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• Lyonheart K is a Love Letter to a Legend

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 21 March 2013

  

  When the Jaguar E-Type (a.k.a. XK-E) debuted at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, it made the motoring world wet the metaphorical bed. It made the Chevrolet Corvette seem positively ancient (which it most certainly was; 1949 Chevy passenger car chassis, anyone?). It made the Porsche 356 look even more like a coachbuilt VW Beetle. And it prompted Enzo Ferrari, who was notorious for handing out praise roughly once every fifth blue moon, called it the most beautiful car in the world.

  While there may never be a car that takes the industry’s breath away quite like this shapely cat from Coventry, that hasn’t stopped Jaguar from trying to go back to the well. Nor has it stopped other companies from producing their own tributes to the immortal E. And one of the most striking in recent memory is the Lyonheart K.

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• Zagato Porsche Carrera GT is a Subtle Rework of Stuttgart’s Sublime Supercar [w/ Videos]

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 26 February 2013

  

  Although it wasn’t the fastest, most user-friendly or, arguably, even the best looking supercar even when it was new, we’re absolutely in love with the Porsche Carrera GT. From its origins as an LMP1 racecar program, to its two-piece removable roof, to its howling V10 engine, to its race-bred, small-diameter, super-grabby clutch for its old school H-pattern 6-speed manual transmission, the Carrera GT is a symphony of engineering excellence, and remains proudly inaccessible to the average reality TV starlet who got her big break courtesy of a homemade porno. As time goes on, we think it will be more coveted than the upcoming 918 Spyder and maybe – dare we say it – the 959.

  However, a bone stock Carrera GT wasn’t special enough for rally driver Ernst Berg. So he and his son approached Zagato (the legendary Italian coachbuilder) with the idea of giving their copy of Porsche’s most recent non-911-based supercar a subtle facelift. And the end result may be subtle (at least with regard to the number of reshaped or swapped out body panels), but good golly is it effective.

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• Gullwing America 300 SLC is a One-off Wonder

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 14 February 2013

  

  Although it might not be as big, exclusive or decadent as prewar ancestors like the 540K and SSK, the 1955-‘58 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc (chassis code W188) was still a grand tourer in every sense of the term. Offered in 2+2 coupe, cabriolet and roadster body styles, just 92 of these aluminum-bodied beauties were built during that first model year, with a starting price of 36,500 Deutschmarks (or just a whisker over $18,000 U.S., a colossal amount of money in 1955). Oh sure, the far sportier 300 SL got much more attention then and still does today, but the Sc is still mighty, mighty desirable.

  Skip ahead to 2013, and there’s one anonymous Eastern European car enthusiast who wants a modern take on the 300 Sc built on the bones of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. The firm he or she has tasked with designing and building this dream machine is Gullwing America, and what GWA has come up with is the 300 SLC.

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• Australian Coachbuilder Crafts a Gullwing Door Bumblebee Camaro Limo [w/ Videos]

  In Offbeat / By Tom Anderson / 29 October 2012

  

  When the production version of the fifth generation Chevrolet Camaro was first introduced, a handful of coachbuilders took to chopping the roof off the retro-sinister coupes to create convertibles. Naturally, the introduction of the Camaro Convertible eliminated the demand for aftermarket conversions. And since Chevrolet’s Mustang masher has only ever been offered to the public as a coupe and a convertible (We aren’t counting t-top coupes or the über-yummy second generation based Kammback shooting brake styling proposal.), there are no other obvious body styles for automotive body modifiers to create.

  Of course, some people would argue that creating a limousine out of the fifth gen Camaro would be an obvious choice. Sure, the whole lack-of-rear-doors thing is a definite hurdle, but the newest Bowtie pony car’s muscular styling, burbling V8 soundtrack and Transformers star status are hard to ignore. And one limo company in Perth, Australia, has not.

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• Merdad Collection Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Loses Doors and Adds Attitude

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 20 September 2012

  

  Back in the day, two-door SUVs were the rule rather than the exception. Vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Blazer, Dodge Ramcharger and International Scout served up sporty styling and impressive agility thanks to their slender wheelbases. Alas, as more and more four-door sport-utes were introduced, fewer and fewer buyers (at least in this country) were willing to make the space and ingress/egress compromises demanded by two-door SUVs. One by one, their numbers dwindled to the point that now the only one-portal-per-side SUVs offered new in the United States are the Jeep Wrangler and Range Rover Evoque (We’re ignoring the Mini Paceman as it isn’t on sale yet.). And considering both of those are also available as four-doors, who knows how much longer they’ll be available.

  Clearly, Merdad Collection isn’t happy with this trend. Why else would the British tuner go to all the trouble of converting the Porsche Cayenne Turbo into a two door? But there’s much more to this all-terrain grand tourer than some coachwork on the midsection.

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• Sub5Zero Fantasy Collection: Bentley Continental Flying Star by Touring

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 30 July 2011

  

  Last December we enshrined the first ten cars of the Sub5Zero Fantasy Collection in our imaginary Garage Mahal. These are the rides we’d procure if we were completely free of such buzz-killing constraints as production status (or lack thereof), street legality in part or all of the U.S. and, most crucially of all, financial resources. Think of it as the fleet Jay Leno would envy.

  Now, however, we have a challenge on our hands. Adding to the ten founding members might seem easy enough, but we don’t want to add just any cars to the garage. You see, cool cars of the world, it’s not enough to be expensive, exclusive, good looking or fast; you also need to have a certain “it” factor. Being at least semi-obscure also helps, something that’s rather difficult in the Information Age. But the eleventh inductee fits all of the aforementioned criteria and more…while actually being based on a really well-known model.

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• 2009 Lamborghini Murciélago by Coachbuilder Prindiville Prestige

  In Auto News / By Ari Cox / 9 June 2009

  

  Prindiville Prestige is a coachbuilder operating out of the UK that’s known for creating some pretty phenomenal one-off luxury rides. Their latest mission centered around redesigning the Lamborghini Murciélago LP-640. Prindiville customized every exterior part except the front compartment lid using all new components fashioned out of custom-made carbon fiber. The interior was fully upgraded with super rich leather and hand-finished aluminum accents throughout. We’re not sure what the total cost is but can take an educated guess that it will run you at least a mil. Check out the press release after the jump.

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