This Lincoln Turned Bugatti Limo Needs Your Love and Lots More Money
No real Bugattis were harmed in the making of this limousine.
If you want to stand out on prom night, you need to pick just the right limo with a wow factor. Once upon a time, a stretched Hummer might have sufficed, but these days, you can't beat a lengthy Bugatti for opulence and stature. Thankfully, one eBay seller has started building such a vehicle and it's ready for you to finish off.
Spotted by CarScoops, the build began its life as a 2001 Lincoln Town car, purchased for $9,000. Complete with a stout Ford V8 under the hood, the Panther platform vehicle was a stately luxury sedan in its time. However, its present owner believed it could be so much more, and set about turning it into a stretch limousine aping the design of the Bugatti Veyron. Once they gave up, it ended up on eBay, as per the sale listing.
Lashings of fiberglass later, and we'd say it's about halfway there. The front end is a decent replica of the Veyron design. However, in this case, it hides an entire engine bay instead of a simple storage compartment like in Bugatti's mid-engined hypercar. At the rear, a little more poetic license was taken. The tail lights look about right, but the proportions are far too bulbous, particularly in the rear arches. The stretched center section looks awkward as limousines usually do, and the side vents don't really go anywhere, either.
For that proper big-dollar look, the front doors operate in the Lambo style, while the rear passenger door is of the gullwing type. Overall, though, the bodywork is largely unfinished. There are a few missing panels, and plenty of prep work to be done before painting. The seller does provide photos of a finished example of a faux-Veyron limo in black. These serve as a useful guide to what the project could become with the appropriate attention to detail.
Meanwhile, the interior is in a rudimentary state. There's an extended limo bench seat that's been semi-installed. Sadly, it's clearly suffered in the past three years that the car has been sitting outside and unfinished. A full build-out and upholstery job is required, which is sure to set back any potential buyer a few thousand dollars. Extra budget should naturally be set aside for the tacky LED roof lighting such a vehicle demands.
If this build tickles your fancy, the seller is looking for a hefty $25,000 to part with it. As is often the case with customs, they justify this based on the money that went into the project. Costs apparently included $10,000 for the fiberglass body kit and underlying steel framework, $9,000 for the custom doors, and $2,000 for the yet-to-be-installed windshield. Good news, though: according to the seller, the car starts up just fine, courtesy of some fresh gas and a new battery.
If you've got the space and the skills, this could be your next ridiculous project car. Alternatively, if your friend has the room, you could always buy it and dump it in their driveway as a hilarious five-figure prank. Either way, this Lincoln-turned-Bugatti is sure to deliver plenty of laughs.
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com
