A Hakosuka Built With Surgical Precision
A Doctor’s Approach

I get the distinct impression that Japanese car culture is following me wherever I go. It’s weird; no matter where I venture to in the world there always seems to be a cool Japanese car build waiting for me to shoot. It’s exactly what happened back in February when I was in Dubai for the RWB Emirates triple-car build.

As I was sitting in the pits admiring Nakai’s fender-cutting precision with his trusty air saw, I received a message through Instagram. Aamir Ali’s DM read along the lines of ‘I have a company that makes carbon fiber parts and I have recently finished restoring one of the only street-registered Hakosukas in Dubai – do you want to take a look?’

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After a quick chat with Aamir, he told me that he’d drop by the build site at the Dubai Autodrome a few days later after he finished work at the hospital. I was a tad confused, as I assumed he made carbon parts full-time; but regardless, I was very keen to see what he’d done to his four-door Hakosuka.

Fast forward to the day of the meeting, and even before Aamir got out of his car I was impressed. I’m used to seeing two different schools of thought when it comes to restoring and modifying a kyusha like this in Japan. Some prefer to keep things simple, change very few details, source OEM parts and stay as period correct as possible, while the other camp – one that is far more popular (especially with the non-GT-R iterations of the cars) – prefer to restomod, at times with little concern for the details. Aamir has instead focused on every small detail, creating one of the most complete and well-executed GC10s I’ve come across.

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It also turns out that Aamir is a doctor by day, and works on CarbonSignal whenever he has spare time. He built the brand alongside his passion for tuning and restoring cars, and it’s a name that we’ve seen before on Speedhunters.

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Both the S30 240Z that Chris Forsberg debuted at the SEMA Show last year and Sung Kang’s FuguZ build feature Aamir’s parts, which are not limited to carbon but also include body kits and even retro-style race seats. But more on those aspects soon.

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First, I want to concentrate on the looks and performance of the car, two areas that really set this Hakosuka apart from other kyusha creations.

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The deep pastel olive green sort of reminded me of the lighter and metallic hue that Nissan used for the 1000 Nür versions of the BNR34 GT-R prior to ending its production in 2002. It’s not the same color in any way, but a nice nod to the lineage of the Skyline. The restoration of the Hakosuka also served as a good opportunity for Aamir to design and create his very own six-piece flare kit. It’s nothing too wide, but it definitely gives the old girl an extra bit of presence. As you can see, the flares were color-matched to the body, which I though was quite cool.

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The carbon fender mirrors are a nice addition too; vintage and period-correct in positioning, modern and lightweight in execution.

For wheels, Aamir settled on a set of Volk Racing TE37Vs from RAYS, which again offer a nice balance between modern and vintage. The 10.5-inch wide rears definitely fill out the pumped guards, but the car sits a tad higher than you’d expect, something that’s totally down to the roads in Dubai. Actually, not the roads, those are fine, it’s all the speed bumps! Quite simply, a shakotan stance would severely limit where the car could be driven.

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The overfendered look is balanced out up front with the must-have bucktooth chin spoiler.

Pumping The L28
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The unmistakable lumpy idle of a tuned L-series motor was too much for me to bear, so before I had even finished snapping away at the rest of the exterior I asked Aamir to open up the hood.

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Just like every other detail of the build, absolutely no corners have been cut here. In fact, Aamir went nuts, basing the build on an N42 L28 from a 280Z, which has since been stretched to 3.0 liters and topped off with a Rebello Racing cylinder head. The Rebello item has been thoroughly ported and polished, and is equipped with Supertech stainless steel intake valves and Rebello heavy-duty springs to ensure it can handle 8000rpm+.

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Actuating the valves is a custom 282-degree/12.4mm cam to make the most of the modifications. With a trio of O.E.R. 45mm DCOE carbs fed through a Mallory fuel pump, the engine is able to develop a solid 275hp.

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The most important touch of all, however, is the air horn which plays the Godfather theme. Bosozoku across Japan will bow in respect.

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The additional soundtrack is provided by a full Fujitsubo setup from the headers back.

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While we’re looking at the back of the car, let’s talk a little about how the Hakosuka puts the power to the ground. While 275hp isn’t going to upset most drivelines, Aamir still wanted to address what was there and beef it up for piece of mind. So along with a longer ratio 5-speed gearbox he threw in a Centerforce clutch and Kameari flywheel, then added an R180 Subaru STI diff along with custom axles.

I was really surprised to see a vintage Nissan Prince Tokyo sticker on the back window; this is the dealership that made race Hakos famous in the ’70s. Seriously, no detail has been left out, even Pioneer TS-X15 parcel-shelf speakers are fitted.

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With the looks and performance taken care of, Aamir turned to the handling, and indirectly also the way the car would sit.

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Like everything, this is mostly about achieving balance through use of the right components and having them set up correctly. Aamir selected a Rubber Soul lowering kit and a Futofab rear camber kit to complement Stance front coilovers and Gaz shocks at the rear.

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The springs are just about right for a street car, measuring 12kg/mm at the front and 14kg/mm in the rear.

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Nice and square would be a suitable assessment of the setup I think.

Comfort Comes Next
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I found myself detail-hunting during the rest of the shoot, and there are plenty of them in the interior. It all starts with the door cards which feature color-matched piping and stitching, Napa leather, and a carbon strip to protect the lower sections from scuffs.

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That theme is carried over to the Recaro LS Classic seats up front which also feature Napa leather.

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The dashboard has some cool additions, but you really have to look for them as everything blends in so seamlessly. You know you’ve done stuff right when that’s the case.

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As a ’70s Japanese kyusha, the flowery shift knob is right at home too.

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The main instruments are SpeedHut items that have been custom-built to CarbonSignal’s own design, and they look amazing. The speedo is GPS driven so there’s no cable necessary, and it’s way more accurate than a mechanical item – as long as you’re not in a tunnel.

Extra gauges can be find in the center stack, along with more CarbonSignal carbon fiber to dress up the drab ’70s plastic of the stock dash. And of course air-conditioning, which is an absolute necessity in this part of the world.

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Take a wider look and it all blends in; there are many details but in no way is it overdone. It’s just right.

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The GT Kai badges on the front and rear of the Hakosuka couldn’t do a better job of categorizing the theme of the car. Kai means ‘modified’ and ‘perfected’ in Japanese, and that’s precisely the case with every single aspect of the classic Skyline.

After checking out this build in detail, I really can’t wait to see what Aamir comes up with in the future. Right now he’s putting the final touches on a pretty unique Z, and that’s something I’ll have to investigate further when I make a return to Dubai later in the year.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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35 comments

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1

Wow! Just wow, what a car. This is a brilliant example. In my usual days I would pick a 2 door, over the 4 door skyline, but this clearly wins my vote over many Hakosukas out there.
Could have matched the material of side mirrors, and the bumpers, so either all CF, or all chrome plated

Author2
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I'm sure it's still very much a work in progress. I do like carbon bumpers myself too

3

It's already with carbon bumpers now

4

عامر، ممكن تتواصل معي على رقمي
+968 99021062

5

Orthopedic surgery or Neurological surgery?

6

That small in cab fan is my favorite part of the build, simple and looks like "optional AC" provided by Nissan back then.
I was willing to ask how we can survive the heat using the fan only but after you mentioned that he implemented an AC system.
Really he got me.

7
ReallyForeverAlone

That shiftknob is probably my most favorite feature on the entire car. It just fills me with a sense of calmness and peace.

Author8
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Yeah I was looking at it if there was maybe a bug in there a la Jurassic Park lol

9

Nice build!
I think everything provides a nice balance between mordern and old school; Nevertheless, the colour!!!! i think the perfect match to the style, carbon details and interior details would have to be de C10 GT white, not trying to make it just period correct but searching for contrast in all that effort.

maybe i am just jealous lol.

10

Under most circumstances that color would not work for me either, but in the muted desert environment, the color shows off the car so well.

11

All this, a super clean hakosuka and a minion along the mirror

12

That ride height & wheel/tire fitment is TERRIBLE. No need to stretch the tires if you've got a huge gap between your tire & your fenders.

13

More functional as it's already rubs. Car is driven a lot during season and with welded camber plates it's a hassle to change height again and again

Author14
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Uhm so, drop it and only bring it to shows..or .... lift it up and use it everywhere.

15

He could easily lower it another inch and not lose drivability.

Or he could put wider, less stretched tires on it at the same dorky ride height and at least have cause to own a Jeeposuka.

16

It rubs already as shirt stroke shocks at back and any other size wider increase overall diameter by an inch so car needed to be raised more.

17
Stephen Smith

Aamir, awesome car. Would love to understand where the old Japanese car crew hang out in Dubai and come by one of the get togethers some time.
I live here and am considering bringing my R100 or RX2 out here, but would need somewhere to work on it!

Author18
Dino Dalle Carbonare

LOL @ Jeeposuka

19

Great build! I love the restomod style and level of restraint the owner has used. The amount of custom work that would go unnoticed by the casual passer by really makes the car. Amazing article as always Dino!

Author20
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks, glad you liked it :)

21

The car is top notch. The color is nice, the engine bay is clean. The wheels and tire fitment look very poor. The tires are too stretched, look tiny and stick out too far.

22

I would've gone with narrower wheels and halve the spring rates. Otherwise, awesome build, especially the interior and the flares (perfectly sized).

23

Yeah I was thinking the spring rates seem high for a lightweight street car, and thinner wheels with less stretch, even a chunky tyre would work well with the ride height!

24

Hell of a car... an "original" engine would be much more loved in my case, but still... damn, what a build. And a wonderfull review/photoshoot, too!

Author25
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Original engine? But that would be so slow haha

26

This car is almost perfect! Don't see too many Hakos with this level of detail. Love the engine, interior, paint and bodywork. But....Definitely needs some period 13x8's! I even think the high ride height looks good. Just some chunky tyres on some starsharks, phantoms, streets or similar would really make this car.

27

I live in the UAE, and we seem to have some super cool stuff now! Great to see a feature on SH!

Author28
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Seems to be growing exponentially there now, and I'm in no way talking about the hypercar collectors

29

Quite a quality build here, sure there's details we all would change but overall this guy really nailed it with execution of his own vision. SO much more enjoyable than most of the show cars these days!

30

Love the color - super clean build. The flares are horrible though. They really chop up the body lines.

31

Amazing build and execution. Best 4-door Skyline I've seen. Congratulations to Dr. Ali for executing such an amazing build.

32

Color +++ really nice, don't see very often
Shifter +++ make me smile:-)
Dash+++ classic but upgraded. Why Redline on speed garage?
Engine + ok, with upgraded head. Nice valve cover.
Seats - don't like green stripe
Horn in engine bay - - too messy
Wheel and tire fitment - - - - - Look VERY bad. Wrong tire and offset too negative. Replace with a smaller rim.

33

That rocker cover is my favourite bit! We need a little video to hear those triple carbs sucking hard!

34

this is a really cool car, the tyres and wheels look fine. why drop it lower and struggle to get over speed bumps.
not a fan of the colour, only thing i would've loved to have seen was an OS Giken ‘TC24′ cylinder head.

35
Hilscher Christoph

DANGER: Watch out for the little crack in the fuel hose, almost burned down my car because of an old hose, please change it!

Absolutely love the color, what a gorgeous ride!

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