Today's restomodders, replica
builders, and tuners take an obsessive approach to performance. These
vehicles are modified to a level of detail so far beyond their original
roots that they are better described as brand-new production cars and
trucks rather than upgraded versions of the original.
Hennessey Performance Venom GTJohn
Hennessey has been creating a steady stream of high-horsepower
four-wheeled insanity since 1991. In 1993, when he turned his attention
to Dodge Vipers, a legend was born. Over the last two decades, each
generation of Hennessey Viper has produced some very serious numbers and
taken down plenty of competitors at track tests. His latest, the Venom
1000 Twin Turbo, makes and astonishing 1120 hp and runs through the
quarter-mile in 9.7 seconds.
But perhaps the company's most
interesting vehicle is the Venom GT. Here is a widened, stretched, and
modified Lotus wearing carbon-fiber bodywork. This featherweight no
longer uses a Toyota four-cylinder engine; instead, the Venom draws its
power from a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter, 1244-hp Chevrolet LSX V-8.
Woof. That pushes the car to a speed of 265.7 mph and
makes it one of the fastest in the world, and one of the world's greatest thrill machines.
Icon Thriftmaster PickupIcon began as a top-level restoration house for
Toyota Land Cruisers
back in the late 1990s, and they continue to restore vehicles to
original condition. But it is Icon's wildly reimagined Land Cruisers,
Broncos,
and Chevy pickups that take modified restoration to an obsessive level.
Company founder Jonathan Ward upgrades every aspect of these vehicles.
If suitably robust and beautiful upgrade parts don't exist, he builds
them—expense be damned.
Thriftmaster trucks, based on 1947 to 1953
Chevrolet trucks,
are marvelous performers thanks to a modern supercharged (and
emissions-legal) GM crate engine, a capable Art Morrison road race-style
chassis, and a detailed and luxurious interior. Even the doors of this
truck are cool: Icon redesigned the door's latch mechanism as well as
all the cranks and pulls, so now this door closes with a solid thunk and
the windows power up and down using the original window crank as
switches. We particularly like the bison-hide bench seat filled with
Tempur-Pedic foam cushions. Ward even re-created the original Chevrolet
font for the Icon badging on this vehicle.
Singer Vehicle Design Porsche 911For 50 years
Porsche's
911 has been an icon of performance. Though today's 911 is a
sophisticated and evolved sports machine, plenty of purists prefer the
911s of the past. Singer Vehicle Design takes some of the best
characteristics of these classic 911s and melds them with modern
technology and impeccable craftsmanship to create what many have called
the ultimate 911.
The chassis comes straight from the early
1990s 964-series 911, the last and most evolved of the air-cooled
Porsches. The flat-six cylinder engines come in either a relatively tame
3.6-liter 270-hp version or a wild 360-hp 3.6-liter version, and both
are paired to either a five- or six-speed manual.
Beyond the
specs, it's Singer's details that are truly breathtaking. Though the
body looks just like the classic 911, it's actually a new and subtly
flared custom amalgam of different models built from carbon fiber
(except for the doors), which saves about 500 pounds. Though the
exterior lighting recalls the original small bumper 1964 to 1973 cars,
the lamps themselves are modern Bi-Xenon units with polycarbonate
lenses. The brightwork around the car isn't just reproduction chrome
pieces but special nickel-plated pieces. And those wheels are cool, new
17-inch forged replicas that allow for larger tires.
Lingenfelter Performance Engineering ReaperFor
more than 40 years GM specialist Lingenfelter has produced some truly
potent machines, including stock Corvettes tuned to become monsters,
such as a 1000-hp version of today's
C7 Stingray. Their latest vehicle, the Reaper, was
unveiled recently at the Chicago Auto Show.
It's a collaborative effort between Lingenfelter and Southern Comfort
Automotive to produce a high-performance off-road truck based on the
Chevy Silverado, one aimed to rival Ford's Raptor.
Under the
hood is one of two supercharged V-8s, the more potent of which is a
6.2-liter block that's been supercharged to deliver 550 hp. The Reaper's
unique look is the result of a 3-inch taller Ride Tech suspension and
aggressive new body panels that are flared to make room for 33-inch
tires. Reapers can be ordered and delivered to select Chevy dealers and
carry a three-year warranty. We're ready to take the Reaper out to some
rough terrain to see how it stacks up against the Raptor.
Shelby American 50th Anniversary Shelby Cobra 289 FIAThe
late Carroll Shelby's legendary Cobra is the granddaddy of small-batch
tuner cars, though the term tuner seems a bit flip for such a storied
and influential supercar. But at its roots, that's what the Cobra was.
Shelby took a big Ford engine and had AC rework the chassis of their Ace
sports car to accept it. To mark the 50th anniversary of the
introduction of the 289 Cobra, Shelby American will be building just 50
limited-edition continuation Cobras with either a fiberglass body or a
more expensive aluminum one.
Plenty of companies have built
Cobra replicas over the years. But the most highly prized ones aren't
replicas at all, but this kind of "continuation"—small batch production
cars built by Shelby American. This anniversary tribute model is one of
the coolest the company has ever created.
VL Automotive DestinoThe
Destino is the one car here you can't buy yet. And frankly, we're not
sure when or if it will ever hit small-batch production. But the idea
behind the car is just too cool. VL wants to repurpose the leftover
chassis and bodies of the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karmas (the company's
assets are planned for auction on Feb. 12) by installing a new
powertrain. Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz owns half of VL and plans
to use his formidable connections to create a Corvette-powered sport
sedan with the Fisker's concept car looks.
Should the Destino reach production once
Fisker's bankruptcy proceedings
are resolved, VL says it will offer the car with either the LT1 V-8
from the current C7 Stingray or a LS9 V-8 with more than 600 hp, made
famous in the ZR1 Corvette. Katzkin, an interior-parts supplier would
handle the custom leathers and finishes for the Destino. And to give the
car a unique look upfront, there's a more traditional grill that
replaces Fisker's original.
Our fingers are crossed for this one. A four-door with Corvette power never goes out of style.
Superformance Caterham SevenSuperformance
is a small-batch builder of replica cars from South Africa whose
designs represent the legendary American performance machines of the
1960s. They include Cobras (Superformance calls them Mark IIIs), Daytona
Cobra coupes, and GT40s. Superformance cars are accurate and
well-built. Their inventory has always been heavy on brawny American V-8
sports cars.
Now, for the first time, Superformance will be the
official U.S. distributor for the Caterham Seven. It's based on the
Lotus Seven, the definition of a lightweight and rewarding open-air
sports car. When production ended, Caterham bought the rights to build
these cars from Lotus, and the Seven has been in production more or less
uninterrupted since 1957.
Caterham Sevens destined for our
shores are available in five models of increasing capability and speed.
And like the Superformance cars, the Caterhams will be sold as a rolling
chassis with third-part installation of the powertrain. Caterham says a
top-level CSR with a 260-hp 2.3-liter four-cylinder Ford engine will
hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. We can't wait to see these Caterhams on our
streets.
Legacy Classic Trucks Power WagonSave
for the Willys MB, no other American 4WD vehicle has a more decorated
military history than the WC series Dodge trucks—Power Wagons. Legacy
Classic Trucks of Jackson Hole, Wyo., has become one of the premiere
restorers and restomodders of these icons. The company offers its Legacy
Power Wagons upfitted with heavy-duty hardware, because Legacy intends
its customers to use them as real trucks.
Under that domed hood, a buyer can opt for either a modern 425-hp
Chrysler
Legacy Magnum V-8 or a 3.9-liter Cummins diesel, both backed by a
five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Why not the 6.7-liter
Cummins from today's Dodge trucks? It just won't fit. In either case,
the power gets routed to a tough Atlas transfer case and down to Dana 60
front and Dana 80 rear axles with locking differentials. That's
extreme-duty truck stuff. So is the standard 16,500-pound-capacity winch
and optional 42-inch tires. We'd have at least one of these in our
dream garage.
American Expedition Vehicles Brute Double CabJeep
hasn't had a pickup truck in its lineup since the Comanche ended
production in 1992. But in 2004 Jeep revived the idea with the
Gladiator, a name it borrowed from its mid-1960s full-size pickups and
applied to a modern concept pickup built on the bones of the modern
Wrangler.
Well,
it's 10 years later and we still don't have a Jeep pickup. But American
Expedition Vehicle (AEV) builds the Brute Double Cab to fill the void.
AEV has been building and modifying Jeep Wranglers for 15 years. The
Brute Double Cab is based on a 14-inch stretched version of the current
Wrangler Unlimited chassis and fitted with a 5-foot composite bed. The
DC350 model wears a 3.5-inch suspension lift, 35-inch-tall tires, and a
Warn winch for off-road excursions. If you have an older Jeep Wrangler
and want the utility of a pickup box, AEV has a Brute conversion for the
1997 to 2006 TJ Wranglers too.
Brabus B63S-700 6X6We've
left the wildest small-batch vehicle for last. Legendary German tuner
Brabus has taken the insane 500-plus-horsepower, 6-wheel-drive
Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6—already perhaps the most wonderfully looney
small-batch production vehicle on the planet—
and gone a little further.
Are they nuts? Of course. Thanks to new turbos supplying more boost
pressure, the 5.5-liter engine pumps out 700 hp. That's enough to move
this 9000-pound beast to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds.
There's lots
more fun stuff here too, such as the exhaust valve button on the
steering wheel for Loud or Quiet. There's plenty of carbon-fiber
bodywork to dress this beast up too. Inside, the interior gets retrimmed
in Alcantara and (in this case) fire-red leather.
