Terry Cook (owner of Deco Rides in New Jersey, a company that creates Generation II Boattail Speedster bodies) wanted something special, something along the lines of a Bugatti and Delahaye. The catch, other than price, was that he wasn't willing to cut up an original.
"Starting with one of his composite bodies,...he radically modified the design incorporating styling ideas from a number of different cars, [while] the body itself was designed eight years ago for Cook by top hot rod builder/designer Chip Foose."
The enclosed pontoon fenders are drawn from '30s Delahayes, while the grille is a chopped copy of an original Type 57's grille. On top of the radiator resides a copy of a Hispano Suiza stork, and the vents on the rocker panels were stamped in steel and then bonded into place.
Power and drive train duties for the Bugnotti Type 57S Roadster come from GM's LS1 V8 hooked up to a 4L60E automatic tranny, while underneath the voluptuous curves of the boattail is a Fat Man Fabrications frame.
As for why the car is asymmetrical in profile (stainless trim on one side, pumpkin seed-shaped fender detailing on the other): "Cook loved both of the designs and figured you could only see one side of the car at a time."
Damn, is this thing pretty or what?
By Phil Alex
Via: Seriouswheels & Delahaye USA
