Recreate a Group 5 machine with his favorite F30 Leopard
At the time when Japanese motorsport became popular, the term “Grachan-zoku” was coined. This style symbolized the modified car culture of young people influenced by the Fuji Grand Champion Race (Grachan) in the 1970s and 1980s. The first generation Nissan F30 ‘Leopard’ presented here is a car that incorporates the tastes that emerged as the modification culture became more extreme, but with a modern twist.
The “Deppa” is set at 65 cm for the overall form
The ‘Super Silhouette’ (Group 5) was held as a support race for the Fuji Grand Champion Race in the late 1970s and became a hot topic. The cars that ran here were called “Silhouette Formula”, race machines that had the appearance of production cars but had a different level of power and coolness. Its shocking form captured the hearts of the young people of the time, and various machines were created in imitation of it.
The F30 Leopard introduced here is a custom car that reproduces the modifications popular in those days but with a more modern twist.
It is obvious at a glance that it has been thoroughly built. Unlike the traditional street racer style that has been handed down from generation to generation, this Leopard has been beautifully finished as a custom car with a very modern twist.
The body color was remade in the owner’s trademark two-tone orange and gold, and the exterior was fitted with molded Silhouette Formula-style parts that were made one-off for this car. The extended width of the ‘Deppa (overbite)’ to be fitted to the front spoiler was set at 65 cm, which was designed for overall balance.
“We focused on a form where everything is aligned and balance is maintained when viewed as a whole, rather than one thing standing out,” said the owner, Mr. SOUKI.
The engine was converted to an RB25DE and the muffler has variable valves
As for the ride height, the modifications were made in the direction of actively using modern convenience parts. Accordingly, the suspension has been replaced with a one-touch air suspension that can be raised and lowered, rather than an old-fashioned ride-height adjustment kit. Another feature of this system is that it can be adjusted freely and quickly.
The muffler is also fitted with a 120cm “bamboo muffler”, and the arrangement of a valve in the exhaust pipe with a variable mechanism to adjust the exhaust volume can also be said to be modern workmanship. In other words, it is possible to adjust the volume of the explosion sound according to the situation.
The engine is an RB25DE. To enjoy driving in comfort, the original engine was abandoned and replaced by an RB25 engine with more power and torque.
The engine itself was not tuned, but the auxiliary equipment was upgraded with a “tacho leg” exhaust manifold, a new suction pipe, and a bare air cleaner.
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This car is one of SOUKI’s hobbies, and its purpose is to be a show car for events. Therefore, it has been built to be “flashy and good”, and also otherwise it would not be interesting.
In the old-fashioned modification style, or street racer taste as it is commonly known, an element of customization originating in America is added. This is also SOUKI’s aim. Recently, custom cars with this kind of impact are often seen in music videos by famous artists, and with the unusual looks of SOUKI’s F30 Leopard, it may not be long before it is used in such music videos.
translated by DeepL
