This years best..... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

bobby · 02-15-2008, 08:00 AM

Ever doubt that the World’s Most Beautiful Custom award really covers customs built outside the United States? Well, not so this year.

Australian Bruno Gianoncelli took the honors over the weekend at the Sacramento Autorama with the heavily modified Mercury that he calls Mercules. Inspired by the Sylvester Stallone movie Cobra, Gianoncelli sought out a similar car — not an easy task in the land Down Under.

He eventually found the starting point for his project in Perth, Western Australia, with a 1950 Mercury two-door that had lost most of its sheetmetal due to rust anyway. He then chopped it four inches, stretched the trunk, redesigned the interior and reshaped the front end around the Mercedes E-Class headlamps, learning to weld through the entire project.

For the engine, he chose a Ford 6.8-liter V-10, topped with an Autorotor 424 Special supercharger and backed with a Ford 4R100 four-speed automatic transmission. He runs 18-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, kept in line with Jaguar independent front and rear suspensions modified with an Air Ride airbag system that can drop the Mercury to within an inch of the ground

well,there you have it....xoxoxoo

Fotzlid · 02-15-2008, 08:30 AM

wow.
thats a lot of work there.
rolling sculpture

QuasiMondo · 02-15-2008, 09:14 AM

I'm usually not a fan of anything that was made before 1965, but that is just nice!

BadNick · 02-15-2008, 11:41 AM

beautiful, it deserves the prize.

I was born in 1949 so have a natural attaction to that vintage, so the '49 Merc is a classic lowrider I've always wanted.

The Aussie's deserve a lot of credit ...to me it seems they are creative beyond their fair share based on world population. I remember that Holden Efijy custom concept one of them made a couple years ago ...it was another awesome classic custom car that I really liked since it had a lot of the 1949 look to it.

cb93cobra · 02-17-2008, 04:58 AM

well mercules is supposed to be here this weekend for the portland rod and custom, look forward to checking it out

Ilow · 02-17-2008, 10:38 AM

you mean that's not an Benz E class front end??
p.s., that '49 is awesome--so clean

SSJTWIZTA · 03-08-2008, 01:57 AM

im not a big car nut or anything, but ill be damned if that didnt make my jaw drop.

art on wheels

fastom · 03-09-2008, 12:25 AM

I'm not a fan of anything made after the sixties so this is right up my alley. Unfortunate obliteration of the front end though, he should have kept it looking like a 50 Merc.

DEI37 · 03-09-2008, 08:09 AM

Yeah, the Mercury nose is far more stylish. I do agree with you there.

02-15-2008, 08:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
bobby Super Moderator Location: 18,000+ posts on TFP #1,2,3,4 and 5,but I'm not counting!	This years best..... Ever doubt that the World’s Most Beautiful Custom award really covers customs built outside the United States? Well, not so this year. Australian Bruno Gianoncelli took the honors over the weekend at the Sacramento Autorama with the heavily modified Mercury that he calls Mercules. Inspired by the Sylvester Stallone movie Cobra, Gianoncelli sought out a similar car — not an easy task in the land Down Under. He eventually found the starting point for his project in Perth, Western Australia, with a 1950 Mercury two-door that had lost most of its sheetmetal due to rust anyway. He then chopped it four inches, stretched the trunk, redesigned the interior and reshaped the front end around the Mercedes E-Class headlamps, learning to weld through the entire project. For the engine, he chose a Ford 6.8-liter V-10, topped with an Autorotor 424 Special supercharger and backed with a Ford 4R100 four-speed automatic transmission. He runs 18-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, kept in line with Jaguar independent front and rear suspensions modified with an Air Ride airbag system that can drop the Mercury to within an inch of the ground well,there you have it....xoxoxoo __________________ "Life goes on,within you,and...with out you !" xoxoxoo

02-15-2008, 09:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
QuasiMondo Wise-ass Latino Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA	I'm usually not a fan of anything that was made before 1965, but that is just nice! __________________ Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

02-17-2008, 10:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ilow Junkie Location: Pats country	you mean that's not an Benz E class front end?? p.s., that '49 is awesome--so clean __________________ "Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about" --Sam Harris

03-08-2008, 01:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
SSJTWIZTA Master Thief. Master Criminal. Masturbator. Location: Windiwana	im not a big car nut or anything, but ill be damned if that didnt make my jaw drop. art on wheels __________________ First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me. -Pastor Martin Niemoller

03-09-2008, 08:09 AM	#9 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	Yeah, the Mercury nose is far more stylish. I do agree with you there. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

02-15-2008, 08:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Fotzlid Junkie Location: Greater Boston area	wow. thats a lot of work there. rolling sculpture

02-15-2008, 11:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	beautiful, it deserves the prize. I was born in 1949 so have a natural attaction to that vintage, so the '49 Merc is a classic lowrider I've always wanted. The Aussie's deserve a lot of credit ...to me it seems they are creative beyond their fair share based on world population. I remember that Holden Efijy custom concept one of them made a couple years ago ...it was another awesome classic custom car that I really liked since it had a lot of the 1949 look to it.

02-17-2008, 04:58 AM	#5 (permalink)
cb93cobra Upright Location: Portland, OR	well mercules is supposed to be here this weekend for the portland rod and custom, look forward to checking it out

03-09-2008, 12:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
fastom Psycho Location: way out west	I'm not a fan of anything made after the sixties so this is right up my alley. Unfortunate obliteration of the front end though, he should have kept it looking like a 50 Merc.