The folk over at Fast Car Magazine just sent us some images of this eyebrow-raising RX-7 built by Dragon Performance. Ross Juniper, the owner of Dragon Performance, originally purchased this RX-7 with the intention to tear it down for spares. But a twitchy right foot instead saw it turned into a drift weapon.
Dragon Performance is a UK-based rotary tuner and are most famous for their matte black RX-7 which ran 9.1sec @ 158mph. For this FD they've used a 13B twin rotor with a Turbonetics T62 turbo.
Not long after the rebuild had been completed, the FD suffered a nasty crash at the twisty Castle Combe Circuit. The RX-7 was left with a deep gash along the rear arch, leaving Ross with a very second hand looking drift car…
… and while attending the Run to the Sun event in Newquay, fate introduced Ross to the infamous 'rat look' styling craze and the rest as they say is history. Beneath the stickers and rust is an RE-Amemiya carbon bonnet, Abflug front bar, Veilside skirts and plenty of drift damage.
With no dashboard this certainly isn't the tidiest of interiors, but at least it's functional with Bride seats, Sabelt harness, hydraulic handbrake and extinguisher.
To find out more about this 'RatX-7', be sure to check out Fast Car Magazine #297.
Words by Fast Car Magazine
Photos by Jamie Lipman
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Im sorry but that is horrible, I can understand that not all of us can afford to fix the dents but these guys definately cant say that
This problably would have been a nice car if they didnt cover it in this rust crap, and stupid ammounts of stickers, the rat look is well and truely dead now so please guys sort it out
This is a demo car for your company, you are well reknowned as being great guys and good tuners, this is making a mockery of all that
I think Craig L needs to lighten up. The car's mental and it's certainly getting noticed! Lipman's killing it as usual. Amazing shots and cool car!
that thing has three tachs!
Way harsh Craig. This looks like a car that was built for the pure joy of driving with no worries about looking cool or "hellaflush" or anything like that. I love the fact that people still think of modding a car for going fast on a track or drifting rather than modding for fashion or fads.
Thumbs up!
that's right don't spare it !!!!!!
This car is a true work of art. While I don't think every car should be done like this, I can appreciate a rat rod/import tuner hybrid. They chose a theme and executed it quite impressively. Sure, they could have built another cherry show car, but I'm sure they've done that a million times. Very cool!
I agree, I would be ashamed to have something like this as my demo car.
If you got the money just fix up the panels and matte paint it up.
SORRY HATERS I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!
Craig L clearly doesn't get it.
Dragon have other cars, and this is their drift car where Ross has decided to do something different.... and with this look, patching up drift damages is a whole lot cheaper and easier to do, too.
It doesn't make a mockery of the Dragon name at all. It's getting noticed.... which is a good thing, and Dragon are known in the Rotary scene anyway.
I don't think it matters what it looks like, as long as it gets the job done.
I have been into the Japanese scene for over 20 years ands owned and seen some bad examples.This car def comes in the bad examples.
I am all for different scenes and seen many over the years but i have to be honest and i know people do like the car above and fair play to them after all some of the mods i have seen done to cars is well beyond my taste and this car is included.
I don't know what to think. On one side, it should of been dead, so its the car's second chance, but on the other side, its a mockery of a FD...
Now that car has a s*** ton of character! I love it it's very different and screams come over and look at me.
Man that guy is crazy! Hanging for dear life and playing with fire at the same time. haha. that car looks straight up dirty. but it can swing, so that's what counts.
BTW , i want desktops with this thing if it is possible please!
This thing is hideous.
"DRIFT WEAPON???" that thing looks like a..."RUSTY POCKET KNIFE"
anyone know what kind of wheels are on the rear?
i think the rust is a bit overkill, you shouldnt need to purposely rat a drift car...
I'm cool with this. Has presence and makes a statement. My only issue would be the rust marks on everything that touches this car.
insane!!!
So amazingly awesome.... im speechless
What is the brand and model of those rear wheels!? The dish is nuts!
wow I'm not going to lie this car definitely caught my attention. I can understand a car looking imperfect on the exterior but that interior really needs to be cleaned up, and a lot. The exterior of the car doesn't look bad, because it looks like it was a disaster/train wreck that was saved. The interior however looks like they tried to make it that way. Because one day and little money could clean up the interior by a huge majority. They are either trying too hard on the interior or maybe they just don't care??? Either way It's stunning to view. I'd love to see the body straightened out in the future and perhaps a new panel welded on and just left raw.
Nice, cool looking car. Need wallpaper version for all picture.
It looks ugly
Haters gonna hate.
You can do this to an old ford, but I love the RX-7 too much to bear it being turned into a Rat Rod like this.
craig man the fuck up that car is rad to the power of sick
Rad. I'm feelin it.
@Craig L: is your last name List? Hahahaha! That was too easy...
BAD ASS!!!
big fan of the rat look when it's done well and here i reckon it's just perfect
also think stickerbombing is pretty sweet - never seen them contrasted on the same car
the inside is off the hook, seriously crazy
any desktops would be verryyyyy appreciated
waste
Gotta say I love it!
I Absolutely loved It... for me it shows that you don't need pretty much to have fun...
you can hate it, but you can't deny it grabbed your attention...
+1 with craig.
Sorry Craig, but this thing is SWEET! Do you have more pictures of the very front of the car / engine bay? This is a great way to keep cars from going to the junker, good job!
This car is just plain Ugly! I their other RX7 Drift car (that they recently sold) was a gorgous car with its Kandy Pink body and Luminous Yellow wheels...
This is just an abomination!
Why make something this scrappy and terrible represent you as a company? Its like having a Hobo as your receptionist!
craig is crazy. I hate the whole "drift missle" craze, but damn, this thing looks like its straight outta mad max 2010.
I like!
@ CraigL: this isnt their demo car
Applause for Craig, But it´s your view...
rat look is dead??cmon its only just started, having and this car is certainly marmite cause i think its ace! take some serious gonads to build this, this is a car not meant for posing but for serious drifting and mucking about with, thats what rat is all about messing about and having a giggle
more pics pls!!!
Well Craig I have to disagree. I think its awesome.Everyone has Different taste and possibilites with each and every car. I think that this car has a great story. It was saved from being "parted out" probally to never see another road again to the "functional" beast you have here. Sure its ratty, rusted and covered in stickers but I think it has personality, and that is what makes a car.
Are they f*cking serious? That's horrible!
it's cool to beat up a car at the track and all but, junk like this really doesn't deserve a feature. the rat look is cool on older cars cause well... "they're old" but newer cars with the "rat-look" just look like neglected piles of junk.
confusion reigns.. i like the car as a whole, those in the know realise that these guys could follow the madding crowd and produce a trailer queen.. but you know if they did how many people would still have something negative to say any anyway. they might as well please themselves and do something a bit different. once again its personal taste coupled with personal opinion - love those rear wheels.. sweet!
this car is great. i love it... people that are hating... if he painted this it would just be another rx7 its people like this that are innovative and keep the "import scene" alive... fresh ideas are what keep it going
NO....
outside skreams awesome, inside screams something else but no where near good
That's some car! A little OTT for me with the rust, but still really good.
Craig L stop complaining. be a trend follower all you want, maybe you should stick to hot import nights. IF my car looked like this I would drive it 110% harder. love it.
I love the rat look, but think this may be a little too much
Does anybody know the rear wheels for this car? they look intense.
I dont know what to think. This car imo looks bad, but for some reason i kind of like this car. The interior looks like a vintage airplane cockpit.
ok someone explain how the 3rd picture was taken......its pretty sick.....and this RX7 is also a pretty sick drift machine....love the dashboard lol
never should anyone ''rat look'' an RX7
i like the rat look on some cars, but not a FD. Doesnt look THAT bad though.
As long as the car goes sideways thats all what matters.
It does its job. Getting noticed.
And i liked after a while as it has tons of attitude.
i bet half of these haters talking crap just got a civic with a imitation type r or mugen lip on their car and say it's JDM.
Rat Rod or whatesoever....it's cool looking.
I have to say the car is "eye catching". The downside to this is the RX7 purpose is to drift not street. Also it is a relatively new car, its hard to find a car in that condition - rusted out. If you left a rx7 out in the sun for a 100 years it would not even look that bad - I see 50 year old paint on cars that still looks mint. My opinion for true rat/ drift look on modern cars it might have battled scars/ beatened up panale at most. People don't like the term rat rods as well, these are cars getting driven on the weekend (like they are suppose to) and restored when not out owning the streets. These are no less than the hotrods you see at car shoes - except they are driven while being restored. Still I have to admit, the RX7 will stir up some conversatin.
people can do what they want to their own cars, and i have to say this looks great! It wouldn't matter how much abuse it gets too, thats what its all about.
ALSOME RIDE! much love for the ugly duckling.
Massive dislike from me, I agree with Craig L, as a demo car it fails on so many levels, and indeed makes Dragon look like they are just following trends that are way overdone in the VW scene, sad times...
It pains me to see an fd look like this. As others have said, the rat look works on certain cars, but NOT on an fd.
The fact is if this was just another fd with a good paintjob and some cool wheels it wouldn't have gotten a feature because there are a ton of great looking mint fd's. This car is one of a kind...and awesome I might add.
Car you have a choice
be stripped for parts, or live your last days as flaming track slut.
Car: Slut me up.
i think it looks pretty kwwl! how many other cars do you know that have a look like this on a RX-7 for that mattter! and i love the rear wheels! DEEEEP as phuk!
Ace post guys!
i think this looks awesome. i love the beat up rad rod touch to it. it adds a story behind everything
I like and dislike it in the same time , i never seen anything like this before , i just don't know where to put it....
so many tachs! haha
Brilliant car, I am absolutely loving it. Everything is just so perfect on this car. The rust, the stickered panels, the battle scars, mis-matched wheels, and that awesome spoiler (I'm a Bosozoku guy, so I like big and rigid aero) topping it all off. Need some desktops, now!
Don't put out the fire. Let that thing burn.
Look's like art to me.
I'm with Craig on this one too; presentation is just as important as how well it preforms. Honestly I understand everyone has their own thing and I'm totally okay with this look for an enthusiast's daily or just a fun drift car but representing a professional tuning company I expect much more than some kids well built, low budget S13/Hachi I mean its a FD people come'on. Seriously if the only way to be different in the tuning scene is driving a rusted tin can than clearly your out of ideas.
first 3 pics, DESKTOP please
I love it.
Desktops???!!!
I think u guys dont understand what its about!! This car looks f****** AWESOME!! I love the rat look and for u guy who think its a "rosty pocket knife"..... 13B twin rotor with a Turbonetics T62 turbo says everything u need!!
i like this car.... cars like this keep the "import scene" alive... people need to have more unique and innovative styles like this.. im tired of seeing the same stuff
OF course, the car is beat up............but there something artistic about it..........I dunno?
@Adee T said:
I have been into the Japanese scene for over 20 years ands owned and seen some bad examples.
This isn't bad at all, at least it's not a tacky rice burner.
Brittish cars are usually too rice, this is very refreshing to something that's used in anger and that you be too worried about stacking it into the wall
this isnt a demo car, ross from dragon used it to practice drifting in... then crashed it and then took the paint off... its a fun car used to have fun in... why hate lol...
Hater this, hater that, blah blah blah. When did having your own opinion of something suddenly turn into "hating"? This car looks like shit! Why is everyone so obsessed with beat up looking cars? Would you honestly take your car to Dragon Performance after seeing this car? I don't care if it has "soul" or a "story" purposely making a car rusty is just plain retarded in my books.
MY F*CKN CUP OF TEA !
i think the rust is a bit overkill, you shouldnt need to purposely rat a drift car...
I'm sorry but this comment made me laugh....
" Glomb226 said:
Way harsh Craig. This looks like a car that was built for the pure joy of driving with no worries about looking cool or "hellaflush" or anything like that."
No, this car is of the aspects of today's car scene I despise. It reminds me of the guys that spend an hour on their hair every morning to get that perfect messy "bed head" look as if just rolling out of bed....but in truth they spend more time on their hair than most normal guys.
To me the whole rat rod rust, neon wheels, and tons of stickers is the epitome of the current "looking cool" hellaflush scene. All he needs is sticker bombed roof rack with a fixie bike and he'll have the perfect setup.
There is a huge difference between the guys that drift hard and truly don't care what the car looks like and guys like this......the types that spend a lot of time trying VERY hard to make it seem like they don't care.
if u guys keep posting that rusted and beat up cars like this . kids will end up doing stupid things to make their cars look lke that..
Quit bickering the car is, He built it for himself and his passion, not to please yours. I love drift missiles and this weapon has a class of its own. Also if you didn't notice the rat rod look WAS dead and now has come back in the modern era, and if you don't think so just think about yutas 240z (before new paint), Mike Burroughs BMW, this FD, and countless more its quite example showing its been revamped.
P.S-there should tottally be a blog on modern rat rods. Just sayin.
looks like a missle to me. id be embarassed to drive it on the street but its perfect for the track!
RUINED! What a waste of a perfectly good FD3S! Ugly rust, shit interior, this ruins one of the best performance cars to come out of Japan...
Its a frigging fd, not a vintage Bugatti or rolls royce. It was probably built as a car to f*** about in and be used. The whole idea that it a rat/import 'scene' car is such a vain and narcissistic outlook. The thing is meant to be a joy to drive, not a joy to be looked at I would imagine.
Get your heads out of your butts people
Looks swag!
come on speedhunters wtf is this
I love it. Really. It's amazing. I especially love the fact that it can cause such controversy, and how those who hate it seem really pissed off. Like a lot of people have said, it's got character, and it's being driven hard. Like Tony said, it's not a classic Bugatti, meant to be stored in somebody's garage so that it's in pristine condition, it's meant to be driven for fun.
put the dashboard back in and it be hella sick
fucking waste
dragon have never made a good looking car tbf, and rust is always shit
that car is "IT" omg i love it
Rat is supposed to reflect the driver's belief that "I don't care what it looks like as long as it hauls ass". That means that paint and polish are not a priority until they need to be repaired to return structural integrity.
Intentionally removing the paint from the vehicle in order to promote rust, is not rat. Doing something like this to achieve a rat look is fake. This would be the opposite of "making it look easy", and would be more like "trying too hard to imitate what it isn't".
Stickers all over it is not rat. Multiple tachometers is not rat.
That car is not rat. It's rice and crap, equal parts rice and crap.
Car is FUGLY! These kids are what ruined the import car scene, trying to be trend setters but in reality its pure garbage. If I ever saw that car in person i'd set it on fire myself.
epic the cars built to be used.
HELL YES!!!!!
The wheels look like the new ROTA GTRD's they come in red, blue etc. I personally love it and think it's good to make a change from the same old. It draws attention which is what it's about and then people can see what else Dragon has on offer. It's not something I have the balls to do but the rat scene is far from dead. It's been going on for decades in the hotrodscene.
The exterior is alright... I'm sure it draws in attention which is good for business, but get rid of that UGLY Veilside body kit.... it doesn't look good on a $1,000,000 FD, let alone a $1 FD. The interior really just made me hate the car. Like I said I understand the purpose of the exterior, but the interior just screams... YOU SHOULD LET IT BURN next time. =D
Reminds me of that saying "You can always judge somebodies character by how they treat their car,"
Automotive anarchy, huh? What about cutting the roof off or tagging it with some spray paint for finishing touches? I mean, resale on the vehicle by now is possibly about $3k.. so why stop? Funny how its an eyesore and yet I can't help but look at it. Hmm. Judging by the over abundance of children that love demolition derby drift cars on here, it Just shows me that if I find a scratch on my car (more then likely done by a key) and still want it to seem cool... I can just sand off all the cars paint, hit it a couple times with a sledge hammer, throw some stickers all over it, and set it out in the rain for a couple days because that shows that I have respect for my car and invested alot of HARD work into how the car looks and people will respect me and think its awsome now that it looks like a rolling tetanus shot. Ohyeah! I should also paint my wheels the same color as a highlighter pen! Yay!! ;]
I mean I'll give the people that customized this vehicle a little respect for having the balls and it is an interesting piece of... well... what ever I'm looking at. I do kind've like it in all honesty but I can't exactly say its a work of art... Infact, far from because anyone with the style conceptions of a Japanese rodeo clown on LSD can do the same job if they had the car.
LMAO at all yuo haters. This car is epic. Why the hell it is appearing in FastChav though is beyond me; its not a corsa, clio, c2, saxo, 106 OR any other "bad boi hatchback", and i certainly doubt it has "twin 16"subs" in the back!
This car is funkin' amazing. It kicks ass and has a purpose - to drift.
As for the wheels, you haters are gonna love this - the rears are Rota GTR-D. Yes you read that right, ROTA. Go on, flame it now by using the old "oh rota are awful, they break so much and are just cheap pathetic copies" but before you use that, please make sure you read the articles where people have tested them and then had the wheels x-ray'd to reveal NO fractures or breaks or even any stress marks.
And for those who refuse to believe they are Rota's;
http://www.driftworks.com/shop/wheels-brakes/alloy-wheels/rota-gtr-d-in-flat-black-18x12-5x114mm-et20-10910.html
Dragon have built some awesome cars, and this is yet another prime example.
I love it. Really. It's amazing. I especially love the fact that it can cause such controversy, and how those who hate it seem really pissed off. Like a lot of people have said, it's got character, and it's being driven hard. Like Tony said, it's not a classic Bugatti, meant to be stored in somebody's garage so that it's in pristine condition, it's meant to be driven for fun.
Awsome!! Love it!
I love it! Looks hard as nails, will deffo be getting a copy of Fast Car to check it out.
MUST GET
DESKTOP
Haha, none of you even know the proper story behind it but you still hate it. Ross makes drift fd. Ross crashes fd. Ross decides to abuse fd. Fd somehow gets noticed and put on shunters. Ross laughs as people get so wound up by how a car looks rather than appreciating the fac that it is used, and used hard
Real Racer said:
Rat is supposed to reflect the driver's belief that "I don't care what it looks like as long as it hauls ass". That means that paint and polish are not a priority until they need to be repaired to return structural integrity.
Intentionally removing the paint from the vehicle in order to promote rust, is not rat. Doing something like this to achieve a rat look is fake. This would be the opposite of "making it look easy", and would be more like "trying too hard to imitate what it isn't".
Stickers all over it is not rat. Multiple tachometers is not rat.
That car is not rat. It's rice and crap, equal parts rice and crap.
-----------------------------------------------
Real Racer? How about Real Ricer?
Who gives a fuck about what rat is and what rat isn't? Why are most of you so concerned with how a car fucking looks? It's like body building and powerlifting. I'd rather be the part than look the part.
Has it never crossed your mind that maybe, just maybe, this guy stripped all the paint back at some stage so he could repair the damage and then respray it? Maybe the guy didn't have time to finish it because he was busy building other amazing cars for his customers? And then decided, after it had reached its state that he wasn't too bothered and just wanted a car to fuck about with?
Why are all you lifestylers and posers so concerned about looks, the scene, pigeon holing a car into a catagory of image? What diference does it actually make? The car is ridiculous to look at but underneath it all it's a beast that has been built to bounce off walls and go sideways and to HAVE FUN INSIDE OF, not outside of it.
Seriously, some of you guys need to change your mindsets. Be the part, not look the part, and don't give 2 shits about what others think about you. You'll live a a happier life, trust me!
It's just funny how some guys on here are making such a big deal out of this. C'mon guys, it's just a car someone made to look a way they would like it. Get a grip for God's sake....
You can make a car look like a piece of shit on purpose.....but it will still look like a piece of shit. While I'm not really a fan of the Rat look anyway, I definitely don't like a really 'artificial' rat look. I can dig it on older cars, but not on new cars, it's just as ricy as some other styles imo.
But I guess they got a lot of attention for their company and the opinions are kinda 50/50, so in the end I think it works well for them as a marketing tool.
I'm sorry but this is just another reason to not get attracted to the scene. It's horrible, and if this is a demo car for a company then really they've let themselves down.
Fascinated by the diversve nature of the comments!
So all of its scars have been done on the track/road, not done for a 'look' although the rust was, and I was astounded how hard is to get one to rust!! I love the narrative that that the bodywork tells and also the 'artistic' uncontrollable beausty that distressed rust gives.
I dont mind anyone having a negative opinion of it as long as they justify it.
I have built many many RX7s and have done the completely immaculate show look and still do, our old drag car was matt black but with a stunning polished engine bay, I like the juxtaposition between the two looks.
However this car started life as learner drift car for me to drift in and I crash, alot
The engine, suspension and sterring set-up is actually very advanced and again I like this contast with the bodywork. For example being able to smoke pristene Porkers in this 'rusty pen knife' is very satisfying.
The interior is purely function and not that attractive. However I have plans!
I want to weld in a cage and have the interior immaculate along with the engine bay, then maybe take it to show and shines next year
@ Tony "Be the part, not look the part, and don't give 2 shits about what others think about you. You'll live a a happier life, trust me!"
seriously your an idiot, if he had the time to install the parts you see in that picture, he had time to finish painting the car. He stripped it on purpose you can even see the half ass job done on the door arch area, paint doesn't flake off in perfect squares and then stop suddenly. For example they had time to make cheap mounts for those gauges but not to take a flat fiberglass or carbon sheet and clean it up properly. This car is entirely about looking the part and not being it at all. Your defending the owner because you think the car looks good, you have not driven it or even given enough visual inspection to the vehicle to noticed the intense amount of jackassery that was put into it. You can tell time was invested into this vehicle, however it was not to make it race well. I can achieve the same photo results you see in this blog with a new toyota and you wouldn't give me props for "being the part" because it wouldn't be visually appealing to you. You might say it would, but you really wouldn't care. You like the RX-7 because it looks like shit and you think because the article says it can drift it must be true. And because the article says it can drift you also believe that is the purpose of it and that no effort was made in looking that shitty, and that it drifts well and is a real mans car... what a joke
It's completely unlike the cookie-cutter neonsparkle-barbiedoll-shiny-black-lolipop kitsch jobs with carbon pattern thrown in for good measure (some commenters here seem to understand "car" only that narrowly). This one has a personality and a voice. It's not made for ball rooms. It's a real living car, it's somebody's car, it's not "pickled" in a state to be fakely restored back to - it's ever changing and dynamic as life itself, it has its own attitude and a story to tell, its a very individual machine, it doesn't aim to be just eye candy for the easily amused and the narrow minded - it's here to do what it loves, and it bears its scars with pride and style. It's raw, sincere and rooted firmly in reality. You can polish a car and make it shiny-shiny, but deep down you know - it's a lie, NOTHING is permanent.
It's a friggin' inspirational work of art!
Can't argue about taste, ofc. Feel free to polish yours.
To me, personally, it must be one of the very favorite cars I've ever seen.
I can't wait to see people smashing their cars with a hammer to say that their car is a boro boro drift car...
That thing look like crap and is straight into the, now full of hipsters, rat scene.
"If I ever saw that car in person i'd set it on fire myself."
Total legit, I'd do the same, period.
And some people here totally need to check the definition of a missile drift car, coz currently that FD is not one of them!
Exhaust flame is big =) How often do you need to repair rear bumper?))))
Desktops of the first and thrid picture plz!!!!!
"presentation is just as important as how well it preforms"
For you maybe, and for others. For some it's not. For some it's all about performance. What the replies here show, is mostly that a lot of people have no respect for what others want to do. You don't have to like this car, but that doesn't mean you have to bash both the owner or the car.
Some of the showey mobiles I see people make with flashy bodykits and chrome wheels make me wanna puke. But if they like it, they like it. I'm not gonna make comments about putting it on fire.
Seriously people, grow up and get real. If you don't like the car, fine, but don't be so juvenile.
Amazing car Ross.
Love the way that no-one could even recognise the wheels as Rota's
How you going to bitch and moan about Rota's 'ruining the JDM wheel manufacturers' when they are making wheels that are setting trends, not following them? haha
How much dish is on these? Size offset?
Fucking amazing.
Look how long the comment list is already. This car accomplishes its mission: getting attention. Great car.
If anybodys mocks this car or the owner. they Obviously dont know the owner. this is not a show and shine car. He drives it hard, drifts and dont care if he smacks it up . Ive even seen ross drift into targets just for fun. And this is car for fun. Everyone should know what he and is company can do. And understand, he likes to be different and have fun. He aint trying to win prizes. Has he has done that many times before.
Wish my RX was that cool!
Enough of the "haters" comments. Every time I see someone write "haters," I picture some 14 year old girl defending the newest Justin Bieber album. Please, for the love of god, find a different rebuttal. It's only used by people that can never make a good counter argument (like pre-teen girls, uneducated adults,etc...)
That car is ugly because of ______ and ________.
That car is sick! OMG, you're just jealous haterz!
Yeah, we're JEALOUS of a faux-rusted riced out FD with fake wheels, a dash that looks like an episode of Hoarders, and the car's actual value being around $2000. Seriously.
To anyone who asked how the 3rd pic was taken, I believe they used the old camera rig trick, cleaned it up with photoshop (to get rid of the rig in the picture) and possibly shopped the guy on from a non-moving picture to get rid of blur. Other than that, the car wasn't moving fast at all. Long exposure and a slight push in neutral and bam, "high speed" shot. Correct me if i'm wrong, i'm only an amateur photographer. But now that I think about it.... With these guys being as nuts as they are building this thing in the first place, I wouldn't be surprised if they hauled that guy on the back mashing it to get a shot of the backfire, haha!
Cheers.
They are trying to be like that rusty bmw and that slammed datsun right? Looks fucking horrible, at least the bmw has a straight body, the datsun just needs a proper paint job... oh and both those cars are owned by people. Not a company!! That interior looks like shit! I don't care what purpose the builders say it was built to do but it's not going to excel at any motorsport competition in that kind of condition. Your gauges alone are so cluttered and disorganized your going to be pushing that motor and not even know right before you blow it because you don't know which of the 40 gauges you need to look at for a split second in the middle of a race. Why the hell would a company build a car like this??? Is this company going to advertise or sell a new rust kit? I can't wait to see more people do this shit it's just going to leave my painted car looking that much better. Plus when said idiots realize there mistake most normal people will never be able to repair the rust and will just scrap the chassis. Does the car catch visual attention? Yes but that is more of a color thing with the wheels and sticker colors then what a rusted out car brings. Is it made to be driven and excel at some type of motorsport? Not at all. Can it drive in a motorsport competition? Yes it probably can, and it will probably lose unless said company likes spending money on constant repairs. Will said company enjoy paying for tetanus shots on there employees from trying to turn a wrench on it? Fuck if I know... sort the car out.
Rubbish.
Funny this thing is hated on so bad it has over 100+ comments, talk about attention whore. ,. For the people that say "ill burn his car" thats completely uncalled for, please go burn your own cars and then think about it. OMGFAIL, assuming they built a 9 SEC FD already, you think they cant tell which gauge is which? They installed it and I bet they know which gauge to look at when things seem to be going down hill. This car is different thats the point, to prove you dont need a smancy pancy paint job to perform well on the track. The stickers and its rust to dookie body will bring wanted and unwanted attention to some enthusiast , might aswell rename the title of this blog to "The most Hated FD on SHunters...but still aesome". Its not exactly something I would do to an FD but it would be a rolling project if i got it in this condition. Bet when a new paint job and body work comes along all the people critizing wont recognize the car and people will applaude for its root from awesome hating brigade.
ClassicZMS: I'm the chap whose on the back of the car... I was just holding on for dear life with the car doing about 40mph! And the camera man was hanging out the boot of a car driving along side. No rig or Photoshop trickery....
Loving all these comments! Haters gona hate!
@OMGFail
Lmfao! I think the car looks shit, ridiculous and horrid. Not a fan of the way it looks. But I am a fan of its purpose: to be abused and driven hard and to have fun in.
Stop being such a whining, narcissistic and "image concerned" kind of guy, lighten up and have fun
At the end of the day, it's got people talking about the car and the company, so in that respect, it's the PERFECT demo car for the company! Just look at how much free publicity Dragon have got just from one blog post!
Also, if I were looking for people to tune an FD for me, I'd go straight to the guys with the maddest cars, not the company that follows the trends and never pushes the boundries.
And to all those saying 'it's not rat if it's been made to look rat' yes it takes styling cues from the rat scene, if there is such a thing, but never has it been a purely rat car. The stickers are overkill and the bodykit and bonnet look to me to be perfect. I just see it as an amzing RX7 with rust instead of paint!
To sum up, it's UTTER MADNESS!
I'm all for thinking outside the box and trying new things... but along with making new trends you also make a lot of mistakes I think this is one of those mistakes
I'm not saying the rat RX7 is a bad idea but lets just think about what a RX7 would be like. I would be over 10 years old so it would still have paint, it would have a fair few dents, mods that are kinda poorly done but have lasted over the years and stickers are a given but down to the owner.... So looking at this car I get the feeling they just tried too hard to make it look hardcore and its just kinda come off like a poser buying vintage clothes to try and be cool when he hasn't really gotten it to begin with.
but hey if this does start a trend of f**king up what I guess started of life of a perfectly fine car then i guess we will find out who are the trend setters and who are the sheep...
I'love this car... no words
haha, look at all these clowns commenting.
like it or HATE it, this car gets USED, it get drifted and smashed and used to its limits, and thats NOT like 99% of the cool/rat/whatever cars most the internet fanboys get hard over, and probably 99.5% of the people who have commented dont use their cars hard and properly like this one. Hell, most of you guys probably dont even own cars...
crazy nice car
You may as well go to a junk yard and call every dismantled rust bucket in the yard and awesome vehicle, coz that's were this FD deserves to be.
I don't know why ppl think this is awesome or cool, IMO it's a stupid trend which I hope never catches on...
Yes it may get used but so do other better looking and well kept cars that hit the track.
Should change the term "used" to "used, abused and heading for the scrap yard".... Also ppl saying this gets used properly is totally wrong to me it looks like the owner can't drive and can't afford to fix the bloody thing.
Finally, a zomby FD, this car is definitely one of the best zombies I've seen, I love it! Nothing is better then not caring (within a reasonable margin of course). Props to this thing, soo good.
I know it's all about the car but it would be neat to see a feature on Jamie Lipman's photography.
He's one of those snappers that I keep seeing credited in the automotive magazines.
Kool as FCK!!!! Tuffest looking 7 I have ever seen, no "lollipop" paint, no nonsense, just pure purpose! Killer!
To each there own
But I believe that FD is fucking amazing. Looks like pure sex
Needs more stickers.
Well I recon it gud think about it no dash less wieght big holes less metal less wieght I think its a good budget build lol saves heaps a cash for the next one good work looks sick as
your car is amazing!!!! and be sure to keep udating your thread on rat-look.com
LOL, love your work Ross, keep up the good work
Scotty
every body should be praising ross for what he has created. The amount of work that has gone into this car and thought is staggering so if u dont like it tough luck. not every body can say that i have the fastest rust bucket every day can they. (not that im saying that its a rust bucket or anything) so plese stop commenting if u dont like it. he is only trying to get into all the differnt tunning scenes .
Ok right now i see a list of fan boys. This car is a piece of shit straight up. That stupid rust bullshit went out with the first bmw i saw it on. Id be ashamed if this were the demo car for my company. I see zero pride taken into this car. The owners have taken a beautiful car and turned it into a fan boys reality. The rust is terrible, the stickers covering sections of the car are worse, and whomever replied that this car was not not built on a hellaflush mindset was very wrong. I cannot help but look at this car and shake my head in disappointment. This car is not a work of art. It is an example of a bad taste and an owner and company with no pride in the work they do.
lol @ the discussion... so polarized. I think it's wicked cool and quite unique. the photography is insane quality too! such extreme lighting and post, i really like it!
Gross! All you people replying that is car is 'wicked', 'amazing', or giving it 'props' are on something not so good for your health. Give it some time... you'll come off of your high and realize this car is garbage. What a waste of an FD! What's next - a ratted out Scion?
:asco:
I don't think I have ever seen this many replies that were more than a sentence long!!
I believe its ugly.. Sure maybe function over form... but honestly this just feels like dropping all standards that even the lowest person in the world would have. Have some self respect, make something that reflect you. It seems like anyone can have a car spotlighted as long as there is a story behind it. A story consisting of anything but hard work and determination... But what do you expect, its fashionable. Just like those cheap ass plastic glasses all the wannabe drifters wear these days... We shall reflect on this 2 years form now and laugh at all the ridiculous things you all have done.
This is ridiculously awesome! This car is great because you can drive it like it should be because you won't be worrying about what happens to the body. However, i would never expect this to be something that a lot of people like, only a few freaks like me are mad enough to like this kind of thing. Also why the fuck do all of you guys who don't like it have to drag down everybody else with your negative, deconstructive commentary. Fuck all you haters!
rust is so hot right now. rust... so hot right now. LOLZ serious, this is creative and wild. they were obviously having some FUN with the haters, and by the amount of replies on this feature it's getting a LOT of attention. I would drive a car like this, but i wouldn't put the time into getting it to look like that.
horrible
J. said:
Enough of the "haters" comments. Every time I see someone write "haters," I picture some 14 year old girl defending the newest Justin Bieber album. Please, for the love of god, find a different rebuttal. It's only used by people that can never make a good counter argument (like pre-teen girls, uneducated adults,etc...)
That car is ugly because of ______ and ________.
That car is sick! OMG, you're just jealous haterz!
Yeah, we're JEALOUS of a faux-rusted riced out FD with fake wheels, a dash that looks like an episode of Hoarders, and the car's actual value being around $2000. Seriously.
LOL! haters gone hate! Its an awesome car, im sure none of you bellends have ever built a car in your lives. cunts.
Looks awesome, I wouldn't do it to mine but still very cool. The Fd is one of the few cars thats it's natural looks allow it to pull off many extreme automotive styles. I'd definitely rock that around town.
I just hope this fad ends right away. I wouldn't wanna see anymore cars turning into one of these rustbuckets. I get the whole idea where function comes first, but don't TRY to make a car look banged up on purpose. I mean I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get rusted out on the track.
I absolutely love this car!! Dare I even say that it is my favorite RX-7 haha, all you jackasses that hate it cause its not clean and glossy can suck it, this car has true character, they didnt make it because they wanted it to be a crowd pleaser, they did cause they wanted to, kudos to the makers
I always find it amusing that all these f**ked up cars that get "trashed" and not "cared about" have perfectly clean wheels.
But hey in this new age of modification, the wheels are more important then the car, the drivers sense of fashion is more important than the car, the photography is more important than the car... the list goes on
Amazing work Ross, constantly pushing the RX7 boundaries forward, I remember when AbFlug built the pink FD back in the 90's, people hated it, but hey it's one of the most iconic tuner RX7's ever, and what better way to promote your company than a bit of controversy!!! good work dog, roll deep my good man
why not just paint it a flat rust color with some areas painted in different patinas? the visual effect would be the same and at least it wouldn't rust to hell. it's been ten years since the watercooled VW guys were intentionally rusting complete cars for the style of it, and, i think i've finally had enough. at least the FD is fast.
last I remembered people like the Abflug RX7 and it's still around to this day. They even have a kit that they sell and make a profit off of. Who's going to buy a rust kit? Where will this car be in 20 years? Should be rusted through by then and just a pile of metal. I respect and like the Abflug RX7 and that is the kind of vehicles companies should be producing. Hey if someone does come to this shop asking for that kind of treatment then more power to them. What boundary was pushed? The car is rusty with wheels.
Well said Warren and VJ...
WTF is it with the whole Haters comments, grow up, you ppl starting to sound like little 12yr olds whose every second word is OMG so freakin freakin awesome!!!
Get over it...
Funny how cars like this receive such praise, I guess the word fan boy is wrong and should be more along the lines of suck ups...
I have actually built up cars and worked on cars for some time now, the latest being a clean looking Datsun 610 which was no rust bucket or wanna be trend car.
Seriously looks like crap and thats that...
First off: People WORK to spend THEIR own money on their OWN things, so what gives anyone the RIGHT to say how, when, where and in what they should spend their money on
Secondly: Almost everything in life takes effort, and all us us "car people" take more care and attention to detail as possible and its most obvious that their car took thought and effort to pull off- If you like it or not is Your own opinion and I do not see how anyone can be bashing anyone else for their choices
Thirdly: I kind of like it. Honestly it makes me think twice about when I see a crashed FD for sale.
Craig is a massive homo. Epic car epic photography. Well done.
168 COMMENTS
LOL MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
alan. i can't believe you just said time, care, effort, attention to detail. was there any of this when they corroded the body? and i bet you thought the sticker placement was prearranged. think again!