Custom & Concept Cars – Inspired by Snowboarding

At the start of the month at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Scion Racing released a bonkers modified car absolutely smothered with various snowboard brands. It’s not the first car to be pimped up snowboard style, here’s a raft of other dubious collaborations…

Scion xB Numeric

Just prior to going to print Boardistan got the drop on us with this one. This beastie is the Scion Numeric xB by 686 and Scion Racing in collaboration with Spin Imaging also in collaboration with Skullcandy, Dragon Alliance, BOA Technology, Bern Helmets, New Balance, Vestal Watches, Union Bindings, Go Pro,  Recco and Illicit Snowboarding*. See how many of the brands you can spot in these photos. 

There’s more photos of the neon monstrosity here if you need more help. 

*Not factually correct, but everyone else apparently got and invite and we felt left out.

TRAX STI

Here's another car that first appeared at SEMA back in 2009, its Ken Block's old Subaru WRX STI rally car with a set of Mattracks bodged on.

At SEMA it was modelling by Cousin Itt

Here it is in action...

Wow, how manly was that! 

Here it is with a cute little sleigh

HS3 THOR

In 2006 this collaboration between German tuning company Heico and Burton appeared at SEMA. Next to that Scion it was a pretty understated project with Burton logos on the grey chairs, a couple of helmets piled into the boot and room for two snowboards.

Apparently Burton's main role in the project was to give the car this shitty camo paint job.

Excited German TV presenter...

Unexciting video

That experience clearly whetted Burton's appetite for getting involved in the modified car world and the repercussions were collaborations with Pininfarina and MINI


Burton Pininfarina T6

This Ferrari styled board from Italian design firm Pininfarina cost about $600 in 2009.

And it was an absolutely rubbish car in reality

MINI Paceman

It's the 2011 Detriot Motor Show and up steps some suit from MINI to introduce their new car. There's a great first few second of epic US TV style intro, at 1:40 he introduced the marketing link with the Burton Open Series and how, “snowboarding, with its somewhat rebel attitude and cutting edge scene, I think is an absolutely perfect fit for the MINI brand”, then skip to 5:30 and discover why you should never go to a motor show.

And here's a glimpse of the pointless marketing that's been produced as a result of that link-up

MINI are big fans of snowboarding and snow sports. Here are two snowboarding/skiing influenced concept cars they have produced.


MINI Traveller

Introduced at the 2006 Detroit Motor Show, presumably with some absolutly bonkers amateur dramatics thrown in.

This fancy little beanie and scarf carrying device hasn't taken off since 2006. Most people are still apparently quite happy using the 'piling in in the back of the car technique'.

More pictures here.


MINI Rocketman
This year's Geneva Motor Show saw the revealing of this concept.

Complete with another snowboard inspired devise we don't anticipate will get past the concept stage.

Koenigsegg Agera R
Another car that appeared in the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, this time from the ridiculously named Swedish hypercar manufacturer. 

The car has a top speed of 260mph, but the roof box can only take speeds up to 186mph which considering the set costs over $1 million is a bit of a shitty deal in my book.

A very odd and enthusiastic guy tells us more about it...

It's also great for covering those pesky skiers in crud

Toyota CS&S
A Toyota concept from back in 2003, which by our reckoning makes them the first guys to really spot the opportunity of a snowboarding based car.

The way they fitted in the snowboard theme seemed a bit forced and awkward though. Perhaps this is why were are not swamped in snowboard themed cars eight years down the line.

Back in 2003 everyone was rocking the pigeon-toed binding stance

FROST
This design by Anders Gloslie has never made it off the page, but  as soon as someone decides to built it we will be selling our kidneys to get one.

It's an electric car apparently which is nice for the environment.

Although it does appear to have supplementary rocket boosters.

Scion xB Snow Woody
If you liked the first Scion and you like cock references then you'll absolutely love this 'Snow Woody' design by a lad calling himself Crochface.

Not good at traffic bumps

Let's get back to the real world. You might have noticed that a few of the cars so far have had more of a ski theme than a strictly snowboard theme, so while we are selling out, let's take a look at professional skier Jon Olsson's garage of customised cars. This guy is mad for cars. He had a...


Lamborghini Gallardo
Which would have cost over $200,000 

was probably painted by Burton...

and was absolutely useless

So he went out and replaced it with a much more practical...


Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Which would have set him back a tad over $350,000 and he then invested another hefty sum in a variety of paint jobs. There's...

the black and orange one... 

the black and gold one...

another camouflage one...

the muddy one...

and the wet one.

Someday he'll hopefully figure out what colour he likes. 
He has solved the problem of his supercar being rubbish in the snow by buying another supercar, a four wheel drive one.


Nissan GT-R

Which has also been through quite a few coats of paint

Finally, and probably to give him something else to paint he spent another huge wodge of cash and got someone to build him a completly bespoke racing car.


Ultima GTR Rebellion R1k

Black

Blue

Horrible

When he's not busy buying cars or painting cars Olsson likes to drive his cars in the Gumball rallies. Not sure if you've come across the Gumball rally, I watched a program on it once and it's basically a very long and meandering commute giving very rich people the opportunity to drive their expensive toys around places that poorer people live. Without knowing much about Olsson, because after all he is a skier, we suspect he’s quite a dick.


We were really surprised to see that the last Gumball was sponsored by Nixon watches. That's some really oddly focused marketing. I'm pretty sure none of the participants would be seen dead in a watch that didn't have a face like a diamond encrusted dinner plate or cost less than a small family home. I'm pretty sure that most people that buy Nixon watches would also consider the Gumball rally entrants to be dicks.

Before we go let's get back to snowboarding and back to Lamborghini Murcielago LP640s. Turns out if you are a discerning snow sports millionaire getting one of these cars is part of the uniform.  

Posing like a twat is optional

You Might Also Like...

Did you like the Mattracks on Ken Block's car? They also make motorised snowboards 

If you like snowboard cars, you'll also like snowboard trucks