It takes a special kind of custom car to become so famous that it inspires a model kit. It is even more remarkable when a toy or model car is so iconic that it inspires the construction of a full-sized version. I’m not talking about models and toys based on mass-produced (or even limited production) production vehicles. I speak of those iconic one-off custom cars that either captured the minds of so many kids (and dads) that it was recreated as a model kit or Hot Wheels car, or a full-sized custom car replica of a toy that came first.
DIFFICULTY: Some obvious low hanging fruit, but bound to get tough pretty quickly.
As always, read the comments and avoid duplicate posts.
HINT: Embed images with standard HTML (those crazy BBCode forum tags in square brackets won’t work).
By Peter Tanshanomi
Tanshanomi is Japanese [単車のみ] for "motorcycle(s) only." Though primarily tasked with creating two-wheel oriented content for Hooniverse, Pete is a lover of all sorts of motorized vehicles.
Kamil Kaluski
These two are sort of close:
<img src="http://www.odinartcollectables.com/images/ExspressLane.jpg"width=600>
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/1575120936_d9d48bb1d6_o.jpg"width=600>
By far the coolest and the least practical A100 ever built.
<img src="http://www.petersen.org/images/Exhibitimages/Full%20size%201964%20Deora.jpg"end>
This one came along four years later.
<img src="http://onlineredlineguide.com/Deora_Green.jpg"end>
Nailed it on the second post. Well done.
Did you know both versions of the Deora are modeled after the ass-ends of Ford station wagons?
Ah Yes, another bit of automobile trivia that will never earn me one red cent. Good to know though! Thanks Jo.
Pretty much anything George Barris did for TV in the 1960s or 1970s qualifies.
Batmobile (actually all Batmobiles)
Monkee Mobile
both Munster Mobiles
Beverly Hillbillies Truck
Once again, George Barris did NOT create the MonkeeMobile – Dean Jeffries did. Barris only bought one of the two that Jeffries made.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeemobile
With a tip of the hat to the Saucy Minx, here is the Car that Rust built (Rust Heinz, that is. I wonder if he waited for it with an-ti-ci-pay-shun).
<img src="http://www.autoweteran.gower.pl/concept/1938_Phantom_Corsair.jpg"width=500>
and its tiny companion
<img src="http://www.southtexasdiecast.com/hwguide/images/600/656a.jpg">
Whattadrag!
<img src="http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2007/02/isetta_whattadrag.jpg">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/Rdo6tTwDcDI/AAAAAAAADZo/LyVU7Um5oOU/s400/hotwheels.jpg">
thanks, that was first thought as well.
That is so much bloody win. Thanks!
can we include vehicles that were spawned from vidya games??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL9Y7EyCEx4
<img src="www.leehehe.com/images/hot_wheels_twin_mill.jpg">
Twin Mill!
<img src="http://www.petersen.org/images/Exhibitimages/Full%20Size%20Twin%20Mill.jpg"/>
The full size Boyd Cottington Shezoom
<img src="http://www.flamingwheels.pl/artykuly/zdjecia/publicystyka/chezoom/image001.jpg"end>
and the Hot Wheels one.
<img src="http://www.57heaven.net/pics/gallery/hw/GA_HW_Chezoom.jpg" end>
I'm not one of those grouchy "stock is better" purists but in this case I'll make an exception.
The Mattel Hot Wheels Cadzilla.
<img src="http://www.phillymint.com/I_other/mattelcadzilla124.JPG">
I saw that car in person, and boy is that thing cool as hell.
<img src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQW5Gu6zek9JxN3ED7NkyspeCaWBHn_SltrOPObuxwQ1ur0h6A&t=1&usg=__byka3URkFXLhf47uyw0iAkG6-kY=" width="600">
<img src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6_94zIDD6mXt0d2Kxb1fzlj6H05Kw9NxyOTdqNM2VY1p6nfo&t=1&usg=__haHJ2Ak3iImJ7OPAn0b9MIO5QAo="width="600">
The Black Widow. Monogram kit from the '60s:
<img src="http://www.zoomie.com/black-widow-2/00.jpg" width="662" height="377" />
Real thing built last year:
<img src="http://image.rodandcustommagazine.com/f/18301806+w750+st0/0906rc_09_z+60th_grand_national_roadster_show+1926_t.jpg" width="640" height="480" />
<img src="http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/200804/honda-racer_1600x0w.jpg" width="600">
<img src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFFzenybisNcmRbNMn8EJXCvOKoZ6XixrggzIz0KbQg8dqPBQ&t=1&usg=__Jmn_Xd0a1L32Gc43yXHS_vsL5vA=" width="600">
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yba-0dpk3KQ/Sio_Fq3MQzI/AAAAAAAADlI/XZtF-vdg6VU/s400/hotwheels+007.jpg" width="600">
Sure it was build for a Hot Wheels contest, and sure, its a Honda, but well, it counts right?
Elvis has a black Blackhawk in his collection.
So you're saying he _is_ still alive?
<img src="http://cdfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/14-concours-lemons-2009-620op.jpg">
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2766059467_d8c24553f4.jpg">
<img src="http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/1127026800/_i/8202968/1.jpg">
<img src="http://gallery.viperclub.org/data/500/7911hemi_big_wheel-med.jpg">
<img src="http://www.bobsokol.com/trike/aac04_3.jpg">
<img src="http://www.pedalcarplanet.com/files/1813255/uploaded/Original%2520Big%2520Wheel.jpg">
<img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/12/2009/11/4beda87b8049c15a9f31566148c5b98b/original.jpg">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUEvkMZHno&feature=player_embedded” target=”_blank”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUEvkMZHno&feature=player_embedded
Just about everything Big Daddy Roth built.
<img src="http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/1142928000/_i/11038158/1.jpg">
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2102/1537760664_b178a30b56.jpg">
Not sure where the line between "custom" and "factory-sponsored insanity" is, but…
<img src="http://www.rebelvanners.co.uk/2700_1.jpg" />
The 1:64 version was one of my favorite Matchbox cars, second only to the Sierra XR4Ti and Escort 2000 RS. (I had a Ford of Europe thing for some reason.)
The Mustang Mach III should be included in this as well being that it's a concept car, a guy built one after the fact on his own and theres a model kit by Revell.