These Celebrities Modified And Ruined Their Iconic Classic Cars
Celebrities are good at one thing and that is pulling crowds. However, when they step away from their craft and try to make a crowd puller in a segment they’re not well versed in, disaster usually happens.
In the world of fashion, there are usually “fashion police” who put celebrities with outrageous ideas back in line and in tune with pop culture norms. But in the world of automobiles, active “automobile policing” is not a thing. And that is why these 10 cars managed to end up as they did.
The worst part about it is that these were iconic rides before they were butchered by unworthy aftermarket parts. The best part however is that these celebrities ended up with laughing stocks that they had to hide in their garages or throw in the scrapyard.
10 Cam Newton – Oldsmobile Cutlass 442
NFL players and muscle cars have a couple of things in common. They are both fast, powerful, big, and heavy. The Cutlass 442 is also built with these same qualities. And when NFL quarterback Cam Newton bought it, no other combination looked more fitting.
And there was a special touch to this iconic classic. Cam had the bumpers and trim of his Cutlass 442 dipped in real 24-karat gold and not a golden chrome wrap. That made this car not only iconic but also wildly expensive. So, what ruined it? His choice of massive rims with rubber band tires messed up the aesthetics of this vehicle.
9 Darren McFadden – Buick Centurion
NFL players probably don’t have good taste when it comes to modifying cars. That might explain why Darren McFadden did an unlikable mod job on his Buick Centurion.
First of all, the Buick Centurion is not a car that comes to mind when you think of custom rides.
What this marque is loved for is its stellar luxury and performance for the price. But Darren saw it differently. He put an off-putting “Barney” purple paint job on the Centurion and color clashed that with green oversized rims and a green interior. He ultimately succeeded in giving Shrek four wheels.
8 Sean Davis – Reliant Robin
Portsmouth Football club doesn’t have the best English football history. This club has been around since 1858 and the only major success it has was winning the FA cup in 2008. Thus, the coaches have been hard at work trying to make the players perform at their very best. And that is where this Reliant Robin comes in.
When Sean Davis was not, well, very reliant on the pitch, he was forced to drive home in this old rust bucket. But the football star saw an odd opportunity. He decided to give the marque to a group of mechanics for a makeover. Well, the job didn’t go quite well despite the men in overalls giving it a sporty rear wing and a trailer that can be attached at the back to break its feeble chassis.
7 Farrah Fawcett – Corvette C3
Celebrities buying automotive icons and modifying them to junk is not a new phenomenon. Back in the ‘70s, Charlie Angel’s star Farrah Fawcett butchered the mighty Corvette C3 for the whole world to watch in disbelief.
The whole mod involved out-of-control pinstriping, the addition of an irritating fully fur-covered interior, custom lights and fenders, plus a TV for the passenger. Sure, Farrah’s Corvette was a wild marque performance-wise. But the questionable design choices, which became a thing in the ‘70s, left little to write home about for a rather iconic ride.
6 James Caan’s Corvette Thingray
James Caan had established himself as a talented actor back in the day. But he was nowhere near talented when it came to modding cars. This famous actor had made a name for himself in major movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, El Dorado, and finally The Godfather where he acted as Sonny Corleone.
The major role he played in The Godfather earned him the award of Italian of the Year in New York. But the man was Jewish. And that confusion would trickle down to his car choices, the highlight being his ‘70s modified Chevy Corvette that many called the “Thingray” because of how odd it looked.
5 Richard Rawlings’ De Tomaso Pantera
It’s hard to put in words what this thing is. In summary, it is a butchered De Tomaso Pantera modified by the Ringbrothers. What makes it worse is that Richard Rawlings bought this car at an auction for a whopping $330,000.
The problem with this custom job was that updating a classic model is always difficult. De Tomaso Pantera already donned a timeless design that didn’t need to be touched. Thus, the addition of big wheels, a horrendous interior, and a bad grille was not a very nice idea.
4 Sonny & Cher – Ford Mustangs
George Barris is a respected name in the vehicle customizing world. He is known for some of the most amazing car modification jobs in the industry. However, some of his designs have proven to be very questionable and, in most cases, unlikable.
But the biggest offender is the Sonny and Cher Ford Mustangs. Barris built matching convertibles that were both colored pink and gold. To make matters worse, these marques were gifted with weird side panels that looked like Country Squire wagons. The worst change was to the front fascia where the Mustang’s legendary design was swapped for square beamed units and a tacky grille.
3 will.i.am – DeLorean DMC-12
Who on earth would consider a DeLorean as his/her platform for a custom-built car? This marque was not only an ugly sports car but also a poor-performing one. When will.i.am took it for customization, they even made the design worse by making it look like a car from a low-budget video game.
What was inconceivable was how West Coast Customs put their name and effort behind this build. What was even more absurd was the fact that will.i.am thought the marque had been built from the ground up, while it was just a modification of something already existing and quite frankly bad.
2 will.i.am – VW Beetle
will.i.am’s unsuccessful car exploits did not happen with the DeLorean alone. There was this VW Beetle that left more “eewws” than “aaawws” in the mouth of petrolheads and the general public. But the one good thing we can say from all this is that will.i.am’s consistency when it comes to his custom car taste is impeccable.
This VW Beetle once again looked like a marque straight from the video game of a struggling company. To make matters worse, it took 5 years and $900,000 to complete it. A classic VW Beetle looks way better.
1 Zach Randolph – Chevrolet Impala
Zach Randolph’s rise to fame also came with a steep rise in the number of wheels he owned. However, what he did to his Chevy Impala is left for whispers. The custom design of this American powerhouse was simply hideous.
The biggest flaw in its design was the oversized rims. Then there was the tan leather interior and suede accents that didn’t quite blend well with the rest of the car. Moreover, the Chevy Impala is known by many people as a lowrider with impeccable performance, so this Impala on stilettos simply looks out of place.
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