The Veilside brand became more famous due to Tokyo Drift. But their history didn’t start with making over-the-top body kits for JDM cars.
Many people will agree that The Fast and Furious saga took a huge turn after they released the fourth installment. That’s why many car enthusiasts consider the first three as a huge influence on the entire car tuner scene. Besides Paul Walker’s striking orange Toyota Supra and silver Skyline R34 GT-R, one car definitely stood out from the series.
Han’s orange Mazda RX-7 grabbed the attention of viewers as it was something new during the rise of the car tuner scene during that time. There was a huge chance that 80% of viewers never knew that the orange car Han was driving in the movie was a Mazda RX-7 FD3S. With that said, it was the perfect opportunity for Veilside to show off its brand to everyone outside of Japan.
While you might have already noticed the aftermarket automotive company unveil its products from the two previous films of the series, Tokyo Drift further solidified the brand’s image as a cool JDM modification house.
Tokyo Drift Introduces The Veilside RX-7 Fortune Body Kit
At one point in the movie, Sean Boswell walks out of his school to find Han Lue waiting for him on the street along with his black and orange Mazda RX-7. It was the first time anybody got a glimpse of the RX-7 outfitted with the Fortune body kit from Veilside.
It somewhat became a discussion for many car lovers because no one knew what car it was. Some even thought that it was a Koenigsegg CCR because of the shape of the headlights.
If one took a close look at the car, the only giveaways that it was an RX-7 are the roof shape and tail lights. No one could have ever seen the resemblance of an RX-7 from a mile away. But once the engine started, people knew it was a Mazda because of its signature rotary engine sound.
It was such an iconic car to everyone that viewers felt it was unfair that the car only had little screen time compared to the red Mitsubishi Evolution. However, it was more than enough for people to notice the cool bodykit made by Veilside.
Taking A Look At Veilside’s History In Japan
When talking about Veilside, the first thing that comes into people’s minds are body kits, cosmetic upgrades, and extreme exterior customization. But what most don’t know is that the owner, Yokomaku Hironao, started out with performance tuning. Since his tuning shop was near the Tsukuba racing circuit, he managed to help out other drivers tune and adjust their race cars.
After gaining notoriety in the Japanese tuning scene, the Veilside brand gained even more traction after they managed to smash several records. One street world record they beat was when they drove their tuned BNR34 to reach 211 mph on street tires back in the day.
They also had a Toyota JZA80 Supra that had 1,200 horsepower with a radiator relocated to the trunk. You can quickly guess that Veilside tuned the car because of the large snorkel where they installed on the rear glass window.
The only cosmetic upgrades they did on their race cars were simple and always had functionality in mind. Their main goal with every body panel replacement was to make the car stick to the road as much as possible and go fast, of course.
The Production Of Veilside Aero Parts And Body Kits
It wasn’t until 1993 that the tuning company slowly made aero parts for clients that wanted them on their cars. It was also the year when they wanted to transition from making subtle cosmetic enhancements to extravagant body kits that would change the car entirely.
Besides the RX-7, another car that Veilside built a body kit for is the Toyota Supra Mark IV. The company replaced every exterior body panel beside the roof, turning it into a completely different vehicle. One could almost assume that it was a Bentley.
If you plan on buying a Veilside conversion kit for your RX-7, it will cost you around $16,300 plus other expenses on top of it to cover tax, shipping, and importing. You should also note that it won’t come with the original Andrew Evolution V wheels that were in Tokyo Drift.
You can say the same for the Bentley-style Veilside 4509 GTR body kit for the Supra Mark IV. The entire conversion kit will cost you around $22,200, with added options to modify the interior as well. While Veilside’s older generation body kits may look extreme, you’ll find that they went back to their minimalist designs, as seen with the 370Z Ver. I model.
With many modification companies like Rocket Bunny saturating the market with wide fenders, keeping their designs minimal is a good move for Veilside. But if you want your RX7, Supra, or NSX to stand out on the road or in car meets, you can always count on Veilside.
