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Sep
09
I have always loved the shape of the SAAB Sonett I roadster, but similar to the BMW 507 I never liked the stance and choice of wheels. Diameter too large, tires too skinny and a stance that would suit a 4×4 – not my cup of tea on a roadster intended to be driven hard. Fixing these three problems is exceptionally rewarding on many cars from the 60’s and 70’s, because the designs are often adorable. Apply this recipe to a first generation SAAB Sonett, add a set of American Racing Torq Thrust wheels and tires with white lettering on the sidewalls. Voilà, you have a roadster that it still tiny and nimble, but looks like it packs a lot more punch.
Sep
06
When the Lada Niva (aka VAZ 21213) was launched in 1976, the iron curtain was not even half way through its existence. It would take another 13 years until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, triggering the demise of the iron curtain. Now in 2018, 29 years later, this particular vehicle is still in production. Apart from using your new Niva (aka Taiga, aka 4×4) in the woods for hunting or similar activities it was intended to be great at, you could convert it to a hotrod. Yes, a hotrod. Find an old frame, throw all the good old performance parts at it along with a nice V8 engine and enjoy the balmy new car smell inhale cheap plastic fumes in your brand new, top-chopped cabin. I sincerely hope that someone builds this, or sends me pictures if such a beautiful thing contraption already exists. Just imagine rocking up in this hot rod at your local cars and coffee. Every other vehicle present would be invisible instantly.
Click here to see the original picture.
Sep
05
A rainy sunday with cold wind gustst at the end of a super dry summer. No reason to leave the house and plenty of time to photoshop something. After fiddling around with a couple of projects that never quite get finished, I found a picture of a BMW E21 323i and immediately started modifying it. The most obvious choice would have been a BMW V8 engine swap, but because I wanted a USDM style theme on the vehicle, it made more sense to pretend that it is converted to a GM LS1 V8. The NASCAR inspired steel wheels give the car a more or less period-correct look and the overfenders add a more modern touch. The stance is a compromise between aggressive fitment and driveability – not too low, to remain functional. I removed the trim on the sides and the rear bumper and replaced them with two black stripes. The Alpina front spoiler, the rear wing and the diffusor create an aerodynamic package that has yet to be tested in a wind tunnel. This BMW E21 could be a daily driver with ample power and excellent gas mileage. Now, who wouldn’t want to have one?
Sep
02
While researching pictures for an upcoming FIAT 500 photoshop chop, I stumbled upon a picture of a Gutbrod Superior 600. As usual, an idea sparked and immediately I had the finished project already in my head. So I went to work and what you see here is not quite what I had imagined, but the result of a hilarious late night brainstorming session with a good friend. The Gutbrod body was altered slightly by chopping the top, louvering the hood, converting the doors to being hinged as suicide doors and relocating the wheel wells. The front axle has been moved further towards the front to get rid of the long front overhang and improve the overall proportions. Lowering was mandatory and after some trial and error with other wheels, I decided to go for Wolfrace slot mags, but kept the original hubcaps for that period correct feel. A joke referring to the German band Fettes Brot led to the sticker you see on the fender: Fettes Brod, which now also is the nickname of this hot rod project.
Aug
15
Vanlife doesn’t only mean living and traveling in a van full-time. Most people actually just use for recreational purposes on the weekends and during their holidays. I found a picture of a 1990’s Toyota Previa All-trac and wondered if it would be possible to create a low-budget vehicle that has the ability to take you off-road to those remote hiking trails. After returning from the trail you could cook a meal, have a cold drink and sleep until the next morning. I removed the rear windows to make insulation easier and create room for storage. A body lift helps to tackle dirt tracks with more clearance and the light guards protect all four corners of the Previa. The bumpers have been shortened to improve approach and departure angles. And if you manage to get stuck, the winch will pull you out of trouble. Old school Wolfrace slot mags give it a that 1970’s vanlife touch and the roof rack provides storage for the spare tire and a couple of gas and water canisters. Add a CB-radio for those areas without cellphone reception and you’re set to go exploring. Happy hiking!
Aug
01
Lately I had a phone conversation with a friend and he asked me what I think about Daihatsu. Due to my experiences with Daihatsu vehicles, I’m quite fond of the engineering, reliability and longevity. I drove my first Daihatsu Cuore (aka Mira) while studying in Karlsruhe, had a long-term hire Sirion while living in South Africa and even took that one to 4×4 trails without any worries or problems. Mind you, it was not the all wheel drive version. I have never driven a Materia, but it definitely is on my bucket list. I like the styling of the body very much, but the dashboard with the centered instruments doesn’t do it for me. Researching the PCD and availability of tuning parts, I stumbled upon the Inden Design shop truck. Taking this concept a bit further is easy with photoshop. Remove the rear doors, convert it to a panel van and it’s done. Or isn’t it? To make the converted car look good, I modified the rake of the B-pillar and changed a few things here and there to get the proportions right. Once finished it received some spice: I lowered it, added vintage Gotti wheels and converted them to multi-piece with BBS barrels. Now, would you jump into this Materia to fetch some parts or deliver pizza?
Jul
27
Ever since I saw the first streamliner from the era between the wars, I was in love with the great shapes and details. Coachbilders created stunning works of art back then and the owners took pride in owning these rigs. This International Harvester D-300 has been converted into a tow truck with a custom-built streamline aluminum body by a shop in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. Apparently the shop was called Ebenhoh Custom Truck Body, according to The Old Motor. Apart from lowering the truck and adding larger diameter wheels with lower profile tires, I didn’t change anything on Tugboat Annie. But if you let your imagination run wild, you might think about a hot rod motor under the cab.
R&R Vacuumcraft made a 1/25 scale resin kit, which unfortunately is out of production. If I can find one somewhere, I will build a scale model of the lowered truck.
Jul
03
The Alfa Romeo 159 Furgone Sportivo pictured here is a follow-up to the Alfasud Furgone Sportivo I created last year. Basically the same idea, executed on a far more modern chassis (Type 939). I found a great picture of a metallic red 159 ti wagon and started, with the finished picture already in my mind. But then… I did the sensible thing got carried away and one idea led to another. From a simple all-red panel van conversion it escalated to a two-tone Alfa Romeo Assistenza & Servizio wagon, inspired by this Giulia Giardinera. To break up the hard contrast at the B-pillar and to lessen the impression of a simple hack-job, I added a small quarter window. This would also help the driver to better see pedestrians and cyclists when turning corners. I would really love to build this in 1:1 scale…
Feb
11
GM thought it was a brilliant idea to add some Swedish flavor to their rather sad and uninteresting line of mid-size SUVs by introducing the SAAB 9-7X. The 9-7X was a classical GM badge-engineering job with a couple of different trim pieces here and there. It’s not hard at all to guess that the Swedish designers and engineers didn’t have a lot of influence in the development.
Let’s imagine GM would have given free reign to the Swedish colleagues, with the only mandatory requirement that they must build it on an existing platform. They might have come up with what I imagined in the pictures below: a SAAB 9-5 based SuperWagon. It would have featured more interior space, more windows for the kids to see out of during road-trips, better handling and fuel mileage than the horrendous 9-7X. The already spacious trunk space of the 9-5 Wagon would have been enlarged in height and width to fit all the necessary gear a family of four might need for a holiday.
Creating a 2-door delivery van for those needing less seat and more room for cargo would have been rather easy. To keep the distinct SAAB profile, the safety conscious Swedes would have added a window just aft of the B-pillar to improve visibility. Now only one question remains: do you think the SuperWagon variants would have sold better than the GMT360 platform based 9-7X?
Take a look at the original picture for reference.
Dec
04
This was another one of those 15 minute challenges: create a camper van or RV that would be fun to drift, if equipped with an engine that makes suitable torque and horsepower. I started looking for a base picture to begin the photoshop chop. The Roadtrek 210 Popular, based on the rear wheel drive V8 Chevrolet Express Van, has a very nice and sporty looking body kit that accomodates a set of overfenders nicely. With a set of Watanabe-style wheels that are converted to an 8-lug pattern and a healthy drop in ride height this beast might take you to the race track, provide all kinds of drifting fun during the day and living quarters for the night. You would have to secure all your cutlery and other items very securely for the drift sessions, though. 😉
PS: It could also be a nice and capable tow-rig for a drift car.
Sep
23
The FIAT based Abarth 750 GT by Zagato features the typical double-bubble roof. Rather diminutive in size, it packs a lot of power per kilogram in original guise. Imagine a Porsche flat six with a set of turbochargers in it and… you should be scared as hell by the power-to-weight ratio! Due to fitment issues, this fortunately isn’t possible in reality. Otherwise you would definitely need to register it as a weapon at your local DMV. 😉
