These Japanese-American mashup builds certainly can be intriguing, but not everyone’s a fan.
One of the best things to do with a newer Japanese car is add some serious customizations. They’re often reliable and work great as daily drivers, so your commute is far more interesting than if you were to be driving a more conventional vehicle. That’s the story behind this Nissan Silvia S14 called the Japanese Tourist. It’s a nice build that’s been turning plenty of heads.
To create this car, owner Stanley went to a shop in Sydney, Australiacalled Garage 88. His request was to transform his S14 Silvia into something not only quick and cool-looking, but also comfortable. Instead of just bolting on a body kit and a few powertrain parts, the shop stripped the car down to the chassis, adding many modern customizations.
You’ll note this car is a widebody. If you don’t know, the S14 was sold in a slightly different form in the US as the Nissan 240SX. A company called Rocket Bunny makes wide body kits for this and many other Japanese cars, including one that’s most excellent for the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86.
The really interesting thing about this Rocket Bunny kit is the reworked front fascia. Among the tweaks are round headlights (with LED halos), a flat bumper, and a drastically different hood. This kit borrows heavily from American muscle cars, especially the 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda. While that doesn’t sound like it would work, the result is surprisingly clean and fitting.
Around back, this kit adds a nice lip spoiler for dramatic flair, but the factory taillights are preserved. Maybe that’s a little too manic of a look for some people, but with some creativity you could reconfigure things. On the Japanese Tourist there are some aftermarket lights, a change that’s a little more subtle but definitely works.
What do you think of this car? Is it too sacrilegious? Are you a JDM fan or do you lean more toward American muscle? Leave a comment below.
Images credit: YouTube
