D Car — July 2004

Lesson 2

Making

When building any car, first clarify the goal—the look you want to achieve. This is especially important for a popular model like the FD with a huge aftermarket. Without a clear direction, a build can end up caught between styles.

MAKING SAMPLE #1

VeilSide

JDM style

Be clear about the look you want. Check that the parts are made for the FD.

BRIDGESTONE

ALPINE

SOUND WAVE

The cabin, with its seats, instrument panel, steering wheel and shift knob unified in red, is impressive (the color is red, not an orange-gold). Choosing a theme color is also important when creating an interior.

Especially for an FD with a wide aftermarket, it is important to set a clear goal first. Otherwise, a build can end up halfway between styles.

The classic vinyl-and-gullwing look. This VeilSide FD, featured on the cover of the February issue, blends D1GP, GT-car and sport-compact influences. Its VSD1-GT aero lowers the body, while gullwing doors and pink graphics make it impossible to miss. The finish is exceptional.

The standard semi-bucket seats already provide good support, but gray and black can look plain. Replacing the seats is therefore essential. This car is fitted with VeilSide SPL seats.

MAKING SAMPLE #2 — JDM style

RE Amemiya

street-legal FD

Porsche-like front end,

Its wide range can make choosing difficult. The FD has a huge selection of popular aero kits, and that is only one example. The same applies to other parts. Vehicle-specific pieces such as aero kits are generally straightforward, but take care with universal parts intended for interior use.

This Final Reddi 7 has Porsche 993 headlamps. Its GT wing and aero give it a striking look, but the real highlight is the engine tuned by RE Amemiya. A TD78 turbo pushes output to 450 ps.

REsuperG

Chiba 300

A classic show-off build that faithfully recreates a Fast & Furious car

A sport-compact classic: faithfully recreating a car from The Fast and the Furious. This build wears a full VeilSide aero kit and bold body graphics. The luggage area is filled with Alpine audio equipment. The engine is tuned with Blitz and A’PEXi parts, just like the film car—nothing has been overlooked.

The FD’s small body and tight cabin impose more limits than you might expect, and a part you buy may not fit. Check in advance whether it has been installed successfully on an FD. The next question is how far to tune the engine. The final models already make 280 ps, so

MAKING SAMPLE #3 — Show-off style by Sound Energy

Show-off style

A’PEXi

An object that uses a wiper motor to spin a rotary engine’s rotor. Because the car is based on a two-seater, the rear-seat area has been turned into an audio space.

MAKING SAMPLE #4

A tight cabin is no problem! With a little ingenuity, it all comes together beautifully.

Show-off style — Super Autobacs Kumamoto East

This FD won the grand prize in a nationwide Super Autobacs competition. Its styling is a model to follow, but the playful interior deserves attention too: a rotor spins in circles, and acrylic pieces are used in unexpected ways. Opening the door reveals a whole new world.

In a sense, the RX-7 already has more than enough performance. Even a tired used car can feel much livelier after a thorough overhaul. If that still is not enough, tuning is an option—but have it done by a shop with rotary-engine expertise, and choose proven parts designed for the RE.

Sparco

There are many possibilities.

SUPER AUTOBACS KUMAMOTO HIGASHI BYPASS

Sparco

Soliffire

BELLOF

YOKOHAMA

D Car — July 2004

About this issue

Page 103 — English draft translation