RidiculousRides

HN always wanted to build a Mako Shark. So when he found this abandoned model sitting alone in a field with no rear end and no front clift it was a no brainer: he gave the lost Mako a Mako-ver! Mako Shark was a futuristic concept designed by GM. Although it never made it to market, a watered-down design eventually resulted in the production vehicle, the C3 Corvette. Open the doors and you’ll see that John’s interior is a blast from the past, he’s kept everything original except the plush black leather seats which are from the 80s. It would be easy to remove the plexiglass bottom and look at the pavement. ‘it’s like a unicorn’ John says, apparently a lot of people ask him if they can touch it. He calls it ‘the Michelangelo of rolling art’.

FRANS has always been a huge fan of the old IndyCar race cars - so he decided to take inspiration from them and create his very own dream motor. Finding a 1930's Nash 88 car online, he shipped it to the Netherlands from North Carolina - and then dedicated four years to transforming it. Naming it Dutchie after his own Dutch heritage, he kept the car's original engine, gearbox and drivetrain as they were, but the design and body of the ride were all down to Frans. He explained: "I didn't want to make a replica - it had to be mine." Getting a metal artist on board, he whipped up his motor into this bold cruiser which pays tribute to the vintage era of car racing. Speaking about using his beloved creation, Frans said: "I use the car when I'm in a good mood and that's quite often. Most people smile and ask what's that. They're surprised that I built it myself. People like it and I like it."

ANSFORMG a 1930's Ford hotrod into a unique Ford/Chevy hybrid with 1,200 horsepower has been a passion project for one inventive Canadian. After finding the vintage Ford body 20 years ago, Dave, of Toronto, stored it for some time before he began work on bringing the car back to life. But this wasn’t a standard restoration. As a lifelong Chevy enthusiast, Dave set about reinventing the Ford body using mostly Chevy parts. He said: “This ride might only be five percent original Ford but it’s 100 percent vintage. I never built the car to be a show car, I built it to drive and have some fun. The adrenaline rush you get from looking at it is the same rush you get from driving it.” The build took Dave and his friend Keith two years and involved adding a Big Block Chevy V8 engine, a five-speed transmission, and a paint job inspired by a pair of his wife’s high heels. The total cost was $180,000 but Dave says it was all worth it, especially when he takes the car out on the road. He said: “When somebody sees this car, that’s the reward right there. Just the look on their face.”

SPIRED by old school Chevys and American muscle hot rods, this Tesla powered electric car was built from scratch by the team at Salvage 2 Savage, who aimed to build an electric powered hotrod to prove that an electric car can hold its own against its petrol pumped competitors. Named the S2SLA and incredibly only taking eight months to build, this monster of a car has two tesla motors powering a 1200HP+ engine, a Tesla model 3 battery, 3-piece fine speed evo wheels and was built from a re-worked 1985 chevy C10 - and is sure to be a mouth watering concept for any budding car enthusiast. Mike, who built the car along with his team, said: "In order to stand out in a crowd of a bunch of people, you kind of have to do something extreme, so that’s how we came up with this design." He added, "Having two Tesla motors would be like having two V8s in your truck. One of these motors would be sufficient to push this truck and have power and have a lot of fun. But again, you want to be fast, you want to be extreme, we’re gonna throw two of them in there."

IT sounds like a muscle car or a growling beast, it’s like being James Bond,” Ferris Rezvani told Ridiculous Rides when talking about his beloved Rezvani Tank Car. Ferris grew up on a military base in California and was surrounded by tanks from his childhood, igniting an interest in armoured vehicles from a young age. The idea for the car was conceived in 2017, Ferris continued: “The goal behind it was to create a car that’s brutal and can conquer anything off road, that’s unstoppable by both terrain and anything humans can throw at it.” Although it’s got a striking look on the road, Ferris drives his customised tanks every day both to and from work. For Ferris his Rezvani Tank gives him a feeling of immense joy that no other car can match: “It feels like you have an Iron Man suit on, like you’re Iron Man, you feel invincible, you almost feel immortal and I think that’s the appeal of the tank.” SOCIALS: https://www.instagram.com/ferrisrezvani/?hl=en

WHEN Nick, his dad Mark and uncle Bill decided to embark on a new project with the most unlikely of vehicles, they had no idea how big the project would become. Together they turned an old milk truck into a daily dairy driver that can top 114mph. The family act had previous experience with customising rides and had a vision of speed for this old delivery truck. Although built for speed, this truck is still tasteful and although the outside looks original, the engine is anything but standard. Nick told Ridiculous Rides: "Everybody loves it. The older generation loves it cos they’ve seen the milk truck driving around and delivering milk. To see it in hot rod form, it makes a lot of people happy."

PAUL was commissioned to create the incredible Deliverance by horror aficionado Harvey Clarke who had bought the car off interior designer Mark Brazier-Jones. The whole build took Paul and his team three years, and now, it's the ultimate ride. Paul told Ridiculous Rides about his experience working with Harvey: "He’d got a V8 engine, it wasn’t big enough so he made it bigger. It wasn’t fast enough so he made it super-charged. Everything on the car has gone up to the ultimate." The ‘gothic flavoured’ car has a whopping 3.9L V8 engine and has 450hp. The top speed of Deliverance is an impressive 130mph.

FROM a standstill, this is the fastest pickup truck in the world. It was originally built in the ‘90s by a man called Les Shockley and has been passed from him, to Hayden’s father to Hayden. When Hayden acquired the truck he renamed it Hot Streak II. Hayden learnt the skills to look after this twin engine jet truck himself since, after leaving high school, he joined the airforce. It sure is a lot to take care of, this 1857 Chevrolet, has 15" wheels up front and back and salt flat land speed tires rated for crazy speeds, there are front wheel spoilers, to stop the truck from taking off when it goes super fast and of course you can’t forget the parachute canisters, which fly out of the back catch air to slow the truck down abruptly. Hayden says: “It feels like it’s going to throw me through the windshield when the shoots hit.”

WHEN Greg found this car, he knew he had to have it. Having driven his first ride when he was just eight years old, his passion for cars started at a young age. His initial idea was to build a hot rod but it soon evolved into creating a land speed racer. Two-and-a-half years later and after a lot of alterations were made, Greg and his team took Project 606 to Bonneville. They were amazed by its performance. Greg told Ridiculous Rides: “I had an idea and I’ve just kind of stuck with it. I didn’t really care what other people said; this is what I wanted.”

A N from Kansas with a 'go big or go home' attitude has built one of the largest custom tow trucks in his area. Brandon put together the 'Big Hooker' using parts of old vehicles he had lying around. He spent many hours considering how to bring his idea to fruition, making all the different mismatched pieces work together. With the chassis of a 2007 Freightliner semi truck, a huge Detroit Diesel V8 engine came from Brandon's first ever heavy wrecker. Incredibly, the body is actually made from two separate old wheat trucks that were owned by his grandfather. Brandon told Ridiculous Rides: "Moulding the two cabs together is by far the hardest thing, I've never attempted anything like that before, I'm not sure I ever want to do it again."

THIS Land Rover Series IIA has been saved from the scrap yard by proud owner, Wayne, from Lancashire, UK. The $50,000 restoration project was a labour of love, and took 18 months to complete. The Series IIA is familiar in popular memory, featuring in many old films and TV documentaries such as Born Free. Wayne kept many of this ride’s original features, including the chassis, bulkhead and original panels, but he also included a few modern twists. The 3.9V8 engine comes from a Discovery I, so it has three times more power than the Series IIA factory original. Wayne also added custom-made twin-side exhausts to give the car a great sound, making this Series IIA a one-of-a-kind.

SOME people would die for a ride in ‘Campula’ - the creepy camper created by brothers Christopher and Michael from Illinois. Starting off as Christopher’s tattoo vehicle, it was Michael who suggested that they turned the motor into something that looked a little more sinister. Christopher explained to Ridiculous Rides: “Mike had the idea of converting it into a camper and I’ve always been into the horror movies so it was appropriate for sure.” Explaining the inspiration behind the name of their creation, Michael said: “The Munsters TV show from the ‘60s - Grandpa Munster built a dragster out of a coffin and it was the Dragula, so the name was sort of lended from that.” Based on an original Cadillac hearse, the pair got to work, transforming it into a stand-up RV for two. “The hardest part of this conversion probably comes down to raising the roof, creating square footage,” Mike explained. But what kind of reaction do they get when they’re cruising in their chilling camper? “Either a thumbs-up or a disgruntled look”, Christopher chuckled.

WHEN Phil, from Newbury, England decided that he wanted to convert a Ford Fiesta into a drag racer he was called a ‘fool’ by his friends for even entertaining the idea. However, he was undeterred by the doubters and began altering his dinky little ride into a mighty machine. He purchased the car at a bargain price of just $340 and when he started cutting up and recreating the vehicle he got a few raised eyebrows from some Ford Fiesta purists. Naming the car ‘Big Pig’, after a scene from the film Babe, the little car is now a force to be reckoned with on the race track and can reach a phenomenal top speed of 159.7MPH. Phil’s Ford is a front wheel drive and his interest in science has allowed him to make some pretty nifty modifications that make it ride like greased lightning on the race track... His Fiesta is now one of the fastest cars in the UK and other drag racers get a little bit worried when he turns up to tracks with his souped up ride. For more amazing content, click here! Truly: https://www.youtube.com/user/barcroftmedia/featured Beastly: https://www.youtube.com/barcroftanimals/featured Barcroft Cars: https://www.youtube.com/user/BarcroftCars/featured

THREE years of hard work and more than $100,000 have given rise to a homemade monster truck that can traverse even the toughest terrain. Jordan ‘Joe Fly’ of Oxford Mills, Canada built his ‘Mega Truck’ completely by himself after discovering no-one made a prefabricated kit to work from. His 10ft high behemoth weighs in at 10,500lbs but that doesn’t stop it from performing huge jumps with ease. Jordan said: “There’s not much it can’t go over or under or through.”

BUILT from scratch in honour of the legendary Chevy Blazer, this super whip AKA ‘The Bulldog’ was designed and built by Randal and his team in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. The supersize SUV is modded after the blazer making it a pretty desirable piece for any budding car enthusiast - although without putting a full stop on anyone's dreams to purchase it; it's the only one of its kind. Built from the ground up and consisting of a 5.9L Cummins engine, 550hp, 40 inch tires and a whopping 5,511lbs in weight, it’s sure to turn the heads of passers by wherever it pulls up. Costing over half a million dollars and countless hours to make, Randal says he has never loved driving anything as much as this absolute beast of a motor. Randal said: “I really try to make everything look GM built by using a lot of GM parts. I love driving this thing. I can’t think of anything else that I’ve built that I love driving more than this right here. It’s very stimulating to be able to craft trucks like this."

MEET an ultimate lowrider - The Krew Kut - that has been customised from a regular ’92 crew cab Chevy Dually. David, from Lake Mary, Florida, has dreamt of owning a lowrider since he saw the vehicle for the first time at the age of 19. He said: “It was one of the very first, if not the first, what we call a body-drop, Dually, where they cut out the floor and drop the body over the frame, which was back in ’98, ’99.” Whilst still retaining its ‘90s looks, the Krew Kut has been brought fully up to date with upgraded hydraulics, a powerful new engine and an interior revamp. The vehicle has an Escalade front clip with a custom bumper that’s been sectioned and shortened, it has got an iconic timeless paint scheme, a custom ‘House of Kolor’ green with flames, custom mirrors, and a suicide door - hinged at its rear rather than the front. The car has a Katech Performance 496 LSX engine, weighs 3,100lbs, has 616 horsepower, and 4L80E SS performance transmission. It may be more than 20 years old now, but for David, his ride is still way ahead of the game. The car is so impressive that it turns heads wherever David drives it.

FROM sitting in a field to now commanding attention on the roads, this 1955 Pontiac has undergone a transformation. Shawn, of Cleveland, Tennessee, bought the car from a friend and decided to work on it with his wife and son. Given the condition of the original car, Shawn had to find a suitable replacement for the chassis and installed an engine from a Chevy truck but kept the original dashboard and steering wheel for the car’s interior. The build cost $5,000 in total. Shawn told Ridiculous Rides: “It’s a lot of fun to drive. We’ve driven it all over the country. The attention it gets is amazing. You feel like you’re back in the ‘50s when you’re cruising around.”

WOULD YOU take a ride in this funky 1997 Ford Ranger standing at just 37.5 inches tall? According to its owner Brandon, from Orange City, Florida, this rusty lowrider is not afraid to get down and dirty. Since Brandon started building the truck in 2011, it has had nine engines, which have blown up from doing burnout contests. Brandon said: "I don’t mind if it gets scratched, I don’t mind if kids touch it, I don’t mind if kids climb on it. It was made to have fun." Powder-coated white with a wood roof, the motor is the true definition of a modern rat rod. It is equipped with a 15.5-gallon gas tank that used to be an old Anheuser-Busch beer keg. It also has a 17-inch 1966 AMC Rambler steering wheel and a Unity cop light from the ‘60s. The truck's unique appearance might not be everyone's cup of tea, but to Brandon, it is his way of expressing freedom and creativity. He added: "I like to stand out and show the world that you don’t need to blend in with everyday society."

MOVE over Jaws because there’s another shark in town - and this one has wheels! Kurt, who’s father used to repair boats, took his friend’s 24-foot-long arrow boat that was leaking gasoline and put it on top of a Chevy dump truck to make one of the most unique vehicles you could imagine. It’s so unique that Kurt says it causes car accidents when it distracts other drivers on the road. Every detail has been fine tuned from the hand-painted shark teeth to the powerful train horn. You can pack six or seven mates into the back or as many that will fit because instead of a seatbelts Kurt has installed a big roller coaster-esque lap bar, perfect for group fishing expeditions, so long as you don’t scare the wildlife...

THOUGH it may look like an authentic Chevrolet pick-up truck, the 'Ponderosa' giant is actually a bespoke vehicle. The body of a 1966 Chevrolet K30 was fused with the chassis of a 1972 Chevrolet C30. It took owner Tim, of Rtech Fabrications, over two years, around $150,000 and lots of patience to combine the two cars. Tim told Truly: "Stock is great, restoring is even better, but making something 'more' better is the best thing you can do with a vintage vehicle - the goal was to see if we could make it look like Chevrolet made this." The Ponderosa measures 20 feet in length and an impressive 8 feet in height, with a 5.9L Cummings Turbo Diesel engine and 550HP. One of the biggest challenges Tim faced was modifying the body of the cars while maintaining the authentic Chevvy feel. "The bodies are not easy to modify by any means, getting them to look original when they were never that way takes a lot of time, patience and skill." While Chevrolet enthusiasts will find the Ponderosa familiar, they won't be able to figure out what model it is, because it was never made - and that is exactly what Tim wants to achieve. Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/rtechfabrications/?hl=en

AL from the Volo Museum shows off this quirky Roller Skate Car made by Jay Ohrberg and built in the early ‘90s to align with the Mel’s diner theme where waitresses used to serve in roller skates. The giant shoe is made from a fibreglass shell and the frame was built by using miscellaneous car parts. The Roller Skate Car sits on big dragster tyres; but don’t be fooled, it’s maximum speed is just around 20 miles an hour... Al told Ridiculous Rides: "Everybody pretty much stops in their tracks when they see this thing."

TAKG inspiration from the Japanese car scene, Aquilla, from Honolulu, Hawaii has created a unique set of wheels that always turns heads when he’s out on the freeway. His special Subaru is a blend of two different car styles; the Shakotan and the Onikyan. The Shakotan style means that the car is incredibly low to the ground and has stretch tyres and the Onikyan describes the incredible amount of camber the wheels have. To say that Aquilla’s ride is a low rider would be an understatement... This Subaru V5 sits just one inch above the ground making it a super bumpy ride. Along with that, the steering wheel can only turn 180 degrees making u-turns an impossible maneuver for the driver. Despite these limitations though, Aquilla has devoted himself to perfecting the car's unique look. Occasionally he gets some comments saying the car looks a bit ridiculous but this doesn't bother him, he said: “I get lots of different opinions about my car but it doesn’t matter because I love it.”

BUILT with 'blood, sweat and tears', this Dodge Power Wagon is the definition of a 'bad a*** truck'. With a sleek-looking exterior, it is the 118th Legacy Power Wagon built by Winslow, from Driggs, Idaho, who has dedicated himself to modifying these classic pickup trucks from the 50s. The interior has kept its vintage touch while being modified to serve the modern drivers with a five-speed transmission, making the ride smooth and safe on the open road. Growing up, Winslow developed a passion for the 'larger than life machine' after being influenced by his dad who owned a Korean War Power Wagon. When Winslow first began restoring these Power Wagons in 2008, his decision was met with scepticism - but he was determined to give these pick-up trucks a new lease of life. "There's nothing that I'm more interested in than old trucks," Winslow said. "I take an enormous amount of pride in my work. These trucks are my life."

WHY slam this ride? 'Why not?' said Jake, of Choctaw, Oklahoma. Jake has been slamming vehicles for years and did not shy away when it came to this 2020 Chevy Silverado. It took four months to lower this truck and was a more complex challenge than previous projects due to the electronics on the newer model. However, the hard work paid off and the truck still does what it was intended to do. Jake told Ridiculous Rides: “A lot of people don’t understand it. They don’t understand how a truck can be this low and still haul, but they don’t understand air riding.” All four corners of this ride are on a nine-inch airbag and there’s two five-gallon tanks on the truck that hold on-board air as well as four compressors pumping air into the tank. With three different pre-sets, this truck can go low, middle and all the way up. For Jake, it is an amazing ride. He said: “It runs down the highway and attracts attention everywhere it goes.”

IN JUST over two years, a car fanatic customised his 1967 Ford Econoline Falcon Club Wagon to an ultimate low rider. Gary, from Millbrae, California, has custom-built nearly every aspect of his van, lowering the suspension, upgrading the engine and creating a mind-blowing custom paint job. The car has a chevy 4.8L engine, measures 5ft, has 300 horsepower, 6-speed automatic transmission and could reach a top speed of 120 mph. The car is so impressive that it turns heads wherever Gary drives it and has won numerous awards at car shows. Speaking to Ridiculous Rides, Gary said: “I’ve got multiple awards at the Grand Nationals and when I took it to the Autorama, it picked up a handful as well. People like the van. The van draws attention. I think that’s probably the best thing about this van. You don’t even have to like lowriding, you don’t have to like classics. You see this van drive by and it makes you smile.” Gary dates his obsession with classic rides to the time he helped his grandad work on an Impala as a kid: “New cars do nothing for me. Older ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s cars, they all were unique. They all had their own flair and they said a lot about a person.” He added: “Lowriding to me is very unique, very personal. Some say you can’t build a low rider out of a van. I say, ‘Watch me'.”