Widebody Dreaming
While widebody cars are popping out left right and center these days, with amazingly tasteful ones showcasing superb talent and brilliant ideas, the scene is becoming slowly saturated with them all over the world and even though I have no distaste for widebody cars, I feel it takes a whole lot (or little) to stand out now days…which brings me to write this beautiful piece.
I would have to admit I do not believe in love at first sight, however upon seeing Zen’s Chaser parked up in all its gleaming glory down in Christchurch I would be hard pressed to say it was not almost love at first sight for sure!
Zen has put his Chaser through a fattening diet consisting of Origin Labo front and rear guards that have been cut up to within an inch of their lives and re-shaped to his liking to help fit his massive Work wheels that really set this car apart. Origin Labo guards found, Zen had a Traum bodykit to help meld the fenders to the rest of the body lines and while he was at it, further customized the overall look with additional aero accents around the car to set the car apart as his own creation. Talent streams out from Jono Smith who was tasked with building and fitting this massive kit onto the Chaser and I firmly believe he knocked this car out of the park. Flowing around the outside of the car it is blatantly clear how clean of a widebody Zen envisioned when he first picked up the stock Chaser, and while he had the widebody built around those massive wheels, I still feel that the whole look came out impressive and as if the wheels and overall look were just one well thought out package.
Picking into the finer points of this immaculate beauty, Ganador mirrors really do provide a huge amount of sleekness compared to the stock items and Origin Labo provided more than just the base guards to make the custom fenders from, front canards are Origin Labo items and continue through to the carbonfiber Origin Labo roof spoiler and D-Max rear spoiler which create some aesthetically pleasing flow on to the rear and trails into the custom cut out to fit a GT86 center light into the lower part of the Traum bodykit. Hidden gems allure to the fact that the rear is indeed tubbed as well.
Width is something to consider when photographing a wide car, and while my photos do not do the car justice at all, the width of the guards are 50mm front and rear to put things into a measurement perspective.
Stunning silver with rainbow flakes and bronze really does lend itself to be a beautiful set of complimentary colors and could not be more fitting for the color scheme of this impeccable Chaser, color combinations aside the one part of the exterior that really threw me into the deep end of adoration was the simple sticker scheme placed on the car, these simple yet cleanly done bronze stickers throw a massive nod to the JDM tuning scene with the manufacturers displayed on the vehicle.
Moving on from the actual girth of the car we can finally get some specs on those gorgeous wheels that adorn four corners of the car, Work Wheels creates some tasteful wheels that suit almost anything you put them on and while these Emotion CR2P’s are limited to only 100 made and feature a crazy 19X10/19X11 sizing respectively, these wheels absolutely set this car apart and to a whole new level of automotive eye candy. Zen actually bought these limited edition wheels first and when bolted to the hubs made it immediately clear that the factory guards were much too small to house anything this perfect. Amazingly though Zen is not afraid to get out and dirty with the car looking as clean as it does, and even threw down some rubber during a few burnouts while I was down there in Christchurch photographing!
Finally beating the heat and heading into the cockpit you are greeted with an interior that is as flawless as the exterior of the car. Door cards, floor mats, rear seats and even the center console cushion have been redone in Bride graduation fabric and provide brilliant flow to match the Bride Zeat III’s that replace both passenger and drivers seat. Tantalizing bits of carbonfiber litter the interior as well such as the window switch surrounds, center radio panel and door handle areas, while a Nardi deep corn wheel, Trust gearknob and Defi gauges throw even more Japanese goodness to this authentic mix of brilliance.
Exterior and interior all completed Zen did not finish things there and completed the engine upgrades as well. Toyota built a stout 1JZ-GTE first time around but with the added aggressiveness that Zen put together on the exterior he was more than eager to get the engine breathing better to suit. Sinco provided the manifold with a Garrett TA3410 force feeding precious PSI through the larger intercooler and into the worked head featuring a set of custom Kennelly cams, BC springs and Tomei adjustable cam gears. Fueling is handled by a set of six 1000cc Bosch injectors and controlled by a Tomei FPR and supplied by a intank Walbro pump. GReddy to the rescue to keep the car cool when Zen is pushing it to the limits with a GReddy radiator and GReddy oil cooler keeping temps in check and then when on song a Turbosmart 50mm Progate regulates boost and it all flows to exit out of a beautifully crafted lobster tailed exhaust! All the wizardry is managed by the trusted Link G4+ Fury and sees Zen’s Chaser putting down 460HP at the wheels. Drivetrain wise, the R154 is a more than capable box and all Zen added was the OS Giken twin plate clutch with lightweight flywheel and then followed that up with a Tomei T-Trax 2 way differential. Added bonuses such as the Weld coil cover and painted gold/glitter cam covers add that finishing touches to a spectacular engine bay.
Overall I can only hope you have enjoyed the tour through Zen’s well thought out Chaser and I know he is not the only one in his team (Chachacha) with a fantastic build. Stay tuned for more from this incredible and talented bunch of guys.
Gallery below:
