“Be careful when the next bus comes around the corner,” a man shouted as he walked through the ancient temple gate. He was right. Although the drop-off area was set back from the road, more than half of Tani-san’s 1996 FD3S Mazda RX-7 Type RB was sticking out of the way due to its excessive width. I thanked the man, snapped a quick photo, and gestured for us to move on.
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Back on the main roads, the 2.2-meter-wide custom body kit didn’t cause too many problems. However, as soon as we turned off to find another photogenic storefront to snap a few photos, Tani-san immediately caused more traffic congestion than rush hour in central Tokyo.
Japan’s side streets are narrow and jammed with electricity pylons, elderly people walking their dogs, and six-year-olds traveling alone to and from extracurricular activities. If you need to make a U-turn on one of these roads, you won’t be doing it in an ultra-wide RX-7.
When creating this incredible FD3S, Tani-san took inspiration from GT300 cars from the early 2000s – specifically RE Amemiya’s entry – to build a GT race car for the road. I use the word ‘build’ literally, as he rented a workshop and put together the body kit himself over the course of two years.
Tani-san used a TCP Magic front bumper and URAS rear bumper as starting points. These were cut up and widened beyond recognition, before being covered in foam and shaped by hand. The rest of the car is a hodgepodge of parts, including TCP Magic G-Face Type TT front fenders, front diffuser and side skirts, plus RE Amemiya Sleek headlights, a carbon fibre hood and ducts, and a giant Car Shop Glow rear diffuser. The rear fenders are unique, while the GT wing is built using Esprit, Car Shop Glow and CarShop Lead components. Last but not least are Fujita Engineering (FEED) carbon fibre door handles, Craft Square mirrors, a Car Shop Glow ducktail spoiler, a unique rear window grille and custom taillights.
You can view the construction process at Tani-san’s Instagram.
To achieve a professional finish, Tani-san’s capabilities were pushed to the limit, so he enlisted the help of Ashiru Ito at the A.BASE body shop in Aichi Prefecture to perfect the kit and paint the car in the beautiful Lexus Nori Green Pearl color.
Finish with 19 x 12 inch Meister L1’s on the front and back.
Visually, there’s a lot going on, which could benefit Tani-san as he navigates the backstreets and bumper-to-bumper traffic jams of Japan. If I saw this pulled up next to me, I’d do a wide berth around it.
As I was getting ready to get in the car and leave for our little photo shoot, Tani-san called out over the low roofline of the Mazda and said, “It’s tight.” I stepped over the extra foot of side skirt width and squeezed into the OMP HTE-R 400 bucket seat on the passenger side. He wasn’t kidding.
Despite Tani-san’s limited English, his choice of words in describing the limitations of the car’s interior was spot-on. It’s a reverse Tardis situation: it looks huge from the outside, but it’s tiny inside.
As they bounce along the road, the Endless Zeal coil springs give the car a purposeful firmness. I was amazed at Tani-san’s ability to maneuver the RX-7, darting between parked vehicles and oncoming traffic. I guess he’s used to it; like those truck drivers who manage to parallel park blindly without breaking a sweat.
There’s plenty of power to play with here too, with 459PS created from the original 13B-REW powerplant, albeit now in streetport guise. As you can see, Tani-san has ditched the standard twin sequential turbo setup in favour of a big single KKK K27, with a large front-mount intercooler and custom exhaust also thrown into the mix. A classic A’PEXi Power-FC engine management system handles the ignition duties.
I love finding these kind of cars, built by twentysomethings with no experience but lots of passion and creativity. It proves that there is still life in these old cars and that there are plenty of styling and tuning methods to explore.
Tani-san told me that he started working at Body DB, a Porsche specialist in Yamanashi Prefecture who I plan to visit soon. There he will learn the skills to build more cars like this. I would say Tani-san has a very bright future ahead of him.
Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk
More stories from Japan on Speedhunters
Mazda RX-7 Type RB from 1996
Engine: Mazda 13B-REW, side port/street port, KKK K27 turbocharger, modified exhaust system, APEXi Power-FC engine management system
Drivetrain: Factory 5-speed transmission, upgraded clutch, limited slip differential
Suspension and brakes: Endless Zeal coilover kit, D2 Racing 8-piston front brake kit
Wheels and tires: Werk Meister L1 wheels, 19×12-inch -49 offset w/ +15mm spacers front, 19×12-inch -81 offset w/ +30 spacers rear, Toyo Proxes R888R 295/30ZR19 tires front/rear
Exterior: Unique front bumper based on TCP Magic part, Body Shop Newtype front bumper lower panel, RE Amemiya Sleek Light headlamps, Custom carbon fiber RE Amemiya AD Hood 9, RE Amemiya carbon fiber AD Hood 9 Duct Garne, Custom TCP Magic G-Face TypeTT front fenders, TCP Magic G-Face TypeGT carbon fiber front fender diffusers, Craft Square mirrors, Fujita Engineering door handles, Custom TCP Magic G-Face TypeTT carbon fiber side skirts, Unique rear fenders, Unique rear window louver, Car Shop Glow ducktail spoiler, Unique taillights, URAS Type-GT rear bumper, Car Shop Glow carbon fiber rear diffuser, RE Amemiya vortex generator, Nissan Z34 LED rear fog light, Esprit 052 dry carbon fiber GT wing, Unique Car Shop Glow dry carbon fiber wing edge, CarShop Lead wing bars, Unique window grilles
Interior: Cusco roll cage, Mazdaspeed carbon fiber panels, OMP HTE-R 400 seats, OMP Targa330 steering wheel, IRP shift knob, EL Meter Panel, Defi gauges, AEM air/fuel ratio gauge, Ultra 4500 shift indicator, Trust/GReddy Profec boost controller, Mazda option aluminum throttle pedal cover