In Season 3 of Car Masters: Rust to Riches, we saw Tony Quinones do an emotional build using a burnt Harley-Davidson for his uncle. In the latest season, we also come across another build with an emotional touch. This time the Gotham Garage team converts a Polaris Slingshot into a classic muscle car-inspired creation. It is for Caveman's brother Patches who is a 20-year-plus combat marine.
Both are Harley guys, and Patches is not at all happy with the cheap plastics used on his new Polaris. So, he wants to give it a Gotham Garage makeover, and bring about a hot-rod essence. Caveman also mentions that the budget is a bit on the tighter side, which is why he didn't pitch it all along.
But since the team was finally able to sell their concept car and motorcycle duo for an insane amount, he thinks this is the perfect time to make his brother Patches smile. The makeover is a wild one, as there hasn't been another hot rod-styles Polaris slingshot.
Most of the mods are focused on the exterior body panels and the team decides to take the influence of a 60s muscle car from Chevrolet for this build. But Tony also comes in with a major mechanical mod to help the visual appeal stay wild from all angles. This is one of those builds where it's less about the money and more about the emotions. And it all bears fruit at the end when Patches grace his Slingshot build in awe.
Updated November 2022: Gotham Garage is known for its wild and somewhat questionable builds. But they do tend to get the emotional quotient right always. This Polaris Slingshot build is a reminder of friendship, love, and passion. We have updated this article with more details on how the three-wheeled Slingshot got converted into a one-of-a-kind Hot Rod in Car Masters: Rust to Riches Season 3.
Caveman brings the Gotham Garage team together to transform his brother Patches' new Polaris Slingshot into a classic-vibing three-wheeled hot-rod!
Gotham Garage' Caveman And Patches Are Buddies For Life
Caveman and Patches are very close and have been through thick and thin. And so he wants to do the adorable bit for his brother. Patches suffers from PTSD, and to combat with that he got home a service dog - Gloria. He and Caveman have been Harley guys for all their lives, but with Gloria now in the picture, Patches feel bad that he can't take his emotional support along for rides.
And that's where the Slingshot comes in. But he likes to ride in style which is why the cheerful Caveman wants to remove the eye-sore plastic bits off the three-wheeled motorcycle, and give it a muscular makeover. Well, the Gotham Garage team is game for this build, and the best part is for a friend.
Plastic Body Panels Swapped For Metal On The Slingshot
The major mods on this Polaris Slingshot build are confined to aesthetics. And damn, even we were surprised with the number of plastic panels that came off the exterior. In fact, after the dismantling, the three-wheeler might have lost some serious pounds! Mark and the team replaced all the body panels with metal.
And to give it the Gotham Garage twist, they come up with the idea to fuse the body panels of a 1969 Chevy Camaro. The side panels, hood, and front bumper of the Camaro are fused with notable amounts of cutting required to fit perfectly onto the more compact Slingshot.
As they weren't able to make the stock grille flow fluidly with the customized Camaro front section, they cut out a spider-web metal grille in-house. The Polaris Slingshot was now oozing with classic American muscle flair.
Cool Paint Job Reminiscent Of A Classic Muscle Car
To finish up the classic vibe, Mark Towle went ahead with a bright orange paint job with two white stripes down the center, just like how a muscle car would flaunt. The Slingshot is already devoid of doors, but Mark and the team gave it more drama, but fitting two crossbars on either side, painted in white. The windshield was swapped for an orange-colored one to add a funky vibe.
Modified Swingarm To House A Gigantic Wheel
While most of the mods are restricted to the body panels and other aesthetic bits, the Car Masters team had to do one major mechanical mod to house an insanely large 30-inch alloy wheel at the rear. Tony was given the taste to create a custom swingarm setup to push the hub backward so that the big wheel can be made to work.
Instead of cutting out the stock swingarm setup, Tony went the smart way and built a supporting system that fused the stock belt drive to an extended chain drive, and drive the new rear wheel. The custom swingarm extender was painted white.
Patches Is Flabbergasted With The Polaris Slingshot Hot Rod Build
The build turned out to be an insane one, as Patches was dumb-struck after seeing his Gotham Garage-d Polaris Slingshot for the first time. He was overjoyed with the transformation, but even more with the fact that Gloria can get to ride with him.
Caveman had mentioned during his pitch to Mark and Shawn that Patches was a bit tight on the budget front, and he could only shell out $15,000. The team didn't mention how much it cost them to transform, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter.
Source: Car Masters: Rust to Riches Netflix