3 minute read
Iron Man Has a Steel Fetish
Robert Downey Jr.'s eco-modified dream cars
By James Melton
How do you make a dream car?
When Chris Mazzilli and his team of experts took on the challenge of transforming six vintage classics for movie star Robert Downey Jr., restoration wasn’t enough.
Mazzilli, founder of Dream Car Restorations/CMC Motors, worked with his team to make each vehicle—which included a 1969 Mercedes Benz once owned by Downey’s mother—into a cleaner-greener version of itself. The project was the basis for Downey’s Max TV series Downey’s Dream Cars.
The Downey cars are similar to projects the shop has taken on for other clients, Mazzilli said.
“We’ve done similar things—not so much for celebrities—but a lot of people these days want what they call ‘restomods.’ They have modern engines in them that run a lot more efficiently,” he noted.
But Downey took things a step farther, Mazzilli told Luckbox.
“He wanted to modify not just the motors, but other things in the cars,” he said. “One of the cars has a vegan mushroom leather interior that has carpets made from recycled plastic bottles.”
Now, Downey is giving the cars away in a sweepstakes to raise money for the FootPrint Coalition, a nonprofit organization he and his partners launched to focus on adoption of clean technologies.
DOWNEY’S DREAM CARS
1969 MERCEDES BENZ 280 SE: Modifications included installing a new diesel engine, converting the fuel system to biodiesel and replacing the interior’s suede with recycled plastics.
1972 VW BUS: This classic became an EV. The team replaced the 1100cc air-cooled engine with an EV West electric motor conversion and custom battery rack. They also added a solar-powered electric barbecue that slides out of the back of the bus.
1966 BUICK RIVIERA: Changes included replacing the stock 425-cubic-inch V8 engine with a modern hybrid engine and adding an air-quality sensor.
1972 K-10 PICKUP: Now an EV, this pickup has a custom electric motor and battery pack.
1965 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE: The team replaced its 327 small-block engine with a modern electric motor and installed a mushroom-leather interior.
1985 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO: A new four-cylinder Chevy turbo truck engine replaced the stock engine. A solar-powered bike rack was also added.
