Our friend Ralf Becker has a website called Chromjuwelen, which is German for “Chrome Jewels.” Ralf has a taste for the weird, and he loves all things related to cars and speed. Much of his work covers the hot rod culture in Germany, which is both active and eclectic. If you’ve never seen a vintage Opal with a V-8 stuffed under the hood, just spend some time on Chromjuwelen, and I can guarantee you’ll come across one.

When it comes to building hot rods, few things surprise me. A first generation VW GTI transformed into a rat rod, however, is a new one, even for me. The car, named “Bad Luck,” was filmed at a recent German hot rod event dubbed Rust & Roll. I wish I could tell you more details about the car (like what kind of V-8 sits where the 1.6-liter four-banger used to go), but I couldn’t find any specifics on the owner or the build. I would have loved video of the car in action, too, since I’ll bet it’s capable of some fairly impressive burnouts.

Love it or hate it, you’ve got to admit it’s original.

Source: Chromjuwelen