Say tuning, and you will immediately see heavy lowered cars with carbon spoilers and aggressive bumpers in front of you. Damd proves that things can be done differently.
Damd does not have a very sympathetic name, but the company’s Japanese men and women are certainly creative. The catalog of this styling specialist is overflowing with the converted Japanese, with many tuners being madly absent from many tuners. Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki divide attention.
To begin with, that attention consists of a lot of styling products of the more traditional kind. So if you want a set of spoilers and tabs for your Mazda CX-5, Toyota GT-86 or Mitsubishi ASX (there: RVR), you can just go to Damd. A full replica of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution from 2 Fast, 2 Furious can also be found in the offer.
Nice and nice, but of course you don’t deserve a place in this section. Damd owes that honor to his more daring projects. For example, a number of sporty models are equipped with a real (well) Aston Martin nose, including the characteristic grille with chrome bars. The chic nose is available for the Mazda MX-5, Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ and Nissan 350Z and is not that bad in our opinion.
Gulf-Wagon R
With other cars, Damd emphatically goes retro. For example, for the Toyota MR2 and second-generation Suzuki Wagon R, there are Gulf outfits that make even the ‘Street Slider’ baptized Suzuki look somewhat sporty. Big tip for Europeans: this should also be possible with an Opel Agila. The earlier Wagon R, of the generation that colleague Nic de Boer once headed in the Barrel Brigade, is assigned an American theme. That seems impossible work for a car that expresses its Japanese genes as emphatically as this kei-car van. With a split front, Chevrolet logos, imposing bumper work, hotrod mirrors and heroic decals, Damd manages to make the little Suzuki come across as a driving scale model of the 1990s Chevrolet Astro.
Damd also reverts to an American customer with the Suzuki Avery, which was known here as the last generation of the Carry. This time, the Dodge A-100 from the 1960s serves as the – literally – great example. With a nose in the style of the classic American, the compact Suzuki suddenly looks very different.
Jimny and Lapin
The highlights of the Damd line-up, however, are the creations based on the Suzuki Jimny and Lapin. We start with the Jimny. The small all-terrain car seduces tuners worldwide to the cutest creations and Damd can safely be counted among the protagonists in this field.
The names of these cars are as entertaining as their looks. There is the “Little G.”, an obvious variant based on the Mercedes G-class. Even more beautiful is the “Little B.”, an American-built Jimny that with its white grille and wheels, steel bumpers and contrast-painted roof is unmistakably a reference to the first Ford Bronco.
Then there is also the “Little D”. Indeed: with the turn signals above the city lights, a center-placed logo, large mud flaps and a dark green body, a clear reference to the Land Rover Defender. Damd skilfully makes his way around it: “Little D is a tribute body kit to the famous car from the past. The latest Jimny transforms to the car you longed for ”.
Anyone who is not interested in all this coping can also opt for the ‘The Roots’ version of the Jimny, which finds its inspiration in the very first Jimny.
French Lapin
The Suzuki Alto Lapin (indeed, ‘rabbit’) is an unknown in Europe, but it also has undeniably retro elements. Damd is happy to expand on those elements, culminating in a variant that is without doubt based on the Renault 4. The grille, city lights, bumpers and even the distinctively grooved hood, it’s all there. The taillights are also replaced by specimens reminiscent of Renault’s world-famous “biscuit tin”. Pack up, because we are a fan!
Incidentally, retro decoration in Japan is certainly not a unique feature of the company cited in this article. Most enthusiasts are undoubtedly aware of the existence of Mitsuoka, which, among other things, converts a Micra into a Jaguar MK2 lookalike and hoists an MX-5 in a Corvette jacket. Manufacturers often also choose to come with classic-looking noses and styling packages, as is the case with the Daihatsu Copen. New nose, new butt, and hip: buyers have an option again. Are we paying attention, European manufacturers?