Light enough to be towed by a Subaru Forester, the Cricket trailer is a car-camper’s dream. Actually, it’s the realized dream of NASA “space architect”, Garrett Finney, who wanted to make a light, comfortable camper for his family. With an airy pop-top and cool features like a stove & shower – it’s like your own little space shuttle.
Triumph was ahead of the retro-curve when they reintroduced their modern version of the Scrambler back in 2005. 865cc’s of no-BS in an on/off-road set-up that’s a nod to Steve McQueen & the enduro dirt dogs of the 60s. Basically, it was cool right out of the wrapper. But then, Philly-based custom shop, Hammarhead Industries, got busy on it. Stripping it down to its essence, they created the Jack Pine, a bare-knuckle brawler looking so good you may feel bad about getting it all muddy. Actually…no you won’t…you’ll feel like Steve McQueen, himself.
One look at this mysterious whip and your lead foot just starts twitching. The Firebreather is a 2011 Camaro re-tooled & restyled by American muscle car custom house, Classic Design Concepts. Originally the ‘breather was made for the forthcoming movie, Jinn. Now, CDC is making 50 of these supercharged, 600 horsepower monsters available to the public. Good luck getting on that list.
It’s pretty much a given – if it’s Italian and has a motor, it’s gonna be stylish, powerful & superbly designed. It’s tradition. Think Ferrari, Maserati, Moto Guzzi and of course, Ducati. The tradition lives on in their latest superbike, the Ducati 848 EVO. It’s fresh & mean with it’s upgraded 140 HP Testastretta and sings with that signature growling exhaust tone. Viva Italia!
Ever since Victory Motorcycles started turning out American-made motorcycles back in the late 90s, they’ve improved & evolved every year. The 2011 Victory Hammer is their latest creation. A low, aggressively styled cruiser featuring a 106 cubic-inch V-Twin motor and all the creature comforts experienced bikers want from a brand new scoot. In head-to-head tests against its rival – the Harley Dyna – the 8-Ball came up aces. How’s that for an all-American alternative?
It’s not really camping when you’re surrounded by Winnebago-washing retirees in a giant parking lot called an RV Resort. Jeep comes correct with their Extreme Trail Edition camper so you can get away from it all. It’s got a heavy duty frame, 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires, 15 inches of ground clearance, a full under-body skid plate, and high mounted fenders. Make your getaway a real escape.
It has a classic look - hints of Cobra, a little Porsche, even a dash of a 60s Ferrari – but make no mistake, the ICONIC AC Roadster is a design recipe truly its own. Every piece of the car is custom-made by ICONIC, right down to the last nut & bolt. It also goes 210 MPH – making for nice conversation with the police if pulled over.
Audi is like Apple when it comes to releasing new products that people instantly love, covet & desire. Why is that? Well, the Audi A7 holds a few of the possible answers. It looks good – with angular lines, 20-inch wheels and that Porsche-like fastback rear end. It performs – with an available 6-or 8-cylinder engine to deliver juice to the all-wheel drive. Borrowing the best of the successful A6 & A8 models, the A7 logically looks to be another Audi ace.
If you’re dropping-in on a new Corvette, you obviously have enough testosterone to handle a trip to the Chevy engine plant in Wixom, Michigan to build your own motor. Tack a mellow $5800 onto your ’Vette’s sticker price & you can literally get your hands in the engine (with tech supervision) as it is custom-built for your car. Where else could you do this but in the good ole USA?
With Mercedes-Benz’s G-Wagon LAPV 6.X, you could do a road-trip in Mogadishu, Kabul or the Gaza Strip and really not have much to worry about. Okay, that’s not funny. We take it back. But really, where else would anyone need Armored-plating, undercarriage mine-detectors & a payload capacity of 1.3 tons? Only in the warzone, people. Make no mistake. This is no civilian custom – it’s a for-real combat vehicle & the MB badge means it’s guaranteed to do damage to defense budgets all over the world.
The fact this little jellybean wears the green oval makes the British motor press cringe. But the truth is, turning forty means middle age. And, Range Rover hasn’t hit this manufacturing milestone by always building ’em burly. They’ve leaned ever-more toward luxury. The people who never get their Rovers dirty are the ones who lease the new model as soon as it comes out – so, the Evoque, touted as the smallest, lightest & most fuel-efficient Range Rover ever, fits at forty. And hey…its still four-wheel drive.
Southern California was the birthplace of custom car culture & remains a hotbed to this day. It should come as no surprise, the new retro Rossi Sixty-Six C6 Corvette custom was designed (and will be built) in Irvine, CA. Design cues scream 60s ’Vette, with classic split window rear glass and round pair tail-lights. But inside & under the hood, this beast is totally modern. Adding 20 ponies rounds up the power to 450 HP and the re-done, generously appointed cockpit make this conversion complete.
Maserati’s GranCabrio is the upmarket Italian automaker’s first four-seater convertible. That means you can impress two more people when you drop the top going 25 miles-an-hour. Seriously though, all the refinement expected in an exotic Italian sportscar found in the now roomier model. Leather, woodgrain and integrated nav systems. But maybe more impactful is the hefty 4.7 liter V-8 under the hood pumping over 400 horses. When you snap this thing into Sport Mode, passengers will really have to hang onto their hats.
After nearly two years of sniper photos showing blacked-out cars on the test track, Mercedes has finally released the 2011 SLS. Inspired by the ’50s 300SL Gullwing, this modern machine really only shares the Gullwing doors and Benz badge with its predecessor. Everything else about this performance super-car is brand new. Wide, low and long, with a 6.2 liter V8 producing over 560 horses, it should technically be classified as a missile.
Italy is the land of exotic motorcycles. Milan-based, CR&S’s new superbike takes the art form to a whole new level. More than a dozen wizards of bike design & engineering stand behind this soon to-be-released, handmade monster. The powerplant is a new American S&S motor displacing nearly two-thousand CCs, while the rest of the bike is pure Italian machismo. As you could probably guess, the price tag is as bold as the styling.
Boxy and burly, Land Rover’s Defender was the perfect platform for Italian design house AZNOM to build-up a totally custom vehicle that looks every bit as tough as it is tech. With upgrades like two-tone matte paint, carbon fiber bumpers and a leather & alcantara interior – this is offroad meets chic. Pro-tuner, Romeo Ferraris, handled motor mods – adding an extra thirty horses - completing the total overhaul of this British classic.
