Bolt-on over fenders are hardly a new concept. Born from a requisite to cover a vehicle’s modesty once the car’s track had been widened, they’ve been around for as long as I can remember. Over fenders aren’t a particularly elegant solution but they served their purpose.
The wide-body look has never really gone away, but the last couple of years have seen a resurgence of the bolted on variety of flares and over fenders. I’ve always felt that the Japanese have been at the fore of this movement – Nakai-san at RWB and Miura-san at TRA Kyoto in particular. It’s the latter of these two that has been getting a lot of attention in recent weeks with the unveiling of Liberty Walk’s Ferrari 458 and Nissan GT-R respectively. Kato-san of Liberty Walk refers to the current style as ‘works style’, as it’s influenced by ’70s Japanese racing style. Maybe you’d prefer to call it ‘werks style’ as a nod to the German roots? Let us know.
The last couple of weeks have felt like we’ve been over-saturated with this works style, but in reality there are only a relatively small number of these cars in existence. It’s perhaps more testimony to the impact that these cars are having that they are popping up everywhere – even in places where people would never even consider aftermarket modifications. My own opinion is rather simple in that I don’t see it as a perfect solution to every build, but it should be considered on a car-by-car basis and whether or not it makes sense on each build. These kits have such impact that they can overcome any other details and developments of a project car, so they should be used with caution.
How do you feel this style has progressed and where do you see it going next? Is it too much or do you actually prefer it over smoothed panels and narrow bodies?
Paddy McGrath
Twitter: @PaddyMcGrathSH
Instagram: speedhunters_paddy
paddy@speedhunters.com