With loads of trick touches and some
epic rear camber, this Japanese modified Beemer is all kinds of awesome.
So there I was, sitting in the busiest and
most uptown district of Osaka – Shinsaibashi – shooting a German car, done up
in the Japanese interpretation of a US style. The best way to describe
Mizote-san's Kawasaki-green Z4 is probably to call it the automotive equivalent
of a cocktail - it's sweet, colorful and served up in a very decorative manner.
It
all starts up front with an M Roadster bumper boasting a more aggressive design
that's been mated to murdered-out kidney grilles
But then again, that's what Japan is really
all about – it’s a concoction of styles interpreted in a very unique fashion
that creates very specific end results. It's safe to say that any car the
Japanese seem to touch, ends up looking pretty menacing. It's like they are all
born with an inner Zen, knowing exactly what needs to be done to achieve 'the
look'. And would embrace obvious USDM touches, with an impossibly Japanese
flavor.
After jumping on the Shinkansen bullet
train in Tokyo and enjoying the 150mph cruise down to Osaka, I meet the builder
of the car – Nakata-san – from Peerless in front of the D&G shop at precisely
12pm. With true Japanese precision the low, slammed Beemer appears in the
distance along the Shinsaibashi high street, bouncing over bumps that, to the
naked eye, don't even seem to exist.
Everything
was fabricated in metal with small extension welded in place and shaped to
follow the contours of the unmistakable BM-Bangle design
If the theatre of its arrival isn't enough,
Nakata lifts both of the boors vertically into the air once he parks up, and in
the process attracts the attention of pretty much every single person walking
past. It's understandable – even among the continuous stream of Ferraris and
done up Bentleys that parade up and down this particular area of the city, the
Z4 stick out like a sore middle finger, sitting there with its chassis
literally touching the ground.
From the onset of the project, the idea was
always to concentrate on giving the car the sort of stance that would make it
stand out for its extremeness, yet spice it up with well-executed, quality
touches.
It all starts up front with an M Roadster
bumper boasting a more aggressive design that's been mated to murdered-out
kidney grilles. To accommodate the extreme offset of the wheels, both the front
and rear arches were widened, 3cm up front and 4cm at the back. Everything was
fabricated in metal with small extension welded in place and shaped to follow
the contours of the unmistakable BM-Bangle design.
A
blown side airbag, that’s some hard-riding lows – no f*&ks given!
Neither Mizote, nor Nakata had any
intention of disclosing the offset of the Meister Sl 3-piece rims. They ordered
them from Work Wheels with custom offsets – something that has always made this
particular Japanese wheel maker popular with those in the stance and show car
scenes. The wheels, which were custom painted in metallic gold flake, were
wrapped in tightly stretched Pirelli rubber.
But as anyone that's ever attempted to
stance out their ride, with that true shakotan look will know, selecting the
right wheel and offset combo is half the battle. A lot of thought went into the
suspension side of things, starting off with a set of Peerless adjustable
coilovers at each corner, mated to a host other upgrades.
To get the appropriate level of negative
camber (i.e shitloads! - June) Peerless fitted their front lower arms
and tie rods, set to push the wheels out to minus 9-degrees. Pretty extreme.
However, the rear runs what in Japan is referred to as onikyan or 'devil
camber'. Roughly anything over minus 10-degrees qualifies, so at -13 the rear
wheels are certainly within the range. The Peerless rear control arms, together
with a set of SPC adjustable rear camber arms make this madness possible.
The wheels stick out so far from the actual
bodywork that you can see half of the tyres when observing the car form the
rear. And it's probably from the rear that the Peerless Z4 looks its most
menacing – sporting a Hamann rear bumper, painted in a contrasting dark Candy
Green and dotted with decals.
And
it's probably from the rear that the Peerless Z4 looks its most menacing –
sporting a Hamann rear bumper, painted in a contrasting dark Candy Green and
dotted with decals
However, the cherry on the cake has to be
the Alpina rear spoiler that's been smoothly and seamlessly integrated into the
boot lid, as well as extended, almost giving the impression of a ducktail wing!
As we move into the quieter backstreets,
around the corner from Dotonbori, we take some more time to appreciate the Z4's
interior. Here you can appreciate the color coordination, with splashes of
fluorescent green on the shifter and handbrake leather as well as custom
printed graphics for the door handles and dashboard trims.
Mizote tell us that the car rides so hard,
with virtually no suspension movement, that the other week, the driver's side
airbag exploded when he hit a bit of a bump! The resulting thump was picked up
by the sensors and triggered off the blown-up door card as it is for the time
being, as it's a bit of a conversation starter – I mean how many people can say
their car sits so low that it triggers off the airbags over bumps?
When it comes to the engine, this Z3 is all
about the noise from the straight-six! The Peerless straight-through titanium
exhaust system has been created with the sole purpose of making a right racket.
No other mechanical modifications have been carried out, just some aesthetic
touches where the guys from Peerless were let loose with an airbrush under the
bonnet. They came up with a Nisshoki (old Japanese sun-mark flag) for the
straight-six's head covers, as well as a Gambare Nippon sign on the back of the
bonnet – a sign of support to the nation following had to go through during the
earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
If that isn't the perfect final touch to
what is an indisputably Japanese take on a BMW, then we don't know what is.
