During a visit at DBM engineering in Maarssen, something special caught my eye, it was one of the most incredible cars they had standing. Right away I thought, this is it, it’s a Hakosuka! I only knew the car from old Japanse trackrace video’s and of course from Gran Turismo (Playstation) under the name KPGC10 and Skyline GT2000. This one in particular is a KGC10, not the KPGC10/thé GT-R but it’s just as special. It’s a real miracle and a true joy to watch. It’s Japanese heritage and history are amazing to say the least.
When I asked Jeroen of DBM about the car he told me that it was a long term restoration project and that someone was already photographing this ‘Legend’. Allard van Grafhorst, an awesome photographer from Wangan Warriors was the one already working on it. He has done a lot of cool projects, nationally and internationally, and he also has a passion for Japanese cars. So Jeroen gave me his number, I gave him a call, and a week later we were talking about a collaboration and shortly after we did our first shoot together. I was and still am honoured to be part of such a extraordinary project.
Would you like to see how the Hakosuka looked before it’s restoration? Check out the project on Wangan Warriors/Hakosuka.
The build:
This project isn’t just a full rebuild, it’s way more than just a restoration. Hako’s big old heart, the L20, an inline-six cylinder engine wasn’t desperately in need of a new one. But the owner decided to replace it with a RB26 that came out of a BNR33 donor car. The engine is fully build and a big single turbo was added to make some awesome power and some astonishing dyno figures, close to 700 horsepower. To make the engine bay look as original as can be, Jeroen of DBM Engineering had taken a look at the KPGC10’s original engine and decided to weld a custom lowmount exhaustmanifold. By giving the turbo a lowmount position he preserved and maintained the original look that the original header had. To prevent the chassis from being twisted on the long term by the immense power, the body was strengthened, a rollcage was fitted and the suspension and drivetrain of the BNR33 donor car were also fitted.
The videoproject is currently under construction because we are waiting for the car to be fully restored. Afterwards we will continue photographing and filming, and see how it rolls out of the garage for the first time, hear how it comes back to life and spreads it’s wings for the first time with it’s newly obtained power.
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