Ai Design Blog | Vehicular cosplay

In addition to our custom modifications that improve performance and functionality, a number of our clients make requests that can best be described as theatrical. Think vehicular cosplay. Wild lighting effects, hidden compartments, and special features designed to entertain as well as perform. For some, their vision is crystal clear. For others, they leave the details to us. But in the end, the results, whether fun or furious, showy or stealthy, reflect the unique personalities and tastes of the owners.

A longtime client (@teamchampagneninjas on Instagram) has us personalize his vehicles to match his specific interests, style, and requirements. Those interests are varied and range from militaria to vintage rally cars. He likes precision German vehicles and GM products, but wouldn’t be caught dead in a Ford. He’s also a serious fan of the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane and the Skunk Works that developed it. The SR-71 connection is most clearly manifested in his daily driver. Since it left the factory as a generic luxury SUV, his 2015 Cadillac Escalade, now known as MK-71, has been completely rebuilt and reimagined. It can now be best described as a postapocalyptic, military-spec, family car. One look at the exterior and you realize this is no ordinary Caddy. Every major body panel features a highly durable bedliner finish covering the once shiny black paint. Mounted on the roof is a FLIR thermal imaging camera typically found attached to the nose of an Apache attack helicopter. We also installed high-power auxiliary lighting on the front, back and sides, including infrared lights to enhance the functionality of the FLIR.

Carrying the theme into the interior, the center console is dominated by a mil-spec joy stick which controls the movements of the roof camera, while an overhead console contains toggle switches to control most of the added electrical components. Sitting in the driver’s seat, you quickly grasp the inspiration for the design, as the cockpit gives off serious spy plane vibes.

The rear compartment of the vehicle has been enhanced with a purpose-built storage system with lockable sliding drawers. Topping the elevated cargo floor is a custom-made dog bed to keep the family pet comfy on road trips. Under the hood, a Callaway supercharger adds extra grunt to make this a very capable performer on and off the road. To lighten the seriousness a bit, we recently added a bit of flash in the form of a set of custom-made retro style HRE 935 wheels.

(the cockpit of MK-71 features a military-spec joystick and an overhead console looks like it came straight out of an attack helicopter.)

Another good client (@teamloansharks) is all about the show. His automotive interests lean more to the supercar world. He’s a collector of late model Italian sportscars and Mercedes AMG products. For most of the year while leading his financial services company, his vehicle passion is not dissimilar from many high-end collectors…although he rarely leaves a car stock. Whenever a new vehicle comes into his fleet, it invariably will end up in the Ai Design shop for enhancements. Almost every one of his cars gets performance upgrades, while many also receive visual mods as well. From seriously loud free-flow exhausts to harder core suspensions to engine tuning for maximum power. On the visual side, custom made wheels, body enhancements and colorful paint or vinyl accents turn heads wherever he goes. Each spring however, his passion and enthusiasm levels go off the chart, as he preps for the big show: The Gold Rush Rally. As a longtime participant in this multi-day traveling automotive orgy, he fully embraces the theatrical part of the event. His cars become the equivalent to Iron Man’s suit. For the 2018 running…he, and we…went all out. As is often the case, he entered more than one vehicle. His primary car was a Ferrari 488 GTB. The 488 is immensely capable right from the factory, but @teamloansharks wanted to turn it up to 11. He asked us to transform the car utilizing the full Novitec N-Largo package. Novitec only offered 11 N-Largo packages for 488 coupe and we quickly secured one.

To add the widebody exterior panels, we needed to literally take a saw to the Ferrari’s stock fenders. We then molded in the carbon fiber fender flares, vacuum-bagging them to the car for the curing process so we could achieve a flawless bond to the stock metal. New bumpers and side skirts needed to be finessed into place, while larger wheels and inanely fat tires rounded out the exterior mods. Underneath, the car received an ear-bleeding exhaust, an increase in horsepower to 772, and a suspension lift to protect the aggressive front splitter. We then designed and applied vinyl graphics to the exterior for more visual punch.

With wheels and tires this large, there was no way to carry a proper spare. So, we created a support vehicle. We took his black Mercedes G63, gave it more power, aftermarket wheels and wrapped the exterior in red vinyl with black graphics to match the Ferrari. But the Benz still needed something more, its own unique costume. Playing off his commercial lending business, we turned the G63 into the Mobile Banking Unit. The main element is the roof-mounted plexiglass box containing millions of dollars stacked into a large cube on a pallet, as if it just came off the government printing presses. While the money isn’t real, it certainly looks convincing.

(right: vacuum-bagging the carbon fiber panels onto the 488's fenders)

The clear plexiglass box was itself quite a project. We had to consider numerous factors including keeping it waterproof to protect the bills, moisture free so it didn’t fog up, sturdy enough to withstand high-speed wind resistance and sufficiently impact resistant to avoid damage from contact with foreign objects.

The next challenge was building a low-profile roof rack that would support the considerable weight of the box, the pallet and the money while minimizing wind noise. It needed to be stable at high speeds, facing considerable forces from drag created by the flat-faced square box, but still easily removable. The resulting two-car effort was a massive hit with his fellow GRR competitors and turned heads throughout the entire rally. His 2023 entry is the wildest yet. We took a rare, Maserati Corsa race car and made it (barely) streetable. More to come on this wild build.

(left: good fake money costs a lot more than you would believe)

E. R. has been a good client for years. He’s a serious track enthusiast whose collection includes a number of sportscars we’ve enhanced for better performance. He’s a family guy who leads a fairly low-profile life running an international chemical company. But when he gets behind the wheel, he loves to drive his cars hard. In spite of that, his newest daily driver, an Audi S8, is more James Bond than Speed Racer, reflecting his car kink for cool gadgets. After he purchased the Audi S8, it naturally came to us to personalize it for him and create what he would soon call, Batman’s limo. We started with the electronics. The car received an extensive concealed lighting package which includes a front lightbar and full emergency lighting. For the rear lights, we created a full width pod that mounts at the top of the rear window and blends seamlessly into the headliner, keeping any light spillage from entering the cabin. To complement the lighting, we added a Rumbler siren. We also seamlessly insrtalled a Stinger laser/radar system with 3D printed housings front and rear, while an added cell booster and integrated SAT phone with handset ensure reliable communications from virtually anywhere.

The Audi’s interior features a number of modifications including integrated quick-release overhead rear iPads with headphones, additional USB ports, and a hidden safe. One of the best modifications is designed for the rear seat passengers. We sourced a new O.E.M. Audi refrigerator from a previous generation S8 and built it into the trunk, with the opening hidden behind the center armrest.

We then transferred the back-up lights into the rear reflector housings, added a trunk mounted gear holder, tinted the windows and topped it off the stealthy exterior with HRE 501M wheels. The result is a very quick sedan that can be either stealthy or in-your-face, depending upon the situation. There are a couple of other mods, but like Bruce Wayne, there are some things we don’t talk about.

(right: the Audi's front end is all business with lights galore.)