mod@tech

The phrase “lead sled” comes to mind when thinking of a mid-century Ford or Mercury that has undergone extensive body modifications. Presenting a perfect example:

The Pick of the Day is a 1950 Mercury coupe listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Los Angeles, California. (Click the link to view the listing)

This car embodies the lead sled design aesthetic to a tee. The listing states, “This 1950 Mercury coupe is a restomod with updates to the exterior, interior, and drivetrain. The vehicle is chopped 4.5” front and 6” rear.”

The chopped top is only the beginning of a long list of customizations that this Mercury has received: The two-tone blue exterior also features shaved door handles, dual spotlights, a 1952 DeSoto grille, Buick side trim, and rounded corners on the hood, doors, and trunk. The body rides on a four-link Ridetech air suspension and utilizes a Chevrolet Camaro front clip along with a Chevrolet S-10 rear end. Needless to say, there isn’t much left on this Mercury that’s original to its 1950 production.

Adding to the curb appeal is a set of wide whitewall tires, although the car sits so low on its air suspension, we can barely see the back tires. This kind of stance is one of the reasons why a lead sled is much like a “sled,” after all: the car appears to glide down the road as if it’s sliding along.

A custom street-rod needs to have the right cabin fit and finish. With that in mind, the interior on this coupe is well appointed with a color-keyed dash, VDO instruments, blue accent lighting, climate control from Vintage Air, a Chevrolet Corvette steering column, and a mahogany banjo-style steering wheel.

Even though this is a FoMoCo car, torque comes from a Chevrolet Vortec 350cid V8 that is mated to a 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission and a new drive shaft. Additional drivetrain enhancements include new Edelbrock components for the carburetor, roller rockers, and roller cam. The fuel tank and electric fuel pump are reportedly new, so it seems this car is ready to take down to Main Street and turn a lot of heads along the way. A two-minute walkaround video accompanies the listing.

The seller is asking $70,000 or best offer for this custom lead sled Mercury. Just remember to duck your head when getting inside!

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Styling, like all creative things, is subjective. As such, it takes cojones to bestow the title “World’s Ugliest Car” when there’s many others to choose from. If you have issue with this, would “World’s Ugliest Shooting Brake” suffice? Nah, looking at John Dodd’s The Beast, it may certainly take the Victoria Sponge Cake as something that would elicit, “My, what in the Lord’s name is that, dear Sir?”

It all started with a gentleman named Paul Jameson, an automotive technocrat of the British persuasion who wanted to build something utilizing that British marvel of engineering, the 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 (the updated version of Rolls’ Merlin V12 often found in tanks). Jameson built a frame utilizing parts from British vehicles with names like Jaguar, Wolseley, Jensen, Lotus and Reliant. Jameson met a chap named John Dodd, whom he commissioned to build an automatic transmission for the chassis.

Soon, Jameson offered Dodd the vehicle in body-less form. Dodd subsequently sent the chassis to Fibre Glass Repairs (whose owners also owned Santa Pod Raceway) to create a body for the chassis. “It was then that it gained a Rolls-Royce grille and mascot, in a nod to the engine’s provenance,” says Car & Classic, the UK-based online auction.

After a trip to Sweden resulted in fire damage, Dodd had the car rebodied in the form you see here; also new was a 750-horsepower Merlin V12 plus a Rolls-Royce grille and mascot sourced from a Silver Shadow. The company from Manchester made issue of the trademark infringement and sued when Dodd would not remove the items. Dodd lost, then lost an appeal, refused to pay the fine and then emigrated to Spain to avoid the warrant for his arrest. Of course, The Beast went with him, though now sporting “JD” on a conventional grille.

The initial body featured some Ford Capri influence, while the second was more of a beige shooting brake with some features that would make Clark Griswold proud. An official 183-mph top speed was achieved in 1973, which isn’t bad for a two-ton, 19-foot something. In 1977, The Beast made The Guinness Book of Records as the most powerful car on the road, though no mention was made of its 2-mpg appetite for fuel.

In its current form, The Beast features “a custom interior includes a bank of red switches which are used to initiate the starting sequence for the Merlin engine. The front suspension uses Austin elements whilst the rear is derived from a Jaguar XJ12 and sports a heavy-duty Currie axle.”

“This is a genuine once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope the lucky new buyer continues to use and enjoy the car the way John did,” says Tom Wood, CEO of Car & Classic. If you can get past the car’s styling, then you should know that the auction starts on March 9, 2023 and lasts for seven days.

Do you have a classic car with a story to share? Visit this link and fill in the information to submit your story for a chance to be featured on the ClassicCars.com Journal.

Back in high school I had a Chevy truck that was a real beater. It was a handful, and I had to fix things that broke often. But everyone loved how it could carry stuff, so I’d help people to move all the time.

I finally had to get rid of it. I was an auto mechanic for over 30 years, but having to fix it so often became too much. When I was getting rid of it, my son started driving first car, a Camaro. He ended up rolling it, and thankfully only got a little bruised up. He then got an Audi all-wheel A4, I told him to keep all wheels on the ground.

I got the idea of getting an old truck for him, like what I had back in high school. After looking around for quite a while, I found the one I wanted. It was restored many years ago and with independent front suspension, a big block 454, four inches chopped, and shaved off all emblems. This handles and drives great compared to what I had, but it really brings back a lot of memories from my past. It’s definitely a real attention-getter, we get waves and thumbs up wherever it goes.

–William K., New Jersey

AC Cars is getting back into the Cobra game, this time with a clean-sheet design that will be revealed in April.

Ahead of the debut, the company has provided computed-generated images that clue fans in on what’s to come.

Founded in 1901, AC Cars is one of the U.K.’s oldest car companies, and it’s the company whose original Ace sports car was injected with V-8 power by Carroll Shelby to create the legendary Shelby Cobra in 1962. The Shelby was marketed as an AC Cobra in some markets, and recently AC started building replicas, some of them powered by batteries.

The new car will go by the name AC Cobra GT Roadster, and while it may look like the original it has been developed from scratch using modern technology and engineering processes. For example, it features an extruded aluminum chassis and a body made from carbon-composite materials, and the suspension has been developed in partnership with a professional racing team.

The Cobra GT Roadster is bigger than the original Cobra. The wheelbase is 101 inches, or about 11 inches longer than the original, but the overall length has only grown by 4.3 inches, coming in at a total of 166 inches. The track is also wider, helping improve handling while also providing a tougher stance.

The car is also fitted with modern creature comforts such as power windows, automatic climate control, and an infotainment system with navigation. AC will also offer a long list of options, including carbon-fiber seats, leather trim, and a removable hard-top roof.

Power comes from a Ford 5.0-liter V-8, which can be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic. Peak output is 654 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque. With the curb weight expected to hover around 3,300 pounds, this much power should deliver 0-60 mph times of approximately 3.4 seconds, AC said. The top speed will be about 172 mph.

AC is yet to finalize pricing but said the starting price is expected to be about 285,000 British pounds (approximately $342,000). The order books are already open, and the first deliveries are scheduled for 2024. Production will be limited, AC said.

HIGH-RES GALLERY: Teaser for AC Cobra GT Roadster due in 2023

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

It’s somewhat fascinating to find a car that used to be common but hasn’t been common for awhile. The rate of attrition plays a part, as does the level of enthusiasm a vehicle has had in the past. Combine those factors with a Malaise vehicle from the 1970s and you have the makings of a car that’s likely rarer than so-called rare cars. This 1977 Buick Century Custom Coupe is one such vehicle, which is why it’s our Pick of the Day. It’s for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Tacoma, Washington. (Click the link to view the listing)

The 1977 Buick Century was the last of the line before General Motors downsized its mid-size cars. Introduced in 1973, the “Colonnade” Buicks were a nice update from the 1968-72 models, but they dawned during a time when structural and mechanical compromises were being demanded by the federal government. As such, few models from this era capture the imagination of collectors.

For 1977, the Colonnade Buick coupes ranked like this: Century Special was the bargain of the mid-size line, offering Buick qualities at a price point that was more competitive with lesser brands. It, along with the base Century, featured a slicker roofline. Move up to the Century Custom and you received a more formal roofline, which also was shared with the upmarket Regal. The Regal also featured its own front end with a grille that was vertical and squarish rather than slanted and rakish like the Centurys.

Not only is this 1977 Buick Century Custom Coupe a nicely preserved example of something that used to be seen in Everywhere, USA, but it’s also a nicely equipped example. Looking at the build sheet, it was originally built with bucket seats, Landau vinyl top, accent stripe, power front disc brakes, 350 two-barrel, tilt steering wheel, chrome mag wheels, and a host of other less interesting equipment. Color is Firethorn with a matching interior.

The seller of this 1977 Century Custom Coupe says it’s “still equipped with its CAT and single exhaust” and that the interior is mostly original and in good shape though “with fading from the sun over the years.” With a claimed 59,000 miles, $9,995 seems like a fantastic buy for a “nice solid old car that you do not see a lot of these days.”

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

The world’s fastest accelerating production car broke a series of speed records at India’s Natrax test facility in February. The pure-electric Battista by Automobili Pininfarina secured its place as the fastest in the world to complete the ¼ mile and ½ mile sprints, in doing so taking the title of fastest road-legal car ever on Indian soil. 

With VBOX data systems in place to verify Battista’s incredible performance, the ¼ mile time of 8.55 seconds and ½ mile result of 13.38 seconds were the highlights of a flurry of remarkable results for Automobili Pininfarina’s first luxury electric car. With Autocar India’s Hormazd Sorabjee and Renuka Kirpalani joining the Italian brand’s Performance, Test and Validation Team including Development Driver Stefano Costa at the event, the aim was to showcase the exceptional performance accessible to all Battista owners and drivers.

The Battista top speed test was undertaken with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires fitted. In this test, Hormazd Sorabjee secured with ease a top speed of 358.03km/h on track – eclipsing the previous top speed record in India of 332km/h, which was also held by Autocar India.  Renuka Kirpalani went on to clock 357.10km/h, setting the record for the fastest Indian female driver in the world.  Both these top speed records were validated by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the Indian sporting body affiliated to the FIA.

With the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tire then fitted for acceleration tests, Battista registered two new production car world records for sprints over ¼ and ½ mile distances. Both sets of Michelin tires are available to order with Battista at the point of purchase.

The Battista produces over 1,900hp and 2,340Nm torque, with power distributed across all four wheels via four motors and through a unique, sophisticated torque vectoring system tuned by Automobili Pininfarina’s engineers at the luxury carmaker’s development center in Italy.

Paolo Dellachà, Automobili Pininfarina CEO said: “We were very proud to bring Battista to India for the first time.  Collaborative events there with our shareholder Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd were delivered at a significant time for Automobili Pininfarina. In 2022 we began production of Battista at our new Atelier facility in Italy, with deliveries to customers worldwide starting soon after.”

“This year, new Battista owners are excited to explore the unprecedented performance of this design and engineering masterpiece. These speed records – and independent tests – have validated our ambition to create a new generation of hyper and luxury car leading with Battista, whereby electric power delivers performance that is simply unachievable in the world of ICE powertrains.”

“For Hormazd and his Autocar India team to showcase what is possible with Battista in their hands is hugely important. We conceived Battista as a hyper GT – a special blend of beautiful design and attention to detail synonymous with the Pininfarina brand, allied to extreme electrified performance and a level of vehicle dynamics which sets a new benchmark among hypercars. In these tests Battista has shown that record-breaking performance is there to be enjoyed by every driver on road or track.”

Hormazd Sorabjee was joined by Autocar India colleague and experienced road tester Renuka Kirpalani for its debut Indian performance test. Hormazd said: “Nothing prepares you for the brutal acceleration and pace of the Battista. It’s like being shot from a cannon. Equally amazing is the ease with which Battista hit its top speed, within just half a straight of Natrax’s high speed track. Even at VMax, the Battista felt rock solid, relaxed, and discreet. This is the future of speed.”

A unique livery adorns the beautiful, exposed carbonfibre body of the Battista tested in India, crafted by Automobili Pininfarina’s talented Colour, Materials and Finishes Design team. The special Battista was the undisputed star of the Hyderabad E Motor Show, then making its spectacular dynamic debut at the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix, where superstar former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was treated to an electrifying lap of the street circuit alongside Mahindra Racing reserve driver Jehan Daruvala.

In 2022 the Battista set a series of performance world records at its test base in Nardò, Italy. Battista’s unique launch control technology contributes to Formula 1 car-beating acceleration, with 0-60mph achieved in 1.79s, 0-100km/h completed in 1.86s, 0-120mph executed in 4.49s and 0-200 km/h obliterated in just 4.75 seconds. Official tests also confirmed Battista achieves the shortest stopping distance of any electric vehicle in the world, completing 100-0 km/h in just 31 meters/102 feet: click here.