RidiculousRides

THIS HISTORIC Hot Rod dates all the way back to the 1940s California dry lake bed races - and it's still alive and well today. Completely built from 1932 Henry Ford steel, it represents the history of the American Hot Rod. The car went through many modifications before being bought by current owner Joe Locher. The most major change was a complete rebuild in the 1970s, by Dave Comina of Bennett Coachworks. Surprisingly, not much was done to the engine, which was in good shape. Any modifications at the time were mainly to make the vehicle safer, such as squaring up the chassis and reconfiguring the length of the arms for steering. Perhaps the most controversial change is the cosmetic fire stripes added in the 70s, which Hot Rod purists disagree with. While driving the Hot Rod around, however, Joe Locher receives a lot of attention: "You get a lot of reactions, almost everyone does something - usually it's waving, honking, thumbs up."

A CAR trader specialising in Jaguar E-Types have taken what they describe as “the best car ever made” and given it a bespoke update that is fit for the modern world. The company, Evolution, have been restoring E-types for over 12 years and have used new technology to improve this 60s car while retaining its classic exterior body. Alex Cluderay, who works for Evolution, said: “This really is a car forever for the future. We’ve engineered, redesigned and fixed their problems.”

THE DANCING bed trucks are making a comeback. Alex is the shop fabricator and foreman of Hoppos, one of the United States' premier lowrider customs shops, but his real passion is for the little-known world of bed dancing. This is when drivers install their trucks with jaw-dropping hydraulics that allow them to raise them high in the air, spin around and dance. Alex explained how his love for the trucks evolved: "We have been operating for over 30 years. My dad is the owner, I’m following in his footsteps now.” They are based in Ontario, which Alex believes is the heart of the dancing bed trucks trend: “California still holds it down for custom vehicles," he said. The business is one of the main manufacturers in Southern California for hydraulic equipment. Hoppos manufacture the product for the dancing beds - the hydraulics, the cylinders and the pumps, then ship the components worldwide for other enthusiasts. Dancing bed trucks is an automotive trend born in the late 80s, where small pickup beds would be installed on hydraulics and put on dancing competitions at shows. Alex sees it as “an expression of one’s self.” Now with the craze making a comeback, Alex and his team are leading the charge with two generations of experience behind them. “We originally started in the mini-truck world, today the trucks are starting to boom again. Luckily, we had the knowledge from back then, now we're building some of the nicest mini trucks out there.”

BIG, fast and powerful - this monster truck is a champion. Raminator is the world’s fastest monster truck having set a Guinness World Record of 99.1mph. Tim Hall and his brother Mark first got into monster truck racing in 1987. They established Hall Brothers Racing and since then the team has been beating out the competition. Tim, CEO and chief mechanic of the team said: “In the pit area, we're fierce enemies from the green flag to the checkered flag. But then after that everybody's friends again.” With a new Raminator under construction, the team hopes to continue their success. Tim said: “Maybe someday we'll be in the monster truck Hall of Fame.” Mat Dishman one of the team’s drivers said: “Racing monster trucks, it's a blast every time you pull up the line it is an adrenaline rush, you know, it doesn't matter who's beside you in the other lane.” So how will the Raminator fare in today’s 4-wheel Jamboree event?

GOING off-road in a classic British family car has become a daily pastime for one New Zealand mechanic. Shane Armitage has converted a 1950s Morris Minor Traveller into a 4x4 off-roading beast that he can take on both roads and sand dunes. On first look, ‘Woody’ as the car is known, appears to be a British motor corporation classic, but is actually built on a Morris Minor shell and a Suzuki Escudo/Vitara chassis with a second Morris Minor used for donor parts. Shane, of Muriwai, told Barcroft Studios: “I use it every day, it’s my daily drive but I also really like off-roading. This combines the two together. It’s really cool, two-for-one. Everywhere you go people come up and say ‘Wow, what’s this?’" Shane was driving a 4x4 Suzuki Escudo when he spotted a Morris Minor cruising the Auckland bays and was inspired to combine the two. He bought a two-door Morris online and a second Traveller chassis which he used to make carbon fibre moulds of the roof and side panels. He then attached those moulds to the original Morris, complete with the classic wooden design seen on the original cars. The newly constructed chassis was then placed on the running gear of a Suzuki Vitara 4x4, giving it off-road capabilities. Shane said: “It’s just an all-purpose, do anything, do everything, pick the groceries up, go extreme four-wheel driving in the same day without changing vehicles. It’s a gnarly four-wheel driving beast.”

IN CHATSWORTH California, what looks like a parking lot full of rusting cars, is actually home to some of the most original custom-built rides in the world. The vehicles that leave the 'Icon' workshop under the 'Derelict' brand are unique reimagined classics. Dated vehicles in awful conditions are revamped, making them fit for modern day driving. However, the company never restores the shells, giving these vehicles their trademark rough and rusty look. Founder Jonathan Ward told Truly: "Derelict will never repeat the same build twice, each one is a singular high-functioning sculpture." The first ever Derelict build, still owned by Jonathan, is a 1951 DeSoto Wagon mashed up with a Chrysler Town & Country. By combining elements from the two cars, the Derelict DeSoto is completely authentic on the outside, but modern on the inside. Modern A/C units and bluetooth audio connectivity are some of the modern-day features of this one-of-a-kind masterpiece. But why keep the original shell? "I wanted something alternative but imperfect, so that I don't have to worry about it - I don't want to be that guy who is super stressed out about that first scratch," said Jonathan.

EVER wondered what happens when you put an electric motorcycle motor into a rat rod? Well, one car fanatic has the answer. Rich Benoit, a YouTuber from Gloucester, Massachusetts, has created something that he says has never been done before. Rich told Truly: “No one has ever taken an electric motorcycle motor and put it in a car - it’s beautiful.” Rich spent six weeks building his “work of art”, weighing between 12 and 1300lbs and measuring 11ft long. At the heart of the 1930s Ford Model A is an electric motor from a wrecked motorcycle, complete with a custom made transmission adapter and a multi gear transmission from an old Chevy. Rich grafted the electronics on the bike and then put them on the rat rod, completing the interior with third row seats from an old dodge caravan. The acceleration enables the car to go up to 80mph, something Rich isn’t sure is the best idea. Part of the thrill for Rich is never knowing what will happen when taking the rat rod out for a spin: “Is something going to fall off or blow up? I really have no idea!” Rich enjoys proving the naysayers wrong who believe a small engine wouldn’t be able to pull the car. “My favourite thing about this is definitely the look you get from people who expect a big honking engine to be in front,” he said. “I feel like it really captures the spirit of hot rodding.”

THIS FUTURISTIC sports car powered by natural gas can transform into a pickup truck. Based on a Porsche, the 911 Turbo-based Rinspeed Bedouin was created to show how a powerful car can also use renewable energy. Frank M. Rinderknecht, CEO for Swiss-based manufacturer Rinspeed has been building concept-cars for the Geneva Motor Show for over 20 years. He calls himself “an automotive futurist”, with the Rinspeed Bedouin being just one of his many innovative creations. He told Truly: “The Bedouin was created to show sustainability, powered by natural CMG gas.” The vehicle was built in 2003, at that time the batteries were still too weak to power a car like this one. By taking on this project Frank was faced with big challenges to maintain the basic shape of the Porsche. “We did not want to obstruct the original design, but to compliment it," he said. “Then we had to fit all the technology in a relatively small amount of space." The Bedouin still provides the luxuries of a sports car, with soft leather seats, engraved with thousands of crystals. Of course, the main feature of this innovative creation is how the backside can be transformed at the touch of a button into a pickup truck, a rare find in the motoring world because of the cost of manufacturing. Frank explained: "It's cheaper to have like two different vehicles instead of combining two in one, but it's still in the people's heart to have a car which serves many purposes.”

AFTER vanishing off the face of the Earth in 1936, with no clue as to its whereabouts, the one of a kind Bugatti Aerolithe has been rebuilt. The car originally debuted at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in the UK in 1935, but after its disappearance, all trace it ever existed lay in just a few photos and some blueprints of the brake pedal and radiator grill. These limitations didn’t stop classic car fanatic David Grainger and his team at The Guild of Automotive Restorers, who painstakingly rebuilt the lost car on a modified Bugatti Type 57 chassis. Using the blueprint of the radiator grill, David and his team worked out the exact dimensions, to the millimetre, of the car and then proceeded to sculpt the body using magnesium, as was done on the original. The magnesium sheets make the car extremely light and therefore increase its top speed. However, the sheets are by no means cheap, costing David $3,000 each, of which the Bugatti Aerolithe needed 15 for its rebirth. Recreating the body wasn’t the only challenge. David needed to rebuild, from scratch, the tyres to replicate the white walled Dunlop’s on the original car, as they are no longer in production. David’s team skillfully produced identical replicas of the wheels and the Bugatti Aerolithe now stands exactly as it did before, complete with fixed windows and manual brakes.

AFTER years of neglect, a 1957 feather white BMW 507 that previously belonged to Elvis Presley has been fully restored - and is now the most 'valuable' of its kind in the world. Elvis owned the car when he posted in Germany as a US Army Sergeant, but later sold it when he returned to the US. Nobody knew what had happened to the famous car up until 2014, when automotive journalist Jackie Jouret discovered that it had been sitting in a pumpkin warehouse on the outskirts of San Francisco for over 30 years. Its new owner, named Jack Castor, had no idea about who the car had previously belonged to. Jackie said: “I got the feeling that he wasn’t a fan of Elvis in the slightest. We take the tarp off, and the car is in-tact but rough shape. An ordinary 507 is really a $1.2-1.5 million car, but with the Elvis association it suddenly becomes the most valuable 507 in the world.” After finding out about the car’s history, Castor sent the BMW to be restored, but he sadly passed away before it was completed. The car now features at the BMW Museum in Munich, mere miles away from where it was first manufactured.

BROTHERS Mike and Jim Ring from Spring Green, Wisconsin, are two custom car building legends known as 'The Ringbrothers'. One of their finest builds is a 1956 Ford F100 truck which took an impressive 3,000 hours to build spread over seven months, costing $85,000 in parts alone. Powering the truck is a 415-horsepower 5.0-liter Ford Coyote crate motor which is a really good fit for the 50s pickup. With a 1956 cab, but a 1954 grill, the truck is actually a mixture of the two, however the brothers explain: “Most people will recognize it as a ‘56 just because of the cab.” Whilst this vehicle has the looks of a 50s masterpiece, The Ringbrothers are known for blending old-school looks with modern technology. The 1956 Ford F100 is not short of up to date tech either - it has power brakes, electronic transmission, fuel injection, air conditioning and even a bluetooth stereo system. “There’s a lot of modern amenities that you would probably never pick up on by just walking by it,” Jim adds. The car’s interior also sports a classic 50s look, not giving away any of the modern conveniences the brothers have added. Mike says: "It’s the little things in the interior, like for instance, the headliner looks like an old zoot suit material.” The multi-award-winning car customizers state that the pickup truck is the most American vehicle around, and say they are excited to see what people are doing with these trucks.

AN incredible lowrider, owned by 11-year-old car enthusiast Sol Archer, grabs everyone’s attention for its unique colour patterns. The car was a father and son build – Sol Archer, from Ipswich, UK, inherited a Honda Civic EF from his dad Pete Blackhurst. Pete told Ridiculous Rides: “Sol’s role in the design was to build something that he could potentially drive - small, inexpensive. Sol’s colour-blind, so it was never about picking a colour switch, it was about making it pop, making it stand out - loads of different colours, loads of patterns, loads of lines." He added: “You could be driving it to the shops, into town, or you could be at a show like this. It always turns heads because of what it looks like. But then as soon as you start playing with the switches, I think it baffles people more than anything else.” Sol, while showcasing the car at the Ipswich Festival of Wheels, admitted that he feels special being the only kid at the show with his own vehicle: “I don’t know many other children with real cars, and I think I am lucky”.

IF you’ve ever found yourself in Spokane, Washington, the chances are you’ve come across La Boata - the city’s famous car. Tim Lorentz, the owner of this unique vehicle, bought himself a speedboat for $100 and a Chrysler LeBaron for $700 and merged them together, creating a ride so remarkable that you barely notice La Boata’s tyres when it’s cruising down the highway.

MADE of the finest carbon fibre, this muscle car is like a ‘savage beast’. Evolution was built by SpeedKore Performance Group who started with a 1970 Dodge Charger donor car before some serious remodelling. Under its sleek and light carbon fibre exterior is a Demon engine with a large supercharger and bigger injectors resulting in 966hp. Evolution was awarded the prestigious Goodguys Gold Award at SEMA 2018 and Dave Salvaggio, Vice President of SpeedKore is extremely proud of their work. He said: “I would say from a refinement standpoint, Evolution was our best car that we've built today.”

HIDDEN from public view for over 50 years, in the early 60s, the Golden Sahara was one of America's most famous cars. Originally built from a car that was wrecked in an accident, the first Golden Sahara was built by George Barris. It was the Golden Sahara 2, however, that was brought to public attention and cemented the vehicle as revolutionary. Four different steering options including aircraft-inspired controls; in-built television and tape recorder/player; electronic doors; vibrating massage seat; a hydraulic trunk and light-up neothane tyres made this car truly ahead of its time. A 24 carat gold trim interior, a white mink carpet and a mini bar in the back seat also goes to show how this vehicle was created to be over the top. At the height of its fame, having toured all over the USA for over four years, owner Jim Street retired the car into his collection. After Jim passed away, current owner Robert Olson bought the derelict car for a reported $350,000 - and entirely restored it to its former glory. Robert told Ridiculous Rides: "The hardest part of the restoration was accurately remaking some of the parts that were custom." Robert even collaborated with Good Year to bring back the long-gone neothane tyres. "We probably spent close to $200,000 to restore this vehicle - this vehicle would easily fetch over $1 million, but to us it's priceless," Robert said.

A FAMILY has become used to turning heads while driving their fleet of 10 bumper cars on California’s roads. In this week’s episode of Ridiculous Rides, vehicles are taken from the amusement park to the open roads. But Tom Wright, a builder, hadn't planned on taking the first fairground ride he worked on to the streets. He told Truly: “The purpose at the time was to restore it to its original lustre and put it in a showroom.” However, before finishing the project he decided that he also wanted the cars to be mobile. So, Tom used his engineering skills to move them onto the open road. He explained: “I decided to convert it to a six-speed Kawasaki 550cc motor.” Making these historic vehicles roadworthy was a challenge for him, some having been out of use for 80 years. “They were sitting outside riddled with rust, 18 inches on some of the cars and had to be cut off," Tom said. The bumper cars have also been added with some special features, such as wood exteriors to reflect the area they drive through. “The wheels are custom golf cart wheels because this is a California beach community," he said. Acquiring the first car, finding the right components, making the frames and sending the bodies for paint took a year to complete. All this hard work was worth it in the end, as they are “extremely fun to drive”. When Tom takes the 10 bumpers for a spin with friends and family they turn the heads of locals. “The smiles, waves and the honks make the hobby worth doing.”

AN ASTON Martin that was found in ‘barn find’ condition has been renovated - and is now worth £400,000. Nigel Woodward, the Managing Director at Classic Motorcars in Bridgnorth, UK bought the Aston Martin DB Mark III at an auction in 2015. Nigel told Ridiculous Rides: “So the car bought at an auction for way over its estimate at the time, which was £30,000-£40,000, and actually sold for a little over £100,000." The team shortly realised the car was in such bad condition that they had to make a whole new body for it. But after 4,500 hours of hard work, the classic car is back to its original condition. Nigel said: “We are always quite sad to see long term projects leave the business. The reason we do this is so that the owner can have something that they can enjoy. And when we deliver this to the owner, it will be just as though the car has been delivered to him new - back in the late 1950s by Aston Martin.”

A MAN from New Jersey has stretched his Maserati sports car into a sleek, stylish stretch limousine. Jay Glick, who owns a fleet of limos, spent 10 months and over $75,000 transforming his 2016 Maserati Ghibli Sport. Cutting it in half and stretching its stock components by 130 inches, he has turned the luxury Italian car into one of the world’s fastest limos. Jay told Barcroft Cars: “It’s elegant, it’s sporty, it’s modern. Right away, as soon as you get in this car you know you’re not in a regular limo. There’s nothing else that stands out like it.” The vehicle has proved a head-turner, drawing crowds of people wherever it goes. Jay added: “Limousines are all about not just taking a ride, but having a special ride. You can’t Uber one of these - that’s for sure.”

A MAN from New Jersey has stretched his Maserati sports car into a sleek, stylish stretch limousine. Jay Glick, who owns a fleet of limos, spent 10 months and over $75,000 transforming his 2016 Maserati Ghibli Sport. Cutting it in half and stretching its stock components by 130 inches, he has turned the luxury Italian car into one of the world’s fastest limos. Jay told Barcroft Cars: “It’s elegant, it’s sporty, it’s modern. Right away, as soon as you get in this car you know you’re not in a regular limo. There’s nothing else that stands out like it.” The vehicle has proved a head-turner, drawing crowds of people wherever it goes. Jay added: “Limousines are all about not just taking a ride, but having a special ride. You can’t Uber one of these - that’s for sure.”

IN THE high-octane world of dragsters, one monster Corvette stands out for its ability to hit 200mph in three-and-a-half seconds. The 2014 “Screw Blown RVW” Corvette cranks out 3,800 horsepower and is owned by father and son team Mike Decker Jnr. and Mike Decker III, who race the “door-slammer” in drag races around the US. The duo, who have been racing for 15 years, own a salvage yard in Baltimore and have produced some of the meanest and fastest cars known to man – but the 2014 Corvette is the biggest and baddest creation yet. Mike Decker III told Barcroft Studios: “My car is fast, bad to the bone, and always on edge. It’s the ultimate ride because in an eighth of a mile, I’m running over 200mph. We are the ones to beat on race day.” Built in partnership with Gil Mobley Motorsports, the Corvette has broken multiple records and won multiple races since 2014. The Deckers’ incredible drag racer runs on a 526 Brad Anderson motor, sits on 315 Mickey Thompson tyres, and can finish an eighth of a mile race in three-and-a-half seconds. The two Mikes hone their skills by competing against one another in drag races, but say their rivalry is a friendly one. Decker III said: “I’ve been racing against my father for the past two-and-a-half years. It’s very competitive because we both bring out the best in each other. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who wins as long as one of us comes out on top.”

THE WORLD’S only wooden supercar, known as the "Splinter”, is a high-performance sports car that is estimated to be 90% wood. Fuelled by a lifelong desire to design and build his own car and inspired by a WWII airplane called the de Havilland Mosquito, designer and builder, Joe Harmon, from Mooresville, North Carolina, spent roughly nine years working on the Splinter with the help of his team. The Splinter began as a graduate school project at North Carolina State University and has continued since. Joe told Ridiculous Rides: “I’ve wanted to design and build my own car for my whole life. And we thought building it out of material like wood would present an interesting challenge that might make us do some out of the box things and it would make it a little bit more of a scholastic endeavour.” Joe said that the goal was to use wood in the construction of the car in every possible application - wood is our only naturally renewable building material, it is biodegradable and takes a small amount of energy to produce. Also, according to Joe, wood has a better strength-to-weight ratio than steel and aluminium. Every wooden part of the Splinter is made from composite construction. Each wheel consists of over 275 individual pieces. The wheel centres are made from rotary-cut oak veneer, covered by a walnut sunburst on the outside face and a cherry sunburst on the inside face. The Splinter's engine is a 7.0L small-block V8. The chassis is built almost entirely of wood composites, the body is made from woven strips of cherry veneer with a balsa core. Even though the car is not comfortable and may be impractical, Joe said that the goal in creating this car was to explore new ideas and perceptions of wood. He said: “The car was built as a design and build exercise to kind of show people what's possible and try to figure out for ourselves what we thought was possible.”

AN award-winning 1971 Ford Maverick has made a name for itself in Ohio due to its turbo speed and perfect blend of classic and modern style. Owned by racing driver Jimmy Shaw, the Ford Maverick, which was originally produced as an economy car, has become a rule-bending ride – putting the 70s car back on the map. Jimmy told Ridiculous Rides: “I found this little car on eBay; I never would have thought it would turn out this way.” To produce his ‘hot rod’, Jimmy hired father-son duo Greening Auto Company to help revolutionise the old school ride into something much cooler. Having owned over 200 cars, Jimmy wanted to create a ‘maverick’ by taking something old and making it his own. Jimmy said: “I got to thinking, I’ve always wanted to run 200 miles an hour so I wondered if this car could do that.” Jimmy’s dreams were made a reality – the top speed is 202.7 miles per hour with 1200 horsepower. The multi-award-winning car has not only won prizes but also impressed both car enthusiasts and the general public. His favourite part about the car is the flair on the fenders as it retains the classic style whilst adding something new and exciting: “It looks so good and not out of place – a simple change.” For Jimmy, the car's individuality has meant it has quickly become one of his favourites. “This car is at the top of my list of all my cars right now, it’s just so different.”

THIS is no ordinary go-kart - this home-made jet powered vehicle was built by Andy Morris, of Nottingham, UK - in his shed. Andy has always had an interest in jet engines, inspired by his dad and grandad who were both engineers and describes his builds as a hobby. Andy told Barcroft Studios: “I think the first one we were lucky it moved. I was amazed when it did move and I was even more amazed when we did 30mph in it.” Andy’s go-karts have come a long way since then and he and his friend Tom Bagnall took one go-kart to the next level. On 5th September 2015, they set a new Guinness World Record by racing the kart over 100mph. Andy said: “When we got the world record, for me it was wonderful. I mean 10 years of work, proven that we could do it.” With years of experience, Andy’s advice to others looking for the ultimate go-kart is: “Don't buy it. Build it.” But Andy’s not done yet and has built a new jet powered go-kart. Andy said: “This is a faster one, meaner one, and bigger engine. It's probably a third bigger, producing hopefully a third more power. Lighter though because the engine is completely unique.” Can this kart smash his world record? Andy’s going to put it to the test in his own back garden.

A RARE single-owner original Pontiac GTO from 1964, one of the first ever muscle cars, was left to rust in a garage for over 30 years before undergoing a radical transformation that miraculously brought it back from the dead. After developing engine trouble, it ended up gathering dust in the owner’s garage. The same owner, 30 years later, finally decided to restore the rare muscle car. CW restorations worked on the GTO for three years - company owner Chris Winston told Ridiculous Rides: “It’s probably the worst rustic car I’ve ever worked on." New floors and a new trunk had to be installed but the restored shell and motor are original to the car. The only significant differences from the original are the upgraded suspensions and brake system, which were improved for extra safety. The hardest part of restoring the car was locating an authentic 1964 frame for the Pontiac to replace the original one.

A CALIFORNIAN father and son have teamed up to supersize the classic Volkswagen Beetle. The VW enthusiasts upscaled the car by 40%, making it bigger than a Hummer. Scott Tupper, the younger generation of the duo, told Truly how the idea developed. “My dad and I thought it would be nice if we had a Volkswagen that was comfortable and not feel like you're going to get run over in traffic.” Once the idea was hatched, they went about making the dream into a reality. “We had a 59 Volkswagen convertible, we digitized it, scanned it everywhere, took it apart, and made each part 40% bigger on the computer.” Unsurprisingly, the vehicle has caused a lot of buzz on the roads. “People chase you to try to get up next to it, they almost run you off the road because they're not looking where they're going."