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Car masters rust to riches cars2/15/2024 The donor car was a 1962 Cadillac sedan, which Mark found in the salvage yard along with the land speed record car. One of the most visually appealing cars from the show, the 1962 Cadillac is a guaranteed head-turner. The rocket-strapped speedster managed to achieve high speed on salt flats but failed to garner any profits, and was sold at a loss of $15,000! The engine was kept stock, and bigger tires were added to the car, but overall very few performance changes were made. The flames coming out of the rocket were created by multiple propane tanks strapped to its exterior with 'TNT' marked on them, but it had no role in the performance of the car and was mainly added for aesthetic purposes. The land speed record car was given a bright red paint job and a toy rocket strapped at its top, to give it a straight out of television look. Shawn was apprehensive of this decision due to the non-profitability of such concept cars, but he eventually gave his go-ahead, due to Mark's enthusiasm. Reminding him of nostalgic rocket-powered cars from a childhood cartoon serial, Mark felt a great connection to this machine and decided to customize this speedster into a rocket-powered toy car. ![]() Mark found it when he was searching the Salvage yard to find a decent car worthy to trade in exchange for the '57 Chevy Wagon when his eyes fall on a yellow tube-like structure, which was nothing but a land speed record car. When it comes to the coolest and crazy cars built by the Gotham Garage, the rocket-strapped speedster will always find its name among the top five. In exchange for the restored Chevy, Mark trades two cars from the storage - a '62 Cadillac and a land speed record speedster, along with $14,500 in cash. Salvage storage owner Mark was mesmerized by the car and satisfied with the results. The exteriors were given a cool '50s look, with new custom tires, a two-tone paint of white and red on the outside, and a completely customized interior. The crew tucked the front hood with the 454 big blocks engine by Chevy, which produces 230-255 hp and 385-405 lb-ft of torque. Most parts were eaten up by rust, which was replaced completely following a labor-intensive restoration process. The Gotham Garage cast deserves a commendable pat on the back for restoring this piece of metal junk. In a bid to generate some cash after the failed auction of the concept vehicle duo, Mark strikes a deal with a salvage storage owner to restore the junk ridden 1957 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon by converting it into something amazing, and in exchange, he will trade old cars from his storage. Transforming the left-to-die junk-ridden skeleton of the 1957 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon, the Gotham Garage cast created one of the most eye-pleasing cars from season 4. ![]() ![]() The kit car recorded a lap time of 1:52 secs on the day of testing it on track, comfortably guaranteeing the $10,000 bonus to Mark and the team. The engine was capably churning out close to 180hp after the modifications were added. The car was given a wrap job similar to the Porsche 917 race car, and the crew added some modifications to the engine, like new carburetors and headers. Adam also provided the crew with a 1970 Porsche 911 2.2-liter engine, that gave this Kit its desired speed. The kit was designed to be bolted on top of a classic Volkswagen Beetle chassis or Karmann Ghia chassis. ![]() The design of the kit car was inspired by the Porsche 917 race car, which won the 1970 and '71 titles of 24 Hrs of Le Mans race. The car was first shown in a beaten-up condition in Season 4, episode 1 of Car Masters: Rust to Riches. But he eventually took the offer for a lucrative $40,000 deal along with a $10,000 bonus if the kit car completes a lap in Willow Springs in under two minutes. The deal made the garage's foreman Mark hesitant at first, owing to his previous bittersweet experience with a high-end client in modifying the Delahaye-styled 1933 Ford Replica. The Elite Laser 917 was an old kit car rusting in the Garage of a high-end client, Adam, who wanted it modified by the Gotham Garage.
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