This has got to be a first for WTF Friday; a mid engine car that’s been created by simply moving the motor from under the hood to behind the front seats.
Built by a Denver based  ‘master Saab mechanic’ this 900 appears to have no other visible modifications outside of reverse mounted wheels, a makeshift firewall, and a vent added to the roof.
Why is not listed in the ad, but one could argue that a serious advantage to this ‘conversion’ is that it’s easier to access through the hatch than the clamshell hood.
Bonus: On the topic of moving motors round I found this s10 awhile back but couldn’t find any more photos so I might as well post it today in hopes of more info. It’s got no motor under the hood but one curiously located between the cab and bed.
Site Updates
I’ll be at Meeting of The Mazda’s Sunday but there are a few other events also. Info below:
Flashback Friday
Still looking for first hand accounts of this one running….anyone?
Historically Vagkraft has been a show I have always enjoyed due to it’s laid back nature, great organization, and incredibly large turnout.
Last year I ran into a bit of a scheduling conflict and was unable to attend but this year I cleared all that up in advance allowing me to head over to the Powerade Centre in Brampton for a few hours and see what was up.
As expected I wasn’t disappointed and there were more than a few awesome cars to shoot. I also said what’s up to a few of the regulars and managed to stay out of the sun enough to avoid heat stroke.
Good day.
One of my first stops was the Air Assisted Booth……this Ford was a big reason why.Shayan aired out sans bagsReally liked this… should I ever need a wagon…Manolo’s latest projectHe’s certainly got a way with BMWs……as does his brother Carm on the left, and the owner of the m3 on the rightThe owner described this picture on facebook as “his two loves” wonder which he loves more…One of these days I should see if my car can three…Not sure why this caught my eye but it didReally like the wheel finish on this car, works very well with the paint in my opinionThe air install was quite nice also, though I wonder how loud the compressor is mounted in a tool boxSpeaking of trunk setups I finally got to take a look at Natalia’s (though I forgot to take a pic of her car)Such a cool ideaGarage 16’s trendy trikeTalked to the gentleman that brought this car out for awhile, turns out he’s actually working on it for a friend who’s studying abroad.. lucky guyRyan holding it down for LukaSportz alongside an awesome CabEvery time I see Ryan’s car I feel bad for not keeping mine cleanerThis car was actually  awesome
Nice to see this car making it’s round on the Luxury Abstract wheelsBagged new Beetle on custom Boyd Coddington wheels, incredibleFifteen52 snowflakes look massive on this little GTIZender Wideboy ScrioccoWith an Eaton m90The way the wide body is somewhat reminiscent of the stock e30 m3 bodyand the rear somewhat reminds me of an older Volvo model that slips my mind..This ‘rocco was quite bad ass sadly my under hood shots didn’t really turnoutI’d love to see this run somewhere
Boosted GTI on 15×10 Diamond racing wheelsI actually saw car out cruising yesterday on my way homeMore diamondsLove these two cars……the wheel/paint/and suspension choices on both is perfect…Stunning!This GLI had a lot of work but into it by Chop ShopSpotless. Simply spotless.Kevin did an awesome job with the hard-line set-up tooCan’t recall the last one of these I’ve seen modified out in the wildGoing to end the coverage with these two cars….Rotiform LHR’s I think? Looked great either way
I’m not exactly sure how or when it happened but BMX riders have managed to successfully infiltrate nearly every area of the car scene.
From pro level riders with awesome cars, to pro level drivers with a bikes they tinker with during the off season, the BMX/car crossover is simply impossible to ignore.
Today’s Theme Tuesday is a small sampling of the connections I’ve worked out so far and since it doesn’t include most of the people I know locally expect a part two to come along at some point.
I’ve tried to include a photo or video of all the riders mentioned beneath each of their cars.
You all obviously know that Nigel From Engineered to Slide is building this sick drift uteBut did you know he rides too?Ryan Tuerck has become pretty via his Tuerck’d web series……but he’s also been known to on occasion shred a BMX
Pat Cyr also used to ride, in fact he still has a Standard Trailboss he refuses to sell… sadly I couldn’t find a pic of him on itRob Nolli was one of the first pro riders I ever read who was interested in cars. This is (reportedly his) Monte Carlo SS I seem to recall him having a badass ‘vette too
As some of you might remember I ran into Andrew Farris at SEMA this year. He retired from BMX to build cool cars like this
TJ Lavin was one of the forerunners of the dirtjumping game from about 2000-2005 he ended up taking a gnarly crash a few years back but pushed through and owns a bunch of cool cars including this oneTJ can also table like a son of a bitchHeath Pinter is a well known car guy and builder in the scene as well as a trail shredderHeath actually built this car for motocross rider Cary Heart and Pink footed the billHeath is also quite good at tablesDominic Biro is a rider/fabricator out of Jersey who actually built a lot of the suspension components on my car and drives this TIMost creative sticker bomb I have seen in awhileDom is also friends with fellow shredder and pro rider Jared Washington who drives thisJared’s car was actually featured on Hella Flush a few years back
http://vimeo.com/36145531
Jim Bauer is the creative director at Odyssey BMX and happens to own not one……but two amazing PorschesJim is also the furthest thing from scaredScotty Cranmer is living large, in addition to a few Evos he owned theseThen this……and now this
Lastly I’ve got to end with this. Jack Hartje jumping Matt Knapp to flat. Sure it is two people but it is also awesome
If anyone could find photos of Ralph Sininsi’s old VW’s or John Purse’s 454 SS that would be sweet!
The 2013 Toronto Fitted Lifestyle event brought together some of the finest cars the GTA has to offer and one car that stood out among the field was Mathew Barrada’s immaculate s14. Shimmering in the sun the way only a car coated in pearlescent paint can it is a stunning example of the less is more philosophy.
Every time I’ve seen the car since it has never failed to catch my eye and today via the lens of Chris Johnston this stunning s14 is visible in a non show setting.
Mat’s car is remarkable in it’s simplicity. There’s no wild aero, no retina burning paint, no stickers, no gimmicks, no single mod shouting above the rest in a desperate attempt for your attention.
It is rather the combination of a few subtle changes that gives the car an appeal that is hard to ignore.
The ever fitting Work Meister wheels –which measure out at 18×9.5/10.5 and -1 all around– are wide enough to not look dainty at any angle, but not overly large to the point where Mat has to worry about munching quarters or throwing a bead when he puts the car through it’s paces and test the limits of the Kaaz two-way differential.
Keeping the ride refined, and at a height the car should have come at from  the factory, is virtually the entire catalog of Powered By Max suspension and chassis components.
Under the hood there isn’t a fire breathing beast of a motor but rather a rebuilt stock KA that’s proven it’s worth once and is ready for a second go round should Mat wish to leave well enough alone and not swap it out.
In a time where many are going to the most extreme measures to own a car that sticks out Mat has opted to skip the pissing contest to ‘break necks’ and instead build something that suits his style and needs perfectly.
In doing so he has not only created a stunning car but also managed to strike the perfect balance between aggressive fitment and day-to-day driveability. Congratulations Mat, you sir are doing it right.
While I was at Torque Modified, a little closer to home in Mississauga Tires 23 was holding a charity BBQ/show and shine as a show of thanks for the years of support they’ve received from the community.
In addition to free food, the event had speciality trophies, giveaways, raffles, and live music and at the end of the day Tires 23 raised $1,022 for Credit Valley Hospital.
It’s always good to give back and it’s great to see a local shop like Tires 23 do just that, not to mention someone also walked away with a free set of Work Wheels!
The Tires 23 Â headquartersA sample of the wheel selection at Tires23They carry Work OZ, BBS, SSR, Enkei, and HRE among othersQuick look at some of the vendors in attendanceA few of the prizes including best wheels and loudest exhaustThere was a ‘Turbo’ display for the kids and this for the adultsA couple classic air cooled guys rolled out…In addition to a number of high end builds
This reminds me that it has been far too long since I’ve been to a Street Classics eventIt would appear as though someone in the GTA has a Morris Minor!Clubman on SSRs? Not badAccord rolling inRyan’s Mazda 3 on SSRs, He’s the one who shot today’s coverageNever seen this Celica on NUE’s around before. Not a bad look at allS14 on two different sets of wheels that actually look pretty good togetherSic Ryde’s dually which he should really just bag already….NSX somewhat wrapped recently wrapped by Restyle itCloser look at the NSX on CR-KaisI don’t see theses nearly often enoughJon Perm’s Silvia projectHe took home most aggressive wheelsSince I’m watching Avengers I’ll end things off with this Ironman themed AudiGenius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist
While browsing one of my favourite threads on s10forum (most hacked shit ever seen) Â I stumbled upon this truck that at a first (very quick) glance looked like a cool project but as I scrolled down I was reminded exactly what thread I was browsing through.
Bodied, tube framed, swapped, and RHD this truck has all the right ingredients for cool truck but the overall execution leaves just a hair to be desired.
This was the first picture I saw that peaked my interest…I was intrigued further still by this back half that has a very non traditional rear and and it appears as though the frame is the air tankThis image does a better job of showing how the suspension worksBut then….That’s not a whole lot of floor…Hrm…
After these photos were posted another member posted a link to the build thread where more pictures of this truck could be found:
I’m hoping it’s just the photo but this looks really crookedBlack was a better look than the whiteThe body at some point or anotherThe chassis in all it’s glory
Also the icing on the cake is this video of the owner driving it earlier in the build with a jack stand supporting the rear suspension.
The stand predictably falls out and the truck lays out hard enough to lift the rear wheels off the ground. Funny how that happened pretty well in the best place it could have.
This weekend my friend Jon will be covering CSCS for the site while I will be at Vagkraft. Info for both events is below:
Additionally the new shirts are complete and I will be picking them up tonight. Stay tuned for a store update but for those local I will have them at Vagkraft.
Flashback Friday
I know it wasn’t all that long ago but here is what an extremely well done frame looks like.
I’ve yet to quite master the art of being in more than one place at a time and last year one of the many events that fell victim to this deficiency of mine was Torque Modified which took place the same day as Meeting Of The Mazdas.
After hearing nothing but good things about the first event I shuffled some things around to make sure I could make it out the the second annual show and I wasn’t disappointed in the least.
The turnout was great, the vibe was right, and there was good variety which is something I always appreciate.
It doesn’t hurt that the organizer is also an awesome guy who supports as many other events as he can so it’s really great to see his own do well. If you don’t typically attend a lot of shows east of the city but have always been interested I would recommend considering this one for next year.
Since I was in their neck of the woods I rolled up and parked with the folks at Taylor’d CustomsFollowing this truck to the venue I was glad Blair didn’t (completely) lay the bumper down and shower me in sparksEscalade laid out on 28sJon’s Genesis parked up beside a very interesting V6 GenUnder the hood a few changes are noticeable…….but the real business is hidden under the car. Those numbers are at very low boost too!Can’t say I see a lot of Biscaynes  at shows I attendThis General was one of a few ‘starcars’ in attendanceIt occurred to me that I don’t think I’ve ever shot a photo of this IS300 befroeNice to see this bagged GTP still around and looking cleanRyan recently Plastidipped his girlfriend Civic……as well as his ownHe ended up taking home the 30lb best stance awardAmong the surprisingly large 3 turnout was this functionally set up Speed3Jamie’s Mazda3 ended up taking home best MazdaMark’s A3 clipped Golf……which is now on style 5sHis wife’s CF Widebody TibKplayground’s line-upOmar’s bagged e36 on X5sThis static A4 also looked great on X5sAvant tuckin’ at all four cornersThis Camaro belongs to ‘Got Ass’ model Kayja Rassweiler who is evidently a huge Hello Kitty fanJaved’s EL with it’s eye popping orange accentsJohn Wakely posted up in the Croftgate Canada boothLast year thieves stole a lot of items from Tim’s engine bay… ever resilient he built it up getterA bigger turbo was one of the recent additionsAlways been a huge fan of Tim’s trunk floor set-up, matches well with his interior while being clean and differentSuper clean first gen CivicHarvin brought out his #melloyellow370 and his girlfriend joined with her FR-SWide-body Skyline on Work VS-KF wheelsCommon Ground trucks bracketing Tim Atkinson’s S10Geoff’s Mazda caught in the reflection of Tim’s wheelsA non reflected look at his truckI’m always a fan of great pinstrippingEither the kid in the background really likes Tim Atkinson’s truck or he thinks it is a good place to poop…Tim reppin for his company Atkinson CustomsFlip-flop Mazda rolling out a little earlyJames took home best mini truckGary’s Ranger ended up in second place in the minitruck classBrandon convincing another show goer that bags are the way to go while Gary hits sidesChris enjoying his trucks first full season on the roadThis should look pretty killer once it is all painted againSome of you may remember this truck from the last limbo contest I shotLimo contents are not quite the same with Miss Danielle….Bagged Infiniti on Concavo wheels making it through the earlier stages of the limboStatic Jetta just making it throughGary ended up being out at this height, valiant effort howeverTim showing just how low he’s able to driveThe winner ended up being this Autozam which had no issues at any height
From what I understand the ‘rules’ for owning an air cooled Beetle are a little different than those of your average car or truck. Certain years you are basically free to do whatever you please without much scrutiny, while some years if you so much as repaint them people will request your head on a spike.
I’ve heard things get so strict that people would rather their parts sit and rot in a shed than go to a project they “don’t agree with”.
The simple idea of a Volksrod most likely offends the most crotchety of traditional Beetle enthusiasts, as well as traditional hot rod enthusiasts theoretically making Volksrod builders a tight knit community of outsiders.
When you think about it that is pretty cool and what hotrodding was in the very beginning…
Anyway on the heels of a fairly popular post on the fanpage here is a Volksrod Theme Tuesday.
This build is currently ongoing on Stance|WorksWhile the build above is ongoing this one known as the Lexi bug seems to have come to a complete stopLooks like an awesome place to take photos… also reminds me of Red Dead Redemption‘Street Rod’ Volksrod?This particular one reminds me a little bit of a truck I saw at AutoramaNo matter what the theme Speedhunters seems to have something for itThis is the same car from a different sourceEvidently that motor is from a CorvairLove some good rakeTotal Car Magazine has the feature on this oneAnother truck looking oneIf you google ‘Volksrod’ this is one of the first to pop up, it’s a classicLove how this is bare metalRag topped Volksrod from Belgium via Fast Car‘Das Speedster’ which is an incredible buildStarted as a rusty shell… ended up a rotary powered Volksrod. Tons of build pics here
Going to end things with this insane looking (and sounding) GSXR powered Volksrod:
Anyone who has ever worked in the customer service industry has likely heard the saying The customer is always right.
This ‘rule’ even applies when a customer requests a vehicle that is strong enough to drive through anything in it’s path (including an Tornado) while simultaneously being powerful enough to attain a lofty speed goal of 300 kilometres an hour.
Despite being a pretty ridiculous request custom vehicle builder Jack Holt built it anyway, even after the buyer turned out to be “your typical Hollywood flake” who vanished when the bill got to high.
No longer having a deadline the end product took Jack eight years to construct and clocking in at 9 tons this behemoth known as the Screamin’ Eagle is now used at car shows and charity events in Canada and the United States.
He had to make a few changes from the original plans in order to make it street legal but it is still essentially a freight train on wheels powered by an 8 cylinder 2 stroke Detroit Diesel motor.
With the help from a single turbo (duals were played with briefly) the power plant –originally intended for use in tug boats and the like– puts out 1020 horsepower and unrecorded amounts of torque. However for street use he keeps the boost turned down to a manageable 700 or so horsepower.
You can also sleep in it.
It’s a really weird but at the same time pretty interesting.
More photos here on Bug Lugs Flickr and here’s a video where Jack talks about the vehicle.
Site Updates
I performed a little bit of maintenance to  the site last weekend, mostly some behind the scenes work that not many will notice but hopefully the commenting lag that plagued the site for the last few months is gone.
I also made a few small revisions to the store because the next shipment of T-Shirts is set to arrive in about two weeks. Previously I had mentioned going with a pre order model but after some careful investing and I was able to get some stock ordered instead.
Below is a proof of two of the five designs that will be up in the store soon, one of which is an old favourite.
Event wise I will be at Torque Modified on Sunday while a friend of mine covers the Tires23 event in Mississauga, info about both shows is below:
Flashback Friday
Tried to think of the last giant diesel powered thing I posted before and it would have to be this Ford posted in 2011.
Travelling, studying, and living abroad is often a once in a life time opportunity and those fortunate enough to do so are usually forced to sacrifice quite a bit. In fact it is regularly said that the best philosophy to have when living life on the road is to pack light and never acquire items you are not willing to walk away from at a moments notice.
For car enthusiasts, this mentality can be a bit of a problem because very few of us are willing to give up our cars, or passion for modifying them, at the drop of a hat.
Neil, who’s main residence is –or perhaps the correct term now would be was– here in Toronto has spent the last few years darting back and forth across the pond where on one side he had a very nice bagged MKVÂ and on the other he had… well nothing really.
Obviously that needed to change so after a brief search Neil scooped up a MKII Jetta as his European runabout and in short order it was wound down on Weitic coils with Mcguyvered skateboard wheels serving as bump stops.
After initially fitting Porsche ‘teledials’ to the car and not being quite satisfied Neil embarked on a search for something a little more unique. A little treasure hunting later and he wound up with a completely one off set of Image Racing Wheels.
Originally built for a 90’s Jaguar race car (and thought forever lost by the manufacturer) these 16×9 splits have been re-drilled to 4×100 and given a proper refurbishing.
Now they are an exceptional, unique, period correct addition that work great with the stock Euro MK2 exterior.
Of course wheels and a drop are not the end of the plans Neil has for the car and the future will see the slightly modified 1.6L motor yanked in favour of a force fed VR6.
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