
Wow. We know that there are millions of people out there who can't stand having a stock vehicle parked in their garage. For these folks, a car isn't theirs until it has been personalized -- vanity plates, bumper stickers, cold air intakes, DUBS, whatever. But for a few people a car is a totally blank canvas. No mere add-ons will sate their hunger for self-expression. For these
twisted artistic souls, nothing is off limits when it comes to modifications. And so we have the Art Cars. Outrageous paint jobs depicting just about every conceivable theme are the norm, but for some particularly gifted individuals, paint is
so five years ago. Why paint a car when you can cover it with driftwood? Or apply thousands of cigarette butts to it instead? And although
huge rear spoilers can be found tacked onto some of the most improbable vehicles in the real world, these cartists (car artists) like to add things like scale models, shells, buildings, and propellers to their rides. Sister blog
Gadling recently attended an art car parade in Berkeley (we assume), and posted a few dozen pics for all to see. Click over and check them out for yourselves. We're rather partial to the child's racer bed complete with functioning racetracks, although that Isetta looks splendid as a bubble plane. And while we have no idea what it's supposed to be, the vehicle above certainly takes the cake in the more-is-more category.
[Source: Gadling]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
p.bubel @ Apr 26th 2007 11:10AM
"Sister blog Gadling recently attended an art car parade in Berkeley (we assume)..."
While usually a safe assumption, this doesn't look like it took place in Berkeley. Besides, the first and largest Art Car Parade was and still is in Houston of all places. They even have an Art Car Museum.
http://www.answers.com/topic/houston-art-car-parade
http://www.answers.com/topic/artcar-museum
ckathens @ Apr 26th 2007 11:10AM
Sure doesn't look like Berkeley to me - i'm pretty sure that's somewhere in Florida, especially since most of the license plates seem to be from Florida.
Matt @ Apr 26th 2007 12:38PM
I think that's a 60 or 61 Imperial, i dunno about the rear end of it though... weird.
BigTeebo @ Apr 26th 2007 12:57PM
I was hoping I would see the stiletto heel car(which is a reverse trike), which blows the doors off of most of those cars. Instead of putting toys,etc on a vehicle, it is a nicely crafted original.
onefastvw @ Apr 26th 2007 1:19PM
Art Car parade in Houston is on May 11th this year. Haven't been in the museum, but can't be much there. Hard to miss, sticks out like a sore thumb.
Barney @ Apr 26th 2007 5:59PM
To bland. Needs more chrome.
Frank in L.A. @ Apr 26th 2007 6:39PM
hahaha reminds of Ghostbusters!!!!
Kendall Tawes @ Apr 26th 2007 9:05PM
That's a Mercedes Benz Estate actually. It may contain parts from an Imperial but mostly it's a stretched out Benz.
Azrael4h @ Apr 26th 2007 10:36PM
That in no way deserves to be mentioned in the same page as Ghostbusters' Ecto-mobile. That took a classic, hacked it apart and added masses of random and insane things to it for the sake of proving that the owner is unfit for society. The Ecto at least had a fictional purpose to the equipment, and the car's lines were left intact. Down to the rear impalers.
Matt @ Apr 27th 2007 12:42AM
If you expected something convential, then you've chosen the wrong venue to seek it. "Taste" as defined by this group is radically different from what most Autobloggers might consider "taste".
I would consider this perspective before giving the article such an offensive title. Claiming these artists have "no taste" is drastically different from admitting that YOUR taste might not be the same as theirs.
EArtCar @ May 3rd 2007 9:45AM
This art car event was in Lake Worth, FL. The car in the photo is called the "Finn Jet" and is two Mercedes welded together along with other goodies.
Kevin @ May 3rd 2007 6:09PM
Looks like someone spent some time in the philippines oogling Jeepneys