The television show Pimp My Ride was a bit of a phenomenon when it first aired on MTV in 2004. The premise was simple. Rap star Xzibit would go to someone’s house and check out their car, which would inevitably be in dire need of a complete makeover. For the first four seasons, Xzibit would then take the car in question to the talented team at West Coast Customs, who would then proceed to “pimp” it out by giving it a funky paint job, doing needed repairs, and then making modifications. Some of these modifications and additions were truly original and extremely innovative, but they also produced their fair share of flops. West Coast Customs was unable to commit to doing the show after season 4, so the guys at Galpin Auto Sports became the destination for Xzibit and his project cars.
Pimp My Ride was such a hit with viewers that it spawned similar shows all over the world. 6 seasons and dozens of pimped rides later, the show ended its run. Quite a lot of controversy and bad press had dogged the show for a few years. For example, the show led viewers to believe that these cars were transformed in a matter of a few days, while the reality was that many of them took months to complete. There were also more than a few vehicle owners who reported all sorts of problems with their pimped-out rides, while others claimed that their cars were stripped of some of the fancier add-ons. Well, that’s reality television for you. Still, the show did manage to capture the audience’s imaginations. Buckle up and take a look at the 20 weirdest things ever Pimp My Ride added to cars.
20 CAT Scan
We were introduced to aspiring nurse Terese and her brown 1984 Ford LTD Crown Victoria station wagon in season six of Pimp My Ride. She made several remarks relating to the “Family Truckster,” which led viewers to believe that she was a big fan of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies. Sure, it would've been easy to turn her whip into a replica of Clark Griswold’s wood-paneled family wagon, but the GAS crew had other ideas. They decided to turn the aspiring medical professional’s wagon into a medical facility on wheels. They painted the old Ford blue and white and then added a few well-placed medical symbols as well as lights and a siren on it. It might seem a little weird that the GAS gang gave Terese her very own defibrillator, but it's an important component of any ambulance. Of course, the crew also set up Terese’s car with new custom rims, tires, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a few monitors to entertain passengers while they—dig this—get checked out in the CAT scan machine that Galpin Auto Sports so thoughtfully installed in the back of the station wagon.
19 Barbecue Coffin
It’s a little ironic that the very last episode of Pimp My Ride would feature a hearse and a coffin.
On the 74th and final episode of the show, the Galpin Auto Sports team’s eyes lit up when they saw that they would be pimping out Andrew’s 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse.
Some might think that driving around in such a vehicle is a little morbid, while others love the idea. Either way, both sides will most likely agree that the end result of this project was nothing short of cool. The crew painted the classic Caddy a glossy black with purple trim and added plenty of airbrushed skulls to the front end. They gave the interior a rock and roll touch by adding an illuminated wall of fame, but it's what they did next that showed the GAS crew’s ingenuity. They actually pimped out a coffin by turning it into a fully functioning barbecue complete with all the accessories. This means that Andrew can now be a real hero at tailgate parties as long as he doesn’t let the flames burn the purple crushed velvet covered lid. We wouldn’t blame you if you were a little leery of eating meat that was grilled in a coffin.
18 Mudflaps With LCD Monitors
We discovered that 20-year-old Josh spent a lot of his time looking after his girlfriend when we were introduced to him in this season 5 episode of Pimp My Ride. We also learned a few other things about him, such as his love for snowboarding and his desire to turn his mud-caked and worn-out 1987 Chevy K-5 Blazer into something special. The first thing that the folks at GAS did was to paint Josh’s bush beater like an RC car. The front end was a bright canary yellow, which eventually transformed into blue in the rear. On top of dressing up the Blazer with new rubber and custom rims, Mad Mike installed, in the back, a 30-inch monitor that could rise up when Josh pushed a button. As with most other Pimp My Ride projects, the gang at GAS wanted to add something that was specifically designed for the driver, so they decided to put an ice blower on the roof, which meant that Josh could make snow for snowboarding whenever he wanted. You might think that the ice blower is weird, but it isn’t nearly as weird as what the crew did to diamond-plated custom mud flaps—they installed 7-inch monitors on them. Cool? Weird? Utterly useless?
17 Chandelier
There are a lot of words that could've been used to describe Danelle’s 1981 Pontiac Trans Am when it arrived at West Coast Customs, but “classy” wasn’t one of them. Her classic muscle car’s side mirrors were attached with duct tape, the seats were in tatters, and it was painted in five different shades. Danelle’s car looked like it was ready for the scrap heap, but Xzibit saw a lot of potential.
Among other things, the West Coast Customs crew installed an espresso machine, leathered up the interior, and gave the once-scrap-worthy ride an awesome charcoal-pearl paint job.
They also did a fair amount of work under the hood and took care of a few troublesome leaks. With the addition of 20-inch chrome wheels and even a small dressing room in the trunk, the once-sad-looking Trans Am was transformed into a fierce machine. Perhaps the strangest addition was the chandelier that now hangs where the dome light once was. Now that’s a touch of class!! In all, Xzibit and his crew put about $30,000 into the car and proved that you actually can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Well, sometimes at least.
16 Chocolate Fountain
One could easily think that the West Coast Customs crew would've run out of original ideas after a couple of seasons, but they showed skeptics that their imaginations were working in overdrive in season 6. Xzibit and his crew knew that they were facing one of their biggest challenges when Justin pulled in with his 1997 Toyota RAV4. Let’s just say that this vehicle was a trash can on wheels. It looked bad enough from the outside, but it was the disaster area of an interior that was truly horrifying. It was difficult to tell how badly worn the upholstery was because of all the garbage that covered it up. This Toyota certainly wasn’t a love machine by any stretch, but the RAV4 definitely had a romantic atmosphere after Xzibit and the guys had worked their magic. Not only did Justin’s whip get a new custom leather interior, a dash-mounted movie projector, and a hood that turned into a viewing screen, but the crew also upped the romantic ambiance by installing a chocolate fondue fountain and candles in the back. Now, Justin can wine and dine that special someone in the back seat, and he'll undoubtedly be a popular guy at tailgate parties.
15 Sistine Chapel Roof
West Coast Customs pimped out a lot of rides through the show’s first four seasons, but they were unable to commit any more time to the show after they had opened up a second shop. The WCC gang really went out with a bang in the last episode of season four when they got their hands on Cristi’s beaten up 1957 Chevy panel truck. This old wagon even had a bullet hole in the passenger side window, but that’s a story to be saved for another day. The old Chevy was a sight to behold when the West Coast Customs crew was done with it. New rims and all sorts shiny chrome accented the yellow flames that faded into the bright red paint that graced the exterior. The artwork was very impressive, but it paled in comparison to what was done to the inside. Along with wood finishing on the interior walls and elegant lights, the crew capped the job off with one of their weirdest additions ever: they actually painted a copy of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam on the ceiling. That’s right. Now, Cristi doesn’t need to visit the Sistine Chapel when she wants to admire one of the most famous paintings on Earth.
14 Yoga Studio
Many viewers sympathized with Gaby when she met Xzibit in season one. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, and it didn’t seem like she had any possessions, except for a yoga mat and a 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser that she had purchased from her ex for $200. She wasn’t terribly fond of the shovel and ax that were attached to it, and she didn’t care much for the “I Love Explosives” bumper sticker on the back. It also didn’t sit well with her that the Land Cruiser didn’t have any doors, but she had faith that Xzibit and the West Coast Customs crew could turn it into something that she would be thrilled to be seen in.
The crew started by painting her ride a Ferrari yellow and adding neon lights behind the grille.
They also removed the roof and installed a soft top, which instantly turned her Toyota into a convertible. The giant snorkel that the crew added might be a little over the top, but what was really over the top was that they turned the back of the vehicle into a yoga studio complete with a monitor for watching yoga videos. This will give Gaby a way to occupy her time and mellow out when she’s stuck in traffic.
13 Juicer
Season four of Pimp My Ride opened with the West Coast Customs gang being confronted with a vehicle that many would think is un-pimp-able. Jessica was the owner of a 1976 AMC Pacer that had seen better days. The car was in such a bad state that not only did it contain more rat droppings than you could imagine but the crew also found a rat living in it. The crew removed the unwanted guest, but anyone with a soft spot for vermin should know that a disclaimer at the end of the episode claimed that no rats were harmed. Jessica was delighted with the end results. The addition of 18” custom rims, new Yokohama Parada Tires, and a nifty star-spangled paint job made this Pacer much less embarrassing to be seen in. It also helped that the guys installed lots of yellow shag carpeting, a large cloth sunroof, a solar panel and a 1,000-Watt DC to AC power inverter, which can easily power her in-dash DVD/CD/MP3 player, two LCD monitors, 425-Watt Jensen power amp and a 10” subwoofer. But that’s not all—the gang surprised Jessica, who happened to be studying to become a nutritionist, by installing a juicer in the trunk. A little weird?
12 Fireplace
It’s beyond amazing that Xzibit and his crew can take a beaten-up jalopy and turn it into something special. Take Erin’s 1987 Chevy Blazer as an example. It was covered in dents, the paint was chipped, and she had been using a screwdriver to open the doors. Erin even claimed that she had sunk over $10,000 into her heap over the six years that she owned it. Erin felt that the sad condition of her Blazer didn’t reflect her hardworking and determined personality. Boy, was she right... Those traits were definitely reflected in the finished product.
The crew gave the Chevy a set of 20” rims with Pirelli tires, a sunroof, HD monitors in the headrests, and a sound system from Hell.
With a revamped body kit and an eye-catching yellow paint job that featured flames, it was hard to believe that it was the same Chevy Blazer that we saw at the beginning of the show. Of course, the upgrades and additions were pretty standard fare, so they needed to think of something that would really make this reborn Blazer stand out. They achieved this by installing an electric fireplace in the back.
11 Popcorn Popper
When the West Coast Customs crew first laid their eyes on Brooke’s 1991 Chevy Cavalier Convertible, they knew they had their work cut out for them. It wasn’t the worst car they’d ever seen, but Brooke’s whip needed a lot of work in order to change it from a rolling eyesore into a masterpiece. Brooke was ecstatic by the time the guys were finished. No longer would she be driving a heavily dented vehicle with a beaten-up interior that garnered attention for all the wrong reasons. Xzibit and company painted the car a catchy royal Tahitian blue with flower patterns and then added a set of new Fuzion tires on 19” Giovanna G-Racing rims. With a new front bumper, a mesh grille, and a new convertible top, Brooke’s ride was shaping up nicely. They went to work on the interior by installing baby-blue leather seats, monitors in the headrests, a digital light projector, and a booming sound system. Xzibit even tossed in 13 DVD movies so that Brooke could enjoy her new luxury entertainment center on wheels. But what’s a movie marathon without popcorn? The West Coast Customs team thought of everything as they installed a popcorn maker in the center console.
10 Fish Tank
There have been loads of weird things that Pimp My Ride has added to cars, but the West Coast Customs crew really outdid themselves in the fifth episode of season one. 19-year-old Antwon was a starving student, and his worn out 1989 Mitsubishi Mirage reflected that well. Xzibit had a good chuckle when he first saw it, and he couldn’t help himself from ripping on the young man. After the crew had deliberated for quite a while, they developed a plan of attack. They gave the Mitsubishi a set of 18” rims and painted it a glossy black, which made Antwon’s ride look much better. They pimped the interior by decking it out with four racing seats and a killer entertainment system that included a monitor, a DVD/CD player, and an eight-track player for effect. The crew also installed a PS2 and a neon kit, but they didn’t stop there. Antwon was pretty giddy when he feasted his eyes on his pimped-out ride and discovered that the guys had installed, in the back seat, an aquarium that housed two fish named "Ike" and "Tina." Antwon didn’t need to worry about constantly feeding his new friends, as the fish tank came equipped with an automatic feeder that dropped a food pellet into the tank every hour.
9 Hot Tub
Nate’s 1985 Ford Econoline wasn’t such a bad-looking van, but it was far from the chick magnet that he wanted it to be. Having been previously used as a municipal vehicle, it had seen better days and definitely wasn’t the type of ride that Nate’s band wanted to be seen in. Nate wanted his band to travel to their gigs in style, and Xzibit was just the guy to make that happen. The transformation was incredible. The West Coast Customs crew painted it a candy-apple red and added a pair of pearl stripes on top of installing new tires on sporty new rims. They went ahead and decked out the inside with a crushed velvet wrap around the couch, funky lighting, and a disco ball. Throw in a pair of 27” flat screen monitors and the obligatory sound system, and Nate’s Econoline became a ride that was befitting of a rock and roll lifestyle. However, anybody who's watched Pimp My Ride knows that there's always a little extra trick up the crew’s sleeve, and they didn’t disappoint. Nate was on cloud nine when he opened up the back and saw that the crew had also installed a hot tub. Rock on!
8 Man Cave
The 13th episode of season five proved that the Galpin Auto Sports crew could pimp rides with the best of them. 18-year-old Tyler’s 1965 El Camino looked like it had been plucked out of the wrecking yard, but it was actually given to him by his grandfather who had won it in a poker game. The paint was way beyond being faded, and the sound system didn’t work, which didn’t really matter, considering that the worn-out classic didn’t even have an engine in it.
One thing that caught Xzibit’s eye was the original rims, although this was tempered by the fact that there was a rat’s nest in the glove box.
The crew devised their plan, and it began with Digi Dave installing a 350-cubic-inch Jag Engine with bird-catcher blowers. The team then painted the body a hot purple and added a sharp-looking flame design on the front end. Knowing that Tyler was a huge sports fan who loves tailgate parties, the team then proceeded to convert the rear into a man cave complete with satellite TV, 5 plasma monitors, a 5,000-Watt amplifier, and matching chairs. To top it off, Tyler’s man cave on wheels also features a propane grill and a condiment bar.
7 Tire-Dusting System
Tenita was well aware of the awesome things that Xzibit and the Galpin Auto Sports team could do to her car, but she didn’t want her 1965 Thunderbird to be pimped with anything like a fish tank, waterfalls, or a chocolate-fondue fountain. She was certainly pleased with the outcome. When the job was done, the first thing that Tenita noticed was the paint job. She absolutely loved the white paint that had green sparkles, which shimmered when the sun hit it. She felt that the green accents throughout matched her personality nicely, as she pays attention to being fashionably coordinated. She was also quite impressed by the power of the new Ford racing engine as well as the earthquake-inducing sound system and entertainment center, but she really got a kick out of the car’s ability to create a dense cloud of pink smoke whenever she did a burnout. The crew installed Kumho racing tires on 18” Boss rims and a system that covers the tires in pink dust that creates quite a spectacle when she floors it off the line. It might not be all that practical, but it’s a surefire way to get noticed.
6 Terrarium
If you’ve ever seen a Volkswagen Thing, then you know that they aren’t exactly the sleekest-looking vehicles on the road. This was especially true of Erin’s 1973 Volkswagen Thing, but leave it to the innovative minds at Galpin Auto Sports to change that perception. Erin’s cream-colored VW appeared to be beyond redemption when we first saw it in this season 5 episode, but the end result surely left a lot of viewers feeling a little envious. The not-so-classic automobile was given an atomic-green paint job that featured snakeskin tear graphics along with new off-road tires on 15” Weld racing rims. The seats and the rest of the interior were also given the snakeskin look along with some crocodile skin trim. The crew also installed a 200 HP turbo-charged engine, 4 tablet PCs, and a screaming-loud audio system. As if that wasn’t enough, the GAS crew added a 30-inch plasma television and a PS2 with wireless controls. We can be fairly sure that Erin has a thing for snakes because on top of the prevalent snakeskin theme, the guys also added one of the weirdest additions we’ve seen yet—in the back seat, they actually put a snake terrarium that came with a 2-inch television embedded in one of the rocks.
5 Tube Message Delivery
It was difficult to tell whether Xzibit was smiling or grimacing when he first saw 22-year-old Joe’s decrepit 1988 Cadillac DeVille Limousine. Xzibit must've been extremely embarrassed to be behind the wheel of the one-time luxury vehicle when he was pulled over by police on his way back to the shop. All’s well that ends well, and this tale ends very well. The car was given a slick black paint job with sharp stripes, along with new tires, rims, and a blower on the hood.
One neat addition was the rumble seat that was installed in the trunk, as well as the 27-inch LCD monitor, which flipped up from the roof.
It should be noted that Joe was advised not to drive the car while somebody was back there. As usual, the crew installed a thundering sound system along with an entertainment system, which featured a 50-inch flat-screen plasma television in the back. The problem with adding the big screen was that it completely separated the front of the limo from the back, which made it hard to communicate with the driver. The solution? The crew installed a pneumatic-tube messaging system. Who needs a cell phone?
4 Satellite Dish
There were a couple of weird things that Xzibit and the Galpin Auto Sports team did to Tad’s 1989 Range Rover in the eighth episode of season five. The before pictures speak for themselves, but Xzibit summed it up nicely when he referred to the vehicle as being “wretchedly maintained” and then proceeded to make fun of the chicken wire on the front. But if there's one thing that we know, it's that these guys know how to make sweet lemonade out of sour limes. In this case, the gang started by painting the body orange and decorating it with a sporty white racing stripe. After adding custom rims and making a couple of upgrades to the interior, the guys went a little crazy when they decided to put a waterbed in the back. If that wasn’t enough, they also installed a water machine so Tad could re-hydrate after those long naps. It seems that Tad is the type to go off the grid every once in a while, so GAS made sure that he could always be connected to the internet no matter where he was by affixing a satellite dish to the roof of his newly pimped-out ride.
3 Flame Thrower
The 1967 Ford Mustang is a classic American muscle car that seems to draw stares no matter what condition it’s in. In Mary’s case, her 1967 had been in her family for many years, and it looked like it had been put through the ringer. It was three different colors (if you don’t count the rust), the shredded seats weren’t bolted down, and part of the floor was missing. Q might've been exaggerating a bit when he proclaimed that it was the “worst ride yet,” but he wasn’t too far off in his assessment. The team started by gutting the interior and painting the exterior a beautiful turquoise. Then, they dressed up the Mustang with custom 17-inch wheels on chrome rims and then went to work on the interior by adding reclining seats in which Mary and her passenger could lean back and watch DVDs on the monitor that was mounted on the roof. The team then added a little something extra that turned out to be ill-advised. They turned the tailpipe into a flamethrower. Unfortunately, the modification was deemed illegal, and the team was forced to remove the weird addition. Nonetheless, Mary was left with a smoking-hot 1967 Mustang that any muscle-car fanatic would drool over.
2 Pool Table and Fog Machine
Season 3 featured some of West Coast Customs’ best ideas, but we also got to see a couple of really weird pieces of work. Take Sara’s 1988 Chevy S10 as an example. There’s no doubting that the end product was far superior to the heap of junk that the crew started with. The old Chevy was a rust-covered road hazard that was falling apart at the seams, but it was a pretty awesome ride when the minds at West Coast Customs were done with it. They painted it metallic black and added airbrushed graphics such as a skull and crossbones on the chrome grille.
They redid the seats and added a 15” monitor that flipped down from the headliner.
Then, they took it to the next level by installing a pool table in the back. While they claimed that it could be played from any angle, that wasn’t necessarily the case. The weirder addition to this fine-looking pickup truck was a fog machine that was installed under the hood. Sure, it’s a cool idea on the surface, but Sara would never want to set it off when she’s cruising down the highway.
1 Jewelry-Making Station
There really isn’t too much excitement that can be generated from driving around in a minivan. That's unless said minivan has been pimped by the gang at Galpin Auto Sports. Laila’s 1998 Plymouth Voyager minivan was downright ugly before the GAS crew did their thing. It had many dents and scrapes, along with large sections of faded paint that kind of matched the shabby interior, but it was a completely different vehicle by the end of the show. The hot-pink paint job, custom rims, front spoiler, and running boards made it really stand out, but it was what was done to the interior that made this minivan very unique—the team turned the interior into a disco on wheels. A couple of monitors and a deafening sound system made this Voyager the type of ride that oozed excitement. Laila couldn’t contain her joy when the GAS crew unveiled it for her. However, there was one addition that can only be described as weird—the team installed a jewelry-making station as well. Huh? Coincidentally, this pimped ride turned out to be a bit of a headache for Laila, as she encountered a series of problems with her van. As of early 2018, the van has been sitting idle for over three years and is listed on Craigslist for $1,400.
Sources: rantnow.com; xzibitcentral.com; jalopnik.com