Weird is the New Normal
September 27, 2016
Thanks to the internet we get to see some pretty wild car stuff these days. Sites like Bangshift.com and social media just keep the good stuff pouring in all hours of the day. Ten years ago it was pretty much standard issue street cars and race cars to tickle your fancy. Nowadays you get up close and personal with everyone�s wildest dreams come true. From turbocharged UTVs to wheelie popping school buses and literally everything in between, the trend seems to be that the more wild it is, the more we love it. Creativity is one thing, but having the motivation to actually go out and build some of this stuff is what�s really impressive. You can thank the internet. Part of what makes it so much fun, is being able to share your project with so many people so easily. Quite literally, we all get to enjoy your crazy ideas with a just a few swipes of our phone or tablet. We find ourselves jumping on board and thinking about our next cool project quite a bit differently than dear ole dad probably did. It�s true enough that technology and contemporary power plants can make these modern day Frankenstein projects all that much more interesting, but it still comes down to the builder and their unique vision to bring it all to life. So if it�s true that weird is the new normal, let�s take a quick look at ten extremely �normal� projects we've seen around on the internet.
[caption id="attachment_8078" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
8Ncredible, Photo Courtesy www.jackdonohue.com[/caption]
Let's ease into the weird water with a look at this happy little tractor. The flathead V8 was an aftermarket option on 1951-52 8N tractors, and this 1952 Ford 8N features the optional classic Flathead Ford V8. For 81 years, a 1932 Allis Chalmers Model U held the speed record for such things with what we have to believe was a very sketchy 67.667 mph run. In 2015, Jack Donohue's 8NCREDIBLE set the record again with a 96.3185 MPH blast making it the fastest Farm Tractor in the world. The record wasn't set on the salty flats at Bonneville due to poor weather conditions. As of 2015, this was the only Farm tractor in the world certified to compete in the Land Speed Record Competition that's been running since the late 1800's.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8079" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Ultimate Fun Haver[/caption]
You might know Vaughn Gittin Jr. from Formula Drift or from his awesome Mustang RTR endeavors, but you should take a closer look at what they affectionately refer to as the Ultimate Fun Haver. This twin turbo ecoBoost Ford Truck is modified to both drift on asphalt and jump dirt piles with the flip of a switch. We've seen this thing in person several times and it's pretty cool. SCT has apparently tuned the boosted six cylinder to run on a cocktail of king cobra venom and lightning bolts. You can't easily see it in pictures, but the cabin is loaded with racing seats front and back. This thing is a rocking good time waiting to happen.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8077" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Crazy C-Ladder Racing[/caption]
OK, so this is hardly new, but it is a classic example of something weird that just seems to get better with age. We have to assume that the original conversation was pretty difficult to follow for some at the table. "So You guys want to ride a drag car down the track, jump off of it, while it's moving, with a ladder and scamper up to the top?" We don't really know exactly how C-Ladder got to be this awesome, but we like it. (also C-hose and B-Ladder and B-hose, pretty much all the things that feature a racing fire crew). In terms of racing, it's pretty weird and you can't stop watching it because it's awesome.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8076" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Photo Courtesy www.gearheads4life.com[/caption]
Be honest, you LOVE this thing, right? It's insane to even consider a Bonneville racer built from a portly Motorhome. While it doesn't come very close to cracking the sound barrier, we're guessing that the record setting 118 MPH run was more than enough to to give you a pretty good scare. This is a 26 foot 1977 Kingsley with about 700 horsepower and somewhere in the neighborhood of a million tons of swagger. The MoHo is slammed, tinted and decked out in custom livery worthy of a world record holder (which it now is). You might ask why someone would do this, we'd then quickly decide that you couldn't be our friend anymore.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8075" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Courtesy Scott Vogel YouTube Channel[/caption]
There's no shortage of wild UTVs, GoKarts and trikes on the ole interwebs, but for some reason the first time we saw this turbo GSX-R-powered side-by-side we fell in love. He's not even really pushing it that hard, but something about the sounds and the ease with which this thing is ripping around the fields, just rocks. It's clearly way more powerful and fast than the roll cage was designed for, and that makes it just about perfect. Somebody needs to throw a party for Polaris for putting things like this into the world for us to modify and thrash.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8081" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Courtesy Motor Trend YouTube Channel[/caption]
You can't swim in these weird waters without a mention of the Roadkill boys. They've built an empire from hacking together horsepower and rotting junk. Here the boys zip tie a 7.3 Powerstroke turbo charger onto the venerable Chevy 4.3 V6. Oh yeah, they dropped that little hand grenade into a mint Datsun 240Z and an internet legend was born. Per the Roadkill constitution, the aptly named Rotsun has strewn its parts across America ever since. Between break downs, the little rusty Datsun has truly captured our hearts, and the car lives and dies regularly on episodes of Roadkill to this day.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8073" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Courtesy GoPro YouTube Channel[/caption]
Somewhere between pure country boy engineering and way too much free time, this wild tractor was born. Hatched only to shred grass and firmly plant a smile on everyone's face in the process. GoPro suggests that we Be a Hero with their cameras, and this little Swedish Drift Tractor does just that. This thing generates smoke and rooster tails on a scale that would get a nod from even the most hard core American hot rodder. There are tons of crazy tractor videos on the internet, but thanks to some slick editing, GoPro's crew easily stole our inner farm boy hearts with this one.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8072" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Courtesy TopGear.com[/caption]
In many ways, Top Gear is the founder of the feast when it comes to showcasing absurd motor vehicles to world. For decades the show has brought crazy vehicles to our attention in grand fashion. A few years ago, the UK show presented the 46 liter BMW engine Brutus to us, and we can still hardly wrap our minds around this fire breathing beast. Putting a vintage airplane engine in an early American LaFrance truck chassis is a formula destined to raise eyebrows. With roughly a zillion foot pounds of torque on hand, the fire belching Brutus does not disappoint. This 12 cylinder monster manages a hilarious 0.18 MPG while serving up 493 horsepower to the rear tires.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8080" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
LSX Jeep Courtesy 1320video YouTube Channel[/caption]
This thing embodies the ideology of using an LS for pretty much anything to go way too fast, and then then promptly put video of it on the internet. In the early days, this little green machine was basically the definition of a bad idea, but looked oh so good blasting down the road! The little green war wagon captivated internet viewers with its wild wheelies at speed on the interstates and highways. Originally with little more than a windshield frame to protect the driver, the LSX Willys scared you to death and made you laugh out loud all at the same time. These days it's a little more polished and maybe even a little safer, but 64 years after it rolled of the assembly line, the LSX Willys Jeep is still doing work.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8071" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]
Courtesy Hoonigan.com[/caption]
Behold, the Hoonicorn. Conceived of internet pixie dust at the hands of master tire fryer Ken Block, the Hoonicorn is the very essence of ridiculous awesomeness. The car nearly broke the internet when Gymkhana 7 launched and instantly became a dream machine for pretty much every guy on earth. Ken Block has quite literally made a career out of fulfilling our dreams of unbridled tire smoking rampages on public streets (and the occasional industrial site). Whereas most of Block's rides have been repurposed race cars, the Hoonicorn by all accounts was built specifically to melt tires for the internet and look gloriously rowdy doing it.
Click to see more!
8Ncredible, Photo Courtesy www.jackdonohue.com[/caption]
Let's ease into the weird water with a look at this happy little tractor. The flathead V8 was an aftermarket option on 1951-52 8N tractors, and this 1952 Ford 8N features the optional classic Flathead Ford V8. For 81 years, a 1932 Allis Chalmers Model U held the speed record for such things with what we have to believe was a very sketchy 67.667 mph run. In 2015, Jack Donohue's 8NCREDIBLE set the record again with a 96.3185 MPH blast making it the fastest Farm Tractor in the world. The record wasn't set on the salty flats at Bonneville due to poor weather conditions. As of 2015, this was the only Farm tractor in the world certified to compete in the Land Speed Record Competition that's been running since the late 1800's.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8079" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Ultimate Fun Haver[/caption]
You might know Vaughn Gittin Jr. from Formula Drift or from his awesome Mustang RTR endeavors, but you should take a closer look at what they affectionately refer to as the Ultimate Fun Haver. This twin turbo ecoBoost Ford Truck is modified to both drift on asphalt and jump dirt piles with the flip of a switch. We've seen this thing in person several times and it's pretty cool. SCT has apparently tuned the boosted six cylinder to run on a cocktail of king cobra venom and lightning bolts. You can't easily see it in pictures, but the cabin is loaded with racing seats front and back. This thing is a rocking good time waiting to happen.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8077" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Crazy C-Ladder Racing[/caption]
OK, so this is hardly new, but it is a classic example of something weird that just seems to get better with age. We have to assume that the original conversation was pretty difficult to follow for some at the table. "So You guys want to ride a drag car down the track, jump off of it, while it's moving, with a ladder and scamper up to the top?" We don't really know exactly how C-Ladder got to be this awesome, but we like it. (also C-hose and B-Ladder and B-hose, pretty much all the things that feature a racing fire crew). In terms of racing, it's pretty weird and you can't stop watching it because it's awesome.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8076" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Photo Courtesy www.gearheads4life.com[/caption]
Be honest, you LOVE this thing, right? It's insane to even consider a Bonneville racer built from a portly Motorhome. While it doesn't come very close to cracking the sound barrier, we're guessing that the record setting 118 MPH run was more than enough to to give you a pretty good scare. This is a 26 foot 1977 Kingsley with about 700 horsepower and somewhere in the neighborhood of a million tons of swagger. The MoHo is slammed, tinted and decked out in custom livery worthy of a world record holder (which it now is). You might ask why someone would do this, we'd then quickly decide that you couldn't be our friend anymore.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8075" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Courtesy Scott Vogel YouTube Channel[/caption]
There's no shortage of wild UTVs, GoKarts and trikes on the ole interwebs, but for some reason the first time we saw this turbo GSX-R-powered side-by-side we fell in love. He's not even really pushing it that hard, but something about the sounds and the ease with which this thing is ripping around the fields, just rocks. It's clearly way more powerful and fast than the roll cage was designed for, and that makes it just about perfect. Somebody needs to throw a party for Polaris for putting things like this into the world for us to modify and thrash.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8081" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Courtesy Motor Trend YouTube Channel[/caption]
You can't swim in these weird waters without a mention of the Roadkill boys. They've built an empire from hacking together horsepower and rotting junk. Here the boys zip tie a 7.3 Powerstroke turbo charger onto the venerable Chevy 4.3 V6. Oh yeah, they dropped that little hand grenade into a mint Datsun 240Z and an internet legend was born. Per the Roadkill constitution, the aptly named Rotsun has strewn its parts across America ever since. Between break downs, the little rusty Datsun has truly captured our hearts, and the car lives and dies regularly on episodes of Roadkill to this day.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8073" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Courtesy GoPro YouTube Channel[/caption]
Somewhere between pure country boy engineering and way too much free time, this wild tractor was born. Hatched only to shred grass and firmly plant a smile on everyone's face in the process. GoPro suggests that we Be a Hero with their cameras, and this little Swedish Drift Tractor does just that. This thing generates smoke and rooster tails on a scale that would get a nod from even the most hard core American hot rodder. There are tons of crazy tractor videos on the internet, but thanks to some slick editing, GoPro's crew easily stole our inner farm boy hearts with this one.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8072" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Courtesy TopGear.com[/caption]
In many ways, Top Gear is the founder of the feast when it comes to showcasing absurd motor vehicles to world. For decades the show has brought crazy vehicles to our attention in grand fashion. A few years ago, the UK show presented the 46 liter BMW engine Brutus to us, and we can still hardly wrap our minds around this fire breathing beast. Putting a vintage airplane engine in an early American LaFrance truck chassis is a formula destined to raise eyebrows. With roughly a zillion foot pounds of torque on hand, the fire belching Brutus does not disappoint. This 12 cylinder monster manages a hilarious 0.18 MPG while serving up 493 horsepower to the rear tires.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8080" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] LSX Jeep Courtesy 1320video YouTube Channel[/caption]
This thing embodies the ideology of using an LS for pretty much anything to go way too fast, and then then promptly put video of it on the internet. In the early days, this little green machine was basically the definition of a bad idea, but looked oh so good blasting down the road! The little green war wagon captivated internet viewers with its wild wheelies at speed on the interstates and highways. Originally with little more than a windshield frame to protect the driver, the LSX Willys scared you to death and made you laugh out loud all at the same time. These days it's a little more polished and maybe even a little safer, but 64 years after it rolled of the assembly line, the LSX Willys Jeep is still doing work.
Click to see more!
[caption id="attachment_8071" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Courtesy Hoonigan.com[/caption]
Behold, the Hoonicorn. Conceived of internet pixie dust at the hands of master tire fryer Ken Block, the Hoonicorn is the very essence of ridiculous awesomeness. The car nearly broke the internet when Gymkhana 7 launched and instantly became a dream machine for pretty much every guy on earth. Ken Block has quite literally made a career out of fulfilling our dreams of unbridled tire smoking rampages on public streets (and the occasional industrial site). Whereas most of Block's rides have been repurposed race cars, the Hoonicorn by all accounts was built specifically to melt tires for the internet and look gloriously rowdy doing it.
Click to see more!