SNEAK PEEK

Mary insisted that Nicole would want everything to be simple and low-key, but we couldn’t help giving the outside world a hint of what was going on inside the Range Rover Velar. We replaced this outer trim piece with the same aluminum-copper-sheet metal as a nod to both the interior and Mary’s nail color of the day.

SLAM-DUNK DESIGN

Mary had mentioned a brown leather for the interior, so Cristy hit her with a range of pieces. Nicole’s love of basketball made the choice easy, especially as it paired so well with the copper sheet metal details we placed throughout the interior.

A HEADLINER MAKING HEADLINES

COOKING UP CREATIVITY

Galina’s previous car was a retrofitted Honda Element that she tried to make into a camper with a wooden pallet table, but it wasn’t quite working. Tony wanted to give her the real deal, so we created a custom roll-out kitchen that would extend from the back and provide everything she needed for a real, home (er, road)-cooked meal. You can see the full extension further down in the post.

BUILT FOR A BEATING

Galina apparently has acquired a reputation for being a little rough on things, so we wanted the interior to withstand whatever she threw at it. Extra-durable vinyl-and-tweed seat covers and vinyl laminate flooring will do just the trick, while the neutral color palette will provide the backdrop she needs to make it her own.

OPEN AND OUT

RIDING ON AIR

Getting this ’58 Impala to drop down mean installing an air bag kit, which fit easily in the massive trunk. Customizing it, though, was a whole other trip to a custom engraver, who not only created a work of art for the air ride kit, but also under the hood. (Check out the photo slideshow above!)

THE WHITE STRIPES

Danny wanted to get the Impala right for Mario, which meant replacing the racing wheels someone had installed on the Impala and bringing in some small-spoke wheels with the all-important whitewall tires. Those sweeping fenders aren’t gonna hide these beauties.

GIVE EM A HAND

SINK ABOUT IT

Space was at a premium in this Blue Bird school bus (more on that later), so we knew we had to maximize every nook and cranny to fit everything Renee would need for her mobile salon. Tucking this washing station into the corner was the perfect space-saver, giving Renee plenty of room to move around and tend to her clients.

SOME EXTRA HEADROOM

After laying out Renee’s salon in the parking lot, we ran into a problem: namely, we needed a bigger bus. In order to fit all the supplies and seating in, we borrowed an idea from campers and RVs and built in a two-foot extension that shows Renee’s mobile salon business means business.

DOUBLE-DUTY DRYER

KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF

Placing this Buick Electra’s frame on an electric “skateboard” means our classic, bulky beauty needs to lose a lot of weight somewhere. We went straight for the hood, where we replaced the original with a carbon-fiber look-alike that reduced the car’s weight by 100 pounds. It also had the added benefit of shimmering in the sunlight, so it not only helps the Electra’s giddy-up, but it looks amazing, too.

JUNK IN THE TRUNK

Our electric base added a bit of bulk to the Electra’s undercarriage—OK, a lot of bulk, since that’s the whole chassis. We cut out everything we could from the trunk of the old Electra frame to reduce weight, but we also had to make sure it still looked cool. Lucky for James, we made sure the electric skateboard fit like a glove, giving the Electra a lowrider feel, with a lot of secret power underneath.

A PEACEFUL DRIVE

COLOR BY NUMBERS

Keeping the original details of both cars was important, and especially on the 442, since this version was only in production for three years, with 200,000 cars built. We restored all the original numbering and decals remaining on the car and recreated the ones we needed in order to give a muscle-car identity back to this beauty.

ALL BLACK, EVERYWHERE

Renée made some of the design choices pretty easy when she channeled Nanci’s favorite color: black, all the time, everywhere—including the wheels on the Bronco. (She allowed us to keep a little chrome on the 442’s wheels.) It’s a very sleek look, one that screams custom work and will turn heads on the freeway.

INSIDE OUT