Going Custom Crazy With A Nissan March
Since my time at the 2022 Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show was a little more limited than in previous years, I set my sights on one car to spotlight. There were countless kustoms, muscle cars, hot rods and lowriders I could have chosen, but I was searching for something a little different.
It didn’t take me long to find it.
When I first laid eyes on this Nissan March from the front end, I assumed it was just slammed on air and running some serious onikyan for maximum visual impact. As it turns out though, the real impact is what’s happening inside the car, at the rear.
This is possibly the best example of over-complication that I have seen in a very long time. Fukushima’s Yuuki Suzuki has totally transformed the K12’s rear end by completely doing away with its beam axle in favor of a full custom – and totally crazy – suspension arrangement. The layout now employs two adjustable bike coilovers on each side, sporting built-in billet reservoirs.
The first thing you might assume is that the car was converted to rear-wheel drive – as I did. However, this March is still very much FWD. As you can see, the entire rear seat area and trunk space is now home to a whole lot of custom tube work that makes up both the roll cage and all the new subframe and suspension pick-up points.
Just like a pro drift car, the radiator has been relocated to the rear.
Suzuki-san knows a thing or two about custom body work, and has treated his March to a bespoke steel wide-body conversion. The smoothly-shaped, integrated flares front and rear closely hug the aggressive wheel fitment.
How these tires bead onto the Kranze wheels and hold air, I’m not actually sure!
The cabin is just as wild with numerous custom touches, including an aluminum speedway-style bucket seat, bespoke door cards and a drilled metal steering wheel.
Where a passenger would once sit is now home to a racing fuel cell and all the components and hard lines that make up the fuel system for a future engine build.
This is obviously a fun project that showcases the fabrication and custom bodywork skills of its builder more than anything else.
I just love the fact that Suzuki-san chose the K12 chassis, as it reminds me of the March 12SR that Autech built in the mid-2000s. That came with a high-revving 1.2-liter engine and a close-ratio manual gearbox making it so much fun on a technical mountain road.
I’m not sure how this build would fare in a touge environment, but it sure made a statement on the Pacifico Yokohama show floor.
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
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