Ride Of The Week 02/05/2024: Michael Contorno’s Boat Car

IT FLOATS OVER THE ROAD

When Michael Contorno of Mentor, OH cruised into the Wheel Craft K9 Heroes for Heroes charity car show last August he turned a lot of heads. His car is a 1994 Chrysler Lebaron, wrapped in a 1973 MFG Tri Hull Boat! Michael got the idea for the car when he went down the Google/YouTube rabbit hole trying to research Jet Ski Motorcycles, “That’s when I discovered the world of boat cars,” he tells me.

He wanted to make the car look like it was just floating above the pavement as he drove, so the car has been fitted with a static suspension and smaller diameter wheels and tires to achieve the effect. “Steep driveways are a challenge, but it drives well and has been up to 85 mph on the freeway.” The other issue he encountered was cooling. The bow has two custom vents cut into it. That added airflow plus new fans and a 160-degree thermostat solved the problem.

The original convertible top of the Lebaron is fully functional, but to be able to exit the car and close it up, he installed an exterior power window switch.

Michael has put 2,500 miles on the car so far, but the smiles per gallon are immeasurable!

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