What's this car and who built it - for 1 point?:
ANYONE FOUND GIVING ANSWERS OBTAINED BY USING GOOGLE SEARCH BY IMAGE MAY BE BANNED FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD!
Experts?
Professionals?
Awila something?
Did it start life as a late-model Ford Thunderbird?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 10, 2013, 12:33:27 PM
Did it start life as a late-model Ford Thunderbird?
No - it didn't start life as anything.
It's completely scratch-built from the ground up!
European?
Built in 2012/2013?
Built 2012/13 yes, but not European.
Aussie?
South American, not?
from North America?
Homebuilt / one-off car?
FWIW, I'm pretty sure those headlights are 2002 Mitsubishi units. Not that that gets me any closer to a solution...
Quote from: Carnut on May 10, 2013, 03:30:00 PM
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 10, 2013, 12:33:27 PM
Did it start life as a late-model Ford Thunderbird?
No - it didn't start life as anything.
It's completely scratch-built from the ground up!
But it does have a proprietary chassis and engine, of course.
Sorry if I misled anyone!
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 16, 2013, 05:17:22 AM
FWIW, I'm pretty sure those headlights are 2002 Mitsubishi units. Not that that gets me any closer to a solution...
Could be, but it doesn't say on the website I sourced this puzzle from.
So it is based on some production car?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 16, 2013, 11:38:27 AM
So it is based on some production car?
It uses the chassis of a production car and of course a proprietary engine, but the body itself is completely hand-built; of course the builder will have used lights, glass etc from production cars so you could say it's a Bitsa.
Is the production car from a US brand?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 16, 2013, 02:29:14 PM
Is the production car from a US brand?
It's an American company, yes, but a multinational brand and not sure if the base was made in America or elsewhere.
Mitsubishi headlights, and a base car from American company that sells cars elsewhere - is it a Chrysler brand?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 04:59:34 AM
Mitsubishi headlights, and a base car from American company that sells cars elsewhere - is it a Chrysler brand?
No Chrysler connection..
Ford-based?
Does that roof come down or off?
The back end looks long - is it a pickup truck / 'cowboy Cadillac'?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 05:43:15 AM
The back end looks long - is it a pickup truck / 'cowboy Cadillac'?
No, it's a car.
Here's a rear view!:
That's even worse than the front! ;D
Mid-engine?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 08:19:27 AM
That's even worse than the front! ;D
Mid-engine?
The builders think it looks great...!
No, engine's at the front.
Are the builders known crack addicts?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 09:33:45 AM
Are the builders known crack addicts?
Dealers I think!
Let's take the geography route...
Did the crack dealers base their operations West of the Mississippi?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 10:11:53 AM
Let's take the geography route...
Did the crack dealers base their operations West of the Mississippi?
No, to the east of it.
North or South of the Mason-Dixon line?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 11:52:57 AM
North or South of the Mason-Dixon line?
North.. The USA is an awfully big country to narrow it down to one town!
Yes - but we've eliminated a lot of US states already. :)
Does the population of the location exceed 500,000 persons?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 12:51:18 PM
Yes - but we've eliminated a lot of US states already. :)
Does the population of the location exceed 500,000 persons?
I believe it's part of a conurbation that does, yes.
Was the state one of the original 13 US colonies?
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 17, 2013, 01:22:05 PM
Was the state one of the original 13 US colonies?
Crikey, I'm really having to gen up on my knowledge of the USA for this one!
No, it wasn't, so I believe that narrows down the location quite a bit..
Yes, it does - thanks for indulging me! ;D
I searched "Gillet", but found your car ;)
The Vertigo by Pablo and Ramon Aranda. It was built on the chassis and engine of a Ford Escort in 2012.
Very good!
The car was made by them in Grove City, Ohio, which I believe is part of the Columbus conurbation.
Apparently they think they can sell some of these and are planning to offer them for sale..
Although it was built around the Escort chassis and engine that was only to get it up and running and the engine has now been replaced by a proper American V8..
Here's what they say about their baby:
QUOTE
Within minutes of rolling the bright red sports car to the curb of their South Side auto shop, Pablo Aranda saw drivers circling the block to get another look at the car's blown-out contours and four-pipe exhaust. "Is that the new Corvette?" one passerby asked Aranda and his father Ramon. "If this car were at a dealership," he continued, "I'd trade in my new Cadillac CTS."
It's exactly the kind of reaction the Arandas hope to garner from private investors or an established automaker who can manufacture the car they're calling Vertigo. Building this radically different sports car is the reason they emigrated from Argentina in 2000 and opened Metro Collision a year later.
Instead of using computers or blueprints, they eyed up measurements and traced ideas on old pizza boxes. They fashioned their own hand tools to form body panels, taillight mounts, a branded interior console and other parts. They chip in cash and labor when they can and are aware of the difficult odds in marketing a grassroots car. But that won't stop them from trying, Aranda says.
"With all the cars now, it's just a copy of a blueprint or another branch from the main tree," says Aranda, who's spent three years building alongside brothers Martin and Gustavo, as well as his father, who's worked in garages since he was 11. "It's nice to see something different."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the photo above...
•Art meets aerodynamics on the hood. Air enters through twin intakes and leaves through a central outlet, cooling the V-8 and keeping the ride grounded at high speeds.
•Vertigo's name gleams across a rear body panel, down a leather console and in the hood-ornament logo—a lady flying over a shiny, bold V. "You have your name, you're proud of it," Aranda says. "You want something where people say, 'Look what I got!'"
•The Arandas wanted side optics to emphasize showy contours and highlight the two-tone color scheme—Ferrari red and a house-made chalky tan.
•Shattering sports-car convention, the large trunk was designed to fit two golf bags. "If you want to go golfing and show off your car," Aranda explains, "this is the way to do it."
•Side panels were designed to marry new with old: Aggressive modern lines meet the sumptuous accents of vintage models like a 1951 Chevy Bel Air garage mate.
•Air channeled by flared, ribbed side intakes cools wheels that can torch at high speeds. An exaggerated design shows off artistic chops
UNQUOTE
Wow - check out the video. Seeing it in three dimensions is a treat...
"Is that the new Corvette?"
"Is that your crack pipe?"
Quote from: Otto Puzzell on May 22, 2013, 04:16:47 PM
"Is that the new Corvette?"
Think that guy must have been blind..!