Jeep lovers are a unique and loyal group of people. I used to have a customer that came into my parts store that threw who knows how much money into his old ’73 Jeep Wagoneer with a 401 and never complained. He loved his Jeep, no matter how many rust spots appeared or pieces fell off. I know a lot of people like this. My favorite Jeeps, however, have to be the pickup’s.

The Willy’s Jeep hit the market in 1947 with only a 134 CID 2.2L straight 4 engine, a 3 speed manual transmission and a lot of exterior character. The iconic round headlights and the toothy Jeep grill of an era gone by are still in use today, even if they are a bit updated. That’s why when I heard that Mopar came out with a new conversion kit for turning a Wrangler into a pickup truck at the 2011 Moab Easter Jeep event, I got a bit excited. There hasn’t been a Jeep pickup since the mid-80′s when the CJ-8 Scrambler left the market.

Mopar has proposed two different kits. The first a more basic kit that mechanically inclined individuals can bolt on over a weekend and will consist of a bed liner, inner and outer body panels, a new hard top and a new bulk head. The kit is estimated to cost upwards of $4000. They also have a more complete kit they plan to offer that requires welding.

If you can weld and you have a good deal of confidence in your abilities and have time to trick your Jeep out, then may I introduce you to the American Expedition Vehicles Brute Jeep Conversion. I found this kit while researching the Mopar kit, and I got so giddy that my husband thought I won a contest. Not just some add-on panels, this kit takes your Jeep from mild to wild! The difficulty, however, can pose a challenge for the DIY’er for a few reasons. The directions call for the frame of the Wrangler to be lengthened and welded and not everyone keeps a plasma torch in the garage. But, a lot of the work can be done at home, and I bet you know a guy who does have a torch, right?

The Brute kit is unlike either Mopar kit because it comes with an assembled 14 gauge steel bed with a new tailgate versus a bed liner and body panels. It also has new fuel and brake lines to accommodate the stretching of the frame, a new hard top that increases head room and has skylights, body mounts, cab closeout, and of course, the frame extensions. The Brute kit runs $8995, but will not only transform your Jeep to a truck, it will make it unlike any other vehicle out there. According to AEV’s website, the kit can also be bought in stages to meet any budget.

Jeep lovers rejoice in the fact that you can still be as unique as you are loyal. With the variety of customization kits out there you know that your Jeep will be just that, your Jeep. No matter what your level of mechanical aptitude, you can go from a Jeep that has a difficult time hauling all your gear to a new Jeep truck that has all the space you need to get you there.

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Anthony from Carzi.com turned me on to this funky-looking kit car. Made by Zorba, the kit goes on a stretched Pontiac Fiero chassis (as most kits do.) Starting at about $31,300, depending on options, that doesn’t include rear spoiler, wheels, or system upgrades. They also make a roadster version.

Funny thing is, this kit actually looks pretty well made, but the headlights and weird hood and roof scoop ruin the whole thing.

Check out Carzi.com for more pictures and a video

Official site for the kit

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Replica cars are, for the most part, meant to fool people into thinking you’re driving the real thing, so you can save some money. Look, I’m all for people doing crazy shit to cars and being innovative, but let’s be reasonable. Who is this going to fool? I don’t even feel right calling this a Lamborghini replica.

Built off of a 2008 Pontiac Solstice chassis, at least it’s a step up from the typical Fiero kit cars. And to this person’s credit, it looks like the build was actually done very well with good craftsmanship. But saying that this looks like a Murcielago is blasphemy.

And for $70,000? It’s a nice build, but keep in mind you’re just buying a Pontiac Solstice in a Lamborghini costume.

source: Autoblog.nl

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The great guys over at Classical Drives have great news: Proteus is coming to the US.

For those of you that don’t know, Proteus is a British car manufacturer that makes spot on rerpos of Jaguar C & D-Types. And I mean spot on. No glass here boys, all aluminum bodywork, hand formed, just like the originals.

And WHAT originals.

I know, I know, sometimes British aesthetic sense is simply terrible, look at what constitutes modern architecture for Britain.

But when they get it right, they produce things like the Spitfire, Jaguar C & D-Types and Quadrophenia.

And seriously, if I had the garage space, I’d think about one of these.

What’s not to like?

You get all the fun of an old race car, with none of the huge potential problems. It’s not worth a Brazilion bucks, so if you screw the pooch, you’re not wasting millions, it has modern (by Jaguar standards) mechanicals, so “authentic” parts are reasonably easy to find, and, these things are sexier then Emma Peel.

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Hahaha, I honestly couldn’t stop laughing at this. Apparently it’s a high-quality Lamborghini replica. Of what, I’m not sure. Kinda looks like they were torn between a Ferrari Enzo and a Lamborghini Countach, but they didn’t get either one right.

Wow.

the chance of a lifetime to own what looks like a REAL Lamborgini (sic) for a fraction of the price.

I’m going to go ahead and disagree with that one. The auction is filled with obvious typos and claims that this car looks truly authentic. You must go look at the auction itself as there are many more pictures for you to stare at in amazement, trying to figure out who would fall for this.

Fiero-Lamborghini eBay Auction – Link no longer active

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Weird, this is the first Ferrari 360 Modena replica I’ve ever seen that actually looks good! Now that I think about it, it’s one of the only kit cars in general that looks good. Yeah, that picture up there is the kit, not the real 360.

The Ferrari 360 Modena happens to be my favorite car of all time, and while there aren’t very many kits out there for it, there are a few I’ve seen…and they’re hideous. Take this horrendous example:

Sorry to whoever made this, but that looks terrible, and wouldn’t fool anybody. It doesn’t even have the glass covering the engine! C’mon, that’s part of the 360′s character.

Anyway, this kit from Extreme Cars looks great, and being such a 360 Modena lover I’d say I’m pretty critical (or is it cynical?) It can even be converted from a 2-seater to a family-hauling 4-seater. That’s pretty impressive. It’s built on the Peugeot 406 as opposed to an MR2 or Fiero, which attributes to the accuracy. From what I can tell it’s of high quality, and each panel is spaced correctly, showing the craftsmanship is good. The rear of the car is surprisingly accurate, other than the lack of tailpipes, unless I’m missing something here:

The most surprising thing on the car is the attention to detail, giving it every badge, shield and detail that the genuine car has. The 3.0-liter V6 is front-mounted (giving it the 4-seater capability,) but if you know the 360 Modena, the clear hatch showcasing the engine has been a problem for past kits. This offers that same clear cover, and has a faux-engine back there. If you look closely, you can tell it’s fake, but it’s still a very good job, and someone who doesn’t know this car inside and out could not tell the difference.

Not including the donor Peugeot 406, the complete kit costs 6,000 GBP, or around $11,360 USD. Certainly not cheap, but considering the quality and accuracy, it might just be worth it. Don’t go out and buy it just yet though, the “complete” kit isn’t quite complete. The wheels shown cost an extra $1,900 to $2,900, and the wheel spacers to make them look right cost another $748. We aren’t done yet. The essential original badging costs $340, the headlights $1,700 per pair, and the tail lights are $473. OK, that’s just the exterior. Because I’m sure you want to spend even more, the interior kit is $950, and if you want to do the 2-seat conversion (it stays 4-seat otherwise,) that will cost you around $1,150.

Needless to say, if you want the car as close to the authentic version as possible, all this is necessary. With some quick math, that comes up to around $20,000, plus the cost of the donor Peugeot, plus the cost of installing it. You do have a couple of options though. If you get lucky, you can catch a turnkey car on their website ($47,000 to $57,000,) but not get it exactly how you want it, or they will do the installation for you for a mere $20,800.

Those prices don’t even include the poly-carbonate windows, the standard lowering springs, or the coil-over suspension, but I’m sick of doing conversions from GBP to USD I know it seems expensive, but this is as close to a real 360 Modena you are going to get, without spending closer to $150,000. Plus, the insurance will be much cheaper. Their next project includes an all-wheel-drive version with two 3.0 L V6′s; one in the front and one in the rear.

UPDATE: Please read member comments below before considering purchasing this body kit.

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