Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am was spotted on the streets of Los Angeles next to his $900,000 custom Volkswagen this week, his first documented appearance with a custom ride that's been long in the making.
The car was fashioned in part from a 1958 VW Beetle, though it's nearly impossible to tell that now. The cartoonish car, described by one website as "crazy Dick Tracy-from-the-future," is long, with a stately grille, hypnotic curves and a whole lot of swagger.
All-aluminum interior, dash and door panels give the car a bit of interior flare, and bucket seats are installed in case the singer wants to put the pedal to the metal.
The custom car reportedly took years to build between two garages on both American coasts, in part because of the singer/producer's indecisiveness.
Edgy auto website Jalopnik reported the car fist got its start in 2009 at a small custom car garage in Florida when will.i.am brought the old VW to them with dreams of converting it into a custom speedster.
"Will originally wanted a twin turbo Porsche flat six in the back," said Austin Weiss, who worked on the car at The Garage in Stuart, Fla.
The singer reportedly called the Weiss back six weeks into the build and with new ideas about his vision for the car.
"He wanted something crazy futuristic with stretched doors and a front engine. I told him it'd be easier to make a whole new chassis, but he said to 'do it to the bug,'" Weiss said.
Jalopnik reported that only part of the car that's still from the original Beetle is the cowl; the rest of the car is custom.
Will.i.am reportedly did not want fenders on the build, then later changed his mind to want fenders like a Morgan roadster. Because the Florida garage could not finish the car as quickly as will.i.am wanted it, the custom job was transferred to West Coast Customs, the same outfit who works custom jobs for MTV's "Pimp My Ride."
It is not clear exactly when the car was finished, but Jalopnik reported the car was in the WCC garage for two years before will.i.am drove it away.
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