Tag Archives: Automotive

Copper-clad Maserati GranTurismo brings handcrafted luxury + gullwing doors to a bespoke grand tourer

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A Maserati GranTurismo is not something you would normally associate with a copper exterior and a glass canopy that opens like a cockpit. Yet that is exactly what makes the GFG Style Peralta D so intriguing. The one-off grand tourer trades the familiar curves of the Italian coupe for hand-hammered copper panels, a mirrored glass upper body and an unusual arrangement of gullwing doors. It is an ambitious exercise in coachbuilding by Fabrizio Giugiaro, created for Mexican entrepreneur and car collector Carlos Peralta.

Unveiled at the 2026 Pastejé Automotive Invitational in Mexico, the Peralta D is the second project commissioned by Peralta from GFG Style. It follows the Peralta S, a bespoke creation based on the Maserati MC20, introduced in 2025. This time, the starting point is the Maserati GranTurismo, with its 2+2 seating layout offering room for four occupants. The D in its name is a personal reference to Peralta’s daughters, just as the earlier S was dedicated to his sons.

Designer: GFG Style

The most striking bit of the performance car is undoubtedly its bodywork. GFG Style has replaced conventional painted panels with pure copper, shaped and hammered by hand to create the lower body. The metal’s natural reddish finish is left exposed, giving the car a character that would be difficult to achieve with paint alone. Above it, mirrored glass treated in a matching copper tone forms the upper section, creating an almost uninterrupted surface between the roof and body.

The design has a distinctly geometric character, with a wedge-shaped profile that recalls some of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s earlier automotive work. Anthracite-black alloy wheels feature a pattern inspired by the 1970s, while slim lighting elements and diamond-pattern aluminium grilles keep the front end relatively uncluttered. Carbon-fibre components are also present, although they are carefully integrated to avoid interrupting the copper-and-glass finish.

Getting inside is an experience in itself. Rather than using conventional doors, the front section opens through a single-motion glass canopy that tilts forward. The rear passengers have separate gullwing-style openings. The arrangement brings to mind the split-opening engine cover of the 1967 De Tomaso Mangusta, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and gives the Peralta D a distinctive sense of occasion.

The cabin continues the material theme with metallic-effect leather, perforated Alcantara and genuine copper-thread stitching. There are some more personal touches, too. The passenger side of the dashboard houses a dedicated makeup station with cosmetic storage and an illuminated mirror display. At the back, a retractable refrigerator in the centre console is designed to hold a champagne bottle and four copper drinking glasses.

Beneath the bespoke bodywork, the Peralta D retains the GranTurismo’s mechanical foundations, combining a carbon-fibre structure with an aluminium chassis. GFG Style has confirmed a combustion-engine powertrain but has yet to disclose detailed engine specifications or performance figures.

There are no plans to put the Peralta D into production. It is a single commission, built around its owner’s tastes rather than the expectations of a wider market. That freedom is evident throughout the car, particularly in the way traditional metalworking and familiar automotive design references have been brought together in something that looks unlike any standard Maserati.

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MyGlamper mounts on your SUV hitch and inflates into a large, 12-person tent at the campsite

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Rooftop tents have their own advantages, but they cap the camping setup at a limited number of people. Tents are better off there, but they aren’t the most convenient to carry, pitch, and pack away. Owing to this disparity, a third league of vehicle-mounted tents is really becoming a go-to idea for some manufacturers. We have seen Thule manufacturing a hitch-mounted tent in the Outset, which unfolds to create a tent-like space slightly above the ground, while remaining attached to the back of the vehicle.

Australia-based MyGlamper is now taking that concept and expanding it for up to 12 people to camp in simultaneously. For some reason, that idea doesn’t add up to me. It’s like you can fit an entire football team in there, but it would ride behind a large 4WD or midsize SUV with a maximum of 6 people on board. Unless you’re driving in an RV with this towbar-mounted tent, you can at best have people in two different trucks assembling at the camp and living together.

Designer: MyGlamper

Hitch-mounted MyGlamper isn’t only about 12 people. The company is offering three different inflatable mountain cabins that are designed for 6 to 12 people. These are individually called MyGlamper Lite (ideal for couples or small families), MyGlamper Plus (spacious, designed for longer stays), and MyGlamper Pro (designed with automation and off-grid living in mind).

Each MyGlamper unit can inflate into a large tent and later pack away into a hard-sided box to mount onto the back of a vehicle. It looks like a rooftop tent, but instead of going up on the roof, it attaches to the hitch receiver, so as to ride upright behind the vehicle. The size of the box erected to the back of your SUV is based on the model you choose. If you’re interested, all three MyGlamper models are available for preorder now. The first 100 models are going for special founder’s pricing.

According to the website, the six-person MyGlamper Lite starts at AU$18,990 (approx. $13,000), while the Plus model is available starting at AU$24,990 ($17,500). The flagship 12-person MyGlamper Pro is on preorder for AU$29,990 (approx. $21,000). The tent models are not just basic sleeping canvases, as the price would have suggested. These are completely equipped with lighting, electrical fittings, an indoor kitchen, a bathroom with a recirculating shower, and a raised master bedroom.

Since the MyGlamper models are designed to be lightweight yet spacious, they will offer a camping experience that rooftop tents and traditional tents have failed to offer over the years. With a dry weight of under 70 kg, Lite sleeps 6 people and sets up in minutes without tools or hassle. The company notes that it takes the Lite up to six minutes to set up. The Plus and Pro models have a dry weight of 90 and 110 kg and are capacious enough to sleep up to 12 people.

According to the company, the glamper models are made from 300gsm riptech polycotton canvas, carbon steel hitch, and stainless steel or aluminum legs and brackets. Each of these inflatable tents, which inflate on the vehicle hitch or can also be detached from it, comes with a puncture kit for emergencies. Each model includes a 100-Ah battery and a 30-L fresh water tank for longer stays in the wilderness.

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Beauer X8 transforming travel trailer has enough room for the whole family, and some more

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There is nothing that gets better than a towable, which travels compact behind your ride and, when it’s time to camp, opens up to provide a complete home inside. Beauer has spent its time perfecting such RVs that offer a full range of features at camp. Case in point is the new 2027 Beauer X8, a new model from the French manufacturer that transforms from a compact form factor into a complete home on wheels.

The Beauer, renowned for its expandable trailers, impresses once again with the new X8. The travel trailer thrives on the company’s patented, and often used, telescopic design, which – in this case – allows the X8 to expand to almost thrice its compact drivable size. Like its previous models, the transformation happens at the push of a button, and when expanded, it can easily accommodate up to eight people.

Designer: Beauer

Beauer X8 trailer seems mammoth when it’s expanded. When it is unfolded, it forms a total of 21.8 feet long, 6.7 feet wide, and 9.5 feet high living space. The telescopic design allows the two modules of the trailer to extend horizontally, up to 15.7 feet, creating a living area inside. The entire transformation takes 60 seconds, the company affirms, and the best thing is that the furniture inside is so well positioned in the folded positions that it automatically aligns into place with the unfolding triggered by the electric cylinders at the push of a button.

The Beauer X8 made its debut at the 2026 Düsseldorf Caravan Show earlier this year. The X8 in the name probably signifies the number of people it can comfortably accommodate. It weighs 5,732 pounds with the accessories onboard, and when fully deployed at the camp, it offers a double living room with two sofa beds, two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a full bathroom for the residents.

Beauer X8 packs this spacious living space in a split design comprising a dedicated functional zone in each. The trailer has two large beds and two living rooms. Both bedrooms have a 140 × 200 cm double bed each, and they come with a comfortable foam mattress. According to Beauer, the two sleeping zones are separated by a two-compartment walk-in closet. More interesting are the living rooms that come with a L-shape sleeper sofa each and combined dining zone with a table for 8 people. It is a section developed ideally for residents to sit and relax.

The bathroom of this transforming travel trailer is pretty spacious. It comes equipped with a cassette toilet, sink, vanity, and a shower stall measuring 70 × 70 cm. Interestingly, a small washing machine has also been provided in the bathroom. It is mounted on the wall. The kitchen is located in the middle-left section of the X8. It comes equipped with a freestanding electric or gas cooktop, a large 190-liter refrigerator, a sink, and enough storage, still leaving enough space for a dishwasher or oven.

To ensure comfortable living, the interior of the X8 is provided with electrical outlets and LED lights, air conditioning, heating, TV, and a battery bank. The Beauer X8 expandable travel trailer starts at €109,990 (approximately $128,000).

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Only nine of these gorgeous red-to-aluminum Ducati customs will ever exist

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Paint has one job on most vehicles, and that job is covering up the metal underneath. Bandit9 clearly doesn’t agree with that particular ideology. The Saigon-based studio’s new (RED) 800 starts out in deep Racing Red at the nose, then lets the color thin out as it sweeps back until all that’s left is raw, hand-brushed aluminum. It’s a Ducati 821 custom built with (RED), the charity co-founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver, and only nine will ever exist. Every one of them sends $14,000 to the fight against AIDS and other preventable diseases, which is a pretty great excuse to own a motorcycle this good-looking.

Each fade gets applied by hand, so no two of the nine bikes will wear their red in exactly the same spot. I love that, because the paint job becomes a fingerprint. Underneath sits the same recipe from Bandit9’s Ducati 821 build: Ducati’s 821cc Testastretta twin making 110 horsepower, wrapped in a seamless hand-shaped aluminum unibody that weighs a claimed 386 pounds dry. That earlier bike went with aluminum and carbon and skipped the red entirely, which feels almost rude for a Ducati. This one brings the red back and then lets it fade out halfway, a Ducati that only partly remembers its roots. It’s priced at $49,900 and built to order, with an 8 to 12 month wait.

Designers: Bandit9 & (RED)

How the red drains across one seamless aluminum shell

The fade works because there’s nowhere for it to stop. Bandit9’s unibody wraps the nose, tank, and flanks in one hand-shaped aluminum skin, so the red never runs into a panel gap that would force a hard edge. The color sits deepest on the tank and tail, then drains down the flanks toward the belly like it was poured on from above. By the time it reaches the engine cases, the brushed grain of the metal has taken over completely. In the close-up shots, that grain even seems to show through the red near the transition, which hints at a translucent candy coat laid straight onto bare aluminum.

That candy approach, if it is one, would explain why the bike looks lit from inside. Translucent paint lets light hit the metal underneath and bounce back through the color, so the red picks up a glow that solid paint can’t fake. Thinning the coat by hand also means the painter controls exactly how fast the red gives up, which is where the fingerprint comes in. A red LED strip tracing the tail’s edge down toward the rear suspension carries a line of color past the point where the paint stops. Basically, the red keeps going even after the bike runs out of paint.

A fade with roots in 1950s hot rods and (RED)’s aluminum gadgets

Southern California painter Larry Watson gets a lot of the credit for turning fades into a custom-culture staple. Starting in the late 1950s, Watson helped popularize panel paint, scallops, veils, and fades, shooting candy colors over silver and pearl on cars like his own 1958 Thunderbird. Those jobs were loud, flashy, and built to be seen at a drive-in. Bandit9 takes the same basic idea and strips out the flash, using a single color and letting bare metal do the rest. It’s a hot rod technique wearing a gallery outfit.

Red over bare aluminum also happens to be (RED)’s unofficial house style. One of the organization’s most famous early products was a red aluminum iPod nano in 2006, and in 2013 Jony Ive and Marc Newson designed a one-off aluminum Leica M for a (RED) auction at Sotheby’s. That camera sold for $1.8 million, and the whole sale raised $26.2 million once the Gates Foundation matched it. Bandit9’s bike slots neatly into that family of red-and-metal objects built to raise money. It’s also the only one I know of with a Ducati engine.

The same price as the regular 821, which makes the red free

Bandit9 left Ducati’s mechanical bits alone and rebuilt everything you actually look at. The 821cc Testastretta twin makes 110 horsepower and 65.8 lb-ft of torque, good for a claimed 0 to 60 mph run of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of about 125 mph (201 km/h). A custom tubular steel trellis frame holds it together, with a 43mm Sachs fork, an adjustable Sachs rear shock, and a single-sided swingarm. Dual 320mm Brembo monobloc calipers handle stopping up front. Ducati’s engineers did the hard part, and Bandit9 spent its months on the shell.

At $49,900, the (RED) 800 costs exactly what Bandit9 charges for its regular Ducati 821, which means the buyer pays nothing extra for the paint or the $14,000 donation. Sell all nine and (RED) collects $126,000. Orders go directly through Bandit9, and with only nine slots, they probably won’t hang around long. Plenty of charity editions just dip a product in red and call it a day. Bandit9 made the red the entire design, then had the good sense to let it fade out right where the metal gets interesting.

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Bandit9 (RED)800 Motorcycle Fades From Racing Red to Brushed Aluminum

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Only a few come close to Bandit9 when it comes to avant-garde custom motorcycle creations. We’ve seen some eye-popping designs from the Vietnam-based studio that lean into a sci-fi theme, with alien-inspired forms that stay within the desirable two-wheeler limits. This time around, the custom builder is back with a hand-built motorcycle crafted in collaboration with RED, an organization helping fight AIDS and other preventable diseases.

Dubbed the (RED)800, this bike is a sight to behold with its raw form fused into a modern aesthetic, as the hand-brushed aluminum fades gradually into the sparkly red form. Only 9 units of this bike will ever be made, so that puts it firmly in the ultra-limited-edition category. More importantly, every single penny earned from the sales will go to RED’s mission for life-saving healthcare programs to communities most in need.

Designer: Bandit9 and RED

According to the makers, the bike’s bodywork is sculpted from scratch, with the attention to detail that’s worthy of a sculpture. As RED puts it, the bike is “an unexpected meeting of color and raw metal, executed by hand. It’s this kind of unconventional thinking and meticulous execution that defines a Bandit9 motorcycle.” Underneath that drool-worthy bodywork is the Ducati 821cc Testastretta V-twin producing 110 bhp. That takes the handsome machine from 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and capable of hitting top speed of 201 km/h.

Coming back to that magnetic bodywork shaped in one continuous form, the hand-painted gradient transitions from the Racing Red to the raw hand-brushed aluminum with no apparent separating lines. Each one of the bikes will be hand-painted, so they’ll have a unique personality of their own. The finish of the bodywork is the talking point here, as the raw metal is turned into something organic while still feeling modern.

The mechanical components of the bike are left exposed underneath the aluminum shell for that muscular feel. Especially on the rear of the monocoque body, the metal surfaces are left exposed – showing off the steel trellis frame. The red strip light running from the saddle, all the way down to the suspension joint, gives the bike a sci-fi character. To complement the unibody design, the (RED)800 rides on spoked wheels and low-profile tires. For an aerodynamic riding posture, the bike gets rear-set foot controls and low-slung handlebars.

Bandit9 (RED)800 carries a price tag of $49,000 (plus shipping), and each one is made to order, with shipping taking anywhere from eight months to a year. So, you’ll have to be ultra-patient to get hands on one, even if you are lucky enough to order one of the only nine units.

 

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Bandit9 (RED)800 Motorcycle Fades From Racing Red to Brushed Aluminum

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Only a few come close to Bandit9 when it comes to avant-garde custom motorcycle creations. We’ve seen some eye-popping designs from the Vietnam-based studio that lean into a sci-fi theme, with alien-inspired forms that stay within the desirable two-wheeler limits. This time around, the custom builder is back with a hand-built motorcycle crafted in collaboration with RED, an organization helping fight AIDS and other preventable diseases.

Dubbed the (RED)800, this bike is a sight to behold with its raw form fused into a modern aesthetic, as the hand-brushed aluminum fades gradually into the sparkly red form. Only 9 units of this bike will ever be made, so that puts it firmly in the ultra-limited-edition category. More importantly, every single penny earned from the sales will go to RED’s mission for life-saving healthcare programs to communities most in need.

Designer: Bandit9 and RED

According to the makers, the bike’s bodywork is sculpted from scratch, with the attention to detail that’s worthy of a sculpture. As RED puts it, the bike is “an unexpected meeting of color and raw metal, executed by hand. It’s this kind of unconventional thinking and meticulous execution that defines a Bandit9 motorcycle.” Underneath that drool-worthy bodywork is the Ducati 821cc Testastretta V-twin producing 110 bhp. That takes the handsome machine from 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and capable of hitting top speed of 201 km/h.

Coming back to that magnetic bodywork shaped in one continuous form, the hand-painted gradient transitions from the Racing Red to the raw hand-brushed aluminum with no apparent separating lines. Each one of the bikes will be hand-painted, so they’ll have a unique personality of their own. The finish of the bodywork is the talking point here, as the raw metal is turned into something organic while still feeling modern.

The mechanical components of the bike are left exposed underneath the aluminum shell for that muscular feel. Especially on the rear of the monocoque body, the metal surfaces are left exposed – showing off the steel trellis frame. The red strip light running from the saddle, all the way down to the suspension joint, gives the bike a sci-fi character. To complement the unibody design, the (RED)800 rides on spoked wheels and low-profile tires. For an aerodynamic riding posture, the bike gets rear-set foot controls and low-slung handlebars.

Bandit9 (RED)800 carries a price tag of $49,000 (plus shipping), and each one is made to order, with shipping taking anywhere from eight months to a year. So, you’ll have to be ultra-patient to get hands on one, even if you are lucky enough to order one of the only nine units.

 

The post Bandit9 (RED)800 Motorcycle Fades From Racing Red to Brushed Aluminum first appeared on Yanko Design.

Bandit9 (RED)800 Motorcycle Fades From Racing Red to Brushed Aluminum

Posted on by

Only a few come close to Bandit9 when it comes to avant-garde custom motorcycle creations. We’ve seen some eye-popping designs from the Vietnam-based studio that lean into a sci-fi theme, with alien-inspired forms that stay within the desirable two-wheeler limits. This time around, the custom builder is back with a hand-built motorcycle crafted in collaboration with RED, an organization helping fight AIDS and other preventable diseases.

Dubbed the (RED)800, this bike is a sight to behold with its raw form fused into a modern aesthetic, as the hand-brushed aluminum fades gradually into the sparkly red form. Only 9 units of this bike will ever be made, so that puts it firmly in the ultra-limited-edition category. More importantly, every single penny earned from the sales will go to RED’s mission for life-saving healthcare programs to communities most in need.

Designer: Bandit9 and RED

According to the makers, the bike’s bodywork is sculpted from scratch, with the attention to detail that’s worthy of a sculpture. As RED puts it, the bike is “an unexpected meeting of color and raw metal, executed by hand. It’s this kind of unconventional thinking and meticulous execution that defines a Bandit9 motorcycle.” Underneath that drool-worthy bodywork is the Ducati 821cc Testastretta V-twin producing 110 bhp. That takes the handsome machine from 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and capable of hitting top speed of 201 km/h.

Coming back to that magnetic bodywork shaped in one continuous form, the hand-painted gradient transitions from the Racing Red to the raw hand-brushed aluminum with no apparent separating lines. Each one of the bikes will be hand-painted, so they’ll have a unique personality of their own. The finish of the bodywork is the talking point here, as the raw metal is turned into something organic while still feeling modern.

The mechanical components of the bike are left exposed underneath the aluminum shell for that muscular feel. Especially on the rear of the monocoque body, the metal surfaces are left exposed – showing off the steel trellis frame. The red strip light running from the saddle, all the way down to the suspension joint, gives the bike a sci-fi character. To complement the unibody design, the (RED)800 rides on spoked wheels and low-profile tires. For an aerodynamic riding posture, the bike gets rear-set foot controls and low-slung handlebars.

Bandit9 (RED)800 carries a price tag of $49,000 (plus shipping), and each one is made to order, with shipping taking anywhere from eight months to a year. So, you’ll have to be ultra-patient to get hands on one, even if you are lucky enough to order one of the only nine units.

 

The post Bandit9 (RED)800 Motorcycle Fades From Racing Red to Brushed Aluminum first appeared on Yanko Design.

$200,000 Roamer X is one hell of a solar-powered off-road trailer with cozy fireplace

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When the pavement ends, the fun begins! That is a bold statement. For a camping trailer designed for all terrain types, that can be more challenging. But not in the case of the Roamer X. Homegrown in the US under the ROA Off-Road umbrella, this is a serious off-road rig, designed to make off-grid travel and living fun.

Developed from the ground up in collaboration with Pause, the Roamer X is a full-fledged, all-terrain camping trailer that comes with a mind-blowing $200,000 price tag. For serious rigs, that is not an extraordinary amount, but when you consider the fact that the luxury and durability Roamer X offers has to be towed behind a capable vehicle, you suddenly realize the magnitude of the tag.

Designer: ROA Off-Road

If price is not a deterrent, you are actually going to love what this rig with a cozy fireplace and an elaborate solar setup has to offer at the campground. Built to let you explore the wilderness in all four seasons, the trailer comes onboard with a 34,000-BTU Aqua-Hot heating system and an interior that offers residential comforts.

Coming to the inside, the interior has been designed for luxury living and comfort with an electric fireplace and leather recliners in the vicinity. When it’s raining or snowing outside, and you can’t do much outdoors, you can entertain yourself with the ceiling-mounted projector firing content on a retractable screen placed right above the fireplace.

After the entertainment, when you feel hungry, you can prepare a meal in the fully equipped kitchen or run for a quick shower in the wet bath. When it’s time to retire for the day, hop into the sleeping area provided with either a twin or a king-size bed. This convenience and the all-weather durability of the rig are further enhanced by its massive rooftop solar array (more on it after we have got the Roamer X’s weight and towing convenience out of the way).

Roamer X measures 27 feet long and has an approximately 9,800 pounds of dry weight. The average Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of this camping trailer is roughly 11,000 pounds, which can feel like too much, but in comparison to the average GVWR of larger motorhomes, it is still closer to a standard travel trailer, which the Roamer X essentially is.

For its off-roading durability, the Roamer X supports heavy-duty tires, a reinforced chassis, and a MORryde air suspension, offering the camping trailer a smooth glide over uneven terrain. And for a comfortable time even when camped away from an electrical hookup, the Roamer X features 3,160 watts of rooftop solar panels. ROA Off-Road extends the solar capacity with awning-mounted solar panels and a portable array. It also features onboard 65 gallons of fresh water, a 2,100 Ah lithium battery, and a pair of 3,000-watt Victron inverters to keep all the appliances and light fixtures going even when there is no sun for days.

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Lego’s new $160 Fast & Furious Dodge Charger takes family time very seriously

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The 1968 Dodge Charger almost died as a clay model. Designer Richard Sias sculpted a 1/10th scale study, and Dodge styling boss Bill Brownlie ordered it destroyed before leaving on a trip to Europe. His team hid it in a back corner of the studio and kept refining it anyway, which might be the most Toretto move in automotive history. That rebellious little model became the second-generation Charger, and the 1970 version went on to become Dom’s car in The Fast and the Furious. Fast forward a few decades, and LEGO has put the Charger right back where it started, as a scale model on a table, this time in 1,516 pieces.

The LEGO Technic Fast and Furious Dodge Charger R/T (set 42231) runs 16 inches long, costs $159.99, and marks the second time LEGO has built Dom’s ride in Technic. The 2020 version had 1,077 pieces, a 10+ rating, and a wheelie stand. This one goes 18+ with a V8, a chain-driven blower, a cardan shaft feeding a rear differential, independent front suspension, and two NOS bottles plus a fire extinguisher in the trunk. A Build Together mode in the LEGO Builder app lets multiple people work on the same car from their own devices. Building Dom’s Charger with family is basically required by franchise law at this point.

Designer: LEGO Technic Design Team (in collaboration with Universal)

Dom’s Charger has always been a beautiful lie. The production acquired five Chargers for the 2001 film, and some of them were 1969 cars with 383 engines dressed up to pass as 1970 R/Ts. The towering supercharger bursting through the hood was a chrome-plated plastic replica, and the famous start-line wheelie came from a hydraulic ram. The script still promised 900 horsepower and a nine-second quarter mile, and audiences happily believed every word. The wreck from the finale even landed a second acting gig, sitting in a scrapyard at the start of Herbie: Fully Loaded.

LEGO’s version wears black Technic panels from nose to tail, with a light-gray frame tracing the 1970 model’s loop bumper around the front end. New 2×2 corner panels, spotted by fans on Eurobricks, shape the grille so the front clip wraps around its edges instead of ending in a flat wall. Charger script sits on the grille, and the tail gets a light-gray valance, red taillights, and a Fast & Furious plate. Staggered-width tires, another new part, put fatter rubber at the back, which is exactly how a drag car should sit. A light-gray roll cage threads through the cabin, giving the black body a contrasting skeleton you can see from every angle.

My favorite detail, though, is the blower. LEGO calls it a chain-driven compressor, and up close it’s a loop of Technic chain links wrapped around a red pulley on top of the V8. Real Roots-style blowers run on belts, so the chain stands in for one at brick scale and gives the engine a moving part you can watch. It does three jobs at once: it’s the car’s visual signature, it’s a working mechanism, and it’s a LEGO recreation of a prop that was fake to begin with. Hollywood bolted a plastic blower to a 1969 Charger, and LEGO answered with a plastic blower that actually moves.

The 2020 set launched at $99.99, which makes the new one a hefty step up in price and ambition. Set 42231 adds 439 pieces and drops the old lever-operated wheelie stand, a feature fans loved more for the idea than the execution. At 16 inches long, the model works out to roughly 1:13 against the real car’s 17-plus feet. That slots it between LEGO’s Technic Supra at 1:16 and its Skyline GT-R R34 at 1:10. It also lands close to the 1/10th scale clay that Sias’s team once hid from their boss, so the Charger has come full circle.

LEGO launched the Technic Fast and Furious Mitsubishi Eclipse (42229) alongside the Charger, an 827-piece take on Brian’s green Eclipse from the first film, complete with its own NOS bottles. Add the Technic Supra and Skyline, and LEGO has rebuilt the hero cars of the first two films in Technic form. Line them up on a shelf, and you’ve got a family reunion that only needs a backyard barbecue and a bucket of Coronas. The Build Together mode handles the rest, splitting the Charger’s build across multiple devices so everyone gets a turn. I fully expect someone to claim the blower and refuse to share, which is also very family.

The LEGO Technic Fast and Furious Dodge Charger R/T (42231) costs $159.99 and is available now at LEGO.com, LEGO Stores, and retailers including Amazon and Best Buy. LEGO caps online orders at three per household, which feels low for anyone with a crew as big as Dom’s. Assembled, it stands over 4 inches tall and 7 inches wide, sized for a desk or a shelf next to the Supra. If LEGO ever does a third version, I’d ask for the wheelie stand back and a light kit for that grille. Until then, keep this one parked well away from semi trucks.

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YouTuber built a bike camper from scratch and took it to Burning Man

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A solo traveler needs a compact camping solution on his bike. To satiate this adventure group, a new league of bike RVs/campers is coming of age. After having already seen the likes of a wooden camper behind a bike to this hard-walled bike camper with a slide-out component to increase the compact living space for two people, it’s time now to spare some thought for this new bike RV built from scratch (quite literally) by Attoparsec YouTube channel.

The YouTuber has put out a detailed video illustrating and talking us through the entire build. You can see the complete video embedded above. If you want an idea of what’s been done and how he has created a pedal-powered bicycle RV or camper, as you may, read on.

Designer: Attoparsec

Attoparsec starts off with getting a home and industrial cargo trike, which he wasn’t able to use right away for the base. After addressing significant design and mechanical flaws (we’ll try and detail a few of them below), the custom bike was readied, and then the living solution was installed atop.

Constructed to be taken to Burning Man, Attoparsec restructured the donor trike’s mechanical flaw of a single brake cable splitting into a Y to trigger the two rear brakes. Since this caused uneven pulling, which could have been dangerous with the eventual load onboard, the YouTuber created a dual-cable brake lever that worked as a linkage mechanism to create an ideal balance at the rear wheels to brake together. custom mechanical solution also included retrofitting a new differential in addition to the brake system.

This wasn’t the only thing that required tweaking. The cargo bed on this standard trike also needed some expansion. The bed was custom extended toward the rear using round aluminum tubing for structural rigidity and to make it spacious enough to fit one sleeping adult. The compact 8-foot-long, 4-foot-wide living compartment to go on it would ensure comfort for a solo traveler. But extending the frame without moving the rear axle caused problems. The DIYer had to fine-tune it with the use of two heavy-duty trailer jacks with wheels to safeguard the camping structure from tipping over in a wheelie.

The sleeping enclosure sits on raised, reinforced frame risers and is built with rigid foam insulation. The structure is taped together to ensure the sun and the playa dust remain outside when the bike RV is stationed at the Burning Man. The bicycle camper is provided with a solar-powered refrigerator and draws its energy from a Jackery backup battery bank. According to the DIYer, the mobile home on a bike features a transformable interior that adjusts between lounging and sleeping easily. It fared well weathering storms and rain on the dry lake bed of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

 

The post YouTuber built a bike camper from scratch and took it to Burning Man first appeared on Yanko Design.