Feature: The Blacksmith Art Studio HCR32

This is a story about redemption and it’s not a short story. It involves foresight and a level of commitment that is all too often thrown by the wayside in this modern day and age of “I want it, and I want it now” mentality.

Rewind four years ago, to the first real drifting surge in Regina and the birth of DODOlogic. Back then, it wouldn’t be unfamiliar to see a vinyl skeleton sticker of a dodo bird plastered to the side of a 180SX or a now-tan Miata. And anyone who was the least bit familiar with the site in those days might remember Jesse Exner’s 4-door RB20det powered Skyline.  This car saw many vinyl versions of itself and looking back now, it all sort of makes sense.

One rainy day in May while at a weekend-long drift event, Jesse’s engine RB took a critical hit. Long story short, Jesse traded that car and it’s now somewhere in the U.S.  After that, life got in the way. It’s not easy building a car while building your life, so Jesse put his 4-door love on hold until last year. That’s right – he waited three long years before stepping back into the R32 game. In that time, Jesse established himself as a successful tattoo artist, and he and a friend run Blacksmith Art Studio. This career choice makes sense when you look at all the great designs that wound up on his first R32.

This R32 differs from Jesse’s first because it’s been upgraded to the RB25DET; Jesse has all but sworn off the RB20DET. It has been some time in the making and after a few hiccups, this Skyline is just about ready to make its debut. With a few lessons learned along the way and a keen eye for aesthetics, you get the most recent incarnation of what has been a lengthy and challenging love affair with the hcr32 chassis code.

You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but the car is wrapped in Avery Vinyl. This is no simple task, as it requires some pretty ideal conditions, an understanding of how vinyl works, and what to do when it doesn’t. That’s not to say the car is all vinyl – the hood itself is a Seibon carbon fiber hood and it’s also been fitted with a Shine Auto FD diffuser piece.

You’ll also notice the car has been fitted with some canards and a replica BN roof spoiler.

The car is currently sitting on some Work VS Mesh and the car has been dropped on two JIC Magic coilovers and two Tein coilovers. It might sound strange, but this isn’t the first car I’ve seen arrive from Japan with this setup.

Magazine and blog car features are always telling you how unreal a certain car is, and often they lack objectivity. This discredits the car. Jesse’s car isn’t immaculate, but it’s not meant to be. He’ll continue to add parts and work on it, but more importantly, he plans to have fun with it.

The car makes a decent amount of power but nothing over-the-top. It’s been equipped with a welded diff, seats that will hold you in place with the help of a Sparco harness and a 1979 Nardi woodgrain steering wheel.

The beauty of this car is it has a great balance between aesthetics and function. But it’s the attention to the aesthetic that really sets this car off, and I wouldn’t expect less from a guy who makes a living putting permanent illustrations on people’s bodies. It’s the small custom details that really set this car apart from everything else I’ve seen.
It’s It’s been a rocky road getting back to where he is now, but let’s face it – nothing worth having comes without a few challenges and this project has encountered them all: bunk transmissions, mishaps with vinyl, sourcing and fabricating the parts needed to get this car going, etc.

I’ve known Jesse for almost half a decade and I’m ecstatic to see him back in a running Skyline, as are most of his friends. As for Jesse, you can check out Blacksmith Art Studio in Regina and/or follow him on instagram at lsjtattos.