D Car — November 2003
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About this issue
250 available scans from D Car — November 2003, in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 32 — English draft translation
Captions and page details
The gullwing lineup is expanding rapidly!
The standout is a gullwing kit compatible with 26 car models
The kit works with 26 models—including staples like the Integra and Civic, as well as the Celica, RX-7, Eclipse, and 240SX, with more coming soon. By bringing prices below 300,000 yen and making installation possible in about four hours, it helped make gullwing doors accessible to a wider audience.
Success S&G
This DA5 Integra wears a full ViS Racing aero kit and Skipper 1P1B air suspension.
Kit
Vertical
Angled
TEL: 042-852-9913
8
Manual
Vertical
The simple, rigid kit first opens slightly outward, then lifts up.
D-CAR
From ¥298,000
Universal Air
Universal Air’s original ‘8823 Gullwing’ uses a newly developed two-way bearing. Designed for easy bolt-on installation, the bearing withstands a 100-kilogram load without deterioration over time. It currently fits only the FD, but the Fairlady Z and Supra are planned for future compatibility.
This RX-7 FD3S uses the same original 8823 air suspension as the gullwing kit, along with TK Sports aero.
TEL: 072-279-8878
Manual
Upward
Angled
Powered
Vertical
Moves only sideways and up…
From ¥168,000
The vertically rising gullwing…
RE Amemiya, well known to rotary fans, offers a distinctive electric gullwing that opens straight upward. The mechanism is already being sold as a limited run of 20 kits, with roughly 10 remaining. It is sold with front fenders, side skirts, and rear fenders, and fits only the RX-7.
This car is also an RX-7, with a full kit aero package and Porsche 993 headlights transplanted onto it.
RE Amemiya
TEL: 0476-90-0007
Angled
Powered
8
Vertical
From ¥2,100,000 (including aero)
The door rises parallel to the side of the car, controlled by a single hydraulic cylinder.
The one-off gullwing designs from KAN Project keep getting more refined. The shop is one of Kansai’s top sport-compact builders, and its custom gullwings are highly original. The Integra with a deliberately chosen targa top is especially striking. They say they will continue refining it.
This targa-top DC2 Integra uses Eclipse headlights at the front and DC5-style air vents at the rear.
KAN Project
Angled
TEL: 078-947-2361
Manual
Wow
Vertical
Like Universal Air, this system also uses a two-way bearing.
Contact for pricing
Garage Tiara
The door is bolt-on…
Garage Tiara’s gullwing mechanism first opens like a regular door, then swings upward. Most of the system uses easy-to-install American bolt-on kits. This gullwing kit is now available for the Civic, Accord, and Integra, with Celica and Eclipse versions planned soon.
This dramatic DC2 Integra features extensive bodywork, including a 233-style face swap and overfenders.
TEL: 0823-82-0075
Manual
Angled
8
Powered
Vertical
Hydraulic dampers are built in, so the doors open and close smoothly.
From ¥298,000
Not a gullwing…
Although this shop is highly confident in its bodywork and swap expertise, it now builds many one-off gullwing systems. Because of how the doors move, the owner says these are not gullwings but butterfly wings. Their defining feature is the way they extend broadly outward when open.
That wide outward spread is characteristic of butterfly wings. It makes the Mercedes look enormous.
TEL: 0479-24-1058
Y’s Factory
Manual
Upward
Angled
BRANUS
One-off
8
Powered
Vertical
Gullwing doors seem to have caught on quickly this summer. Here’s a refresher on the custom gullwing shops featured in our magazine.
From ¥280,000
Apparently, two spherical bearings are used.
Two locations…
For gullwing installation…
This shop handles only one-off work, but says it can install gullwing doors on any car, powered or manual. The design relies on its own S-shaped hinge line and mechanism at the door base. A one-off powered setup costs about ¥700,000 per side—an attractive price for a custom system.
Original graphics boost the impact of this JZA70 Supra. Its targa top gives it an especially open feel.
Irie
Upward
Angled
TEL: 0729-57-3131
Manual
Powered
One-off
8=
From ¥500,000
Vertical
Shaping the hinge area into a gentle S saves space.
Mounting point
D-CAR
Builds and sells custom one-off gullwing doors…
Sells gullwing doors that are already available as kits, or are planned for kit production.
Sells gullwing doors that open and close manually.
Sells gullwing doors that open and close electrically.
A gullwing type whose door opens outward beyond the side of the car.
A gullwing type whose door opens parallel to the side of the car.
32
…for individual vehicles.
One-off
Manual
8
Powered
…doors.
Angled
Vertical