While many people would turn a car into a wideboy just for the heck of it using nothing more than fake after-market kits, for many it’s more than just looks. People who have updated their cars under the hood often need to fit in bigger and broader tires at the back, and the best way to do it is to turn the car into a wideboy, so that the back wheels don’t stick out in a stance, and cause the car to have performance issues.
Of course, when you talk about performance cars and things that go "vroom" under the hood, you cannot-not mention the JDM, or the Japanese Domestic Car market in the US which comprises sports cars such as Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Acura.
So the next time you turn your nose up against a widebodied Supra or Civic, remember that these cars probably have extra power running through them, and the widebody is the driver’s way of making the car safer and sounder for everyone around. Here are 15 of the coolest widebody JDMs we are in awe of.
15 A Classy Mazda RX-7 Widebody In Pastel
Yes, the rotary engine was cool. No, we do not want another one, unless it decided to become electric. So here’s a Mazda RX-7, one of the coolest kids on the block with a Wankel under the hood, lowered on an air suspension and bearing beautiful fender flares to make it widebody, and keep the broad tires in check, by Brad Builds.
14 The 10-Second Car: Toyota Supra MK IV
This beastly car here looks pretty cool in black and is done up subtly wide. The shadows and grooves of the car make it look styled, and there are rivets done up rather attractively as well. This Supra has enough crests and valleys to make the best of men lose their mind over its beauty and heavyset performance…
13 A Wider And Cooler Nissan 240SX
The Nissan 240Sx is a cool enough car and catches the eye even in its stock form. This orange widebody built may have lost those classic and clean lines the 240SX originally has but has gained in mass and muscle to look as beefy as any other muscle car on the road. If you want to see how it is done, watch the 15-minute montage here.
12 A Hand-Built Widebody: 1978 Honda Civic
A ‘70s Honda Civic isn’t the first car that comes to mind when you say fast-moving JDMs, but this little gem makes it work fine. Owned and modified by Victor Ho, everything in this car has been custom-built. It is a lowered on-air widebody that is also turbo-charged; enough for this beauty to give any modern car a great workout on the road.
11 A Menacing Nissan Silvia S13 Widebody
If you look at the Nissan Sylvia S13 or the 240SX in stock form, you could be mistaken in thinking it of a sedan-ish car with no great shakes under the hood. Of course, its 2.4-liter inline-four engines were anything but sedate. This widebody makes it look far more capable though, and closer to its truer nature.
10 A Sharp Nissan Skyline GT-R Widebody
While this is still a rendering by artist Karan Adivi, we do think he is on the right track with a carbon-filled widebody of a Nissan Skyline GT-R34. The side panels mold out into fenders, covering the wider tires with ease, with the car seems to be wearing a carbon armor underneath as well for some really hard racing.
9 An Unlikely Widebody: Toyota AE86 Trueno
The Toyota Trueno isn’t a car that features highly on most JDM-lover’s list, considering not many would have heard of it. It was basically from the Corolla fabric and a rather popular car for motorsports, especially drifting. This one, done up all in black in a widebody look, has our heart and looks ready to burn some rubber.
8 A Rocket Bunny Of A 1992 Acura NSX
The Acura NSX remains an ever-popular car to keep stock, or turn widebody, or just race around if you have the guts to do so. This one here is a rocket bunny wide-body kit, with the hood opening out and away from the car, and even the back window opening up for fun. There’s a reason why we are gushing!
7 A Gentle But Much-Needed Widebody’d Nissan Fairlady Z
They called it the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan, but for the rest of the world, this was the Nissan 300ZX - a beautiful car with flowing lines. The striking red widebody here has been done subtly, keeping the flow of the car in mind, with a ZERO widebody kit. Notice the big, bad, broad tires?
6 A Capable-Looking Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Widebody
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, often shortened to just the Mitsubishi Evo boasts some great engines and makes for a superior performance car. Tuner shop Clinched offers widebody kits for the Evo, making it look beefier and helping it support better tires for superior road grip, taking any Evolution to a better Darwinian plane, pun intended.
5 Breathing A Wider Life Into A 1991 Nissan 180SX
How cool does this Nissan 180SX look? So sure, it’s a 1991 model, but it basically became legal to import only four years ago, making it a rather new entrant into the JDM world in the US. Other than the seamless widebody panels on it, we appreciate the candy pink alloys that add a little whimsy to an otherwise menacing-looking performance car.
4 When Widebody Emphasizes Power: Honda Integra DC2 Type R
While in America, this is the Acura Integra, back in Japan they still sell it under the Honda brand, and its cooler than the Acura one because the Japanese always get more of the firepower under the hood. But a widebody kit and a good engine tuning can turn any JDM car into the most lethal road weapon, and this Honda Integra looks rather like an armed, pointed missile.
3 A Fully-Loaded 1991 Nissan Silvia Widebody
A lot has been done to this car, and we do not just mean the cosmetic touches. It was the 240SX in the American market, in its S13 and S14 avatars, but for Japan, the Silvia has been a longstanding sports car of repute. This all-black beauty here promises one wild ride and is up for sale.
2 A Rocket Bunny Mazda RX-7 in Pistachio
We started this list with a Mazda RX-7, and here’s another one we adore. Done up with a Rocket Bunny kit, and in pistachio green, this is one car likely to have all eyes on it as it zooms down the road with those beautiful body panels and fantastic retractable headlights. Do we spot DRLs?
1 Of Widebody’d Panels On A Honda Civic EG9 SiR
This one has to be a one of kind car. The extra-large rear wing says volumes about unspeakable speeds this car can surely attain, and the car seems to ride on air suspension, considering the lowered body panels, all part of the EG Pandem body kit.