One of the most famous vehicles in muscle car history is the Shelby Cobra of the 1960s. The car was designed to do two things: go fast and win races. Shelby achieved this result by wedging a big engine into a small, light car body. The car did very well in competitions, but lackluster sales in the US led Shelby to end production in 1967.
Ford provided engines for the original Shelby Cobras, and in 2004 the company wanted to show off a concept vehicle that reflected upon the motorsports heritage of the Shelby Cobra. Continue reading →
If you don’t count the M1 (yes, the M1, not the 1M), the 8-series was far and away the best BMW ever. I mean, look at that thing. It’s beautiful. Ok, sure, this one’s only got the 5.0 V12 with 292hp and most family sedans from today will keep up with it. But would any of them do it with anywhere near the style this thing has?
Most car people know of Massachusetts-based Factory Five Racing as the pre-eminent maker of AC Cobra kit cars. However, Factory Five also offers a completely original kit of their own design called the GTM Supercar.
I was fortunate enough to come across a beautiful dark blue GTM at the Scottsdale Pavilions car show a few weeks ago.
I spotted this gorgeous Kaiser Manhattan 2-door sedan at a church car show in Glendale, Arizona in 2009. Kaisers were produced after World War II and are notable for being the first production passenger cars to offer supercharging (beginning in 1954). Kaiser and Willys-Overland merged in 1953 and stopped making passenger cars in 1955.
As you can see, the deep cherry color of this car is very vibrant even in this crappy cell phone picture I took. If you look closely, you can see the ghost flames on the car’s front fenders.
From this angle, we have a few more clues that this Manhattan isn’t exactly stock. The wide rear tires and monster tach on the dash indicate that this car may have undergone a performance rebuild. I wish I had more details about it, but sadly I do not.
Bonus: The gold colored car in the background of the first picture is a Frazer Vagabond, a sister marque of Kaiser.
If cars were drinks, I think that a Corvette would be a glass of single malt scotch. It is a timeless classic that subscribes to the theory of “beauty in simplicity.” Although the package it comes in changes from year to year, the process remains the same: a Corvette always looks like a Corvette.
However, not everyone likes scotch. For some it is too boring, too old fashioned. For these people, trendy cocktails and mixed drinks are en vogue. What about adding a retro twist to the modern sports car? Start with a glass of C6 Corvette and add a shot of ’57 Chevy front end, a shot of ’58 Impala, and a dash of ’59 tailfins. Shake it all up and what do you get? The N2A Motors 789. Continue reading →
It’s not often that you hear the words “Citroen” and “high performance” in the same sentence. The DS pictured above is most famously known for its unique styling and many technological advancements which were ahead of its time. However, there’s something special about the DS pictured above. I’ll see if you can guess what it is.
The Citroen DS was originally a front-wheel drive car, but this particular model has been converted to rear-wheel drive and its four-cylinder engine has been replaced with a Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine.
This particular car is the only known V8, rear-drive DS in existence. It was built in 2006 by Hot Rod builder Kevin Bradley’s Kreations Auto Body in Northern California. Besides the engine, the car also features an Art Morrison G-Max chassis, Wilwood brakes, and Billet Specialties wheels. The car crossed the auction block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2011 for just $49,500.
According to the Barrett-Jackson website, the car was displayed at the 2006 SEMA show and has also been featured in the March 2007 issue of Hot Rod magazine. I ran across this blue beauty at Cars and Coffee in Scottsdale, Arizona in February 2012.
In essence, this car combines French design with American muscle in a unique combination that has both “show” and “go.” You can visit the Kreations Auto Body website for a slide show of build photos.
UPDATE: Well as it turns out, this car was built for rock legend Alice Cooper. It was listed on eBay in September 2013 with a reserve price of $115,000. The eBay listing provided a wealth of additional information, including the build cost for this one-of-a-kind car: over $300,000! The car also features:
400HP LS1 crate motor
Automatic transmission
Full custom roll cage
Rear wheel drive
Fully adjustable upgraded independent suspension
Interior features custom grey leather interior, dash gauges, LED lighting, stereo plus more
Art Morrison chassis
Performance Wilwood disc brakes
Power steering
Exterior custom paint is Volvo 457 Flash Green with white pearl accents
Mustang II geometry front suspension and four link rear suspension
Alden shocks
Custom Billet Specialties chrome wheels
New AC and heat
Also included in the auction were an autographed guitar and tour photo, 2 tickets to Alice Cooper’s holiday Christmas Pudding show, and the opportunity to play a round of golf with him. The auction ended at $83,400 and the reserve price was not met.
One of the most famous vehicles in muscle car history is the Shelby Cobra of the 1960s. The car was designed to do two things: go fast and win races. Shelby achieved this result by wedging a big engine into a small, light car body. The car did very well in competitions, but lackluster sales in the US led Shelby to end production in 1967.
