Juice my Lemon

Not having a telly, I never saw this show but car artist Steve Saunders produced this Allegro speedster for the show in 3 days. Called the All Ego, it was originally a 2 door Allegro saloon and an 1100cc version at that i.e. the slowest of the slow. Steve doesn't make any preliminary drawings - he just sets to with a grinder and produces whatever shape he has in his mind's eye.

The All Ego is by no means his first creation. Steve's been doing this sort of thing for years. In October 2008 he had a clear out of his art car collection and the All Ego sold for 5,500 GBP.

I first stumbled across his work at a Custom Car Show at the Cornish Colliseum at Carlyon Bay in the early eighties. He'd turned a Citroen CX into a Manta Ray -0 that's the fish not the Opel. I'll try to find some images of this car dreckly (good Cornish word).

Steve described "Juice my lemon" as a cross between the American program “Pimp My Ride” and “The Benny Hill Show”. His vision was of a speedster, which involved strengthening the car to allow for the removal of the roof, re-modelling of the front and rear, adding a pair of faired-in headrests and a chopping the windscreen. Deep side air scoops, “angel eye” head lamps and slim, curved Fiat rear lamps complete the look.

Steve has been dubbed an "automotive alchemist" for turning base things into gold and is featured on the Car Design News website.

Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Auctions European Division, described Saunders' work as as rolling works of modern art, which is close to the rolling sculpture interpretation of Engine Punk. "It is drivable art in the truest sense", he added.

Engine Punk - because it turns the most unlikely thing into an object of desire (and is probably the most expensive Allegro ever). And because Max Girardo nearly said so.

Photos from Serious Wheels