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Jun
07
Though being a fan of the later ED9 model, I always liked the early Honda CRX. It’s a sporty little runabout that makes you grin at every roundabout. The CRX has lots of potential and I went ahead and tried to make the best of it. The body itself is nearly perfect with clear lines and, compared to the vehicles we see today, no unnecessary bling. Just straight lines in the best late 80’s fashion.
The car has been lowered over a set of period correct Ronal Turbo 15″ wheels and has been painted in Gulf colors. I did however retain the two-tone theme of the original.
Jun
03
Ever since my friend Gerd took delivery of his new corporate car, I thought it definitely needed a Hot Wheels sticker. The Renault Mégane with the GT package in Gordini blue just reminded me of the 1:64 scale models. Unfortunely Gerd didn’t like the idea of stickering his car – so I tinkered with the idea using Adobe Photoshop. Et voilà, mon ami.
Click here to see the HW toy in retro packaging and learn how to buy such things without spending your allowance cash 😉
May
27
Bien sûr! La Citroën Ami Super 6 – C’est magique!
Yet another one of the weird French cars without rear wheels. Click here to see all of them and wonder what the hell the Citroën engineers have been smoking back then in the swinging sixties. 😉
May
21
According to Toyota, 80% of all the Corollas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road. Not really hard to believe that it’s true. And you could probably buy the 5-door E80 Corolla somewhere in the world, if they’d re-invent it with my facelift as proposed here. I kept the basic bodywork and just changed subtle things such as the bumpers and side-skirts. The top has been chopped to get the proportions right and the body has been slammed over a set of old school 15″ wheels. Not convinced? Then think of it as the Prius predecessor that could have looked cool. 😉
May
13
With the 2012 Woerthersee Festival being held next weekend, I decided to post a couple of Volkswagen and Audi themed photoshop chops.
Click here to see the modified vehicles.
WÖRTHERSEE TREFFEN SPECIAL 2012
Das Wörthersee Treffen 2012 findet nächstes Wochenende statt. Deshalb habe ich mich entschieden, zu diesem Anlass ein Wörthersee Special mit modifizierten Volkswagen and Audi zu veröffentlichen.
Klickt hier um die modifizierten Fahrzeuge zu sehen.
May
01
For quite a long time I’ve been fiddling with the idea of creating a BAJA-spec truck. Not a regular truck, though. I wanted to start with a regular road car. Eventually I decided to start with a 2005 Ford Mustang convertible as a base. A BAJA-style Nissan Frontier donated the running gear and the rear part of the tube frame including the spare wheel carrier. The body of the Mustang has been modified extensively in order to fit the tube frame, suspension and massive tires. Looks quite mean now, doesn’t it?
Apr
25
The Honda CR-Z is inspired by the unforgettable ED9 CRX. Honda nailed it quite well, but I thought there is still room for improvement. I changed the B-pillar and side window to give the vehicle a more muscular touch. Apart from that the CR-Z has been lowered over a set of nice lightweight aluminum wheels and a body kit has been added. Changes the appearance quite a bit, doesn’t it?
Mar
24
Last winter I found a picture of the Marmon HCM V12. In my opinion it looks rather bland and isn’t really well proportioned. But you can hot rod everything, can’t you? 
I created a new picture with all the body parts on several layers. After finding some wheels that would fit the style I was looking for, I decided on the wheelbase. It is slightly longer compared to the original car and looks even longer, because I pushed the wheels out to the corners of the vehicle. Substantial lowering just had to be done for a proper stance. The roof was also chopped a little bit. I tried to keep the simple lines of the original body and just enhanced them. The color is the same as the donor cars’. I think the color is rather unique for a Hot Rod. And as always: some may like it, some may hate it. It’s just a matter of taste.
Mar
05
A friend of mine from Switzerland is a huge Ford enthusiast. He inspired me to create this Bonneville Salt Flats race car, which is based on the Mk2 Escort RS2000 and could run in the Speed Week. The body has been altered to streamline it even more for higher speeds. Just imagine the body now sits on a tube frame chassis. This could be one wild ride. The engine? Well, your choice of any engine that fits under that bonnet, really. Go ahead, make it happen in real life!
Mar
05
After a couple of years fiddling around with this picture, I decided to call it a day and get done with it. The picture is by no means perfect, but you get the idea. The inspiration was a discussion among friends about the addition of Porsche parts to classic Beetles. Why shouldn’t somebody try this with the New Beetle? This would, of course, be limited to body parts mostly, as the layout of the drivetrain is quite different these days. So I set to work and tried to fit the body panels from the Porsche Carrera GT to the New Beetle. It did look horrible, to be honest. So, a top chop was in order to get the proportions at least halfway right. I’m not 100% satisfied with the result, but decided to post it here anyways. So what are your thoughts on that conversion? Please leave feedback below, thank you.
Feb
27
The Citroën advertisements of the 1970’s have been equally weird as the cars they developed back then. Check it out and enjoy the vivid retro colors. Oh, wait a second. Isn’t there something missing?
Feb
26
The Messerschmidt Kabinenroller (or bubble car) is well known amongst small car enthusiasts. Cute as it is – I wouldn’t want to drive one of those on public roads. As the shape of the vehicle reminded me of more aquatic vehicles (and animals), I decided to take it down that direction. So, with just a few pixels moved around, we now have a nice little runabout I call KaRoJet. This could be fun and definitely has way more style than any other jet ski. The KaRoJet is based on a KR200 Kabinenroller and a regular jet ski. Now… somebody just needs to cough up some cash to build a real one! Now… would Willy Messerschmidt approve this or scream sacrilege?
Feb
20
Et vous croyez vraiment que ça marche? C‘est incroyable!
Citroën Ami. C’est magique!
Citroën is a company that has always been famous for building genius but sometimes rather weird vehicles. Well, how about a Citroën Ami 6 that doesn’t need rear wheels at all? The French engineers might have come up with something like that in the sixties. And no, I really don’t have an idea what they might have been smoking. 😉
Feb
04
A TV commercial starring a rhino and a Renault Kangoo told you that this vehicle wins hearts, not beauty contests. It certainly never won a beauty contest and most definitely not my heart. This vehicle does exist, but I was just never interested in the concept. But nevertheless… even one of the ugliest vehicles may be turned into something a bit more desirable. Well, provided you have enough money and are willing to throw it at such a project. It could be fun, couldn’t it? Imagine opening the side doors and finding a twin-turbo mounted midships. Massive wheels and brakes, a proper suspension setup and low center of gravity. Obviously, the body has received a few minor tweaks as well.
Jan
08
The SAAB Sonett was a nifty little sportscar. Originally fitted with a 1500cc Ford Taunus V4 engine it had enough power to be a fun runabout. Still… not enough to have serious fun with the little bugger. I wondered what a club racing version of the Mk2 Sonett could have looked like. Lowered, of course, with wider wheels and meatier tires and a few aerodynamic tweaks. Because there isn’t much space in the engine compartment, a V6 engine wasn’t an option. Hence I opted for a turbocharger. Now, which version would you prefer? Stock or Club Racer?
Jan
03
SAAB went out of business in 2011, which made me sad because I always liked the odd and sometimes even weird Swedish cars. Especially the vehicles developed before GM bought SAAB had something that made them unique and therefore special.
SAAB customers of yore have been very loyal and enthusiastic about their brand. Instead of building small amounts of special cars for customers willing to pay more for a SAAB than for any other car, GM watered down the design in order to make the cars appeal to more mainstream customers. The idea of selling more vehicles that way didn’t work out too well, did it? Rightly so, because most people thought the vehicles were not special enough for the price asked. If customers want to drive a car that makes them stand out of the crowd, it doesn’t really make sense to design cars that appeal to a broader audience. The decline of the SAAB brand was slow and painful for enthusiasts. Late in 2011 it was finally over. SAAB – rest in peace.
To honor the “real” SAAB cars of yesteryear, I want to create a series of modified SAAB vehicles in 2012. The first one is the 99 Turbo pictured here. With the base vehicle already looking a little odd, the period correct race car wheels fit perfectly with the mud guards, IMO. The 99 has also been lowered and a couple of parts on the body have been altered. Hey… it could have been like that back then 😉
Dec
10
The smart roadster is quite a fun car to drive. A rigid chassis with great suspension setup, low curb weight and diminutive size. The only downside is the automated transmission, really. So, what would it be like to add a proper transmission, bigger wheels, tires and brakes plus a subtle bodykit? Look at the pictures and decide for yourself.
Nov
30
Frequent followers of this blog know that I have a soft spot for cars with edges. This is no exception, as I’ve always liked the styling of the Pininfarina designed Ferrari 348. Found this picture in the internet and thought that it would look a lot better lowered and with a proper set of wheels. Said and done, here is what I came up with in not even half an hour working on it in Adobe Photoshop. Simple, clean and timeless – exactly the way I like cars.
Nov
22
In 2011 you can still buy a Volkswagen Jetta Mk2 in China. That’s almost 30 years after the first Mk2 Jetta has been sold in Europe 1984. Modernized with all the current VW styling cues, the latest facelift has transformed the Jetta Mk2 into a handsome car. Quite nice, isn’t it? Yes, you might say, but definitely lacking power. Well, the standard engine has been replaced with the 2.o liter engine of the Mk6 Golf GTI. In order to make the car more attractive and sportier looking, I added a redesigned front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper. The car has been lowered and a set of MTM alloy wheels have been installed. Do you also think the crowds at the 2012 Wörthersee festival would love it? Write a comment and let us know.
Nov
19
Let’s imagine you own a company operating in the express delivery business. If somebody orders e.g. car parts, your company usually delivers the parts with a van or truck. But what if you need to deliver something in a more remote area, which standard delivery vehicles can’t access? Well, here is my solution this side of a parts drop from a helicopter: the we-deliver-your-order-anywhere-without-hassles Range Rover off-road delivery vehicle. This Mk1 has been modified to carry boxes and parcels in the back. The cargo bay is accessible from three sides via roll-up doors. Who wouldn’t like to have that?
… and for your well-earned holidays, just add a roof-top tent and put your supplies into the cargo bay. 🙂
Nov
14
The Nissan Sunny California is one of those typical Japanese cars from the late 70’s / early 80’s. Wood paneling as a styling cue from the 70’s? Check! A crude mix of chrome and black plastic parts? Check! Rear-view mirrors on the front fenders? Check! I took this yellow Sunny California and transformed it into a two-door Shooting Break. Why? Just because I like ’em better this way. The B310 wagon body has been modified extensively, lowered and fitted with a roof rack. A set of period correct wheels with white wall tires have also been added.
Nov
12
Citroën is a company that has always been famous for building genius but sometimes rather weird vehicles. Well, how about a Citroën Ami 6 that doesn’t need rear wheels at all? The French engineers might have come up with something like that in the sixties. And no, I really don’t have an idea what they might have been smoking. 😉
Nov
11
This is my first attempt at what I call vintage chops. Taking an old photograph and customizing the featured vehicle like the guys might have done back in those days. This time it’s the Fordson ET6. It has been top chopped, cleaned, lowered and some period correct details have been added. Creating this has been a lot of fun, so expect to see more of those vintage chops here at VirtualModels.org.