Hi Steemian’s and D Liver’s,
TIMID drivers might want to steer clear of ‘Tankenstein’, a hotrod built around a genuine, bullet-riddled World War II tank.
Car-crazy customiser Shawn Cormier, from Ontario, Canada, spent five years building the vehicle - whose name is a pun on Frankenstein's monster.
Shawn told Barcroft TV: “Tankenstein is a mixture of all car parts and just bits from different vehicles.
"It’s kinda like Frankenstein’s monster when they took the different body parts and grafted them together."
The hotrod is constructed around the base of a World War II brand gun cure from 1944, with a Chevy drive train, a small block Chevy turbo 350 trim mission, a standard four gear in the back and the top part of the cab is a 1947 Mercury truck.
Speaking about his monstrous creation, Shawn said: “I can still say Tankenstein is the only ratrod tank in the world.
“One time I was talking to my brother and he said there’s an old truck cab by his old house. "We went and looked in the woods and there was an old truck laying there. I bought it home, I cut the boat a foot and a half off the bottom of the cab that was rotted away, stuck it on top and that’s how Tankenstein started."
And while the vehicle derives it’s name from the fictional creation of author Mary Shelley, Shawn also likes to drive it in character with a helmet and gun.
He said: "When I pull up with Trankenstein at car show, people come running over to watch it. There’s a lot of people interested, who say, ‘What is it?’, I say ‘What is it? It’s Trankenstein.'
“Trankenstien is powered by a 305, its got roughly about 175 horse power, she will do about 45-50 miles and hour top end that is red lined."
While it took about $2,500 to build, Shawn has received offers up to $20,000 for his hotrod - but has no desire to sell the truck.
He said: "I’d probably never sell Tankenstien, I have been offered a lot of money for it before but I mean there is only one so if I sell it, what would I have after that? A whole bunch of money? What good is that? There is only one of these so if I sell it what am I gonna do then?”
Shawn is also the proud owner of a Black Widow monster truck, but says his beloved Tankenstein is the favourite of his crazy vehicles.
Shawn added: "The black widow monster truck is cool, but I think my favourite by far is Trankenstein. Just because of the reaction it gets. So, that’s my funniest thing to drive right now.
“I don’t know if I have a passion for cars, it’s kind of a sickness. I’m working on this stuff just for the fun of it. I get kick out of the jaw drops, that’s what makes it worth while.”
Have a good week all!!
Barcroft Team
My video is at DLive