I'd Drive That

Every so often an article crosses my path wherein the author drools over a custom shop’s awesome modifications to an already awesome vehicle, and then I invariably spend a good long while extricating myself from the inevitable rabbit hole that ensues. As of this writing, nearly four months have passed since I have gone down that path, continuing my trend of leaving roughly three months between each of these articles. Today, I’m back for another round: thanks to the rediscovery of three monsters I squirreled away in my Instapaper queue a number of weeks ago, and only just recently rediscovered, I finally have cause to once again spend time appreciating these mechanical marvels at the intersection of industrial design and raw power.

First on my list is the Full Metal Jacket Jeep by Starwood Motors. If you took every aspect of a Jeep that makes it commonplace and approachable to the everyday car buyer, stripped that away, and then made the result passably safe and street legal, this is what you would end up with: the comforting colors have disappeared, replaced with a menacing matte black; in favor of all but the necessary structural components, heavy-duty cargo netting fulfills the jobs doors and a roof once did. Couple these modifications with a nice lift kit, some off-road tires, and a few additional bells and whistles, and you find yourself saddled with a vehicle capable of seemingly anything. This reminds me of a more capable, more rugged version of Starwood Motors’ El Diablo.

Given the Full Metal Jacket’s design, I think it would be fair to say that it takes a special person to pull that Jeep off, and to do so well. For everyone else wanting a rugged yet slightly less imposing vehicle, and one perhaps more suited to day-to-day travels rather than weathering extreme scenarios reminiscent of the apocalypse, Starwood Motors created the Jeep Wrangler Nighthawk. Pictured above, it reads as a toned down version of the Full Metal Jacket — to great effect, I might add: it comes off as a slightly less audacious yet nevertheless similarly eye-catching vehicle. I would happily drive this one around town — or anywhere, really.

Now, not everyone is a Jeep person. It has something to do with the whole “topless and dirty” thing, I think. Regardless though, if even the Nighthawk doesn’t quite fit your needs, or maybe if you — like me — just love a good truck, you could always settle — ahem, and I use the term lightly — for Devolro’s custom-built Toyota Tundra. Featuring the same aesthetic leanings of the Full Metal Jacket Jeep, Devolro completely rebuilt the Tundra and upgraded nearly everything in the process. To get an idea as to what form these enhancements took, the lowest tier Tundra from Devolro sports a 5.7L V8 engine coming in at 381 horsepower, while Toyota does not offer that level of power until you upgrade to their highest tier; the folks over at Devolro aren’t messing around.

So there you have it, three of the coolest vehicles on the road today. If you enjoyed this post, check back again soon: I already have a few more lined up for another, similar article in the very near future. With any luck, this will be the last time I wait three months to delve into the world of custom, souped-up vehicles.