Donât have the cash to buy a Rolls-Royce Phantom? Not a problem. Just make like Ruslan Mukanov and youâll be rolling like a rap star for a fraction of the price. No, we donât mean pay someone to steal one for you; the enterprising 24-year-mechanic from Kazakhstan simply took a 1991 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and converted it into a brand new Phantom for a mere $3,000 and some serious elbow grease. It may not bear up terriby well under close inspection but itâs blowing âem away in the land of Borat. And chicks dig it.
With the Mercâs 3.0L diesel engine the ersatz Rolls gets a lot better mileage than the original even if the accelerationâs a bit sluggish. Mukanov made the thing entirely by hand from plaster covered in fibreglass. The crowning glory is an authentic Rolls-Royce emblem. He did have some trouble convincing the local traffic authorities that the thing was roadworthy but managed to prevail in the end. So Ruslan â weâve got an old Corvette rusting away in the back yard, how about turning it into a Bugatti Veyron next weekend?
