Dream project doomed to end in failure and bankruptcy.

Well, maybe not that bad, but close.  Near impossible to finish well, anyway.

Fact #1- I have a soft spot in my head for Volvos.  Fact #2- I'm 64, 6'1", 260 pounds.

As I have aged, I have realized how nice a 2 door car is for my front seat access.  My V50, which I really like, has me falling in, and climbing out, past the A pillar.  So, as they say, What could possibly go wrong?  How hard could it be?  Find a C30, cut out the b pillar, weld it in the V50 and create a 2 door wagon.  Yeah.

This isn't actually a new idea for me.  Years ago, I figured a 164 front end, 242 doors, and a 245 rear, to create a 163E.  This is actually do-able, because the B pillar is welded in, instead of being a stamped portion of the whole side, like newer cars are.  Biggest trouble would be finishing the remains of the back door hole, and making glass that would look right.

What do you want to build that would never be done?

 Lotus Europa

I've always wanted to put a Miata engine and transmission into a Lotus Elan Coupe. 

Streetwiseguy said:

As I have aged, I have realized how nice a 2 door car is for my front seat access.  My V50, which I really like, has me falling in, and climbing out, past the A pillar.  So, as they say, What could possibly go wrong?  How hard could it be?  Find a C30, cut out the b pillar, weld it in the V50 and create a 2 door shooting brake.  Yeah.

FTFY, and agreed it would be awesome.

I would go with a plug-in hybrid 4x4 Safari with a pop-up camper top. Ideally, diesel-electric hybrid (like a locomotive).

Inspired by the awd Tracer that showed up at the challenge years ago: I still dream of an awd turbo Esc0rt/Tracer wagon using Mazda stuff, but I know my dreams would founder in an impossible search for unicorn parts and/or an endless succession of broken axles.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

I wanted to do the same thing with a 164 and 145 only stretched with a long nose 164 front clip (up to the windshield), 142 or 242 long front door body section grafted in the middle (from A pillar to the B pillar), and 145 or 245 from the back door (B pillar on back). At one time I had everything needed except for the 142 midsection.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

I've always wanted to put a Miata engine and transmission into a Lotus Elan Coupe. 

I attended the 1989 Chicago Auto Show when Mazda first introduced the Miata.

When I saw the twin cam Mazda engine that's the first car I thought of......Mazda is making a new Lotus Elan....

'72 Ranchero with a good chassis and a 4.2 Altas inline six with a Roots blower and a five-speed manual trans.

In reply to VolvoHeretic :

I knew I couldn't be the only loon.  Did I mention the GT corduroy black seats, and the silver paint with GT stripes?

And a B30 with 3 SU's?

My dream is dropping a 2jz into a genesis coupe. I'll never do it, but I dream of it everyday

My dream is dropping a 2jz into a genesis coupe. I'll never do it, but I dream of it everyday

Streetwiseguy said:

Well, maybe not that bad, but close.  Near impossible to finish well, anyway.

Fact #1- I have a soft spot in my head for Volvos.  Fact #2- I'm 64, 6'1", 260 pounds.

As I have aged, I have realized how nice a 2 door car is for my front seat access.  My V50, which I really like, has me falling in, and climbing out, past the A pillar.  So, as they say, What could possibly go wrong?  How hard could it be?  Find a C30, cut out the b pillar, weld it in the V50 and create a 2 door wagon.  Yeah.

This isn't actually a new idea for me.  Years ago, I figured a 164 front end, 242 doors, and a 245 rear, to create a 163E.  This is actually do-able, because the B pillar is welded in, instead of being a stamped portion of the whole side, like newer cars are.  Biggest trouble would be finishing the remains of the back door hole, and making glass that would look right.

What do you want to build that would never be done?

I don't know what prompted this fever dream of yours, but if you can make it work, I might ask you to do it again with my V50, just because it's cool.

My Frankenstein dream was always to put an S54 in my E39 525i. Someone's probably done it, but I haven't (and won't, since I sold the car years ago). I guess the current version would be an S65 V8 in my 128i, but I've always favored straight sixes over V8s.

Even with 2024's horrendously expensive crash and employment disaster setting me back several years, I'm not ready to rule any out yet...it probably helps that none of my build ideas are crazy expensive.

One I got fairly deep into designing as a teenager was a bit like the Mazda Furai - mid-engined, turbo rotary-powered, decked out with cameras for good visibility and data logging like an Aston-Martin Valkyrie. The plan was to have a tubular spaceframe with fiberglass panels. The styling was pretty angular, think Lamborghini or Vector. It could be built but I don't think I'd build it anymore, being a highly performance-oriented ICE-powered car it could soon be obsolete. Performance-wise it would be pretty much the same as slapping a turbo rotary into a Superlite Coupe.

One I got 2nd deepest into is sort of a newer successor to that idea, a mid-engined AWD EV with front individual wheel-motors and a single big rear motor going into a gearbox (likely a Toyota EA60)...the front motors would be there mainly to aid acceleration traction and for regen. I'm sure I had a thread on the idea in the builds section, but I'm having trouble finding it now. Maybe I'd still build this one, I think it could be done for midrange sports car money or less and there's no reason it couldn't be competitive well into the future. This would also work well with an accessory that I think a lot of EVs could benefit from, a utility trailer with a generator which would enable super-long road trips and showing up to the track or trail with a full battery and being able to leave immediately with an empty one.

Speaking of trails, another vehicle I've wanted to build is a series hybrid 4WS 4x4 with at least independent per-axle motors going through 4spd gearboxes, but maybe individual wheel-motors. The idea would be to make it highly capable at rock crawling but also capable of a sustained top speed of around 160kph (thus the possible need for gearboxes). Body and chassis would be sort of Ultra4 Unlimited-like.

I'd also like to finish restoring my AE92 and Samurai and put a few more performance mods on both. Both are solidly on the backmost burner now...

Tesla Plaid swapping a Volvo 960 wagon. 

Streetwiseguy said:

What do you want to build that would never be done?

A million things.

I have built my dream GMT610 hundreds of times while out biking. LBZ Duramax, ZF6, NP205, 14 bolt, 4x4 IFS, lowered, bed/kitchenette buildout.

I would imagine something similar has been done before, but for years I can't get one particular project out of my mind. The problem is I don't have the fab skills, or money, to make it happen. 

An old square body S10, BUILT turbo Kswap, but place it mid-engine in the bed, massive flares and super wide sticky tires on some wild 3 piece wheels. 

I would imagine something similar has been done before, but for years I can't get one particular project out of my mind. The problem is I don't have the fab skills, or money, to make it happen. 

An old square body S10, BUILT turbo Kswap, but place it mid-engine in the bed, massive flares and super wide sticky tires on some wild 3 piece wheels. 

EDIT: Or the engine/DCT out of the Cayman GT4 RS.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

 Lotus Europa

The Europa is one of a few cars that I'd like to scan and build a perfect 1.15 scale version of.

Build a running and driving Bradley GT.  Never been done, never will be.

Streetwiseguy said:

What do you want to build that would never be done?

 

Robo-Bug.

Fully chromed, mirror tinted VW, porsche drive train 

Thought of something I'd like to build that I'd never do, because it's too expensive, too impractical and probably too scary, something like a real-life Cyber Formula or Red Bull X-series car. But you could think of it more like a LMP360 suped up with 6 digits of goodies. Big-power hybrid powertrain, variable aero with underbody suction fan, FRICS-style suspension, dedicated air brakes and aero rudders, voice command interface just for fun. Something like that should at least be competitive with the top tier of track-focused supercars at basic new 911 prices, but it would be a complete toy, driving it would be little enjoyment and lots of fear, and cornering speeds would be enough to send you straight to valhalla if it breaks loose.

A GMC Motorhome with a modern diesel or hybrid drivetrain.

The majority of my "dream projects" are actually only a step or 2 away from reality, and are borderline parts-bin projects.  But I dont have the time or energy to devote to building them.

Right now, I'd love a Maverick Hybrid drive-train in my Transit Connect.  Or manual trans.
I'd love to make a 4 door 2G Veloster
A SR20, QR25 + Boost, or KR20DDET powered Z32 slicktop (target ~2800lbs)

 

TravisTheHuman said:

A GMC Motorhome with a modern diesel or hybrid drivetrain.

That seems totally doable and not crazy expensive There are hybrid gas pickups that could work as a powertrain donor but hybrid diesels are pretty rare outside of big-money commercial vehicles.

And just who hasn't dreamed of just slapping on another front clip onto the front of a shortened greenhouse 88 Pontiac Bonneville? 2x 3.8 liters of super charged front wheel drive hottness. (Kind of a twin supercharged 7.6 liter V12)