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Oct
04
The 1937 Delage D8 120 Aerodynamic Coupé by Letourneur & Marchand: a masterpiece of vehicle design. Nonetheless… even a beautiful vehicle may be altered and changed. Not in real life, mind you. Pixel by pixel, exclusively here at VirtualModels.org.
Sep
27
VirtualModels salutes Team MATBE-racing for winning 2nd place in class H2 at the 8th race of the VLN 2011
Drivers Harald Schlotter and Thilo Winkler from MATBE-racing won second place in the H2 class at the 8th race of the 2011 VLN season. Their trusty 2 liter BMW 320iS (E30) with the S14 engine ran without any problems. Thilo set the fastest lap with an official time of nine minutes and fifty seconds (09:50). For those who don’t know the VLN: one lap includes both the Nürburgring Grand Prix course and the famous Nordschleife, totaling just over 25km. If you are interested in more detailed statistics and the overall winnners, check www.vln.de.
VirtualModels gratuliert dem Team MATBE-racing zum 2. Platz in der H2 Klasse des 8. VLN Laufs 2011.
Die Fahrer Harald Schlotter and Thilo Winkler vom Team MATBE-racing gewannen den zweiten Platz in der H2 Klasse beim achten Rennen um den 2011er VLN Langstreckenpokal. Der BMW mit einem BMW S14 Motor ausgestattete 320iS (E30) lief ohne Probleme. Thilo fuhr mit neun Minuten und fünfzig Sekunden (09:50) die schnellste Runde. In der VLN werden sowohl die Grand Prix Strecke des Nürburgrings als auch die berühmte Nordschleife gefahren. Die gesamte Streckenlänge beträgt knapp über 25km. Detaillierte Statistiken und Informationen finden Sie unter unter www.vln.de.
Sep
19
This Volkswagen is called Fox in the United States and Gol in Brazil, where it was built. I kept this one very simple – dropped over oldschool steel wheels with whitewall tires. Actually, this was just a quickie, done in roughly an hour on a rainy sunday afternoon.
Sep
15
Cord 812 Beverly Sedan. A beautiful car… but wait a second! Didn’t that originally have four doors and a shorter nose? Yeah, you’re right about that. Quite a lot has been changed here. Take your time and compare it with the original. Find 10 things I changed and win… a smile. 🙂
Sep
14
You could use a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for those express deliveries like everybody else does – but you could get there in half the time utilizing the Mercedes-Benz R-Class Delivery Van. It’s not just a sprinter – it’s a long distance runner! Oh… and a mighty fine vehicle for towing trailers as well.
Sep
12
The 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow is a beautiful car, no doubt about it. However, I’ve always been wondering what a custom version with a straight 8 or even 12 Cylinder engine would have looked like. While extending the front, I also chopped the top for that streamlined look.
Sep
11
Yeah! As long as I can think I loved the third generation of the Chevrolet Corvette. This picture is just a quickie after two weeks of surfing waves on the Atlantic coast in France. Lowered, larger diameter wheels, some touch-ups. That’s about it. More to come soon – promised!
Aug
24
Ever since attending the Citroën 2CV meeting in Lit-et-Mixe (France) in May 2009 and seeing all the fantastic conversions, I created a unique 2CV myself. Voilá… after only two years playing with it in Photoshop: I’m proud to present my V8 powered 2CV – classic Hot Rod style. In order to break up the dull grey paintjob, I added wood panels and a bit of rust. Would I drive this thing in real life? You bet!
Aug
23
From deep in my archives, I dug out today’s picture. Back then in 2007, a photoshop forum staged a contest. The picture to be modified was one of a red Dodge Charger. In order to have something outstanding for the contest besides the usual visual tuning, I decided to cross-breed the Charger with a Viper. Et voilá… the Vipercharger.
Aug
21
Bertone designed the Volvo Tundra Concept in 1979. Volvo rejected it, but it was later used as a base for the design of the BX by Citroën. I thought the Tundra looks odd, with weird proportions and details. Therefore I decided to spice it up a little. Somehow it now looks like a period-correct Group B homologation model 😉
Aug
18
The Lotus Elite is one of the lesser known Lotus cars. Yes, oddball styling and a somewhat lame engine didn’t really make it a supercar. Because it is made of fiberglass, it should be fairly easy to modify it to one’s liking. Be brave, try in real life what I did with moving a couple of pixels in Adobe Photoshop.
Aug
16
Some Lancia cars are elegant on first sight – some are on second or even third. And some even need a little help. This late model Lancia Thema has been lowered over a set of wire wheels with low profile tires. The rear quarter panel has been reworked to give the body a more flowing line. Like it or not – this is going to be one of the extremely rare cars in the future.
Aug
07
The Pinin Concept had a huge influence on the design of many cars of the mid to late eighties. A beautiful and elegant vehicle, designed by Pininfarina. For a long time I wondered what it would look like as a more practical estate wagon. Just as elegant, isn’t it?
Jul
21
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a very nice vehicle, no doubt about it. Defining the character lines, taking away two doors and a substantial part of the roof yields a surprising result, putting the Sport in SUV. It could be called the MLC-Class, if Mercedes-Benz would actually want to build it.
Jul
18
A buddy of mine is a huge Alpina fan and member of the German Alpina forum. Therefore I decided to show him the Alpinasetta, a vehicle he has never seen before. The BMW Isetta has been given the full Alpina treatment, including the famous wheels and stripes. still cute, no? But just imagine a 1200 cm³ motorcycle engine in the back!
Jul
17
Having finished this photoshop chop back in 2009, I was rather surprised to see that Xenatec had the same idea and actually built a coupé in 2010. Also based on the Maybach 57S, it looks very similar to my design, although we never had any contact. The decision is up to you which one you like better. However, mine is not for sale. 😉
Jul
16
The Bentley Continental GT Speed. Modifying a car like this one always includes the risk of making it look goofy. Therefore only subtle changes have been made – but the overall appearance changes quite dramatically. Hunkered lower down on the road and making it less bulky by changing a few lines on the body.
Jul
15
The full name of this concept car is Italdesign Karmann Asso di Picche. This car virtually screams 70’s and inspired me to update it a little. The usual lowering and larger diameter wheels, some tweaks to the body and rectangular headlights instead of the round ones. Somehow the nose reminds me of the Mk2 Scirocco now.
Jul
14
For quite a while I wanted to try real flames on a vehicle. What could be a better base than a car from the 1950’s? I customized the Ford Custom RanchWagon including a topchop and massive lowering. Shaved most of the chrome trim and added sidepipes. I am quite satisfied for this being my first try. Hope you like it.
Jul
12
Modifying an A-Class Mercedes-Benz, am I insane? Well… kind of, yes. Few people would actually attempt do this in reality – but by just moving a couple of pixels around, the only thing wasted was time while having fun, not hard cash. I designed a bodykit for the W169, added larger wheels and think it does look better now.
Jul
10
Well, seems like I do have a sweet spot for ugly ducklings. This Nissan PAO is one of them. Found a picture of the car a couple of years ago and knew that it’s design definitely needed some help. Chopped the top, added fender flares and retro wheels and made it look a little angry. Did it help? You decide.
Jul
08
The iconic Porsche 911 came in various configurations. The picture of the 3.2 with the narrow body inspired me to create a phantom racecar. No livery yet… but I’ll figure something out sooner or later, hehe. In case you’re wondering where the wheels came from: they are from the Singer 911.
Jun
29
After seeing my interpretation of the Alfa Romeo 33 permanent4, Martin Sifredi from Australia contacted me. He attached a couple of pictures of the 1991 33 Boxer 16V he purchased four years ago in Melbourne (Victoria). It was a very original and clean example of this model, and considering there are very few around, he snapped it up. The car has traveled 189.000 km and it still runs as good as it would have when new.
Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia
The bodywork has been kept totally original, apart from the addition of Autodelta Stickers on the front fenders. Not just there for looks, but also indicating that there really is an Autodelta chip installed in the ECU. The Alfa Romeo rosso corsa paintwork has been redone two years ago by Alfa Specialists Cambro Motors in Melbourne. Martin maintains the finish of the car using only Meguiar’s products. He replaced the factory 14” wheels with a set of beautifully matched 17 X 7.5” MOMO corse wheels, replacing the MOMO corse center cap with original Alfa center caps, reminiscent of the Alfa DIVA concept. Tyres are Khumo Ecsta Supra 205/40 R 17. According to Martin, the wheel and tire upgrade has definitely improved stability and driving feel.
The suspension has been upgraded with new bushings all around and red Koni sport shock absorbers on the rear axle. The car has also been lowered by 40 mm, giving the Boxer a really nice stance. Future handling improvements will include a K-mac rear sway bar.
Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia
The engine internals are all completely original, performance modifications include an Autodelta ECU power chip, stainless steel tuned length exhaust extractors, 2.5” exhaust system with catalytic converter, rear semi baffled muffler and ANSA tip. Producing a very throaty “WRX” like rumble on idle, but once accelerating through the fully rebuilt five speed gearbox, the sound starts to climb into more of the renowned Alfa Romeo symphony: a higher pitched metallic rasp. Martin loves the sound of the exhaust system, and of course the legendary flat four Boxer 16V. It is definitely a unique sound, separating it from the rest of the cars on the road! Cabin noise is still very comfortable, though, with no boom as one gets from some aftermarket exhaust systems.
Alfa Romeo 33 engine | Martin Sifredi / Australia
The factory air filter has been replaced with a high flow K&N panel air filter, providing more flow through the AFM. The engine oil is always replaced every 4.000 km with Mobil 1 5W-50. This oil seems to work extremely well. With these engine and ECU upgrades the 33 is now pushing out a very spirited 150hp @ 7.000 rpm and does make for a spirited drive on a nice crisp morning! J
The cam belts, shaft seals, tensioners, water pump and brand new rear brakes have all been done recently. The car gets treated to all that it requires, in order to keep it running as new. All mechanical work is done by Alfa Romeo specialists Mauceri Motors in Melbourne.
Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia
The Interior of the 33 is original, but sporting some new performance orientated parts. Martin replaced the standard Alfa 3 spoke steering wheel with a beautiful MOMO Daytona 4 steering wheel, covered in black leather. This particular steering wheel has a smaller than standard MOMO horn button. Installing the original badge from the original wheel proved a bit tricky, because it was a little oversize. He removed the center piece from the MOMO wheel and had it machined out a bit larger to take the Alfa badge. The horn button project turned out perfect, just like it would have come like that for the car!
The other internal modifications were MOMO Corse Manual pedal set in Aluminium, MOMO Corse black leather gear knob and boot. Martin designed the surrounding piece from 15 mm acrylic plastic and had it machined up, and then sprayed it platinum silver metallic to give it the aluminium look. He installed it using black allen key bolts in order to give it a sport factory look.
The last touch on the interior was the addition of the Engine Start button. It’s wired into the 33’s ignition system, still requiring the driver to use the ignition key to unlock the steering. The surround around the button is made out of a MOMO gear knob ring, carefully hand filing the base and top to the required height. It looks like the button was always there! “Call me a little bit of a dreamer but I get a buzz out of starting the car with the engine start!” says the proud owner.
Alfa Romeo 33 | Martin Sifredi / Australia
This 33 is a sunny day only weekend car. It is always garaged, which explains the showroom condition it is in.
A member of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia in Melbourne (www.alfaclubvic.org.au), he entered the 33 into the show for the wash and shine competition in the 900 series in November 2007. This class comprises Alfasud, Sprint, and series 1, 2 and 3 Alfa 33’s. Winning his first trophy gave him even more motivation to keep the car looking pristine and running like it rolled off the assembly line! Martin hopes to enjoy the Alfa for a very long time and hopefully expand the collection soon! Martin says that he would be extremely happy to answer any questions or just to meet other 33 Boxer owners and have a chat about all things Alfa. His email address is: mvsifredi@iinet.net.au
Alfa Romeo 33 | The proud owner: Martin Sifredi from Australia
Thank you for your contribution to VirtualModels.org, Martin. I really appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Sebastian
PDF Download >> Alfa Romeo 33 16V | Display Card by Martin Sifredi
Jun
04
The Audi A1 Clubsport Concept was unveiled at the 2011 Wörthersee Car Show in Austria. The 1985 Audi quattro with the historic HB livery was my inspiration for this chop. Cigarette sponsoring has been illegal for quite a few years now, so I left the HB stickers off.
