Photo: Liberty Walk
The Daihatsu Copen is one of two pocket-sized convertibles offered in Japan right now, together with the Honda S660. Kei cars used to be all over the place, and some of them even had mods, but probably not as extensive as this Liberty Walk project.
Kato Wataru's widebody crew too this little car more seriously than anybody else. The plan they came up with involves a bit of copyright infringement, as they copied the look of Nissan's iconic supercar killer, the R35 GT-R.
Now, we have seen the customized Copen before, but never in the company of the original. And that's what this photo is all about: showing you that it's just as low and aggressively styled.
Obviously, the Daihatsu is tiny. But because the GT-R is quite low, the proportions end up looking similar. Most of the copy-paste work is concentrated around the front bumper, which even copies the GT-R facelift grille and badge placement. Beyond that, both models feature chin spoilers and massive trunk wings.
The trademark of any Liberty Walk kit is the fender flares. The ones on the GT-R are really big since the car has been known to swallow large drift tires on occasion. But the pint-sized copycat isn't looking too shabby either.
In stock form, the car is 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, 1,280 mm tall and is built on a lightweight monocoque framework called the D-Frame, said to be three times stiffer than its predecessor. Like most models of this type, the Copen packs a 660cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine making 64 hp and 92 Nm (68 lb-ft) of torque. Two transmissions are available - a CVT or a 5-speed manual - both sending power to only one axle and there is the option of a limited slip diff.
But don't for a second think that the Copen is cheap, as prices start at about $17,000. By comparison, the 570 horsepower, all-wheel-drive Nissan supercar currently retails for $100,000.
Now, we have seen the customized Copen before, but never in the company of the original. And that's what this photo is all about: showing you that it's just as low and aggressively styled.
Obviously, the Daihatsu is tiny. But because the GT-R is quite low, the proportions end up looking similar. Most of the copy-paste work is concentrated around the front bumper, which even copies the GT-R facelift grille and badge placement. Beyond that, both models feature chin spoilers and massive trunk wings.
The trademark of any Liberty Walk kit is the fender flares. The ones on the GT-R are really big since the car has been known to swallow large drift tires on occasion. But the pint-sized copycat isn't looking too shabby either.
In stock form, the car is 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, 1,280 mm tall and is built on a lightweight monocoque framework called the D-Frame, said to be three times stiffer than its predecessor. Like most models of this type, the Copen packs a 660cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine making 64 hp and 92 Nm (68 lb-ft) of torque. Two transmissions are available - a CVT or a 5-speed manual - both sending power to only one axle and there is the option of a limited slip diff.
But don't for a second think that the Copen is cheap, as prices start at about $17,000. By comparison, the 570 horsepower, all-wheel-drive Nissan supercar currently retails for $100,000.
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