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custom cars
Nova Kit Car Builder Admits To Decades Of Crazy Customization
The story of Steve McHugh, the man behind the radical Nova kit car we initially posted on a lark (and because we're automotive sadists) just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. Steve recently emailed us to let us in on a little secret — he's been building crazy-ass cars for nigh on twenty-eight years now. Since 1980, Steve's been applying his personal style of vehicular extremism to anything he can get his hands on. He even sent us pictures of this favorites. Heck, we'll let him tell you all about it below, along with more pics of Steve's marvelous mechanical masterpieces.More »
found on ebay
The Greatest Fierrari Enzno Ever Sold
We've seen a lot of Fierraris lately, hopefully the world runs out of Fieros eventually so we aren't subjected to the ongoing night terrors they induce, but this one is particularly brash. This p**sy magnet yellow Fierrari Enzno is perhaps the finest example of the breed, complete with crooked, off-brand Ferrari prancing horse logos, four off-kilter exhaust tips, pop-up DVD player, brilliantly executed engine-cover-mounted TV antenna, luxurious APC racing seats... the list goes on and on. The best part is this car's claim to fame.More »
kit cars
Blackjack Zero, Now With Moto Guzzi Power
The quirky Morgan Super Sport inspired Blackjack Zero has until this point been powered by a VW flat four air cooled motor and the occasional 2CV plant. However, based on pictures on their website, it looks like Blackjack is set to sell one to hook up to Moto Guzzi power. There's no info to back anything up at this point, but the resulting car should be quite a bit lighter, with better cooling, and we're wondering if the standard shaft-drive can be reused for the little car. It would be mighty interesting to have a tiny car with 80 HP, a sequential transmission, and shaft drive now wouldn't it?[Blackjack]
novelties
CNN Revisits Italian Fauxrrari Forgeries
Proving once again the speed with which stories are cycled through in a 24-hour-news-cycle network, CNN has decided to run coverage on the gang of Italian Ferrari forgers we brought you back in February. The in-depth coverage includes pointing to, and comparing pictures of, a real Ferrari 328 GTS against the real fake example. Italian-accented experts remark on how good the outside is, then point out how poorly-executed the interior and engine are. Honestly, as far as Fierarris go, this one isn't too bad, and the dimmer among us would probably fall for the fakery unless giving it a more than a passing glance. [CNN]
found on ebay
Salet GT5 Concept Is Toyota MR2 in $40,000 Duds
Straight from the bowels of eBay comes the Salet GT5 Concept. We'll have to admit this is one of the better Toyota MR2 custom builds we've seen, but we're betting the 19 PSI turbo system will have that four cylinder blowing oil all over the fire wall in no time. It will be a quick car until that happens though, power is a claimed 302 HP and with such a light car it's probably a hoot. This one comes from the always unpredictable fakers at rarecars.org who seem to have a penchant for building exotic cars based on the Fiero. Why does this remind us of a certain horrible yellow Russian Cayenne? [eBay]
novelties
Kute Kupcake Kit Kars Konfuse Kalifornians
found on ebay
One-Off Steam-Powered VW Kit Car
When we hear "steam car" we imagine a car with wooden wagon wheels that spends it's time in Jay Leno's garage. What we don't think of is a fiberglass-bodied VW kit car from the '80s. This is apparently a one-of-a-kind creation of a former Steam Automobile Club of America member. We're thinking of it as a kind of grown man's science project. It allegedly ran at speeds up to 80 MPH at one point, but we're not so sure we would know how to run it even if it's still capable of driving.More »
autorama
being sued by Carroll Shelby making their own versions of the V8 roadster. So for those seeking an alternative, Ruth Engineering & Racing will be producing kits for streetable Cheetah replicas. The coupes can be fitted with any Chevy powertrain of your choice; this particular one with a 383 stroker. Suspension bits come from a donor C4 Corvette, but the leaf springs have been replaced by independent coil-overs. That means the new Cheetah should be able to tear up a road course, making this not just a cool cruiser, but a tactical trackday toy too. We'll take ours with an LS9. [RER - AmericanCheetahRacing.com]
Street Legal Cheetah Replicas To Hunt Cobras
There's no question that Cobras are cool, even in fiberglass kit form. But you've got to admit that the fiberglass snakes are becoming somewhat common now with all the companies
offbeat news
Italian Supercar Forgers Find Fieros Fantastic
One upping the shenanigans of Unique Performance, a group of fine Italian coach builders has been caught by the police after attempting to forge supercars - badly. Seems these upstanding fellows thought slapping some kit car bodies onto the delightful chassis of GM's famed Fiero was a great idea, then the plan was to pass them off as one of Italy's most famous exports. We're not convinced, we're barely even holding in the laughter. The best is the buff mag on the work bench being used for inspiration. The Wall Street Journal article about this story seems to have only gotten the story partly right (typical).More »
