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Sep
12
Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week is an event where street/strip cars are driven 1.000+ miles on public roads during a trip that includes four dragstrips and five races in five days. The coverage of the various drag week cars I have seen over the last years inspired me to create a dragster that would be a lot of fun to take there, race it and enjoy the road trip. It is based on a Citroën DS 21 Pallas, which has been converted to a tube chassis and equipped with a V8 engine and a solid rear axle. There is no exact specification yet, so you can dream about whichever engine and transmission combo you’d love to drop into this chassis. I kept the look of the Citroen DS classic, with period-correct wheels, rollcage design and graphics. The scallops are just simple lines without fill color, to keep the somewhat subdued appearance and match the factory tinted windows. The fenders are obviously radiused, as the builders would have done back in the 1970’s.
Because the participants are only allowed to use the tools they carry with them on the road trip, most people utilize a trailer to have more room for spares, generators and power tools. Some even carry welders. Instead of renting a U-Haul, I created a matching trailer. Gotta keep the style consistent, right? All the sponsor Stickers go on the trailer, to keep the car looking as clean and uncluttered as possible. Please feel free to give feedback, I appreciate all comments.
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?
Jan
10
Ever since driving an early Porsche 928 at the age of 21 I loved these futuristic but timeless grand tourers. The only thing that always bothered me design-wise was the shape of the fenders. On the later models they are wider, but still have a weird shape that make the car look strange when lowered. No worries though, as this can easily be improved with photoshop. While at it, I realized that this wouldn’t work on the real car and I had to find a solution. Overfenders have been popular to fix wheel fitment issues for decades and are now more popular than ever before. Instead of taking an exaggerated approach like Kato-san from LB Works, I designed a more subtle set of overfenders that tie into the original design of the 928 and cover the concave Forgiato wheels. To clean up the flanks, the door handles have been integrated into the side trim of the car. The air vents are integrated into the original bodywork and help to keep the brakes cool.
Originalists might cringe and prefer to look at the original picture.
Apr
20
A good friend of mine recently bought a SAAB 9000 which didn’t look bad at first sight, but upon closer inspection, showed many signs of advanced wear and tear. Nothing serious, but the little things that need to be fixed add up quickly. So I fired up my creativity and came up with a solution that is neither simple nor quick to achieve – but would be stunning and a head-turner. Let me present: the SAAB 9000 Høt Rød Cøncept. Proudly sponsored by the long-defunct ABA Swedish Airlines. 😉
Sep
02
This might not suit the 100% factory stock aficionados. No apologies here, however – as this could and probably should be done with a real vehicle. There are still plenty of these wonderful Bruno Sacco designed vehicles around, many of them in a rather sorry shape with plenty of rust. Saving one from the scrapyard and modifying it shouldn’t be considered a huge sin? The recipe is neither complicated nor excessively expensive: A custom suspension set-up suitable for drift duty with massive steering angles, a set of Corvette C3 wheels with modified hubcaps, a home-made bodykit and a couple of stickers. And for good measure, add a fender mounted rear-view mirror, because the first owner couldn’t afford to order the passenger side mirror. Now weld up a nice bumper bar to protect the bodywork when hanging out the tail and you’re good to go… either with the factory V8 or an engine swap of your choice. Have fun! 🙂
Oct
12
Some cars have potential, but nobody ever realizes it. The Buick Reatta is one such vehicle. Based on the FWD E platform, the proportions are far from ideal. Therefore I tried to imagine what it could have looked like, if based on a proper platform: the F platform, for example. It would have been possible for GM to use this platform, but for some reason or another they decided they wanted front wheel drive. I bet the Buick Reatta would have sold a lot better if equipped with a V8 engine and rear wheel drive.
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.
Nov
09
Would a V8 engine fit into a Citroën HY van? Probably not in real life, but in my phantasy. It would be fun to drive, though. With rear wheel drive, of course. I kept the corrugated metal looks outside as original as possible. Just had to alter the rear fender a little bit to accommodate the more substantial rubber. How about drifting the shed?
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!
