Artists are no longer just sculptors, painters, and singers. Some artists are all about custom cars, and they represent a part of unique cultures, such as the lowrider community. And a few big companies decided to support and give ’em credit for their work.
West Coast hip-hop is culture beyond the music and the lyrics. It is also expressed through graffiti paintings, clothing, and cars. Apart from the likes of Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, or Ice Cube, more local artists rocked the streets and made the cars jump, literally. In this area, one particular artist is Mister Cartoon.
Mister Cartoon’s art transcends many artistic mediums, and his custom muralled car collection was showcased in art shows from the U.K. to Japan. Moreover, stars like Eminem, Travis Barker, Slash, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, along with athletes like CC Sabathia, Amarie Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer, wear Cartoon’s art on their skin.
He was born in Downtown L.A. and evolved from a few drawings to creating custom cars. As he puts it, “it’s like driving a painting on the street.” And he cannot prove that better than with this ’67 Impala Convertible, which was custom built from bumper to bumper. It sports Pepsi blue-red-white colors, and Zenith wire wheels with Pepsi chip Coker 520 tiles.
Inside, the artist designed and made the front bucket seats with integrated cup holders. These come in blue leather and suede, sporting stripes with Pepsi’s red and white colors. The matching floormats also show the West Coast theme of Pepsi Globe and Mister Cartoon lettering. A three-spoke aluminum steering wheel with blue sued on the rim matches the car’s overall aspect. In the trunk, this ’67 Impala Convertible features a Retro Portable ice chest in the trunk that matches the car’s color. Last but not least, a badge with Pepsi Mister Cartoon sits behind the rear seats.
Under the hood of this Impala sits a 327 Chevy small-block. Unfortunately, we’re not told if it’s the original engine of this car. Still, we do know that Chevrolet installed the 5.4-liter Turbo Fire V8 in the ’67 Impala Convertible. The carmaker offered a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission that sent the 275 horses to the rear axle for that year. For this Pepsi ad, it surely fits the bill better.
For this build, Mister Cartoon installed four battery hydraulics and a double pump wammy tank with a hand-engraved hydraulic switch holder next to the steering wheel. Yes, this car is a lowrider, and it is also part of the West Coast hip-hop culture. They go together like bread and butter, and it is not unusual to see these kinds of cars on the streets of L.A.
Mister Cartoon spent around 200 hours painting the murals and the pinstripes on the car. It is, truly, a work of art that sits on one of the most important Chevrolet vehicles from the ’60s. Wiz Khalifa also has one, although his car is older, and it’s the SS version, which he drives while listening to Snoop Dog. Pepsi’s custom Impala also boasts a special sound system.
From this weekend and until Sunday 13, Pepsi and Mister Cartoon are releasing a special edition of collectible cans inspired by this 1967 Impala design. The artist signed them, and they are available only via the new Pepsi Super Bowl halftime Show app. Thus, a handful of lucky fans will have a chance to grab one of the five cans made. All they have to do is keep their phones charged and fingers crossed.
Mister Cartoon says, “With the big game coming up, I wanted to represent my love for my city of L.A., rap music as the theme that inspires me, and the culture that helped shape me as a young artist and still impacts me today when I paint. I hope people connect to it and see that it’s honest and from the heart.” He also added that “Building this car with the support from the team at Pepsi allowed me to express myself using the car as a canvas.”
By Tudor Serban
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