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custom cars

novelties

Hot Rod Citroen DS Packs A Familiar Punch

The Citroen DS is undeniably stylish. During it's 20 year production run, it showcased innovative features, and even came in wagon an convertible versions. But there was just one thing it lacked, V8 pow-ahh! This guy realized the problem and swapped out the weaksauce four-banger in his '66 DS for something with a bit more grunt.
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hoon of the day

Trust the Legends Racer

Legends racers are some seriously odd, but awesome cars. Compact, agile, and way, way, way over engined, they have an air of quirky danger which makes them very exciting. We're not real clear on the conditions of this stunt, nor are we sure why tweedle dee and tweedle dum agreed to this (or why tweedle dum wore white pants), but they have some amazing trust in the driver of this legends car. This is one of the first times we've thought the people outside the car were bigger hoons than the guy at the wheel.

custom cars

Steve Saleen Is Back, Reveals Limited Edition Supercharged Challengers

They may have taken his company, his cars and even his name, but they'll never take Steve Saleen's desire to customize cars to make them look so radically similar to the originals, they're virtually identical to all but the most carefully trained eye. Saleen and his new company SMS have just revealed the new company's first two custom cars. The twin set of Challengers, dubbed the SMS 570TM Challenger and the SMS 570XTM Challenger will, as Phil Frank, the company's Chief Creative Officer puts it "help define our design DNA." So we guess that means more of the same, eh? Anyway, these first two products of his new "Signature Series" of "ultra-high performance vehicles" are based off the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and will feature a SMS-supercharged 5.7-liter Hemi engine under the hood with power ratings purported to go from 500 to over 700 HP. Full press release after the jump. More »

custom cars

Would Car Nutz Customs Be Illegal In Florida?

With all the hullabaloo over Truck Nutz it's a wonder the folks at Car Nutz Customs haven't taken a cue and changed their name a bit. True, they don't specialize at installing chrome dangly bits on '71 Impalas, but with Florida legislators rebelling against all things Nutz, you'd think they might just consider it. That being said, Car Nutz Customs (CNC in brief) actually does some nice work if you're into the whole big rims and crazy stereo with a clean install kind of thing. Unfortunately they aren't into big pictures of their cars. Enjoy the tiiiiiiny gallery of their work.


custom cars

Chateau Mini Is Invitation To Snootiness

Aznom (nom nom) has introduced their Chateau Mini, a car which acts to combine the twin yuppie delights of the Mini Clubman and French Chateau wine. How do you combine the two? By using ooh-la-la materials on the inside and apparently lots of different shades of brown, oh, and install a stocked "wine cellar" inside the Mini. While we're normally all about tossing back a couple bottles glasses of vino, having fine wine close at hand at all times, in a car which sports enough glass to qualify as a greenhouse just smacks of a bad idea. Full bodied press release with a full nose and long legs below the fold.

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custom cars

Smartuki Is Donut Spinning Super ForTwo

Yes, we've seen the Smart ForTwo with the GSXR1000 motor dubbed the Smartuki before, but this is the first time we've seen it doing its thing in truly heroic style. With the engine mounted where the passenger used to be, the low center of gravity and rear wheel drive combine with the 160 HP Suzuki mill to provide impressive tire melting performance. From the looks of things, this baby is only good for unadulterated hoon pleasure, just like a grown up version of a big wheel. Weeee! [Youtube] (Hat tip to kingroyale)

custom cars

Corvettamino ZR-1 Is Pulling Our Leg, Still Awesome

Who needs a Pontiac G8 ST when you can have a bitchin' camino-ized C4 Corvette ZR-1? Nobody that's who. Fortunately for our still beating hearts, this is not really a ZR-1 turned truck/car — it's an '84 Vette smooshed together with a '91 with custom molds and bodywork to create that smooth Vettamino effect. According to ClassyAuto (misnomer?) this was the brainchild of the original owner of Bayliner Boats and took over $115K to create. Wow, that's camino love right there. We have no idea how up to date their website is, but the sale price at one time at least was a steal at $35,000... cough, cough, choke.... WHAT!

[ClassyAuto]

custom cars

Ferrari 308 GTB Rally Car Built By MAT

We've never heard of the Scandinavian speed shop Makela Auto Tuning, but we want to be their best friends. These guys are rally and exotic car aficionados of high order, and loving documentarians of their craft. As such there are over 200 images on their site of the transformation of a run of the mill Ferrari 308 GTB into a rip-snorting FIA Group IV spec rally machine. Our only question is why this package wasn't on the options list for the 308? [MAT Project Page] (Thanks Ed)


alternative fuels

Xtreme Motorsports Announces Electric Sand Car, Interest Ridiculously High

Sand cars are one of those really fun, but incredibly impractical corners of the automotive world we don't manage to get around to very often. Apparently Xtreme Motorsports out in California has decided to jump on the green bandwagon and has announced the availability of an all electric version of their popular car. Built around the same Li-Ion batteries and a beefy electric motor good for 663 lb.ft. of torque, the car should be quite a screamer as the company is quoting 0-70 MPH times around 5 seconds and a range of 200 miles. More »

custom cars

Flatmobile Is World's Lowest Car, Has Jet Engine For Good Measure

Recapturing the hotly contested Guinness World Record for lowest street legal car from friend of the Jalop, Andy Saunders, the Flatmobile is just 19" tall. Based on a Hillman Imp, it uses that car's rear-mounted 875cc engine for propulsion, supplementing that with a jet engine made from an old turbocharger. Pictures below the jump.

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custom cars

The Stealth Trike Is A GSX-R1000-Powered Hoonmobile

Remember when we asked if flat black was dead? Well, even if you had said no, the recommendation should be ignored for the Stealth Trike. A creation of Lehigh Valley Choppers, the three wheeler has got all the goods for a seriously fun time. Built around the meaty power of a Suzuki GSX-R1000 engine, the trike sports an inboard suspension up front, hand-fabbed swingarm, and enough tail-happiness to make for a bug toothed permasmile. No production plans at this point, but if you wave enough money at 'em, they'll build one for you. head over to their site to check it out with the stealthy, but decidedly not flat-black bodywork.
[Lehigh Valley Choppers via The Biker Gene]

custom cars

Shelby Automobiles Remakes GT40 MKII For Carroll's 85th Birthday

The guy responsible for some of the most legendary cars in American racing history is turning 85 this year and Shelby Automotive has just the present for him. To celebrate the bought-and-paid-for-by-Ford main man's big birthday bonanza, 255 copies of the MKII GT40 will be remade in the original designs and colors complete with everything from the snorkel intakes to the Gurney bubble. What won't be included is the engine as this is a rolling chassis conveniently modded to accept a Shelby-built 427. Nonetheless, if you want a kit car that isn't a kit, here's the ticket.

[World Car Fans]

custom cars

Dream Factory Blow Papa Rider

The other day we showed you some cute little Japanese Kei cars converted to look like vintage American vans. Turns out they were the creation of a company called Dream Factory Blow. They're sort of an American-style surfing-obsessed customizing shop, but since they're in Japan, they work their magic on JDM rides. While stumbling around their non-English website, we found this thing. Apparently, they call it the Papa Rider, but it may not be what you initially think it is.

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custom cars

Maserati Bellagio, A Coachbuilt Quattroporte Wagon

Being shown off at the same Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este where the BMW M1 Homage was recently unveiled, is this tasty Maserati Quattroporte wagon-ization. Though perhaps with the addition of the hatchback, we should call it a Cinqueporte. But you can call it whatever you want, we just love the way it looks. Designed and constructed by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, the Bellagio has a swooping fastback rear end that's tapered oh so delicately as opposed to a traditionally squared-off wagons.

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custom cars

Eleanor Has Competition With The Obsidian SG-1

When Gone in Sixty Seconds came out in 2000, the Mustang which held the lead role as "Eleanor" became an overnight sensation. You couldn't throw dead blow hammer without hearing someone compare a car to Eleanor. The brutish fastback was just the right mix of vintage and modern. In that vein, the Obsidian SG-1 is a car as modern as anything on the road, but maintaining a throwback look. Originally a puke green '67 fastback, the SG-1 (which does not travel through wormholes to faraway planets) is now a study in excess.

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custom cars

You Wanna Drive A Cadillac CTS Convertible, Expect To Pay The Consequences

Retired? Living in Florida? Coach Builders Inc. has the car for you. Perhaps tired of seeing our treasured senior citizens driving around in those awful Sebring verts, the company now offers a conversion that chops the top off the popular Cadillac CTS. While GM is planning a 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe and CTS Wagon, CBI is giving the well-aged people exactly what they want. Of course, getting what you want always comes with a price. More »

custom cars

Tryane II Continues March of Wooden Cars

Take a look at those wheels — the three lugs are a dead giveaway as to what lies beneath the slippery hand crafted exterior. That's right, the Tyrane II started life as a Citroen 2CV but its obviously much modified from the original. Builder Friend Wood, no we're not kidding, started work on the car by removing one side of the rear suspension and repositioning the other to the center of the car. A mahogany veneer body was then fashioned over a mold using the cold molding technique from boat building.

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novelties

The Japanese Convert JDM Boxes Into American Iron

Apparently, the custom van fad of the '70s never died in Japan. But what if you want all the style of a vintage American full-size, but you need the efficiency and small size of a Japanese econobox? Well, do what these guys did, and convert the front end to look just like a Dodge or Chevy Van. Auto-Otaku found these custom creations at the Japanese Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, a gathering of all kinds of American iron in the land of the rising sun. Besides the vans, there were also a couple JDM rides transformed into old Chevy Suburbans, as seen above. [via Auto-Otaku]