// flagship project · Angel-Labs Garage
S13 soul | GT3 discipline | JDM turbo character
A Nissan S13 reimagined as if the platform had been refined by a small performance engineering division — GT-level discipline, modern cockpit architecture, and integrated systems. Approached like a full vehicle program, not a modified car.
C:\mission
The idea
The S13 GT3 is a Nissan S13 / 240SX reimagined as if the platform had been refined with the discipline, ergonomics, and driver focus of a modern GT program — while keeping the soul, simplicity, and mechanical honesty of the original 1990s Japanese car.
It is not a Porsche replica, a restomod, or a rolling parts catalog. The goal is a believable OEM+ evolution of the S13: a car where body, chassis, powertrain, cockpit, software, and electrical systems all follow one philosophy. The highest compliment wouldn't be "this looks like a Porsche" — it would be "this feels like the GT3's JDM brother."
Just as importantly, it's run like an engineering program. Every subsystem is specified, documented, and version-controlled — the same systems thinking I bring to enterprise IT, applied to a car.
C:\design-direction
The look — a widebody S13
If you're not deep in car culture: a "Rocket Bunny widebody" replaces the standard fenders with wider, riveted-on flares so the car can run a much wider, more aggressive stance and wheel fitment. These concept renders show the design direction I'm targeting.
- Wide riveted overfenders (the defining Rocket Bunny trait)
- Front lip splitter and rear diffuser for aero balance
- Aggressive wheel fitment for performance, not stance
- OEM+ execution — resolved, not "bolt-on kit"
C:\design-dna
Two design authorities
Every decision sits in tension between two influences. The discipline of the project is in balancing them rather than letting either win outright.
GT-level engineering
Precision, restraint, ergonomics, information hierarchy, motorsport influence, and a cohesive driver experience — borrowed as a development philosophy, never as visual imitation.
Nissan S13 heritage
Lightweight, mechanical honesty, 1990s JDM identity, driver engagement, and simplicity. The car must stay unmistakably an S13 / 240SX.
Resolution: S13 exterior soul, GT-inspired cockpit discipline, JDM mechanical honesty — refined with modern systems engineering, without becoming a costume.
C:\cockpit-architecture
Cockpit layout
A driver-first cockpit built around an analog center tachometer, flanked by two reconfigurable displays, with a rotary controller for tactile, no-look interaction. Physical controls are primary; touchscreens are secondary.
C:\startup-sequence
A staged awakening
The cockpit doesn't just switch on — it boots in stages, like a machine preparing for use. (This maps naturally to the console theme of this whole site.)
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Driver door opens
Display controller boots; left and right screens wake and run a brief branded animation. Tach and center widget stay dark.
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Accessory
Infotainment powers up, fuel pump primes, warning-lamp test runs, and CAN nodes report readiness.
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Engine start
Tach and shift-light sweep, gauges settle to live data, and all displays drop into the driving layout. The driver feels: awake, checked, ready.
C:\systems-architecture
Treated as an integrated system
The build is organized into layers, the same way I'd approach an enterprise environment — a full rewire around a modern CAN backbone, with modular software translating raw vehicle data into clear driver information.
Program architecture — how the build is organized
C:\build-spec
Program direction
Targets and current direction. Like any real program, specifics evolve as decisions are validated and documented.
// engineering discipline
What makes this a program rather than a project — and the same habits I bring to IT operations.
Revision-controlled
CAD, wiring, UI, and software tracked with revision history — changes are allowed, drift is not.
Fully documented
Every major part logged: purpose, material, dimensions, fasteners, install and service notes.
Decisions have reasons
A decision-review standard keeps every choice aligned to the mission and reversible if it doesn't hold up.
C:\roadmap
Coming soon
This program is in active design. These slots fill in as work is completed and documented.
C:\collaborate
Partner or sponsor the build
The S13 GT3 is the flagship program under Angel-Labs Garage, and the parts developed for it are designed to become repeatable products. If you're a partner, sponsor, or supplier who wants to be part of a documented, engineering-led build, I'd like to talk.