MASH THE GAS
2019 CHROME EXPRESSION SESSION
right around the time the Rocket Bunny kit had just been released — that was the tipping point.”
Despite the car having just been painted, it was soon back in the booth for the new Rocket Bunny panels — made up of rear over-fenders, side skirts, front guards, and a front bumper — to be licked in that same Mazda hue. Allan has vented a factory bonnet to suit, drawing inspiration from the JGTC GT300 RX-7s, and the Buddy Club rear bumper remains where it has been since the Autosalon days. The result is a seriously aggressive exterior aesthetic that has rocketed the styling straight into the modern era, aided by the brand-new 18x9-inch SSR SP5s that it’s sitting over and the sharp-edged front splitter–and–canard combination. You rarely see drastic rebuilds completed to this extent, especially on cars that have seemed to have been lost to time.
The interior hasn’t escaped the same treatment as the rest of the car. The cream and black retrimmed panels and punch-packing audio have been put aside in favour of a stripped-out vibe that sees nothing more in place than an Alcantara-retrimmed dashboard and door cards along with Bride seats. It’s an all-business package in the cabin, much like what you’ll find underneath. Those bags are no more, with BC Racing ER Series coilovers in their place, along with Hardrace sway bars and adjustable arms, Energy Suspension polyurethane bushes, braces up the wazoo, and a Wilwood bigbrake package.
So, while we may have been without a future iteration of DVI0US for a good decade, what Allan has achieved with this old show-battler has well been worth the long wait. Renamed ‘VCI0US’ to match the aggression it now packs, it’s an inch-perfect nod to the ways of old from someone who was right there in the thick of it, and a package that would undoubtedly rival anything found currently on the show circuit, both here and across the ditch.
There’s a comfort to be found in the fact that, as time carries on and most infamous show cars from decades past become very seldom seen, there’s at least one still out there doing it and managing to show up the next generation with its own style — even if it’s on the wrong side of the ditch!
Filling that Rocket Bunny widebody ain’t an easy task, which is why Allan ordered a fresh set of SSR SP5s in 18x9 inches and wrapped them in 225/40 Bridgestone RE003 rubber