Car "Design" of a different sort!

…or I guess this would this be classified as “modding”?

Spotted this article the other day:
Jay-Z & Kanye's Otis Maybach | We Heart ← more pics in link.

The modified Maybach used in the Kanye West & Jay Z music video for Otis is going up for auction soon, for charity.
Musical tastes aside, anyone have strong resentment towards the “trashing” of such a fine automobile?

I personally find it refreshing and fun. Wastefull as hell! But fun. Then again, I’m not the one who slaved away in the design studio working out every little detail of the car.

I suppose this can go for other forms of design as well. I’m a retail interior designer, and nothing irks me more than to see a beautiful environment “destroyed” by some clever emplyee’s idea of store planning.

Money does not buy taste…

What I find most amusing is imagining a group of collectors in 50 years trying to restore this Maybach to concours condition because there are so few left. I imagine it going like this:

Carguy 1: “Crap, how are we ever going to get this roof back on right.”

Carguy 2: "Yeah I know. Who the hell would do this?

Cg1: “I think it was some musician Conrad West. I guess no one wanted Maybachs back in the early '10s.”

Cg2: “Clearly the guy had no talent of taste…I’ve never heard of him.”

Money does not buy taste…

Of course it does. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will taste good:wink:

A buddy of mine has a plaque on the wall in his hot rod shop that reads, “It takes Nerve to use a Torch”. :sunglasses:

This kind of design is great…for movies like Death Race :laughing: But it could kill the driver easily since it doesn’t have any roof and doors. Oh well.

I say, he who plunks down $230,000 and drives it away from the dealership can do with it whatever he likes.

Somewhere in NY a body shop (or possibly the one across the river in NJ that does all the athlete’s custom cars) made a BUNDLE modifying this car for the video - and rather than see a road, I bet it ends up in the Rock & Roll hall of Fame (after they build a wing just for Rap).

These efforts are good for the economy and I think they’re an extension of our ability to communicate personal taste and creativity. Is it any crazier than this…