Our collection of wild custom cars

Rocket-launching, rainbow-splattered streamline babies

In Asia, custom cars -- altered for looks or performance -- are pimped-out. There goes (Varoom! Varoom!) that J-pop painted (Thphhhhhh!) robot-transforming (Rahghhh!) Gandhi killer car around the bend.


Japanese customizers are hardcore


The land of anime and transforming robots brought out similarly badass vehicles at the 2009 Sotontokoro Motorshow. A Buddhist priest decked his ride with sutras written in Svarovski crystals. (Cost: US$110,000.) A Batman fanatic made a rolling tribute. (Cost: US$280,000, 13 wasted years and a divorce.) My favorite is the eggplant farmer’s van with a giant water rocket launcher.


Manila custom car show


The Philippines is a nation of car individualists. At the 2008 Manila Auto Salon (http://www.manilaautosalon.com), owners showed off their skilled custom work. Psychedelic paint jobs, gull wings and Gothic front plates ahoy.



Extreme modified vans in Japan
Spray-painting the side of a van? Pssshw. In Japan, tricked-out vans have towering lighting bolt extensions and meticulous portraits of Disney and Sanrio characters. Or cute J-pop stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki.







Chinese “little sheep” scooter
Motorbikes rule the roads of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. In China, scooters are called “little sheep” because they are less powerful than their Harley-Davidson cousins. Hence the gold writing on this retro two-wheeler “Century Sheep.”






Patched-up Shanghai three-wheeler
I adore this jockey-shifter trike, spotted on the sidewalk of Shanghai’s hardware district. It reminds me of my dad’s old ride: rust covered with poorly-matched spray paint, seat held together by rope. Could the handicapped symbol refer to the state of the vehicle?



Gandhi killer getaway car
New Delhi accumulated a fair number of foreign autos in its colonial days. At a 2007 rally, hobbyists put their painstakingly restored vintage roadsters on display. This 1930 Studebaker has a sordid history: It was the car Nathuram Godse used to escape from Birla House after killing Mahatma Gandhi.




REVA rainbow electric cars
Designer-painted REVA custom cars were auctioned for charity at the 2008 Kala Ghoda Arts Fest in Mumbai. Some call the Indian electric car ugly, but they might change their minds after seeing one covered with rainbow streaks and patches. Or not.



Sparkly Bratz Hyundai coupé
South Korean manufacturer Hyundai is known for its inexpensive and not-too-cool cars. But the sporty Genesis Coupé takes a step up the luxury ladder. And the Bratz-themed customization -- sparkly magenta paint, fuzzy pillows, wing doors -- puts this Hyundai in the zone of awesome custom cars. (If you’re a six-year-old girl, that is…)


source: cnngo.com