Ki-ck Returns

I thought I'd post an update of ki-ck's MPV, as I really like what he's done with it. I've never seen anyone do one of these in the US, which is ironic because his van is supposed to be USDM styled. I think it looks bitchin', and if anyone stateside owns one and wants to take it in this direction I can put you in touch. I love the Meisters.

Check out his blog HERE

Taken with Teru's Odyssey

Ki-ck's Zuma. Note USDM-style Bowl's and Battlescooter stickers. I'm thinking about Zuma-swapping my Ruckus.

Nissan ElGrand Trackday

Not every tuned van is on airbags with eight degrees of negative camber. These ElGrands (one of which I featured before) have big brakes, stiffened suspension, and tires with real contact patches.

I'm not sure why you'd build an ElGrand for the circuit, but it sure looks fun. If you look closely, you can spy the same van from my other post turning laps.

Submissions - 3

I've been wanting to get this up here for a long time, and it's the reason I'm currently searching for a clean RA1 Odyssey.

This is Teru's car. He is a friend of ki-ck from Submissions - 1

1998 Honda Odyssey with an HKS turbo kit, NSX brakes, DC2 ITR Recaros, and coilovers (NO bags). Definitely an "OEM+" theme.

Definitely more of a "sport van" vibe than the normal VIP kit you usually see, and I think it works really well. As you can see, he also carries his Ruckus around in the van. Looks like the rear seat was removed entirely in that shot, and it fits an extended Ruck without having to angle it at all (which means it'll probably fit two side-by-side).

The orange wheels are Weds TC-05 and the silver ones are ADR's. This is a "USDM" style build, so he's been through lots of wheels that are common here but very rare in Japan. I love the tuck. Enjoy!

His Minkara page got taken down because it got too much traffic after he did a Magazine shoot! Here's a link to his US Cardomain, check it out:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3104073


Send more submissions to SixSylinder@yahoo.com

Webmining - Fledermaus/Regina Toyota Vellfire

Fledermaus makes parts for both vans and kei cars, and their aero line is called "Regina". This is a Toyota Vellfire, which is basically an Alphard with a different front end and some interior changes (i.e. Levin vs. Trueno or Mk II vs. Cresta). Personally, I prefer the Vellfire headlights.

I *think* this is an actual photo and not a render. If you can tell, comment. Either way, I love the aero, stance, and wheels. They make INCREDIBLE custom interiors, but that's a post for another day.

Submissions - 1

A couple of weeks ago, I featured a Japanese Zoomer that the owner had converted into a USDM Ruckus HERE. The owner of that bike found this blog and made a post about it on his own Minkara Carview blog HERE. I found him via noticing that I all of a sudden was getting a lot of hits from Japan on Google Analytics.

At any rate, I encouraged him and his friends to send more pictures of their bikes/vans so I could put them up here. Going forward, if anyone thinks they've built something that I would want to show, send me content at sixsylinder@yahoo.com

ki-ck owns a Mazda MPV on airbags, the NPS50, and a very nice Zuma. Note the USDM touches to all items, such as Fatlace stickers, PWJDM goods, and US license plates.

I believe the MPV is on air. The last shot shows a couple RA1's that I hope to post more about in the future.


Thanks ki-ck!!

Webmining - Nissan ElGrand

Thanks to Google Translator and my limited Katakana literacy, I seem to run across a lot of interesting content just digging through the internet. Until I get bored with it, I'm going to start making a post or two per week with whatever I find.

These shots are from Minkara Carview. All shots on there are limited to 800 x 600, so not wallpaper quality. I will post all content as I find it, so any photo edits (i.e. face/license plate masking) was a part of the original shot.

This is a Nissan ElGrand. Unlike the usual oni-camber/hipari tire look you see in Vanning, this guy seems to have gone for a very track-inspired setup. While I'm sure he has no intention of seriously tracking this behemoth, he definitely gets points for thinking different. I love the brakes and the photography is very good.

Loosen Up!

So, I generally feel like I'm familiar with pretty much every obscure Japanese auto tuning subculture. Drifters, Vanning-zoku, Art trucks, Kei tuning, boso, yanky, etc.

Once in awhile, however, something new comes along and throws me for a loop.

I stumbled across some pictures of Dodge Vans on the RS Watanabe website's "owner pictures" section. This led me to the following site:

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/r_q_collectibles

This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. They run these vans at Ebisu circuit, apparently.







The best part though, is that the Japanese tuners in question seem entirely aware of the whole "perv van" stigma and are embracing it openly.




I will pay $100 for this T-shirt, if brand new. Can anyone find me one? I'm pretty sure that "Hentai no Tsudoi" means "Pervert Festival".