Street Machine: Project Bottle Rocket

That was so awesome. I liked the fact they just went for a car that (at the time) had little to no street-cred what so ever and made it into something different and something awesome.

I'm certain there was a dark purple Beetle with rainbow frog interior in one of the issues.

The Dole Money Cruiser - Now, was that not the purple and yellow shuvit? Splendid car up until paint.

Yay! My memory is better than I thought!

I also loved the sketches of various cars they'd do. Some awesome ideas there. I remember the Volvo Amazon's, Vw Ghia's and Cortina Mk3's (one reason why I love them!)

I digress... we need pics! we need pics! we need pics!

Gents, my head is swimming because of Project DMC - it was my very own car and I built it with the help of my good friend and colleage, Matt Howell, who of course built Project Bottle Rocket.

I was only disgussing said project only yesterday - hmm that paint....

It was all going swimmingly well, all those colours popping in the spray booth and we were all so fired up. Then I remember getting it home and sticking it in the lock up. Two days later I came back and had another look - opened the door and thought, Oh sh11tt! And shut the door again!

I still have all the artwork somewhere too.

So many fantastic memories, many, many funny stories too, which I'll dribble out as and when I remember them.

But, the good news is DMC surfaced about six months ago - I was contacted by TV mag saying someone had it and could he contact me but he never did.

We only ever built half that car you know - well one side anyway - all the brakes on one side were modified the other was left stock! Pressures of mag deadlines I'm afraid lovey....

Cheers,

Jon

Ha that's it Matt Howell....

Brilliant.

it got me through the last days of high school...

But we must see more pics...

What happened to Project bottle Rocket?

ive bno idea what u guys are talking about but the cars sound wcked, someone must have some pics

It was either sold off cheap or broken up - I know that I was offered it (without engine) for an undisclosed - but cheap - price when I was building mine. I'm pretty sure Matt kept the engine though, which may have ended up in his Mk1 Cortina.

I loved DMC, I was about 14 or 15 at that time and it made me *badly* want a Chevette as my first car. Might have kept it red though ;D
IIRC it had some little touches like the rear number plate lifting to allow battery connection to pop the (delocked) locks. Is that right Jon?

Street Machine around that time had to be the best thing since sliced bread and I reckon it was responsible for getting me interested in modding old cars. Respect is due.

Pics pics pics, etc!

Yeah I miss those days too.

Right a few putting rights - Bottle Rocket was outside Matts very up-market -ha-ha- house, which he shared with several other journos - bit like the Young One it was. One of which had son who was gravely ill in hospital. They all went to see him one day and when they got back, the Skod had had it's door literally bent in half to gain access and all the stereo gear knicked out of it. That was the end of a horrendous day because the lad they went to see also died that day...

Matt kind of lost interest from then on and it stayed in a lock up for a few years when it got broken up. The engine is now in Matt's Cortina.

i remember going to The Big Bang or Go or summink at Avon Park with Matt. He took the Skod, I drove his Bacaruda - remember that one too? Matt spent the entire journey racing everyone, which was entertaining as it spat flames out the back on the over run. seem to recall he never lost...

Andy - Fly - Tipping still has his Pro-Street Chevelle but I haven't seen him for ages - real shame because he's a top laugh. Andy never bothered with a map to go anywhere because he'd already been everywhere and didn't need one!

DMC did have flip up plates and I fitted a switch thing behind it I think to pop the doors - but it was probably all bo11ocks anyway -orry to destroy the myth!

The car was painted at Andy's paint and body in Urlam,Mnchester but it's gone now and I haven't seen Andy for ages either - he was a top bloke and absolutely 5hit hot - that car was absolutely arrow straight.

I towed the car up there as a shell but only remembered I hadn't tied the bonnet down when it flew up and caved in the roof about 15-miles from Andy's place. he fixed it all though and you'd never know. i bought a Rover powered Mk1 Cortina estate off Andy, which I've still got and will be finished one day although it's now 302-powered and has a chris Isaacs Chassis through it

Many in my current circle of journos etc still remind me about DMC but I seem to remember getting a regular slagging from the then editor of CC saying it was hardly Dole Money - agreed but had anyone heard of figures of speach?
Anyway we really couldn't give a toss we were too busy having a laugh - as I said I miss those times.

cheers,

Jon