Bring the Raucous

The Honda Ruckus scene has absolutely exploded in America over the past few years, and it seems to go hand-in-hand with the late model JDM scene. Often I browse through pictures of US-based car meets and there’s always a Ruckus or two (or ten!) hanging around, sitting nice and low with a fat back tyre extended rearward on a custom frame. Some people may think its crazy to lust after a chopped, lengthened and modded scooter, but I love these things.

Project Raucous takes it to a whole new level, check out the fabrication in this build.

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KA powered Datsun 610

It’s no secret I’m a datto man, so I guess it’s no surprise that I will be featuring Datsun content wherever possible. This 610 (also known as 180B in some markets) comes from the Ratsun forums. Aaron bought this particular car in 2006 for $300 in pretty bad shape, and as with most datto heads, only he could see its true potential.

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CLK63 Black Series

Heres’s something exotic for a change. The Mercedes CLK 63 Black Series was based on the F1 Safety Car, it’s powered by an AMG 6.3-litre V8 pushing out 373 kw. For most people that would be more than enough, but stock cars are boring and we are modifiers so we have to mess with everything, and even a top of the range Merc can’t escape.

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KP61 Starlet

KP61’s are a confused little car for all the right reasons. When you first lay eyes on the late 70’s/early 80’s boxy hatchback styling, you instantly assume they’re powered by the front wheels like other cars of similar appearance. But in something that can only be described as a miracle, the old school players at Toyota decided to wait until the next generation to switch to the efficient FWD format, which allowed the 60-Series Starlets to remain RWD.

Rear wheel drive hatchback? Yes please! This Irish example comes from the Driftworks forums, and has been tastefully modified and kept true to its Japanese heritage.

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E30 M3 + E39 M5 V8

This car is an insant favourite wherever its posted on the net. It seems everyone has a soft spot for E30 BMW’s, and this one is definitely praiseworthy.

I’m not one of those people who turns up their nose when a person chooses to use a motor from a different manufacturer for an engine swap. I like the way people stuff LS1’s, 2JZ’s, SR20’s and 13b’s into all different kinds of cars, but I always think it’s more appealing when a motor from the same stable is used, it just seems “right”.

That premise applies to this E30 which has had an S62 V8 from an E39 M5 shoehorned into the engine bay, and then a turbo strapped to each side. When you see an example like this it’s easy to see why E30’s are universally loved by most car enthusiasts. It doesn’t get much better than this.

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