Hot or not: Yanky Mate! Alto
Getting a bit crazy on the Suzuki Altos lately, but I couldn’t resist posing this one:
Hot or not: Shakotan Boogie Yanky Mate! Alto
Yes: the Shakotan Boogie Yanky Mate! lookalike Suzuki Alto with a 240Z G-Nose conversion! Crazy!
Now is that hot or not?
by banpei with no comments yetKei Bosozoku cars: Mitsubishi Minica
We posted this sixth generation Mitsubishi Minica kei car some time ago in the exhaust of the week:
Bosozoku styled kei car: Mitsubishi Minica
It remains one of my favorite bosozoku styled kei cars! It is everything its bigger brothers have: multiple wild long exhaust pipes, granchan invluences, deep dish wheels, huge wings, sharknose and of course an oil cooler to complete it!
Bosozoku styled Mitsubishi Minica with five fingers exhaust
If you look at the interior you can spot a tsurikawa, mini steering wheel and long gearshifter like any bosozoku styled car should have!
Bosozoku styled Mitsubishi Minica with five fingers exhaust
It took me a while to identify this car: as you can see it doesn’t resemble much of its origin anymore:
Factory stock Mitsubishi Minica SR-Z
The Mitsubishi Minica is a long living platform: Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries started production of the first Minica in 1962 as a 2 door sedan, while the Minicab was its counterpart as a kei truck. Both were based upon the 360 launched in 1961.
First Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries Minica
The sixth generation was launched in September 1993 to succeed the successful fifth generation. In styling it was a big step forward: it followed the early 90s round and bulgy styling like we are used to from the Mazda Revue/121 and the Mazda Xedos 6. Just like its predecessor it also had the Minica Toppo as a mini MPV variant. In 1997 the restyled Town Bee was introduced alongside the normal Minica. The Town Bee was a retro styled car, a bit like the Nissan Figaro and the Daihatsu Mira Gino.
Tuned Mitsubishi Minica Dangan 4
The fifth generation already introduced the world’s first mass produced 5 valve engine with the 3G83 and 3G83T Turbo. This engine was not transferred to the sixth generation but improved into the 4 cylinder 4A30. This meant a big improvement in torque for the NA variants: it increased with almost 10% at 700rpm lower than the 3G83! The turbo version remained the same in specifications, however that variant was actually a leashed engine and could easily be unleashed with some minor upgrades. In stock form it already produces almost 100bhp per litre! Imagine the potential of that engine!
Tuned Mitsubishi Minica Dangan 4
Just like the fifth generation the sixth generation also offered 4WD. The 4WD models were indicated with a 4WD suffix. Apart from the 4WD versions the most desirable versions were the SR-Z and the Dangan 4. Both featured the 4A30T turbo engine and the Dangan featured 4 wheel drive. The Dangan was named after its Dangan ZZ-4 predecessor of the fifth generation and even more impressive: it now features a 4 cylinder engine and improved 4WD.
Tuned Mitsubishi Minica Dangan 4
I can imagine why you would convert your kei car into a bosozoku styled car: it is fun, it is cheap and even welding that tiny sharknose is done in only a matter of minutes! I really think the Minica is a great platform to build an bosozoku styled car upon: its 4 cylinder 20 valve engine should give a very nice raspy sound when revving it into its 9000rpm redline!
by banpei with no comments yetUser pictures: massive camber on Daihatsu Move
James sent us this picture of a Daihatsu Move with massive camber:
Bosozoku style Daihatsu Move with massive negative camber
He writes: surprised you guys didnt post this the other day it pops up in nearly ever camber thread on any forum
Yep, we did spot it but only after we posted the Bosozoku kei cars: Daihatsu Move special. Thanks for reminding us! 🙂
by banpei with 2 commentsBosozoku kei cars: Daihatsu Move
For some time I’ve been collecting pictures of Kei Bosozoku cars and since we already covered a lot of rare and popular bosozoku cars the Kei car collection can be a nice change!
For people who do not know what a kei-car is: a kei car (or K-car) is the English name for keijid?sha (????) which literally means light automobile. These smaller cars have a lot of advantages due to lower tax and insurance. Also in some areas (like Tokyo) it is exempted from the parking space rule which require you to have a (paid) parking space for your car! They are limited in size, displacement and since 1990 in maximum output. That last one was because several manufacturers were already delivering cars with 62HP out of a 550cc supercharged engine. In return the Japanese government stretched the displacement to 660cc.
The current limitations are:
| Max width: | 1.48 meter |
| Max lenght: | 3.4 meter |
| Max height: | 2 meter |
| Max displacement: | 660 cc |
| Max output: | 63hp |
We start with this great second generation Daihatsu Move:
Bosozoku kei car Daihatsu Move
As you can see the front has a sharknose, but if you compare it to the original nose almost everything has been redone! The fenders are custom, the bonnet is custom and if you look closely to the headlights you will notice a great resemblance with the Toyota Crown S140 Royal Saloon grille and foglights!
Bosozoku kei car Daihatsu Move
Also the back had some modifications: retro fitted Skyline taillights while its own taillights have been disconnected and blinded. It also features a nice set of quadruple exhaust pipes!
First generation Daihatsu Move Custom
The first generation Daihatsu Move was quite well known as the phonebox on wheels. Just tilt your head 90 degrees and you know why!
First generation Daihatsu Move RS-XX
Abroad it featured a quite capable engine, but on its homeland Japan it only featured the 660cc 3 cylinder engine with an output of 54HP. Not long after its release it got upgraded with the 15 valve EF-DEM and EF-DET in the RS and RS-XX trims. The EF-DEM was a low pressure turbo charged engine with an output of 60HP while the EF-DET had a intercooled high pressure turbo charger and an output of 63HP. The last one tuned to stay just within the Kei specifications. It doesn’t take much to get more out of those two engines. 😉
EF-DET 15 valve engine with turbo intercooler
If we look at the original second generation Daihatsu Move it looks just as boring as the first one, despite being designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. But there was also the Move Custom with a slightly more acceptable design. In my opinion the third and fourth generation Moves are the best looking, especially if they are slightly tuned like this one:
Third generation Daihatsu Move tuned by garage Athlete
Kei cars are very fun cars to turn into bosozoku cars. On one hand they mock the larger saloons and sports cars and on the other hand they are so cheap that it should not cost too much to turn it into something beautiful! The Move is an excellent example how to make something beautiful out of a very boring and dull car!
by banpei with no comments yet