Thanks to Hotcars for this:
The Netflix television series Car Masters: Rust to Riches showcases all the crazy custom built cars that come out of the Gotham Garage.
Gotham Garage is run by Mark Towle and based in Temecula, California.
In season two, the crew raises the bar when they take an old speedboat and transform it into a Corvette.
When Mark the owner first saw the boat he recognized it shared the same long sweeping nose and short cockpit near the rear just like a Corvette. So he decided they should rebuild the boat with custom detailing that would pay tribute to every generation of this iconic American sports car.
If they succeeded, this sports car-cigarette boat hybrid could be really incredible to look at and even more fun to drive. On top of that, custom boats can fetch a high price, anywhere from around $50,000 to $350,000.
There was even one Mercedes Benz AMG inspired boat that is listed for $1.2 million!
But there was a lot of risk involved with this flip. The shop had never worked on a boat before and they didn’t have the same connections to the speed boat business as they did in the car flipping business, so there was the risk that they would pour thousands of dollars into a boat they wouldn’t be able to sell.
Since the boat was so old, the team had to start by getting the two powerful engines back in working order, so they upgraded the intakes, carbs and hoses. Once those were up and running, they started rebuilding the body.
To make the boat feel more like a sports car they added headlights, six taillights, a hood scoop, six authentic Corvette seats and even Corvette rear view mirrors.
To add to the Corvette theme, the team installed a split rear window like the one on the 1963 Corvette, which made the 63’ one of the most collectible Corvettes of all time.
But a custom boat with this many upgrades was not a cheap flip. With so much money invested in the boat, Mark Towle needed Gotham Garage’s in house deal maker Shawn Pilot to find a buyer willing to pay at least $80,000 for the boat.
After scoping out leads at the nearest marina, Shawn got in contact with the owner of a nearby winery who purchased the boat with a combination of $73,500 in cash and a Vaydor car kit, which can transform an Infiniti G35 into a sports car. The Vaydor kit was in some ways better than a full cash offer because they are in high demand right now and make a quick and easy next project for the team.
Gotham Garage
https://www.facebook.com/TheGothamGarage/
Constance Nunes Grew Up Fixing Cars
While many people dismiss Constance Nunes for her looks, she’s a great, experienced mechanic. Constance is an engine specialist at Gotham Garage.
She grew up around cars and had family members who would fix them up. She’s so experienced that she’s sought after to work with big car companies and with local shops around the LA area.
