I was over at Autoholics.com when I spied this crazy Nissan 240sx with the front end of a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am grafted onto it. Granted this is not my personal taste, but it got me thinking about what other front end conversions have been done. Through the years I’ve seen a lot of GM and Ford conversions, but with the crazy amounts of imports roaming the streets I just figured, what the hell… they’ve got to be out there. Enter VWVortex.com, one of the coolest forums around and home to some really funky rides. After a quick bit of searching I came up with 7 wild front end conversions that are sure to make you do a double take.

• 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera w/ 1973 Carrera RSR Front

• Dodge Magnum w/ Dodge Charger Front

• Chevrolet El Camino w/ Pontiac Grand Prix Front

• Ford Ranger w/ Ford Mustang Front (This is awful)

• Nissan Titan w/ Infiniti QX56 Front

• Subaru WRX w/ Saab 9-2x Front

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of strange engine swaps. I’ve seen a Chrysler slant-six in an old Fiat, a BMW diesel in a 1966 Ford Thunderbird and even a Chevy LS3 V8 shoehorned into an MG Midget. The one you see above however has to be one of the more interesting ones I’ve come across. What we have here is likely the result of a bet that occurred between two buddies on a drunken Friday night. This is a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible, or at least it was until someone decided to stuff a big Chrysler 426 HEMI into it. Apparently the original 3.8-liter 218 hp V8 wasn’t enough to motivate this little roadster along, thus the need for the big elephant.

Execution wise this is a pretty clean install. The original Mercedes hood has not only been modified to accommodate the shaker scoop, but the builders have also managed to incorporated in the trim ring. What’s really amazing though is that they actually got that HEMI to fit under that bonnet. I mean it’s wedged in there, but it doesn’t look like they had to cut any of the cars original sheet metal. Despite the fact that the car looks like the great pumpkin, it must still be a star at every car show it attends. Gotta’ love it when people think outside the box…

As automotive journalists being able to obtain press cars is a definite perk of the job, but Jay Leno is on an entirely different level. Obviously we’ve shown segments of Jay Leno’s Garage on here before, and for good reason… Jay gets his hands on EVERYTHING. Take this beautiful Jaguar CX-75 concept car that was recently the talk of the 2010 Paris Auto Show. What makes the CX-75 concept so special is that it is powered by two jet turbines, which in turn power electric motors, making it an extended range super car. This car was never intended to see production, but instead built to pay homage to 75 years of Jaguar heritage and showcase their existing technology. Personally, I think it’s kinda’ cool in a futuristic Jetson’s kinda’ way, and who knows, we may just be looking at the future of automobiles.

Source: Carmag.co.za

Experience trucking without the endless hours of asphalt, amphetamines, and rest-stop trysts. Lil Big Rig can turn your old pickup into a tiny semi truck, complete with dual axels out back, a sleeper cab (with back seats instead of a bed), and big chrome stacks. The shop offers two conversion kits: The Lil Pete and the Lil Kenny. The Pete, pictured above, is a perfect recreation of a classic Peterbilt rig while the Kenny is a shrunken version of a modern Kenworth truck. The kits work with 1980s-1990s Ford F-250 two-wheel drive, 1973-1987 Chevrolet or 1994-2003 Dodge Ram pickups. The price to build the ultimate truck toy? About $13,000.

It used to be that having an ordinary 9 to 5 job was not all that uncommon. People would wake-up early, jump in the car or hit the trains and make their way into work to promote a nice healthy economy. Times in this country have changed however and nowadays people are trying to hold onto any job they can get their hands on. There are however a select few who have been able to turn what they love to do as a hobby into their job. Meet Bob Maddox, an Oregon carpenter, who is not only good with a hammer and nails, but with jet bikes as well… that’s right, I said jet bikes. Take his latest creation for example that was constructed for a private racer.

The bike houses a single pulse jet engine, puts out 250 lb-ft. of torque and runs on 87 octane fuel. The supposed top speed is over 200 mph, a number that has yet to be achieved by the bikes new owner. My top speed on a motorcycle is 189 mph, but that was on a modern sport bike with a traditional 4-cylinder engine. To do over 200 mph on this thing though, well, you’ve got to be one part serious racer, and two parts lunatic.

Source: Wired.com

Now here’s one that even threw me for a loop. You see Harley Davidson is synonymous with many things, none of which have anything to do with speed, performance and handling. Yet here we are looking at a four-wheeled roadster that is powered by a big 120 cu. in. Harley Davidson V-twin that is linked by a drive shaft to a rear mounted, sequential shift trans-axle. It’s a pretty cool little rig actually. According to the eBay ad from which these pictures stem, this little bugger was designed by a couple of retired Ford engineers and test driven by former Nascar driver Ricky Rudd. Now, I have no idea how this thing drives and performs, and just be cause it was built by a few retired engineers that still doesn’t mean it’s any good. It is definitely intriguing though.

The question though is, why not use something better than a Harley engine? I mean I have no doubt that a modern day four-cylinder mill out of something like a Hayabusa would have fit in there just fine, so why begin the project with a lumpy antiquated V-twin that only revs to 5500 rpm?

Maybe it’s me, but for the $60,000 or so that the ad states this thing cost to build, I’d have preferred something like an Ariel Atom. It is one hell of a conversation piece though, I’ll give it that.

… that’s the age old question isn’t it? If you could have one car that fits all of your needs and wants, what exactly would it be. I go through this dilemma on a daily basis as I am always on the lookout for my next new ride. Americans as a whole live in their automobiles as we use them for everything from going to the store, to taking the kids to soccer practice, to hitting the race track on the weekend. Therefore when the subject of buying a car comes up, the process is nowhere near as easy as people think. You’ve got to consider price, usage, seating, storage space, MPG, performance and most of all, you’re lifestyle. Ask someone what they could buy if their funds were unlimited and odds are they’d choose some sort of exotic. Ask them again, but this time interject that it will be the only car that they can have, and all of a sudden their answer may change.

We are living in an automotive renaissance ladies and gentlemen and from an enthusiast standpoint, the automobiles that are being produced today are the best the world has ever seen. Safety features, performance and styling have reached peak levels and so far show no signs of slowing down. Now, while that’s all well and good, that doesn’t change the fact that regardless of what your purchasing, you will in some way have to compromise.

For example, my current car, a 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8, is a wonderful machine on all levels, however it was a compromise. I needed something with 4-seats that could cart around some boxes and at the same time stand up to some light track duty. At the time, and for my price range the big Maggie was the only ride out there that fit the bill. Would I have liked to have gone out and purchased a used Z06 or 911… absolutely, but they simply did not fit the bill for me. With all of the above being said I’m curious to know how you guys came to driving the cars you drive today, and if they truly fit your lifestyle.

Steve Saint is a missionary that has done what countless others have tried to do and failed, he’s built a flying car that actually works. While doing the Lord’s work down in Ecuador, Saint saw the need for a vehicle that needed to be simple, economical and very intuitive, thus he began working on the i-Tec Maverick. By utilizing a 170-hp, flat-four engine out of a Subaru, a ram-air wing which is similar in design to those used on powered parachutes and light a fabric concealed frame, the Maverick is able to combine flight with light weight and performance. The main goal when developing a successful frontier vehicle, according to Saint was that:

“it must be rugged and easy to service in remote areas, use widely available automotive fuel, and be able to fly over terrain when the roads inevitably fail. The Maverick is designed to meet – and exceed – these requirements, and do so in an efficient and straightforward manner.”

Approved for flight by the FAA, Saint hopes to have the Maverick on sale by July 2011, just in time for AirVenture 2011: The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration. Price on the Maverick is said to be around $84,000, which isn’t that bad for this wild two-for-one combo. Apparently the Lord does work in mysterious ways…

Next week the Las Vegas Convention Center is going to be overwhelmed with cars and trucks from the automotive aftermarket. You see it’s SEMA time once again and companies are getting ready to bring out their creations for the world to see. One such company is HPP (Heide Performance Products), a company that you may remember brought us their interpretations of the classic Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Daytona. Well this year HPP is back at SEMA, but this time they’ve jumped on the GM bandwagon with their new renditions of a classic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro.

We’ve seen all sorts of different Camaro kits before, but what’s really catching my eye is the Trans Am. Usually I am not a fan of builds like this, but I have to tell you that this one is pretty damn good. From the dual hood call-outs, to the sculpted front end, to the rear taillights, HPP put some serious time into this car.

They’ve managed to get in some little details like the PMD center caps on the wheels, as well as the little Firebird logos on the quarters – both nice touches. As of right now there are no details about pricing for the Trans Am or Camaro conversions, hopefully though the price of the kit won’t eclipse the price of the actual donor Camaro.

Source: Heide Performance Products (HPP)

The Bullrun Rally always manages to draw a bunch of quality cars and this years run was no exception. The rally began in New York City, something that worked out well for me as it gave me a chance to run down and check out some of the great rides that would be participating in this years event. One car that immediately caught my eye was the new Chevrolet Camaro based Firebreather. When news of the new Camaro hit the streets back in 2008, everyone wanted to know if it would have a stablemate in the form of a new Trans Am or Firebird. Unfortunately the short answer was a simple “No”, but that didn’t stop Classic Design Concepts from creating their own version of the Trans Am/Firebird. Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire takes us through the concept, production and reactions as he piloted the Firebreather at this years Woodward Dream Cruise.