French grass roots Enginepunks

Following on from the 2CV hotrod here's a Sahara replica spotted in France - nothing too rad just someone doing it for himself. Or possibly herself.

This is a Q car. It's not what it seems. Q cars are named after Q ships built in World War 1. They looked like helpless and vulnerable freighters but as soon as a submarine surfaced to fire upon them, down would come the rusty superstructure and there would be some big guns to blow the sub out of the water.

2CVs are great starting points for engine punk stuff. Taking the musical analogy further, they are classics - people keep doing cover versions! Each time it's subtlely different.

Personally, I reckon Enginepunkness can be highly finished and above production car values. Enginepunks do it because they can.

Or they can be old bangers....

I haven't a clue what lurks beneath the panels of this push-me pull-you 2CV or what type of competition it was built for - or even which way it's facing - but it oozes attitude IMHO.








Finally, a 2CV tank.

Engine Punk because .... 2 engines, two front ends and a tank - no justification needed I think.

Zero Engineering

By their very nature bikes have a functional aesthetic, but some say more than others about their intentions. Zero Engineering of Japan have produced some superb examples of bikes that have real attitude and a tension in their appearance – they look animated and flowing even when standing still.
www.zero-eng.com

Engine Punk because .... engine, wheels and attitude combined with a flowing functional, animated aesthetic. It has a poise that looks like its moving even when its standing still - it wants to go and begs to be ridden.

2cv Hot Rod

There were always fast Minis and Beetles but modified 2CVs were more of a fringe activity, maybe because they were bonkers enough in original form.
I do love the 2CV – my third car (along with the first & second) was a red one that cost £100 and gave me 50,000 miles of trouble free motoring (if you disregard the engine coming loose at the rear, which made for interesting braking).
You can find plenty of modified 2CVs on the web but I particularly think this one fits the Engine Punk ethos by pushing to the absolute limit what a 2CV could be in a style that’s similar to SteamPunk but is distinctly Engine Punk (no pipes or brass).
The images were found on the National Street Rod Association website – where you can find plenty of other great work along with details of a major event they have at the end of May.
Picture source: www.nsra.org.uk

Engine Punk because .... it pushes the boundaries of what a 2CV hot hod could be.

Boiled Swedes II

I’ve not seen these vehicles before, but when you look you can find a whole culture of custom & hotrod Volvos – including one of my favourites the Vox Amazon – built by Mattias Vöcks (winner of the hottest Volvo competition in 2006
Maybe I should start looking around the World to see what other local car culture surprises there are – is anyone in Korea taking a welding torch and a fat V8 to a Kia ?

Boiled Swedes

Maybe a little clean to have the title “punk” but I think it qualifies because of the contrast with the brand values of the company - the general perception of Volvo I have is for a company that produces estate cars for the middle classes to transport Labradors along the M4 at 90 mph.

Hot Rod Jakob was produced by Lief Tufvesson (ex-Volvo employee)and designed (& named) in the style of early Volvo from the late 1920s.
Our definition of Engine Punk asks for craft and Jakob does not disappoint with a carbon fiber chassis, except for the engine's steel subframe, and a body skinned in hand-beaten aluminium - all powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder engine that puts out 265 horsepower.

You can see more of Tufvesson's work via his company Caresto (http://www.caresto.se/).

Salamanda

I reckon this machine qualifies - it's a kind of French or Italian Austin 7 that may have existed in a parallel universe - spotted at Wiscombe Park hillclimb and designed by Oliver Way.