D Car — July 2004
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
246 available scans from D Car — July 2004, 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 43 — English draft translation
A striking blend of lowrider and sport-compact style, with the latest street look and serious speed. The owner calls it a “Sport Rider.” Its street-and-drag setup includes a B16B engine swap, a manual transmission, and NX equipment. The exterior has kept its look for about four years, with only a recent Success Speed & Graphic Lamborghini-style door kit added. The owner was ahead of the curve: sport-rider style is sure to turn heads on the street and at the drag strip.
This owner is serious about the details. The exterior has stayed almost unchanged for four years; only recently was a Success Speed & Graphic Lamborghini-style kit added. The paint, wheels, and suspension have all been kept since then. The owner’s “Sport Rider” idea was ahead of its time and is sure to stand out on the street and at the drag strip.
Captions and page details
Bodywork
Part 1 — Headline of Gull Wing
We asked KAN Project: Which cars are hardest to convert with one-off gullwings?
3
05
Gullwing
Gullwing trivia
Worst 3
KAN Project offers a popular gullwing service for cars brought in by customers, installation included, for ¥300,000. Staff member Fujitani says they have never met a car that could not be converted. We asked him which job was really the toughest. [The last source fragment is damaged.]
The head cover was replaced with a US-spec unit and chromed. A Koyo aluminum radiator and a billet-machined tower bar add impact, too.
The purge valve is on display, too. NX was installed for drag racing. To improve serviceability and appearance, the purge valve was moved into the engine bay. It vents with a sharp “pssh!” near the wiper area.
3rd place
Mitsubishi Eclipse
MITSUBISHI
“The fender clearance meant we couldn’t put the damper mounts exactly where we wanted. We ended up using two dampers to make it work.”
DCAR
“Clearance was tight here, too. It was a bit of a struggle to make room for the dampers. The door itself isn’t heavy, though.”
Collecte
2nd place
HONDA
S2000
French-style antennas, a lowrider staple, are mounted on both sides of the body and electrically operated.
DCAR
DCAR
The six-spoke ATL wheels have been chrome-finished. The brakes have also been upgraded with large rotors and calipers at both ends.
1st place
NISSAN
Nissan Fairlady Z33
The rear clearly departs from the low-Euro style, with a GT wing, sport muffler, and other sport-compact touches.
An NX tank sits between the blue Recaro seats. A roof monitor is fitted into the reupholstered headliner.
The cockpit features hydraulic gauges and visor monitors. Aluminum floor mats add a purposeful feel.
all blue
Interior:
“The door trim sticks out a lot, so the doors are really thick and heavy. It was hard to move each door outward first, then raise it without the damper hitting the fender. And welding the S13 was a pain, too.”
The trunk houses the main hydraulic unit. The owner cares for it so much that he takes it apart and cleans it himself.
06
Gullwing
Gullwing trivia
“I went for a casual visit to Daikoku PA late Friday night for the first time in ages—and gullwing doors were popping up everywhere.”
The owner says he made this bold shift boot from a Louis Vuitton bag…
This Z33 drew eyes at the Daikoku gathering with its neatly integrated gullwings and underbody LEDs. It was built with driving in mind, too.
A row of gullwing FD RX-7s at a meet led by Kazuya Kronos. Many attendees use Kazama Auto kits.
Want to see gullwings? Head to Daikoku PA on the Shuto Expressway!
Terada, a member of the Def Crew team, is a mechanic—so he handles the modifications himself.
“Wow, there are quite a few cars here I’ve never seen before. We have to feature them! Welcome to Daikoku tonight!”
This S13 gullwing belongs to a customer of 2K Parts in Chiba. The shop offers gullwing conversions for FD and Z32 models and many others, starting at ¥198,000.
Two more members of Def Crew—sorry, I missed your names! They have a beautiful Supra and plan to keep modifying it.
“Hey! We ran into the 2000 featured above. Its owner, Kurabayashi, belongs to the gullwing-car team Gull Cuore…”
“So, that night…”
Joya, leader of Def Crew, and his eye-catching S15. The interior, audio, and engine are all finished to a high level…
The RE Amemiya electric-gullwing FD turns heads wherever it goes. Its owner casually uses it for commuting, too.
…as well.
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