For a few months I've been hinting about a huge project that I've been working on. The fact is, I've actually been working on it for over a year now. After seeing my work in the Art Of Modern Rock book last year, Scion approached me to create an art car with my Rock influenced style. They were looking to bring a Rock & Roll flavor to their line of one-off project cars that have been mostly Hip-Hop and Graffitti based up until this point. What was initially to be only art on the car and a chance to create custom rims with minor interior work soon became much more. I came up with more ideas about some massive customization for the car.

I grew up with cars and hot rods on my brain. My uncle was a serious Hot-Rodder in the Bay Area of California and created many show winning cars. I got to ride in them when my family visited on summer vacations and when I was lucky I got to wash & wax his cars and ride with him to the Hot Rod meets. Those summers left me with a passion for hot rods and I'm now a bit of a weekend Hot-Rodder myself (I own a 1965 Chevy Nova Sport Coupe).

As the Scion project started taking off I pitched the concept of taking an XB and making it into an over the top Panel Wagon hot rod. They loved the idea and the ideas started flowing, soon they snowballed into a full blown custom one of a kind hot rod. It's been a long process but the car has developed into something that is more than I could have even hoped for.

I was present for a preview (phase one) of the car at SEMA in Las Vegas on November 1-4. The responce was amazing. The images that you see here are a work in progress, the final stage of the car will be unveiled in the summer of '06.

Here's a list of some of the customizations:

-Custom painted graphics by Justin Hampton

-400+ Horsepower Toyota 4 cylinder 22 RT engine turbocharged with nitrous

-Customized 1990 1 ton Toyota truck frame & coverted to rear wheel drive

-Triangulated 3 link Currie rear end

-Suicide Doors

-Back doors and windows sealed and paneled

-Air ride with Firestone 2600 lb airbags with Viair compressors

-Custom one-off rims designed by Justin Hampton and Billet cut by Boyd Coddington (of American Hot Rod on the Discovery Channel)

-Custom interior with multimedia experience designed by Justin Hampton

-Webasto panoramic over size sun roof.

-And much more