Sad Machines has posted a rendering on their Instagram feed that is sure to ruffle the feathers of purists on either side of the Pacific with a car they've dubbed the "All American Kaido Racer," a Plymouth Barracuda given the distinct Japanese Kaido Racer custom work over. The render combines both traditional muscle car cues including a nod to the notorious Trans Am series as well as the 'Group 5 on acid' aesthetic of the Japanese Kaido Racer culture.
Kaido Racers
Some custom cultures thrive on the scorn and disgust that their aesthetic creates. Donks are meant to be a poke in the eye about self serious customizers, and similarly the Kaido Racer has embraced the idea that too much is never enough. Sometimes lumped in with Bozosoku motorcycle gangs in Japan, Kaido Racers are actually a separate phenomenon with similar aesthetics. Kaido Racers draw inspiration from Group 5 IMSA racers from the late 70s and early 80s that featured wild box flares and enormous wings on production cars.
Japanese Touches
Many of the popular cues for a Kaido Racer are present. Dramatic wheel flares hide rounded 'stance' style tires as well as a wing stacked on a swooping tail. Perhaps the most striking of this or any Kaido Racer is the pronounced Takeyari pipes with flame colored red, orange, and yellow tips. Headlights and taillights are borrowed from a Celica and Skyline respectively.
American Muscle
With all the Kaido Racer touches, the American roots of the Mopar muscle machine underneath. Based on the last and perhaps most loved variation of the 'Cuda most of the cars lines have been preserved. The paint scheme mimics the #42 AAR Cuda driven successfully by Dan Gurney, adding classic Trans Am racing to the Group 5 look. Purists can relax, no Barracudas were harmed in this rendering.
Source: Instagram