As wild as Liberty Walk’s latest Silhouette Works GT Lamborghini Miura is, it’s not the most outrageous car the Nagoya-based company brought to the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Kato-san’s widebody kits have always had a hint of Kaido Racer inspiration behind them, but the company’s latest build is a full-on Kaido beast. To make things even better, it’s based on one of the most iconic JDM cars ever made, the R32 Nissan Skyline — Godzilla — and is officially known as the LB-Kaido Works Nissan R32 Skyline.
What’s A Kaido Racer?
To answer that question properly, we need to take a step back in time. In the 1960s and 1970s, Japan’s automotive industry saw the rise of legendary models like the Celica, Fairlady, Skyline, and a many other now-iconic classic cars, and in 1971, Fuji International Speedway launched a new racing series called the Fuji Grand Championship, or “Grachan.”
Fans of the racing series soon began modifying their street cars to resemble the race cars they saw on the track. In 1975, Holiday Auto Magazine published photos of these modified cars with the caption “Oh MY! 街道レーサー” (Kaido racer), and with that, the term Kaido racer was coined.
The late 1970s and 1980s marked a technological revolution in terms of car manufacturing and street racing in Japan, and Kaido racers gained prominence. These guys were rebels with a need for speed, taking their highly modified cars to the limit regularly and using the cities of Japan as backdrops for their illegal street races.
Before long, multiple tribes and teams were racing each other, and by the late 1980s, the Japanese underground car scene had grown significantly.
Kaido racers might look crazy, with many different styles, but since they’re inspired by the silhouette race cars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, there are certain “rules” to adhere to when building one of these cars.
Starting at the front, there needs to be some kind of spoiler — the bigger, the better. If it can double as a helipad, it’s guaranteed to be awarded extra style points.
Moving up slightly from there, you might find an externally mounted oil cooler and perhaps even some air horns. Some Kaido racer builders extend the car’s hood and fenders to create that race car-like shark-nose, often with a pair of slanted headlights to get the right look.
On a mild build, hood vents, fins, and bulges are optional, but on extreme builds, they’re pretty much a must-have mod — the more, the better.
With the car slammed to the ground, the oversized fenders should sit flush with the small-diameter wheels and tires.
At the rear, expect to find a trunk spoiler that matches the size of the front one. Also commonly found at the rear are the long, almost vertical Takeyari exhaust pipes that feature lots of bends, angles, and bright colors.
The car’s paint job can sometimes be standard, but the best ones feature race car-inspired liveries and eye-catching colors.
Moving to the interior, there should at least be a wooden aftermarket steering wheel and some type of flashy shift knob. Beyond that, the interior is sometimes left completely stock, it could have bucket seats, and may be covered in velour, or you might find tassels everywhere for that authentic 1970s look.
As we already mentioned, the wide arches are home to a set of wide, small-diameter rims in order to stay true to the classic race car look.
Since these cars are what’s known as Kyusha, which translates to “old car,” the wheel design should obviously be somewhat period-correct.
The LB-Kaido Works Nissan R32 Skyline
Kaido racers usually aren’t the most polished builds, and up close, it’s common to notice various flaws and build quality issues. That’s all part of the charm, though.
However, Liberty Walk’s R32 Skyline Kaido racer body kit is built to the same impeccable standard as the kits they make for exotic supercars.
Consisting of a front bumper, front lip, hood, front fenders and flares, side skirts, rear box fenders, rear bumper, rear wing, trunk lid, and a rear diffuser, it has all the essentials needed for a high-end Kaido build.
It’s fair to say Liberty Walk has nailed the Kaido racer essence with this build. We can literally check boxes as we look at it. It has the extended hood and front fenders to give it that pointy front, and the large front lip defies gravity, hovering slightly above the tarmac.
With the exaggerated wide fenders, it looks properly aggressive, and the tall wing at the rear finishes off the exterior quite nicely. One thing you won’t find here is the weird exhaust that’s made this style so famous… or infamous.
Placed neatly under the arches, there’s a set of SSR rims wrapped in fat Yokohama Advan rubber. While the rims may be larger than the ones you’d find on the average Kaido racer, SSR is one of the most popular brands for these builds, so I think we can let that slide.
On the inside, Liberty Walk has opted for a pair of red Bride racing seats and a full roll cage that’s painted to match the seats. In front of the driver, there’s an aftermarket steering wheel to hold on to, and the gearknob is your typical Kaido-style item.
I don’t have any information about the engine and drivetrain at this point, but the article will be updated as more details are released.
