D Car — July 2004
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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 62 — English draft translation
The key is what you use for the core support. “Customers who want a swap ultimately want a one-of-a-kind car. We do not repeat the same build. Even if two people choose the same car and the same lights, we change the fitment. The core support is crucial: its length and angle vary from car to car, and the support you choose changes the fit from the ground up. Communication with the customer is essential, too. We have to understand the image they have in mind…”
Captions and page details
MAZDA
Roadster
An unmistakable, mysterious silhouette. The body was repainted in Kawasaki lime green, the color that inspired the build, and fitted with Z headlights.
Putting oversized Z headlights on a narrow Roadster is not an ordinary move. That mismatch is part of the fun of a swap.
sparco
sparco
DCAR
Key point
02
The thrill of a face swap: a Roadster with Z headlights. It is obviously based on a Mazda Roadster, but at first you cannot tell what it is. The previous owner built it, then brought it to Spirits. The body is lime green and coordinated with VeilSide aero. Spirits can sell the car as it sits or take orders for a similar custom build.
…apparently.
If you want to stand out at an event, why not go all the way?
How the swap was done
Choose lights that bring out the base car’s character
Compared with a stock car… Looking only at the front, the fenders and rear edge of the bonnet are about all that remain from stock. Nearly everything else has been modified or replaced.
The lights remain in roughly the stock position. A large spoiler was selected and fitted.
Because the Roadster has pop-up headlights, the bonnet was naturally shaped to accommodate the tall Z lamps. Both the bonnet and spoiler were extensively modified.
Other custom touches…
The interior is coordinated in blue. Spirits says it may completely remake the car. The cabin will have an impact to match its new face!
The inside of the bonnet was built up to match the headlights…
…the body.
The wheels are popular +1 Motorsport designs, simple yet still in high demand. Lowering springs are used for the suspension.
DCAR
The Z headlights are large for a Roadster with pop-up lamps, so they are set into the spoiler.
It wears unusual Euro-style taillights for a Roadster. The wing and aero are already coordinated, but these lights add the final visual punch.
about swaps
…
Ask the master…
Wise Factory Address: 3-975-31 Matsumoto-cho, Choshi, Chiba Hours: 7:00–19:00 Closed Sundays Tel: 0479-24-1058
SHOP DATA
Wise Factory has sent many swapped cars out into the world. They also build drag cars, so their craftsmanship is excellent.
We featured the build process in the magazine: an RX-8-faced Civic EJ1. Its precise methods and technical skill amazed our editorial team.
Body Shop Ys
room
Work
This is the key!!
The Civic with a DC5 face made Y’s Factory famous. So many people copied it after seeing how cool it looked.
Y’s Factory president Aoyagi
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