In a search to find and resurrect derelict classic cars, Richard Rawlings and the Gas Monkey Garage crew have brought a full 16 seasons of Fast N’ Loud to the Discovery Channel, much of which was with the assistance of Aaron Kaufman. In 2018, Kaufman left Fast N’ Loud and can now be seen in what may be considered a spinoff called Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman Revved Up.
Throughout the years, Rawlings, Kaufman (prior to his departure), and the Gas Monkey crew have brought many classics, hotrods, and choppers back to badass on Fast N’ Loud. There have been many fan favorites as well as a few drama-riddled thumbs-downs, but overall, viewers cannot help but be wowed by the Gas Monkey Garage finished one-offs.
From the first two ever-built Pontiac Firebirds to a real-life Hot Wheels version of a ’68 Vette, these are some of the coolest that we’ve seen in the Fast N’ Loud playlist.
10 1967 Pontiac Firebirds: Holy Grail of Firebird (First Two Ever Built)
The pair of 1967 Pontiac Firebirds featured in season four of Fast N’ Loud top the cool factor for being the first two ever built. Firebird VIN #001 and Firebird VIN # 002 debuted under Pontiac’s “Magnificent Five” campaign, which offered five different Firebirds (Firebird, Firebird Sprint, Firebird 326, Firebird HO, Firebird 400) at its entrance into the muscle car market.
Both Gas Monkey Garage built ’67s were powered by the 326 V8, with a two-speed automatic for the red convertible and a four-speed manual for the silver hardtop. In 2016, they went under the hammer as a pair (ragtop with body tag ragtop with Show Body Tag #1 and coupe with Show Body Tag #4) at Barrett Jackson; but did not meet reserve.
9 1965 Chevrolet Impala: Timeless
The timeless1965 Chevy Impala was restored by the Gas Monkey Garage on Fast N‘ Loud season five. An original Impala equipped with a 327 V8 Turbo-Fire ran a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds as a 15-second car.
The Fast N’ Loud restomod kept the Turbo Fire, adding an Edelbrock four-barrel. Other mods included Ridetech air ride suspension, Wilwood disc braking system, and a color change to teal on the interior.
8 1968 Ford F100 Pick Up truck: Frankenstein Ford
The 1968 Ford F100 known as Frankensteined Ford hit the road in season one of Fast N’ Loud. The name came to life due to the paint color.
The ’68 Ford was powered by a Roush blown crate Ford Racing 5.0 Aluminator. The F100’s painter, KC Mathieu, of KC’s Paint Shop upgraded to a Coyote 5.0 after purchasing it back.
7 1991 Ferrari F40: The Ferrari Fix
A wrecked 1991 Ferrari F40 was rebuilt in a multi-part episode during season three of Fast N’ Loud. Gas Monkey Garage enlisted a Ferrari restoration expert and a certified Ferrari and Lambo tech to get this one back on the road.
The 2.9-liter V8 was boosted to 55-horse with upgraded turbos. Tubi exhaust and Penske shocks were some of the mods. The ’91 Ferrari has had an interesting sale history. It was purchased by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, resold, and finally seized by the FBI, according to SupercarBlog.
6 1977 Pontiac Trans Am: Smokey and the Bandit
The 1977 Trans Am, known as the Bandit, is arguably one of the most famous muscle cars in movie history. The Smokey and the Bandit Gas Monkey Special Edition of the ‘77 Trans Am was built in a Fast N’ Loud season four two-parter. The build was commissioned to be done in less than a week and additional cash was on the line to meet the delivery deadline.
This ’77 Trans Am was powered by a 403, cooled by an aluminum radiator and electric fans with a 700R4 tranny. It also boasted Flowmaster muffs on dual exhaust, and Wildwood discs and coil overs all the way around. Burt Reynolds the star of the Smokey and the Bandit movies personally autographed the Fast N’ Loud version of the Bandit.
5 1955 Chevy 210: Bumblebee
The 1955 Chevrolet 210 Custom Hardtop came to us from Fast N’ Loud season 10. As part of the 1955 to 1957 Tri-Five Chevy models, less than 12,000 210 two-door hardtop sports coupes came off the line.
The rebuild sourced a 327 cubic inch V8 and four-speed manual that originally powered a Corvette in the ‘60s. Mods also included Wilwood disc braking system, Ridetech coilovers, 5-link rear axle, and US Mags.
4 1965 Chevy C10 Pickup: Pikes Peak Pace Truck
The Gas Monkey Garage full frame-off of this 1965 Chevy C10 was a two-part feature of season five. The C10 was built as the Pace Truck for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
The C10 Pace Truck was powered by a fuel-injected 572 cubic inch crate with long tube headers, American Powertrain T56 Magnum six-speed tranny, and a Currie rear end. The C10’s stopping power came from Wildwood discs. Ridetech coilovers and Forgeline wheels were some of the other upgrades.
3 1934 Ford Coupe: Hemi Powered Monkey Pecker
The 1934 Ford Coupe known as Monkey Pecker was a Gas Monkey Garage and Bass Kustom collab. The Monkey Pecker name was said to come from the hand-painted logo on the build, similar to the Thrush Mr. Horsepower logo on the Moneyham and Sharp 554 Fuel Coupe that inspired details of the Fast N’ Loud build.
In the end, the Fast N’ Loud ’34 Coupe showed out with a five-inch chop and 16x11 rears that gave it a ready-to-pounce stance. An EFI Hemi was the source of its power.
2 1972 Buick Riviera: SEMA Edition Battleship Buick
Another Gas Monkey/Bass Kustom collab came to the streets with this SEMA-bound 1972 Buick Riviera in a Fast N’ Loud build for season 15. In the production year 1972, Buick released just over 31,500 Riviera two-door Sport Coupes with a 455 cubic-inch V8 and four-barrel carb.
A resto budget of $300,000 was set for the ’72 Riviera SEMA build. Although the crew at Gas Monkey Garage didn’t complete it before the SEMA kickoff, it still made a bare metal appearance.
1 1968 Chevy Corvette Custom Coupe: Hot Wheels
This 1968 Chevy Corvette build was commissioned by Mattel for a line of real-life “Hot Wheels” cars. Originally, this ’68 came with a 427 and four-speed manual tranny.
The blown Hot Wheels ‘Vette runs with a Weiland 871 and dual Holley 750s. The custom gold metal-flake paint was created by House of Kolor.