Star Trek Trike and 4 More Famous Freaks to Be Auctioned

Of course you’re familiar with the MotorTrend hit show Inside West Coast Customs, the reality show based out of Burbank, California, that for eight years documented the transformation of ordinary daily drivers into fantastic creations. In the show’s 68 episodes Ryan Friedlinghaus and the crew at West Coast Customs took seemingly ordinary cars (for the most part!) and made their owners’ fantasies—no matter how odd—a reality. No idea was too crazy or impractical. What many don’t know is that behind the scenes Friedlinghaus has a passion for teaching youngsters the art of car building, and the WCC shop has a non-profit extension with its West Coast Customs Academy, which according to its stand-alone website, is “dedicated to inspiring and educating the next generation of custom automotive professionals.” 

Over the years, the West Coast Customs Academy has built out a series of cars—most of them ordinary daily drivers you’d never look at twice—as a real-world training ground for local kids to learn and hone car-building skills beyond the scope of traditional high school trade offerings. Among the curriculum areas taught by the West Coast Customs Academy are body and paint, metal fabrication, wood fabrication and electronics (code for stereo system installation), upholstery, wrap and tint, and wheels, tires, and suspension. Those who join the program have no scruples or preconceptions about hot rodding—just the desire to learn, even though high-performance engine and driveline technology are unfortunately not part of the course offerings.  

See All 7 Photos

Don’t let a lack of high-powered modified V-8 powertrains deter you, dear HOT ROD reader, from bidding on any of these freaky five Mecum auction lots that will be offered at the company’s Indy event on Saturday, May 17. All five of them will be offered at no reserve, and proceeds go to fund the West Coast Customs Academy charity. Let’s take a look at these in the order of their auction sequence.

See All 7 Photos

2012 Volkswagen Passat, No Reserve, Lot S35

The major car-ranking sites like Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book estimate the value of a 2012 Volkswagen Passat between $1,480 and $5,712, but the students at West Coast Customs Academy have reimagined it as daily transpo for Darth Vader. As weird as that sounds, keep in mind that not only do today’s youth have completely different notions of what’s cool, but that their work is being performed in the shadows of Hollywood. We’ll spare you the sleep-inducing details of the car’s stock 2.0-liter turbodiesel powertrain to promote its custom front grille and bumper (to replicate Darth Vader's helmet, itself a riff on Harley Earl’s Buick Y-Job grille), a custom roof and glass inspired by the Tie Fighter cockpit glass, red lighting in the headlights, grille and underglow, custom trunk helmet display case with helmets, leather and suede interior themed from Darth Vader's cape and armor, brake handle modeled after Darth Vader’s light saber, and dash panel to replicate Darth Vader's chest control panel. 

See All 7 Photos

2022 Toyota Camry Sedan, No Reserve, Lot S35

Resale value for 2022 Toyota Camry sedans average $22,955 with a range of $18,186 to $31,853, but this one has gotten special NASCAR livery with input from two-time Xfinity Cup champion Tyler Reddick and the 23XI Racing team. Again, we’ll spare you the boring details of the 3.5-liter V-6 automatic powertrain to tell you about its exclusive 1-of-1 aero package (front splitter, side rockers, rear wing and diffuser), NASCAR next-gen center hub conversion, custom-forged braid lightweight three-piece race wheels, Goodyear performance compound tires, West Coast Customs three-part NASCAR-inspired wrap, Magnaflow custom one-off NASCAR-inspired dual exhaust, and high-performance coilover suspension. Somewhere out there, there is a Tyler Reddick fan whose name is on this car! 

See All 7 Photos

2018 Polaris Slingshot Custom, No Reserve, Lot S37

It takes guts and a mountain of inspiration to turn a 2018 Polaris Slingshot into a miniature version of Star Trek’s Discovery starship. How much more it will be worth after being transitioned from an already freakish Polaris Slingshot into a way freakier science-fiction starship depends on how much over a 2018 Polaris Slinghshot’s value of around $11,250 that a Trekkie thinks it’s worth. With a mass-to-power ratio of nearly 10 pounds for every 1 horsepower, the Polaris Slingshot is easily the quickest vehicle of the group, befitting its “Warp 9” description. The West Coast Customs Academy describes the vehicle’s mods as having a custom-crafted 3D hood and side wings, gold Star Trek badges on custom-upholstered seating, an interior control tech center with RGBW LED lighting, and a Trekified waterproof cockpit. 

See All 7 Photos

2006 Dodge Charger Custom, No Reserve, Lot S38

You can certainly argue that the HOT ROD audience would be keen on bidding for this 5.7-liter Hemi-powered 2006 Dodge Charger R/T, especially with its Dukes of Hazzard television show theme. One could also argue that it would be hard to make the silhouette of the 2006 Dodge look any worse than it looked 20 years ago when it came out, so West Coast Customs Academy gets a thumbs-up for converting it to a two-door coupe, shortening the wheelbase by 8 inches, chopping the roof 3 inches, and lengthening the doors by 9 inches—all the fixes the factory should have made. We saw this car in person right after it was finished a number of years ago (it was at the Spring Festival of LXs at El Toro), and it truly looks bitchin’. The average price of a 2006 Charger R/T in good condition is around $12,950 with a range between $7,419 and $22,680, but this one could pull in more with its raked front and rear glass, lowered coilover suspension, 22-inch Asanti 227 forged three-piece wheels, custom Candy Orange paint, West Coast Customs stereo system, and two-tone black and orange interior.  

See All 7 Photos

1997 Toyota 4Runner, No Reserve, Lot S39

Your author was the editor of GM High-Tech Performance magazine in 1999 when this 1997 Toyota 4Runner was featured on the cover of sister Primedia publication, Mini Truckin in October of that year. Neither magazine survived the industry’s slash-and-burn rampage during the Great Recession, but West Coast Custom’s 1997 Toyota 4Runner sure did. Don’t judge its out-of-date 18-inch custom billet wheels or custom paint and pinstriping—they’re stylistic mile markers of the era. Focus instead on its custom air suspension, custom interior with MTX subwoofer wall, leather and tweed interior, and custom-embossed headliner with flames. Edmunds values a 1997 Toyota 4Runner in good condition at between $351 and $1,284, but with its history and bespoke treatment, this one should fetch a bit more.