Behold the Flueguar!
The Manolo. He reads the Autoblog. Which is pretty cool, actually. The shoe/styleblogger extraordinaire tipped us off on the fabulous Flueguar. Right about now, you may be wondering, "What the %$#! is a Flueguar?"
Allow us to elaborate.
The Flueguar, seen above, is shoe designer John Fluevog's lead-sled '65 Jaguar Mk X. The car was purchased when it was just a year old by his late dad, and over time it had decomposed into a neglected hulk. For all intents and purposes, it was dead. Fluevog decided to not take the easy way out and junk the ride, however. Instead, he embarked on a restoration/modification project with the help of RX Autoworks. That collaboration resulted in the homage to English elegance and American-style hot-rodder badassedness you see here.
Follow the jump for more.
[Source: Fluevog Shoes via Manolo's Shoe Blog]
The big Brit saloon is now very much an Anglo-American hybrid (by way of British Columbia, where Fluevog is based -- maybe we should call it Anglo-North American just to be extra P.C.). The Anglo roots are still readily apparent in the passenger compartment, where the vintage Jag still shines through in the instrumentation, wheel, and beautiful wood dash. John's personal flair is also on display inside. The crocodile-stamped leather accents (check out the headliner -- beautiful) are a nod to his profession as a shoe guy, and they blend seamlessly with the car's classy interior.
The visual feast continues outside, where the Jag's original conservative looks have been jettisoned in glorious fashion. The old Mk X is now something that would look far more at home parked outside Mel's Drive-In than cruising the streets of London. Chopped, slammed and resculpted, it's something ripped from the pages of Hot Rod magazine. The front end is a minimalist take on the original Jaguar's appearance, spats completely hide the rear wheels, and those taillamps? They're from an E-Type, just mounted vertically. The two-tone scheme screams "Rodder!" and the car glides along on an air suspension, with power coming from a GM LT1 underhood.
It's a Jaguar. It's a hot rod. It's the Flueguar, and we love it completely.
Thanks to The Manolo for letting us know about it. You can read more at the John Fluevog Shoes website (where it's even immortalized on a t-shirt). Fluevog.com also has a great photo gallery showing more than what we were able to bring you here. Check it out when you have a chance.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
F451 7:16PM (6/02/2007)
I simply love it! Although it is truly hard to tell all the details from photographs it looks to be well executed.
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Bart 7:24PM (6/02/2007)
I find it funny how you call it a homage to English elegance and then proceed to list all the various ways in which they violated the original car. It's more like an insult to English elegance.
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Alex Nunez 7:28PM (6/02/2007)
Bart, that interior, though modified, remains elegant to these eyes.
HotRodzNKustoms 7:32PM (6/02/2007)
Something original! I love it! People should look at cars like this and stop building their cars out of parts warehouses. I swear if I see another '32 Ford replica/rod I'm going to explode.
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Lee Roy Brandon III 8:05PM (6/02/2007)
Absolutely stunning! I second HotRodzNKustoms' comment; this is a breath of fresh air compared to the "customs" I'm used to seeing. Makes me imagine a Citroen DS with a chopped roof and an LT1...
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Stephen 8:21PM (6/02/2007)
As an Englishman........I say it's the Dogs Bollocks !!!!(Awesome!!!!)
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felipe 9:11AM (6/04/2007)
that means awesome? dogs balls?
heres a confusing american one back....
that car is the bomb! which also means awesome .....somehow.
i'm so out of touch, getting old.
amazing car, I would drive 27mph everywhere i went
william ballough 8:21PM (6/02/2007)
Looks like a bad imitation of a 1951 Mercury lead sled.
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Barney 3:04AM (6/03/2007)
"Looks like a bad imitation of a 1951 Mercury lead sled."
I like it, but I to first thought of the "Lead-sled" too. I think it's different but not in a bad way.
chuck goolsbee 9:10PM (6/02/2007)
I've seen this car before, but it is nice to see if here on Autoblog. My only complaint is the loss of the giant Jag's original mill. Always sad to see a Jaguar get lumped with an inelegant push-rod V8. It is a crime akin to the Soviet-made Diesels in the big American cruisers in Cuba.
Seeing a Mark X always evokes that Mark Knopfler tune "5:15 AM" in my head...
...
Then beneath the bridge, he comes to a giant car.
A shroud of snow upon the roof, a Mark ten Jaguar.
He thought the man was fast asleep, silent, still and deep.
Both dead and cold, shot through with bullet holes
The one armed bandit man, came north to fill his boots.
Came up from cockneyland, E-type Jags and flashy suits.
Put your money in, pull the levers, watch them spin.
Cash cows in all the pubs, but he preferred the new nightclubs
Nineteen sixty-seven, bandit men in birdcage heaven.
La dolce vita, sixty-nine, all new to people of the Tyne.
Who knows who did what, somebody made a call.
They said his hands, were in the pot,
that he’d been skimming hauls.
He picks up the swag, they gaily gave away.
Drives his giant Jag, off to his big pay day...
--chuck
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JayP 10:48PM (6/02/2007)
It's the HotWheels Fish'd & Chip'd.
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mr.ed 12:17AM (6/03/2007)
Man, that's as classy as a white belt and loafers, with a matching doubleknit leisure suit.
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Jaymez 12:46AM (6/03/2007)
First time I've ever seen a desirable Jag.
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chuck goolsbee 4:38AM (6/03/2007)
Never seen a C-type in British Racing Green? Or a D-type in Ecurie Ecosse blue? Never seen Steve McQueen's XK-SS? How about an E-type roadster in opalescent silver blue? An E-type coupe in shimmering black? An XJ220? An XJR15?
Look around, there are plenty of Jaguars to lust after Jaymez!
--chuck
the friendly grizzly 8:08AM (6/03/2007)
It was indeed a real crime to take out the Jag engine and put in some nasty rotten (sniff!) pushrod American engine. I mean, really, old chap! You lose the charm of the Jag engine, not to mention losing another touch of English tradition. I refer, of course, to the self-lubricating garage floor.
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Paul Y 9:37PM (6/03/2007)
This is awesome. The lead-sled treatment is about the last thing I'd ever expect on a Jag, and it looks great. It's different, and that's important.
As for the engine, there are so many cooler engines than a GM crate small block. That's the only boring thing about this.
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roadside observer 10:04AM (6/04/2007)
A great-looking car. It reminds me of a Hudson Hornet. Nice job.
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