Whether or not you like the Pandem Rocket Bunny C8 (or even understand that string of words) probably depends on whether you’re wearing your flat-brimmed baseball caps or “dad hat” style. However, for a particular subset of the avid community, there is nothing cooler than a body – or if you want to get really old, “ground effects” – kit made by Japanese tuner Rocket Bunny in their trademark “Pandem” wide-body style.
The formula is primarily to knock the car to the ground. Then come the widened fenders, side skirts, air dams and spoilers. In particular, the fenders must have exposed fasteners, a touch that traces its origins to Japanese race cars of the late 1960s (and the fact that in Japan, a car whose tires protrude beyond the fender edges automatically fails technical checks). Solid wheels and tires with minimal sidewall are also a must.
If the look is out, it’s probably because you’ve seen the SEMA Show lined with hundreds of cars with these kits. They include everything from Nissan 240SXs to GT-Rs, Mustangs to Lamborghinis, BMWs to Ferraris. There is even a kit for the classic Datsun 240Z. In fact, this Corvette would have been part of the Toyo Tires display at this year’s SEMA Show had the event not been canceled due to the pandemic (no pun intended).
It is the first in the world to receive the Pandem treatment, but it will almost certainly not be the last. It gives off a sinister vibe in black and the wheel assembly is insanely tight. If there are any performance changes, the owner, going through toxic_garages, didn’t say anything. To us, it seems like something that would drive Bruce Wayne’s alter ego. Is that a reference that children get, or is that talking to the father hat?