The automotive world doesn’t seem to run out of cool cars. Depending on a market’s car culture, the coolest cars could be those with overwhelming muscle, exotic looks, innovative features, or breathtaking elements.
For instance, an American driver may consider the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye or a Ford F-Series as the coolest vehicle, while European motorists may prefer sports cars or hypercars. Meanwhile, Japanese drivers may see kei cars as the coolest vehicles they could have. On the other, some may consider a car made mostly out of carbon fiber a very cool build.
Truthfully, some of the coolest cars in the world are not creations from major carmakers. There are individuals or a group of them who are willing to spend both money and resources to build a car that could call “cool.” Their works are usually hard to ignore.
Interesting enough, a YouTube channel called Garage 54 built a vehicle that exudes coolness in more than one way. A tribute to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, this vehicle is not just too cool, but too cold in the most literal sense. After all, Garage 54 made this vehicle out of ice.
A Drivable G-Class Tribute Made From Ice
Carmakers typically use metal – such as steel and aluminum – or carbon fiber to build a modern vehicle. Nevertheless, some people may get creative and try to build a project car out of the not usual materials. They may build their projects out of wood or even plastics.
For instance, an ecomotive team at Eindhoven University of Technology built a concept vehicle out of bio-based composite that includes plastic waste reclaimed from the sea. This so-called Luca compact EV showed that waste is still usable as a valuable resource.
But not all of these project cars are working or operational vehicles. Some of them are just replica of existing vehicles, such as a Lamborghini Aventador and a Mercedes G-Class. Others are replicas that enthusiasts built using thousands of Lego pieces.
Garage 54’s tribute car is also a replica of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Since it’s made of ice, people may think that it doesn’t work or is just a showroom-only creation. But as the YouTube video shows, the icy G-Class replica does run.
From UAZ 469 To Mercedes-Benz G-Class
A replica that would fool nobody, this G-Class tribute is actually a project way back in 2018, when Garage 54 decided to make something out of an old UAZ 469 SUV, with the purpose of just making fun of it. This group of gear heads took out everything, including the body and the frame. What remained were the ladder frame chassis, the engine and transmission, wheels, and tires as well as related mechanicals.
Then, Garage 54 welded a new frame, using a Mercedes G-Class on the sideline as the basis. Before taking the project vehicle outside, Garage 54 tested the engine first to ensure that it’s ready for action for a new round of rolling tests. After a few test drives, the group decided that it was time to give the G-Class tribute an icy body.
Garage 54 then commenced placing blocks of ice onto the body frame. Since the temperature outside is obviously freezing, the team didn’t have to worry about melting ice blocks. They sure had the leisure of time, but they really wanted to finish the project as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, the process wasn’t as simple as just laying blocks of ice. Garage 54 had to cut the blocks (using chainsaws and chisels) to the right size and then shave them off to achieve the shape they wanted. They also scored the blocks of ice by injecting water between the seams. Thus, when the water freezes, the blocks would adhere to each other.
Icy Tribute To G-Class Complete With LED Illumination
Little by little, the ice vehicle was taking the shape of a Mercedes G-Class. Garage 54 had an actual G-Class on standby, so they would be able to directly see if they’re sculpting the ice to the shape of the real thing. They shaved off various sections to shape – including the grille, hood, fenders and the rear section.
According to their YouTube video, Garage 54 employed around five tons of ice to make this cool G-Class tribute. This means the G-Class tribute is around twice as heavy as the real thing, which would take its toll on the suspension system. That wouldn’t matter, though, as this icy G-Class replica was just a one-time creation.
Nevertheless, this UAZ-based G-Class icy vehicle is operational and drivable. To make their creation also livable, Garage 54 fitted G-Class wheels and installed some LED units, thus taking the already cool looks of the vehicle to another level. As the LED units changed color, the icy body of this G-Class tribute also danced to the illumination as it paraded on the streets.
Garage 54 created this icy UAZ-based G-Class tribute back in 2018. They created a montage of the previous videos and recently uploaded it on their channel. Of course, they couldn’t present the vehicle anymore, as it might already have melted, leaving just its metal and non-water parts behind.
Source: Garage 54 on YouTube