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They managed to squeeze five subwoofers, eight speakers and almost a quarter mile of audio cable into the car and still found room for 15 LCD screens and a tablet PC with wireless internet access. Four batteries keep it all going. (http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/08/the-worlds-most.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/toyota_prius_extreme_tuning.jpgChuck Squatriglia - Wired - Aug 21, 2008

Definitely different -- Ed.

Love it or hate it, the Toyota Prius is a boring car and the last thing you'd expect to see snagging trophies at a car show. But three Swedes with wild imaginations and a truckload of cash have turned a car with the personality of a goldfish into the world's wildest hybrid.

Claes Gustafson and the crew at Classe's Garage (http://www.classesgarage.se/joomla/index.php) completely reworked one of Toyota's eco-wonders and gave it more video screens than the Super Bowl, more speakers than a political convention and a paint job that makes Amy Winehouse look understated.

It took eight weeks and $184,275, and by the time the car rolled out of the shop the only thing they hadn't modified was the chrome trim on the grille.
… http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/08/the-worlds-most.html

This does bring the question: what would you do to Pimp your Ride?

If you could

It's intesting to note that for the price of this makover, you could have had two Tesla's.

Gustafson didn't say anything about mods to the drivetrain, so we're assuming it's stock (although they moved the shifter from the dash to the center console and gave it an eight-ball knob).

It's always interesting when they spend more than most people's net worth on pimping a car. Makes absolutely no sense, but it's fun to watch. Gotta love the 8-ball shifter.

Harry

$184,275 would buy me a couple of the most high yielding "cherry picked" Li-Ion packs for a plug-in conversion... with enough change left over for a decadent and eye-popping paint job, Custom LRR tire specs, some JDM aero body mods that actually improve on the CoD and of course, the best "cherry picked" thin film solar kit roof treatment.

As it stands it is a neat job, but I think of it as fitting a dynosaur rubber suit on a bird - not a definite sign of evolution. ;)

Cheers;

MSantos

$184,275 would buy me . . .

$184,275 would convert my home's power to 100% wind and solar. It would replace our heat with a nice new closed loop geothermal heating system. Then, with the leftovers, it would replace my wife's Ford Focus with a new stock Prius, and finally pay for a nice family vacation to any place we picked.

-Bryan

If I had money to burn on my Insight, I'd extend front and rear bumpers a foot or two, replace the mirrors with a video cam.

If I had big money to burn, I'd replace the body/chassis with carbon fibre and redo the dashboard so you could customize the appearance (i.e. like ScanGage) - but this is fantasy of course

Oh - a solar roof and hood to partially charge additional traction batteries and allow more lean burn time (Insight's can't EV)

Although I have seen better pimped-out rides, this might help the Prius break out of the image of a purely envirnmentally responsible ride. Perhaps this will kick-start popularity among younger drivers.

This is an example of what's called a "strawman" argument. You begin with a false or unprovable premise: "Love it or hate it, the Toyota Prius is a boring car..." And on that foundation, you go where you couldn't go with the truth.

For anyone to foolishly spend that money on something other than food for starving people, medical care for children dying of preventable diseases, or to support me in my old age, verges on criminal. Of what benefit was that excercise?

If I came into that kind of money, I'd dump it into my debt.

Bu-bu-but it's butt ugly! I suppose the 4000 watt stereo makes it go up the hills faster.

Maybe this will start a new breed of opulence in cars. They could be called VSP's for volt sucking pigs. HAHA. Actually, now that I think about it, it should be an ASP for amp sucking pig.

But I'm pretty close to retirement. So if they gave me $184,275 I would buy another $275 car, put the $184,000 in the bank, then retire.

It's always interesting to see what other people are doing to cars. Somehow, this reminds me of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

Faithful and True

I suppose the 4000 watt stereo makes it go up the hills faster.A 4000 watt stereo would put my Insight into a forced recal :eek:

$184,275 would convert my home's power to 100% wind and solar. It would replace our heat with a nice new closed loop geothermal heating system. Then, with the leftovers, it would replace my wife's Ford Focus with a new stock Prius, and finally pay for a nice family vacation to any place we picked.

-Bryan

Where do I sign for this gravy train? :D

"For anyone to foolishly spend that money on something other than food for starving people, medical care for children dying of preventable diseases, or to support me in my old age, verges on criminal. Of what benefit was that excercise?"


90% of the world's population would say what we do with our money (as in you and I with our cars, cellphones, computers, fancy clothes, etc.) is foolish and verging on criminal, so please watch your banter about those who you believe are "weathly" and "frivolous". To others around the world, you just may be that person.

When you think you want a 4000 W sound system in your car think about this poor sod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsHt3PZBN6Q

http://www.youtube.com/v/KsHt3PZBN6Q&hl=en&fs=1

kryten

Why does anyone need even one video screen in a car (unless for rear view mirror replacement), let alone 5? To my taste, the standard video display is the second-worst thing about the stock Prius, and they add more?

You mean the screen we use to show what the HSD system is doing, and what the mileage is? You might as well say we don't need scangauges either. Or the Insight's built-in mpg readout. Who needs that?

Don't knock the DVD entertainment systems either, until you've driven across the country with kids on board. These things became popular about the same time the laws changed to require kids to be strapped in at all times. No more rolling around the back of the station wagon.

Now, I agree 5 might be overkill, but that's the whole point of this car. Overkill.

Hi Mike78, I've lived overseas in many countries, both developed and undeveloped countries, for a total of over 10 years. I've done a mission trip in Guatemala. I've seen abject poverty, and worked with it (all the time wondering why I was born here and not there).

So, I repeat, of what benefit was that exercise Mike?

Thanks for the laughs, Chuck and Kryten. Just what I needed on this long Friday afternoon.

4000w is like 317amps. That takes some good size wiring.

You mean the screen we use to show what the HSD system is doing, and what the mileage is?

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Why does it have to be a video screen (and centrally mounted), instead of useful gauges like the Insight's FCD display, or the readout of a ScanGauge?

Now it could be nice, I suppose, if you could actually program it to give useful information, but as is? No thanks.

Don't knock the DVD entertainment systems either, until you've driven across the country with kids on board.

Not something I'm ever likely to do, but whatever happened to books? Video rots the brain, especially young brains.

and i thought people pissed their money pretty well, this definitely tops it in that category.

Come to think of it - for 184K my residence might be upgraded to zero energy, depending on if solar panels are allowed.

It's the main place I could save energy now.