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  • MODIFIED PORSCHE CAYMAN: COMING IN HOT

    As one of the finalists for the Hot Wheels Legends Tour 2020, Dionne Mascunana’s modified Porsche Cayman complete with Pandem bokykit is on fire!

    Fast Car magazine. Words: Dan Sherwood. Photos: Mike Kuhn

    When it comes to being a petrolhead, few people find their inner car nut later in life. For most of us, the calling is heard way back in our early childhood. For some, it may have been inspired by a spanner-wielding relative who sparked their desire for all things petrol-powered – be it their dad’s tuned-up Ford Capri or an uncle’s constantly breaking, but undeniably cool, Lotus Esprit, those images of man and machine burn deep into our subconscious and remain there for life. But for others, it was another source of stimulation – the fantastical miniature creations hailing from the world of Hot Wheels. These most awesome of automobiles, represented in 1:64th scale, act like a hit of crack cocaine to the cerebrum of an impressionable young kid, the gleaming paint jobs and wild modifications lighting up their eager imaginations like nothing else. If you had one, you wanted two. Then three. Four. In the end you’d have a whole box of them that, come the weekend, would get scattered across the floor and arranged into a mini car meet and drag race. You’d fantasise about what it would be like to drive a car like that in real life – to own such an incredible machine. Well, for most of us, that dream remains just that, but for a select few, it becomes a mind-blowing reality!

    “I’ve always loved Hot Wheels cars as a kid,” beams 35-year-old Californian petrolhead Dionne Muscunana. “Growing up I had a massive collection: the trucks, the wagons, the hot rods, the rat rods, the goofy cars that you see on TV – I played with them all.”

    Modified Porsche Cayman

    So when he heard that entries were open for the 2020 Hot Wheels Legends Tour, Dionne was only too eager to apply. The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is an annual competition to find a very special fan-made custom vehicle to make into a 1:64th scale toy. With rounds in Europe, Latin America, Asia and North America, it’s a global contest that attracts some of the world’s wildest machines, all vying for the chance to be die cast into Hot Wheels history. Each destination has its own competitions with the winner from each area moving on to battle it out in the finale – an event that is streamed live from the garage of car crazy celebrity judge Jay Leno. Helping Jay select the best of the best is a panel of additional judges that for the 2020 comp included various Hot Wheels designers, super fans plus ex-Top Gear Stig, Ben Collins and even blunt-toking rap mogul Snoop Dogg!

    “I’d just finished the third evolution of my modified Porsche Cayman and thought I would enter it into the competition,” explains Dionne. “It’s certainly the wildest Porsche Cayman I’ve ever seen, so I felt it had a shot of doing well, and the chance to have it immortalised as a Hot Wheels car was just too good to miss.” To enter the competition, contestants were required to submit a four-minute video of their car which would be whittled down to the top 13 that would go on to feature in the finale.

    Modified Porsche Cayman

    “When I entered my video, it was just a bit of fun really, but I ended up winning my region and being entered in the finale!” Dionne beams. “I guess the crazy way I like to modify my cars caught the eyes of the judges, which goes to how that all those years playing with my toy cars as a kid, and trying to bring that sense of wow factor and fun to my real life builds, really paid off!”

    It certainly did, as you can see for yourself by looking at the pics. But Dionne can’t give the credit for his amazing Cayman solely to his love of miniature motors, as he’s also lucky enough to get a tonne of inspiration and advice on building eye-poppingly cool cars from doing his day job, as the head content creator for Toyo Tires USA. “I really love my job, as it involves travelling around the US and places like Japan to find the world’s best cars to film and photograph for the company’s social media channels,” he explains. “Seeing all these cars, built by some of the best in the business, means you not only pick up a few tricks of the trade along the way, but you  get to make some great friends too.”

    Modified Porsche Cayman

    One of Dionne’s friends that has been instrumental in creating the Cayman’s audaciously-wide look is Kei Muira from Rocket Bunny.

    “I’m really a JDM fanboy at heart,” he laughs. “And have long been a fan of the work of Muira-san and the various Japanese cars he’s worked on, so I was ecstatic to be able to collaborate with him to develop this Pandem wide arch kit, which was the first in the world on a Porsche Cayman,” says Dionne. ‘It was debuted on the car at the Toyo booth at the 2016 SEMA show in Las Vegas.”

    But being the perfectionist he is, Dionne wasn’t satisfied with simply rocking the kit straight out of the box, and soon made some of his own unique modifications.

    “Shortly after I showed the kit at SEMA, a load of other Cayman’s started popping up with the same kit, so I decided to change mine up a bit to make it stand out,” he says. “For me it was the front bumper that was the weakest link, so I took inspiration from several eras of Porsche racecars to see what I could do.”

    In the end, and possibly due to his JDM roots, Dionne noticed that the front bumper of a MazdaSpeed RX-8 bore a striking resemblance to the face of Porsche racecars of yesteryear, so he bit the bullet and grafted the RX-8’s grin onto the Porker’s Pandem front bumper. Along with a re-styled rear bumper and some Spyder Auto head and taillights, it has totally modernised the car.

    But the wide kit is only the base for the build, as Dionne always had in mind that this car was going to be way more than just a pretty face.

    “I took inspiration from Super GT and DTM racecars for the aggressive aero setup,” he says. “But very few parts are available off the shelf for the Cayman, so most of it I had to custom make myself.”

    Items like the front splitter, canards, side skirts and rear diffuser were all hand made in Dionne’s garage and the radical ‘swan-neck’ rear wing came straight from his brain, to cardboard mock-ups, to the CNC machine.

    With the bodywork looking like a genuine Super GT racer for the road, getting the right wheels was a crucial aspect to carry the look off to perfection, and Dionne’s choice of a set of 19in Work Meister M1s, 11in wide at the front and 14in wide at the rear, complement the Japanese inspired exterior perfectly.

    Modified Porsche Cayman

    Wrapped in Toyo’s track-focussed R888R tyres (naturally), they provide a suitable footprint to keep the modified Porsche Cayman planted and translate all of the aero’s additional downforce into other-worldly levels of grip and traction.

    But tyres will only do so much if you can’t keep them in contact with the tarmac, so Dionne has ensured he has sourced the best in the business when it comes to the Cayman’s suspension.

    “Under the swollen arches is a full GT3-spec setup with Moton three-way coilovers and a complete set of Tarett billet suspension arms and blade anti-roll bars, just like on the real racecars,” says Dionne proudly. “Combined with the Rennline rear brace and bump-steer kit, it’s an incredible setup which is practically race-ready.”

    Open up the driver’s door and you are greeted with yet more track-approved goodies, most notably the Acid Green GMG rollcage and the Recaro P1300 GT carbon seats. “The seats are also genuine GT3 items and cost a cool $24,000 for the pair!” reveals Dionne. “They were easily the single most expensive items on the car, but for me a build is all in the details, so they’re well worth it.”

    Complementing the seats is a set of Schroth Profi III six-point harnesses, a Momo steering wheel, Plastics4Performance Perspex windows and a burnt titanium gearknob mounted high on a trick CAE short shifter. This slick cog-swapper not only looks the dog’s danglies, but allows much faster, more precise changes of ratio to keep the naturally aspirated flat-six singing.

    “I’ve purposely decided against forced induction or opening up the block to strengthen the internals,” Dionne says. “That’s because I’m following the spirit of the regulations of  GT3 racing, which outlaws such modifications to keep the racing as close as possible and limit costs.”

    Modified Porsche Cayman

    But that doesn’t mean he’s simply left the motor stock, as it features a host of naturally aspirated tuning options to improve response and boost bhp.

    The mid-mounted motor benefits from a Fabspeed cold air intake which feeds a Porsche GT3 throttle body and IPD intake plenum. Then, after the suck, squeeze, bang, blow process has occurred, the waste gases are expelled via a set of Fabspeed long-tube race headers and out to the atmosphere through a Fabspeed centre-exit race exhaust. This combination of breathing mods and GSR Technik ECU flash means the 3.4-litre motor is now pushing out a meaty 305bhp at the wheels.

    “The Cayman has been a real labour of love for me as I have built most of it myself and that blood, sweat and tears really shows in the level of fit and finish of the car as a whole,” Dionne says. “And that’s something the Hot Wheels judges picked up on too. It may not have been the wildest or wackiest creation in the competition, but it was definitely one of the cleanest.”

    Ultimately, the modified Porsche Cayman lost out in the finale to a custom body-dropped 1970 Pontiac Trans Am, and with it faded Dionne’s dream of his car becoming part of Hot Wheels legend. But far from being despondent, he’s just as happy to keep doing what he does and enjoying the process along the way.

    “As a modifier, not everyone is going to love what you do as much as you do, and that’s fine. I build all my cars the way I want to, not to gain approval from anyone else,” states Dionne proudly. “Besides this is just one of the builds I currently own, as I’ve also got a wild Mazda Miata and an insane Audi project in the pipeline too, so maybe the Hot Wheels dream still some has life left in in yet?” We couldn’t agree more!

    Tech Spec: Modified Porsche Cayman

    Engine:

    3.4-litre, 6-cyl, 32v flat-six, Fabspeed cold air intake, GT3 throttle body, IPD plenum, RSS semi-solid engine mounts, Tarett front semi-solid engine mount, CSF radiators (sides and centre), DIY radiator relocation kit, Tuning Box pedal module, Fabspeed long-tube race header, Fabspeed race exhaust, GSR Technik ECU remap

    Transmission:

    6-speed manual gearbox, Sachs racing clutch, Aasco lightweight flywheel, CAE quick shifter, RSS transmission uprated mounts

    Suspension:

    Moton 3-way coilovers, Moton line quick disconnects, Tarett billet control arms, Tarett caster arms, Tarett billet mono ball top hats, Tarett billet bladed anti-roll bars, Tarett extended billet drop links, Rennline rear brace and tow brackets, Rennline rear toe arms and bump steer kit

    Brakes:

    Brembo GTS 380mm (front) and 345mm (rear) discs with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers, Brembo race pads and Brembo stainless steel lines

    Wheels & tyres:

    12x19in (front) and 14x19in (rear) WORK Meister M1 split rims with 265/30/19 (front) and 345/30/19 (rear) Toyo R888R tyres, R40 wheel nuts, Tarett competition wheel
    stud conversion

    Exterior:

    Pandem wide body kit with custom front bumper, DIY billet swan-neck spoiler upright and spoiler brace, DIY side skirts and side air guides, DIY double-stacked front and rear canards, DIY GT500 6-element full diffuser, DIY 3-piece front splitter, custom spoiler element, Spyder Auto headlights and taillights, P4P polycarbonate windows, 3D-printed front arch vents, full stainless-steel body bolt set, aluminum washers, Tram-Browning UHF antenna, P.I.D. livery, Acid green mirrors, custom Porsche red/white/blue crest, Cartek solid state battery cut-off switch

    Interior:

    Zoom Engineering carbon-fibre rear view mirror, Rennline aluminum floor mats and pedal set, Recaro P1300 GT carbon seats with Schroth Profi six-point harnesses and pads, CAE carbon centre trim, DIY titanium shift knob, 320mm Momo steering wheel, Halon fire extinguisher, DIY billet extinguisher bracket, ASR billet steering hub spacer, GMG rollcage

    Build one yourself :

    Porsche tuning products such as those featured on Dionne’s Cayman can be obtained from leading Porsche specialist and parts supplier Design911.com.

    Source

  • MODIFIED MK1 SCIROCCO: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

    Evoking the spirit of show cars of the turn of the century, Sebastian Berndt’s modified Mk1 Scirocco takes that retro vibe and reworks it for a modern audience…

    Feature from Performance VW. Words: Dan Bevis. Photos: Tony Matthews

    The car you’re looking at here is, in essence, doubly retro. You see, while there’s been a massive and unmissable resurgence in enthusiasm for cars which exist in the hinterland between classic and modern-classic, there is (and always has been) a hardcore of enthusiasts for whom these retro heroes have always been where it’s at. So as time creaks inexorably onward, we’re treated to a whole extra dimension of modifying; whereas once there was a polarised choice between ‘modify in the classic style’ or ‘modify according to current trends’, there’s a fresh possibility that’s elbowed its way between the two, and this fabulous blue modified Mk1 Scirocco is a clear representative of that. This low, smooth, clean and aggressive Dub has been built in the style of the German show cars of yore, something that you would have expected to see scooping trophies back in the late-nineties and early-noughties. If you’re a regular reader with a collection of PVW back issues, dig out some mags from a couple of decades ago and you’ll find the show reports crammed with builds like this… although this is no period throwback, but is in fact a fresh new build.

    Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    All of this has been a long time coming for Sebastian Berndt, who got his first car – a Polo – twenty years ago when he was seventeen. It’s particularly telling that his formative modding years were around the time when the scene was full of this sort of retro fare (although it wasn’t so retro then, of course!) and it was clear from the off that a Scirocco would be the endgame. “It all began when my friends started to get into cars and, naturally, I was right with them,” he recalls. “With everyone modifying their cars, it rubbed off on me. And this car is really special to me since it belonged to a good friend of mine who bought it when I was around fifteen years old. I remember going to visit him on my bike, and since day one I was so in love with this car that I said to him, if he ever wants to sell it then please think of me! Six years ago I had a phone call from said friend, who offered the Scirocco to me before anyone else.” And so, after many years of yearning, Sebastian had his dream car – everything he’d ever been planning for his ultimate build could be laid out on this blank canvas. It was just as well the Scirocco came along when it did, too… because he was on the verge of applying this dream formula to a Golf instead!

    As bought, the old-school coupe was largely rust-free, which was something of an achievement in itself; indeed, Sebastian reckons it’s the only one he’s seen that’s never needed the structural attention of the welder. However, there was no interior to speak of – simply a rollcage in two parts, the front being relatively normal but the rear all welded into one piece with no nuts or bolts – although it did come with a decent pile of spares. So it was part project, part jigsaw puzzle. A solid shell is obviously the most important starting point, and with this duly secured Sebastian was able to get to work and make that dream come true: “I always had the build in my head,” he grins, “and now I was able to make it a reality.”

    Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    The project followed an interesting trajectory, as when the car appeared at its first show – Sourkrauts’ Inneres Blumenpflücken in Berlin – in 2016, it had a tidy exterior/interior combo but wasn’t actually running, it just had a show motor dropped in the bay. There was no gearbox, no exhaust, no wiring, nothing to actually make the car drivable… but this was all just part of the evolution, Sebastian testing the water on the scene, then ensconcing the Scirocco in his garage for a while so he could refine and finesse all that was to come. After a while, he and a friend tore the car down in order to add such important elements as, er, an engine and some suspension, with the aim of debuting it the following year at Tuning World Bodensee.

    “I like to impress,” says Sebastian, matter-of-factly. “When I’m at shows, most people approaching me ask me in disbelief if the car actually drives; when I say that it does and passed all TUV regulations, it is impressive to them. I like that it has simplicity and style, but gives off the impression that it won’t drive! Outside of that, I have no particular style in my head, I follow my gut and do my own thing.”

    Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    The engine that was fitted with the help of a buddy, Migl (real name Pascal, a mechanical engineer by trade) is a Corrado G60-sourced 2.0-litre 16v, running twin Webers and hot cams. Getting the motor in there was a mission in itself; everything that could go wrong did, and Sebastian and Migl found themselves fabricating all sorts of bespoke bits. Impressively, the gearbox was scratch-built too: “This was more due to the fact that I think cable-controlled shift systems are ugly, so I rebuilt it to be mechanical,” Sebastian explains. “It was totally crazy, and trust me, that thought came often: we are totally crazy. Some nights we ended up at 7am with nothing done, and only the thought that we had to leave it since our heads were nowhere near where they should have been at that time of the morning. That being said, we were too far into the process to throw in the towel or to let it go. I made the commitment so I really wanted to see it through. We suffered a bit of a set-back as well since the first ’box we built was too short and couldn’t be switched; to avoid being down, we just took this one as a design sample and started again using our self-created pattern to replicate and know where to add and elongate our rods and bars.”

    This level of attention to detail, spirit of endeavour and unwillingness to compromise can be found throughout the build. Off-the-shelf Air Lift suspension kits are available for this generation of VW Scirocco, but that wasn’t enough for this guy. No, he swapped out the shocks for different ones, shortening front and rear by a further 7cm to get the car sitting crazy-low. When it came to the innards, the idea was to evolve the original interior rather than radically rework it, so the stock seats have had their headrests binned before being retrimmed in leather along with the dash. The rollcage has been perfected, and the towering gear shifter acts as a keen statement of intent. Oh yes, and of course there’s a knitted loo-roll holder in there. Why wouldn’t there be? “That was knitted by a friend of mine who did that as a sort of distraction during sick days,” Sebastian explains. “He’s fine now! And to be fair, when I was little everyone had that in their cars. I don’t know why you aren’t seeing them in more old German cars today, but during my childhood that was something you just had to have! To me it’s a trip down memory lane every time I see it, plus it’s holding my friend in honour with giving it a space where it really belongs.”

    Lavatorial accoutrements aside, this really is a fabulous fusion of show and go, all with a keen and wry eye on the show scene of the turn of the century. The way it sits ultra-low over those custom splits is eye-wateringly badass, and it’s an inspired wheel choice: “Ronal Racing was my original idea, although there was already a modified Mk1 Scirocco with Ronal wheels at the time so that was that,” he says. “I personally always like 0” wheels, and through nepotism I made a new friend, Dirk – owner of Zero–RS Racing – whose company is based on 0” wheels. He suggested OZ Fittipaldi wheels; I like the look of them, but I redesigned to 0” and created a smaller star. The star was originally bronze, and now it’s silver which is more my style.”

    Every decision throughout this build has been carefully considered, and it’s not just in terms of choosing the right parts and making things fit in unique and unusual ways, but also in working with the right contacts to see it’s done properly. K-Tech, for example, who served up all manner of carbon fibre parts here, have made and supplied parts for some truly iconic VW builds over the years; in fact K-Tech’s owner, Michael, has one of the earliest full-on Mk1 show cars ever built – it’s orange, and sits proudly in his showroom as respectful testament to the old-school. It’s this cherished notion of doing things the old way and combining it with new-wave ideas which keeps the project ploughing onward: “They’re never finished, are they?” Sebastian laughs. “I have no particular favourite part as everything on the car is something I’ve always wanted to do, but it’s a project and I’m still working on it. Most recently, with the help of a friend, I’ve created my own custom wheels for the modified Mk1 Scirocco – yes, made from scratch, self-moulded and all…”

    Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    It seems that there really is no barrier to creativity here. With one eye on the retro scene, approached from the perspective of someone who watched it unfurl when it wasn’t that retro, Sebastian’s looped the vibe around and reimagined it for a new generation. The fun part about building your dream car is that you’re always able to have new dreams, and with every spark of inspiration comes a fresh new take: this modified Mk1 Scirocco truly represents the ethos of ‘old-school, new rules’.

    Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    Tech Spec: Modified Mk1 Scirocco

    Engine:

    2.0-litre 16v (from Corrado G60), twin Weber carbs with 45mm throttle bodies, ported head, DBilas cams, 4-2-1 Supersprint exhaust system, shaved bay, carbon engine mounts, carbon oil cap, Corrado G60 gearbox, Sachs clutch

    Chassis:

    6.5×17” OZ Fittipaldi wheels (stepped up from 16” with polished lips), 165/35 Nankang tyres, 30mm spacers, Air Lift Performance suspension with V2 management, Corrado G60 brakes

    Exterior:

    Full body resto, Baby Blue paint, Aenso graphics, all-red taillights with carbon top covers, chrome bumpers with carbon inserts, roof aerial and rear wiper deleted, carbon-coated wiper arm and door mirrors, chrome door handles, Autoplas rear louvres

    Interior:

    Full polished rollcage, custom gear-shifter, original seats retrimmed and headrests removed, TRS window nets, retrimmed steering wheel and dash, carbon binnacle insert

    Source

  • MODIFIED DODGE VIPER: THE VIPER’S NEST

    Simplicity is key with this static-dropped modified Dodge Viper. But subtlety? With an 8.4-litre V10 under the bonnet, it’s hardly subtle…

    Fast Car magazine. Words & Photos: Paddy McGrath

    Sometimes, there isn’t much more you can add to a feature, other than to present it for what it is. Jon Guntley’s 2017 modified Dodge Viper SRT almost epitomises this. I mean when was the last time you saw a Viper laid out on the deck in the middle of the desert? Unless you follow @srtjonboy on Instagram that is.

    When we choose cars to feature, and it is a very much deliberate process, we often try to showcase cars which can inspire, regardless of what your taste in cars might be. As an example, this writer & photographer would very much consider themselves a German car enthusiast, yet I often look to other scenes for ideas and inspiration for my own cars.

    Let’s be honest, most of us probably aren’t going to end up with a Dodge Viper in our lives at any point, particularly in this part of the world. We would probably just be lucky to see one, but there is something here which all of us can takeaway; that is learning to understand what we have, how to approach it and when to know what enough is.

    Modified Dodge Viper

    Snake bite

    To gain some insight into the Viper, I spoke with Jon recently to get a better understanding of his thought process around the car.

    “After moving to Dubai in 2010 I quickly realised you could easily afford to run big engines that are usually thirsty on fuel as it’s so cheap in the Middle East. I’ve always had a place for American cars and had become a fan of the Hemi V8 after first purchasing a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Following that came my 2012 Dodge Charger SRT, then a Ram 1500 5.7L and then another Dodge Charger SRT, this time a 2016 model.”

    Modified Dodge Viper

    “So being a good customer of the local dealership I came to know they had the last two remaining 2017 Dodge Vipers in the showroom. With the announcement of them ceasing production again of the Viper it was too much of an opportunity to miss out on. I sold the 2016 Charger after only 9-months of owning it and pursued making the Viper a childhood dream come true. “

    While the spec-list for this car is staggeringly short, it doesn’t make it any less significant. It can be neatly summarised as wheels, coilovers and a wrap. That’s a recipe we often hear used to ridicule “lesser” builds, but like everything, execution can make or break a build. You certainly don’t look at this car and think “that needs more.”

    Modified Dodge Viper

    The engine is stock, but when a naturally aspirated 8.4-litre V10 makes 645hp and 600 lbs-ft from factory, it doesn’t really need an increase in power. Given the Viper’s famed nature to bite from even low speeds, this was probably a wise decision unless Jon plans on digging the car out of a sand dune regularly.

    Perhaps the only thing louder than the V10, is the motorsport inspired livery by Khyzyl Saleem (@the_kyza), which appropriately takes inspiration from the famous ‘80s Porsche 962 Boss Le Mans race-car. Previously, the car was a pretty sinister all-black but Jon wanted to change it up a little for MADE earlier this year.

    For those that don’t know, MADE is a highlight on the car show calendar for those in the United Arab Emirates, and was featured in Fast Car earlier this year. It’s absolutely worth the effort to dig out that issue if you missed it the first time around.

    Modified Dodge Viper: The Static life

    What will likely raise an eyebrow or two – or at least turn a few of us green with envy – is that the Viper is static dropped on BC Racing coilovers. There’s no hidden air-cup system to lift that nose off the ground, and this is the car at its driving height.

    When your driving height is lower than some people’s aired out height, it’s naturally going to get a lot of attention. Watching the car cruise down the highways of Dubai is surreal, and even out at the desert shoot location, you’re always waiting for it to air-up to move between shots. It doesn’t, however.

    What you should take away from this feature is how Jon evaluated what he had and figured out where to add his own flourishes to make it stand out. He left things that didn’t need to be changed alone, choosing a route of relative simplicity to further enhance all the good bits the Viper leaves the factory with.

    Would the exact same choices have been as effective on another car? Maybe, and maybe not. But having seen Jon’s other cars, including a bagged Nissan Silvia S14, he’s certainly capable of adapting and choosing a different path for each car, as opposed to using a one size fits all approach again and again.

    That in itself is probably the best takeaway from this; it doesn’t matter what you start with as long as you really understand where it’s going and when you need to stop. Still, I think it will be worth looking towards Dubai in early 2021 to see how Jon evolves the modified Dodge Viper once more.

    Tech Spec: Modified Dodge Viper

    Styling:

    Livery Design by Khyzyl Saleem ((@the_kyza), Wrapped by MG Customs Garage

    Tuning:

    OE 8.4-litre V10

    Chassis:

    19×11-inch (front) and 20×13-inch (rear) Vossen ML-R1 wheels, BC Racing coilovers

    Interior:

    Stock

    Source