Mecha-Godzilla! What to do when one of the world’s most monstrous machines isn’t quite Tokyo-stompin’ enough? Something like this.
At this year’s show, you’re sure to meet Dr. J.J. Dubec’s outrageous 2013 Nissan GT-R, more powerful than any factory-prepped Nissan version, and considerably more aggressively styled. It wears a wide-body kit from Japanese tuners Liberty Walk, one which takes the GT-R’s already considerable curb presence and amps it up with the equivalent of Gundam space robot battle armour.
The wheels are enormous three-piece forged units from SkyForged, another Japanese aftermarket supplier. Adjustable air suspension is provided by AirREX, and can be dropped to impossibly low levels. The trunk is filled with an enormous subwoofer setup, and tweaks under the hood mean this thing growls and grumbles through its titanium exhaust with more than eight hundred horsepower.
It’s the sort of show car that belongs on a plinth, preferably one with some sort of protective barrier so that it doesn’t bite off an onlooker’s arm – it’s more Jurassic Park than parking lot.
However, that’s not what the Vancouver doctor’s GT-R was built for.
“It certainly has the build attention and workmanship quality of a top tier show car,” he says, “but I drive around Vancouver nearly everyday with this car. I have kept it insured all year long and go on regular cruises and meets with friends all year.”
Dr. Dubec is a family and ER physician with a long-time automotive interest, grown out of an involvement in the local car audio scene.
“The inspiration for these builds came after I initially saw the first Liberty Walk vehicles debut and steal the show at SEMA in 2013.”
His GT-R is something of a celebrity already, and not just locally. When the car was photographed by local lens Marcel Lech, pictures posted on Instagram and Facebook went instantly viral. Lech’s brooding images of the GT-R skulking around Vancouver’s industrial areas at night needed no translation, and the GT-R found itself shared on screens from Tokyo to Moscow.
“The online response was surely overwhelming,” Dr. Dubec says. “Surprisingly, the GT-R feedback was largely positive. Even purists and followers of traditional Euro exotics and American muscle were kind enough to express positivity toward this build.”
In fact, Dr. Dubec’s twist on the GT-R was enough to attract attention from Kato Wataru, the owner of Liberty Walk. No longer a private project, the GT-R now has several sponsorship deals, and a further partnership has been formed.
At this year’s Vancouver International Auto Show, Dubec’s GT-R will be joined by a Liberty Walk-equipped Ferrari 458, also wearing wheels from SkyForged. Both cars will also be equipped with Armytrix titanium exhausts, and matching remote-control air-ride suspensions.
Putting a GT-R under the knife is one thing – with Japanese cars, there’s a long tradition of modifying – but an Italian exotic? Rather infamously, Canadian DJ Deadmaus faced cease-and-desist letters from Ferrari regarding his tongue-in-cheek “Purrari” build. The guys at Maranello aren’t known for their flexibility. Or a sense of whimsy.
“There was no hesitation in deciding to modify a Ferrari,” Dubec says. “I truly believe there is a new generation of car lovers out there that admire and respect factory designs but also believe keeping things stock is boring. The multi-million dollar aftermarket auto parts industry validates this idea.”
There’s another factor too, particularly in supercar-crammed Vancouver.
“Exotic cars sales are strong, and buyers want personalization. There’s nothing worse than buying your dream vehicle and seeing an exact copy of your car rolling past you.”
You’ll not likely mistake this brace of machines for anything else on the road. The mix of pop-riveted brutality and extreme attention-to-detail is somewhere in between Mad Max and Claude Monet. It’s not the kind of thing that’ll appeal to every taste, perhaps not the Ferrari purists, but it’s still artwork.
This is just the start of the circuit for Dr. Dubec’s machines, which will appear a few times in several car shows up and down the West Coast before heading to the big-time: this year’s SEMA show, where three spaces have already been offered.
Dubec jokes, “I might have to modify my old truck now to complete the trifecta!”
In the meantime, Dr. Dubec will continue to enjoy his cars in the best way possible, by showing them off, and by sharing the experience with his kids.
“My daughter is five and she loves the cars. I have taken her to car shows and some friends’ shops and she usually has a great time – my son is only 16 months old, and for what it’s worth, he likes eating toy cars.”
As for the future, watch for a unique shop in Vancouver to help support others’ efforts in building their own dream rides.
See both the 458 and the GT-R in their own booth at this year’s show, along with the launch of Dubec’s own brand of gear based on modifying culture.
Check ‘em out – but don’t get too close. These things have teeth.
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