SAVE DOLLARS BY RESTORING AND BUILDING YOUR CAR IN MEXICO

A company called Street Toys in Mexico build American muscle cars, and they save customers many dollars too. But 'budget', in this case, doesn't mean cheap, these cars are good enough to be displayed at SEMA in the United States.

Jesse Gonzalez is the owner of Street Toys, and they specialise in "Mustangs, Camaros, muscle cars, rods and customs," including something quite special, a car they call the "Viper Cuda".

The cars, many of which are for American customers, are lovingly built and cared for. The Mexican company does restorations and rebuilds, either back to the original stock or modified to customer requirements.

They do everything from fabrication to paint and can customise almost anything. Certain parts, such as an intricate nose piece, are moulded in fibreglass. Many other items, like side sills, are made of metal though, they do this for longevity and because it looks better.

Their latest showpiece, named the Viper Cuda, is a one-off custom vehicle made by re-bodying a Dodge Viper with a 1979 Plymouth Baracuda body. Which makes it unique as most people just put a Viper engine into the 'Cuda chassis. The best part of doing it this way is that you have all the benefits of a modern car with the stunning looks of an original Muscle car.

The Viper's supercharged V10 powerplant has been tuned, the exhaust modified to fit and the track front and back had to be adjusted. Inside, many of the Viper parts, such as the dashboard, centre console and seats have been used but, because the 'Cuda is more generous in size, they too were adjusted to fit. It's also got a custom, fabricated roll bar and a banging sound system.

All-in-all, this shop is terrific so, if you want to have top-quality work done on your car, perhaps it's worth a road trip to Mexico. Find out more in the video by Jerry Heasley below.