when we want to make this a legitimate off road X5. I get the same way when it comes to superbike racing...I like to see what works and improves performance. I gotta respect a guy like you.

Like I said, would love to have you come by and take a tour of the facility. The invitation is always open even if only for curiousity. Fellow car enthusiast, on or off road, are welcome anytime. Just ask for AJ (Aaron).

I saw from your website that you're in Plainfield. I head out that way from time to time to go shooting at MegaSport, so maybe I'll swing by on my next trip.

[biglare]

For the record, I think that X5 is badass! It was shooting fireballs out the pipes when revving at MFest! I mean it is not an off-road animal but pretty cool for your SUV...... oops I mean SAV!

Can you post up a video of the fireballs at night?

[NYCMCBM3]

where is M Fest held??

[biglare]

Originally Posted by NycE93M3

where is M Fest held??

Vegas Baby!

[aj@fluid]

Originally Posted by biglare

For the record, I think that X5 is badass! It was shooting fireballs out the pipes when revving at MFest! I mean it is not an off-road animal but pretty cool for your SUV...... oops I mean SAV!

Can you post up a video of the fireballs at night?

Thank you!

This is a post on our site about mid way through the build... Hope you enjoy... and yes... like the rest of the vehicle...fire out the exhaust is just because "we can" so please don't ask for a "point" as I probably couldn't explain it.

http://www.fluidmotorunion.com/archives/6123

Thanks again....

[BruinE90]

more info on the wheels please...are these vmr v710 in 20s gunmetal?

thanks

[anthony @ eas]

Originally Posted by BruinE90

more info on the wheels please...are these vmr v710 in 20s gunmetal?

thanks

Yes, those are Gunmetal VMR V710s
F: 20x9.0 et20
R: 20x10.0 et25