"It's about getting confidence from somewhere".

Please make sure you have seen the whole "Pass the Bucket" series. It is awesome. 

Due to my personal addiction to cruise in classic cars I have not driven too many modern sport-/super-/hyper- or racecars. Furthermore, I am really, really awfully bad in things like motorsport. Both, if you want to chat with me about Formula whatever, and local stuff like 24 Hours Nürburgring. But you know what's funny, Chris? The Artgega GT – you and Ben picked for your latest "Rent4Ring" masterpiece – has been amongst the cars I had the priviledge to cruise in.

Your drone- and quatrocopter work is a killer. And I am really sorry I have not found yet a project where we are in cahoots with each other. 

Love it. Perfect soundtrack.

Nicolas Devenel via Vintage Racers.

This one is for Eric.

718 Cyclery by Show Love via 8negro.

You probably remember the Ferdinand GT3 RS by Han Lan. May I introduce – the Fahrradi.

Auto Guide via Designboom.

"Skateboarding totally changed my life". Does it need more to describe a philosophy? I don't think so. 

Darn it, Jeremy! Sorry it took me so long to publish your latest work. Btw, your brilliant work reminds me once again – as always – I still need a motorcycle. Yeop, I know. I am a loser. I said that x-times before ...

Andy Carter (Pangea Speed) via Jermy Miller.

I just received an email from Josh Clason: "How are things going? It has been a while. You may have seen but we hit the road and now are traveling around. I started releasing Season 02 and thought you might be interested." 

C'mon, Josh. I was hopeful you chucked your work in after finishing Season 01, 'cause your style and skills always let me go green with envy.

Kidding aside, Josh. One word: Awesome.

Allan Anderson via Josh Clason (Depth of Speed). 

Mike, brilliant presentation.

I think it is obvious we have tremendous respect for the hot rod spirit. There is a simple reason for that: We are living in Germany. Well, on the one hand Deutschland has all its fingers in every pie regarding all worldwide highest desirable automotive brands – Audi, BMW (MINI, Rolls Royce), Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen (Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini) –, but if you think about a unique culture which is driven by passion and individuals … there is none. At least not if you compare it to the American hot rod culture, which started in the late 1930s.

Maybe we Germans are overall too square to respect people who modify their vehicles by themselves, maybe the creativity which is needed to build a car to one's wishes is not valuated that high. Not to mention the fact that the whole trailer-queen adoring and producing tuner society in Germany gets seriously derided for their work. For a good reason, btw, if you ask me – they should rather prove their competence by building street legal race cars instead of distorted plastic funfair sculptures. 

Ok. I run off the track. In the early days of Chromjuwelen.com we featured a 1952 Mercedes-Benz W 191 170 Sb, which got rodded by Heiko Sude. At the Race 61 in Finowfurt we ran into Niko Kahn's chopped and channeled Mercedes-Benz W 189 300 d "Adenauer". In the meantime Ingo Recktenwald debuted with his 1939 Mercedes-Benz W 136 170 V. And a few days ago our friends form the excellent Stipistop presented us another Mercedes-Benz 170 S hot rod.

Enough already. I am hooked. I want a Mercedes-Benz hot rod. With a supercharged AMG M113 5.4 L "Hammer" V8. Or – even better – with a 7.3 L V12 SL 73 AMG V12. You think this would is blasphemy? No. It would not. This would be the perfect German Engineered hot rod. 

(Please hit the images for additional information)

"I think the worst thing in life is to just exist. To not follow your dreams. [...] Most people are scared to follow their dreams. They had rather keep those dreams back in their minds and say: "Well – maybe someday." And usually that someday doesn't happen."

So true. And it makes me sad I know a lot of those people.

Video by Andrew David Watson.

"A girl in the middle of nowhere has to find her way out. Time seems never to pass and as her wish of being somewhere else grows, a process of self awareness rises up."

Beautiful video by lab35 Films. Enjoy.

... and while we are on the subject of "storytelling" – this is a perfect example, starring Casey Neistat. Err ... wait ... don't forget about Vans!

Perfect question, Mike.

"It is all about the story" – I wished more companies, especially German ones, would have the guts to learn from you guys.

Awesome find, Stipistop! The car was build by Atlanta Performance & Fabrication, photos borrowed from StayClassyAtlanta (website down?). But why is that Bimmer right hand steered?

More details: gencoupe-com, stanceworks.com.