More MOPAR Reference Material!

As a designer and illustrator, having reference material available to me is of extreme importance. I take pride in making my work as accurate as possible, and nothing beats having the correct information at your fingertips when faced with having to create the correct trim, paint or interior pattern on a piece, and to say that this book is merely good would do it very little justice.

Loaded with great information (and clear, concise photography to back it up!), this book is certainly a must-have for anyone serious about making their work accurate… and even more valuable when consulting with a client on a potential build/purchase. From identification (VIN decoding, color schemes, engine/driveline, interior and more) through historical facts, Mr. Schild takes the time to break down the E-body Barracuda and Challenger in an easy-to-digest format that is entertaining as well as informative.

There are plenty of sidebars as well, from accessory groups and production numbers, to more entertaining pieces, like the story about the Vanishing Point Challenger. Impress your friends with some great trivia from that piece alone! I have a number of reference books on the shelves in my studio, and this is a stand-out title in both ease-of-use and digestibility.

Between the numbers and references for finishes, this is certainly worth adding to any enthusiast’s book shelf, and has already proven to be a “go-to” title in the Studio.

Collector’s Originality Guide
Challenger and Barracuda, 1970-1974
Jim Schild
Illustrated. 128pp
Motorbooks
$24.99
Grab your copy here, and save almost 35%

Remake VS re-work...

...is often a touchy subject.

Consider re-makes of movies, for instance. You run he risk of there being a complete division of fans... some loving the new and improved version, and others hating it, claiming its inferiority to the original. Rare cases like Dawn of the Dead (the original is a big favorite of mine, and played a BIG role in my youth...more on that sometime...) have had remakes that are excellent, much like Ocean's 11, as well. ...and then you have crap like the Omen.

Occasionally, someone re-works a story, and it's gets me all psyched up... such is the case with Todd McFarlane and Josh Olson teaming up on their feature film, Twisted Land of Oz (of course, you know there'll be LOTS more on this in the near future!! Anything from the house of Spawn is relished in this studio!). Taking what is quite possibly the most widely-known and cherished film of all time, and re-working it with a twisted vision is a great idea, and takes some original and wickedly creative characters even further:

After all, which one looks like a more intense time in the theater to you?

It's not a far throw, then, to talk about re-makes of classsic custom cars or hot rods... I'm all for re-makes of cars like the Hirohata Merc, and even a lost car.. say, for instance a lost Roth car that gets re-made in pure tribute. How cool is that to share history with people who may have never seen it otherwise?

Re-working something take a special brand of creativity, not to mention an ability to walk the line between showing reverence and profaning the memory of the original. Taking a historical custom and re-working it has been done before, and occasionally with good results. It gets me thinking, though... what if I could re-work a classic like the Aztec, or the Jade Idol what would I do? There would be HUGE challenge in each, and improving on either would be an incredible challenge, not to mention running the risk of being chased from town Frankenstein-style if I got it wrong. There have been well-known rides (like the Golden Sahara, with it's re-done multi-finned persona altered from its original incarnation by Jim Skonzakis -- aka "Jim Street") mildly re-worked and accepted by fans of the first incarnation, certainly. But look back on others that were re-worked and over-done to the point of becoming monstrosities, like most show cars did in the early-to-mid 1960's, and it's easy to see where taste can be overcome by the need to "do more" and score more judging points. The risk of toppling over the line from "cool car" to Corvette Summer garishness is but a few gallons of Bondo and some madness away from one another, it seems.

With the new Camaro and Challenger hittingg showrooms, you can't help but wonder what the public will make of these cars. Both are, in essence, re-makes... The latest Mustang has done well to capitalize on the historical reverence of the model, going so far as to offer classic Shelby, King of the Road, and even Drag Pack options in the Motorsport catalog. Should there be a race-only, lightweight Hemi Challenger available? COPO Camaro's being fitted wih race parts in dealerships? Why not? (Imagine a Hemi Dart built on the new LY platform?! Wowza.) It all boils down to doing something well, and taking creative license down the right road... and avoiding the flying monkeys, of course. Goes without saying, I suppose...