Plymouth GTX Rises From The Ashes Of Wrecked Challenger
Turning this mangled Challenger into a Plymouth GTX is not this hotrodders first go around at an insane restomod project of this caliber.
It’s hard to imagine having the foresight and patience of some car builders in this world. We see projects come to life constantly that many of us can not even envision in our minds on a daily basis. One such example of a hotrodder with this massive amount of patience is Steve Mirabelli. He once turned a Dodge Charger SRT8 into a 1969 Charger Daytona over the course of four years. Now, he is working on another Mopar masterpiece.
Just over two years ago, Mirabelli put out a video on his Youtube channel overlooking a wrecked Challenger. While many of us see this as a good source of parts, Mirabelli sees it a bit differently. He plans to turn this one into a Plymouth GTX tribute in a similar vein as his Daytona. A classic looking mean machine with all the creature comforts of the modern era. This man is truly a visionary.
“Well, I got me a little fix em’ up project here,” says Mirabelli, in what may be the understatement of the decade.
He quickly delves into how the crash resulted in frame rail damage, which is a nightmare to even think about for many of us. That certainly hasn’t put an end to his dedication, though. For the past two years, Mirabelli has steadily put out a stream of build videos showing this conversion in immense detail.
Fast forward a mere 15 months, and the iconic Plymouth GTX shape stars to come out of the woodwork. Though, the term “metalwork” may be more applicable here. Each piece of the front end, while a tribute to the Plymouth GTX, is hand made by Mirabelli. He outlines his process and thoughts as he shows his remarkable fabrication skills.
Just looking at all these custom bent pieces of steel and tack welds is enough to make most of us go crazy. Yet, Mirabelli couldn’t be calmer as he breaks it down for us. Additionally, just his description of making a single piece is enough to strike fear into those who lack his remarkable metalworking skills.
“This is a pretty complicated piece. It’s a compound shape. It rolls in both directions. It has to be wheeled and shaped with both the shrinker stretcher and English wheel,” explains Mirabelli.
“Originally I had my eye on this car on Craigslist as a platform for another body-over. Since then, I came across an idea that an artist drew back in 2007. If I can pull it off, it’ll be kind of a miracle,” says Mirabelli.
If somebody tells you they intend to bring an artist rendering of a concept car into reality, there’s a good chance it’ll never come to fruition. Especially if that entails hand shaping the entire body into existence. However, Mirabelli is of a special breed. Though this car is already a masterpiece, it can only get better from here.
We look forward to seeing the outcome of this bonafide art project. It puts to shame what most of us consider a project car. Be sure to check out the insanely detailed videos of this build, and subscribe to see where it goes in the future!
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