I've noticed through the years for whatever reason when people are looking for quality workmanship and legit individuals.  They tend to outsource out of state or generally out of the immediate area.  Me personally I'd rather work with locals because I do believe that there is talent and great businesses right at our front door.

When it comes to Perry Fitzgerald and his innate ability to create incredibly realistic and detailed Automotive artwork he proves that going local is far from a bad thing.  I personally believe this young man has a gift.  At first glance, some of his work looks almost as if it was captured with a digital camera.  But wait, look closer.  If you pay attention you will notice that not only is his work not formulated via the digital media route.  But, amazingly so, its created by Perry's very own hands and eyes.  

It was a no brainer to feature him and some of his work when I was blown away catching a couple of his Facebook postings.   

Perry says that he has always been into art, his grandfather was an artist as well and was the person who taught him how to draw at quite a young age.  Currently Perry is a 22 year old local with a Degree in Graphic Design from Marist College.  I had wondered if he ever had taken any advanced or specialized art classes, but he informed me that other than the few basic painting/drawing classes that went along with the Graphic Design major, there weren't many Art specific courses or schooling that he underwent.  He said he draws more than cars, but currently his love, his passion is set on creation of automotive art.  Like myself Perry mentions that he is all about the details.  Anything he creates, he tries to depict every little detail that he can for the best possible product.  And it definitely shows in his work.

Perry says his biggest rewards for doing drawings for people of their personal project cars are their reactions and gratitude when they see their hard work re-created on paper.  Again, Perry is all about the details so as mentioned before he says people have mistaken his drawings for actual photographs.  Outside of the simple re-creations, he also likes to get even more creative and add his own style to the end product. 

I asked Perry, If you had to Choose one of your favorite piece of work you've done, which one would it be?  He say's it hard to pick just one but one of his favorite pieces is the one above,  The red BMW with the wheel close-up.  He also mentions that he has a drawing hanging in his room of a wheel he drew, and that is also one of his favorites.

Perry has what seems to me to be a good given Gift of Art.  So I felt it was only fitting to show this young and upcoming artist some love.  And to also get his name out there.  I'm a fan of good work.  And the fact that he is local to me is outstanding.  If you or anyone you know are looking to get their personal project car drawn.  Don't hesitate to look him.  His work is Superb and he continues to show great potential.  Check him out on Facebook HERE! 

He can also be found on Instagram: @instagramless_perry

Below are a couple more pieces of Perry's work, enjoy!

Now I have never been one to deal in the likes of demons and spirits and things of that nature, but I was brought up in the church to believe in a higher power. 

Although throughout my life i haven't actually encountered any ghosts or spirits to make me a legit believer in the paranormal, At the same time I always feel as though I would be a fool to just completely Write-off the possibility of there being paranormal happenings and/or legit haunting going on around the world.

I mean, let's be real.   How many people in this world will 100% believe themselves if they said Ghosts exist having never actually had a paranormal experience in their life?  I'm willing to bet not that many if any.

Now let's rewind time to a couple weeks back.  For some strange reason after much deliberation i decided I wanted to go check out this abandoned Mental hospital located in my area.  What's funny is, I had been to this place many time growing up while it was still in operation due to my own Mom working there and also retiring from there some years ago.  But I had never seen it like this.

The Hudson River State Hospital also known as the New York StatePsychiatric Center closed down in 2003 after being open and operational since 1873.  With over 100 years of functional operation, one can only imagine the amount of patients and etc. that had made their way in and out those doors.

The buildings on the grounds are known for their sheer size and architecture.  One building in particular called "The Kirkbride" is one of the most notable buildings of them all due to its' "High Victorian Gothic" architecture.  So notable I may add that it had actually been dubbed as a National Historic Landmark.  The described building is depicted below:

By the time I had made my way through the property to The Kirkbride.  I had gone through several of the other buildings leading up to this one.   Some to include the Old Recreation Center as well as Ryon Hall.  Making my way through some some of the buildings was a little creepy due to parts being pitch black dark and some of the roofs and floors were rotted so I had to take it slow and try to stay near areas I thought were solid.

RECREATION CENTER CAPTURES:

Now here's where this little excursion got a bit interesting.  As I made my way in and out of the Kirkbridge building I began to walk along  a fence to the right side of it.  As I made my way down the fence I noticed a building with the door completely off.  So off course i went in.  As i'm making my way towards the center of the building I come to a stairway pretty much in the right dead center of the building.  As i'm looking around, i start to hear whispering voices, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

So as I pause for a second to try and key in on the voices to make out what was being said.  It got super cold like instantly, and the hairs on my arms stand up.  All of a sudden in a stern very clear voice....."LEAVE!!!!!".   The door in front of me slams.  NO ONE! I say NO ONE! was there to slam that door.  No one at all.   At that point I proceeded to Sprint full speed like a running back in the NFL back down the Hallway out the door.  Had there still been a door there on the hinges, i swear it would not have been on hinges after i ran threw it.

Spooked? Possibly an Understatement.  But this experience has definitely made me a 100% believer in the Paranormal and what goes with it.  This was something I had never experienced in my life.   But I am now a full believer.  Below are some photos of The Kirkbride and Ryon Hall:

The Kirkbridge and Ryon Hall

THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW CONTAINS THE REMAINING PHOTOS FROM MY VISIT:

This was the first time I attended this event so i was quite skeptical of what to expect.  Especially due to me coming to attend from such a long distance.  But upon arrival i was amazed with the greeting i received.   Everyone there was down to earth and just overall cool as a fan.  That says a lot considering the temps in Florida, haha.

This event was packed with live entertainment, dyno pulls, raffles, and huge giveaways.   One giveaway included a 2014 Mazda 6 sedan. Episode M is hosted by SURE Motorsports/Street Unit Performance one of the long time Aftermarket Mazda performance camps, this event has a chance to get bigger and bigger every year.

This years event was dedicated to the memory of a fellow Mazda enthusiast by the name of Javier Quinones. One of which faced an unfortunate and very heart felt death among other Mazda family in 2012.  

All proceeds from the event are going to the C.J Wilson's Childrens Charities and T.E.A.R.S Inc. animal shelter. 

Sponsoring Entities include: MazdaMovement, MazdaUSA, Classic Mazda, Costco, Doorstep Delivery, JATO, Mazfest, Blackstar hoobies, JDM Speedway, and WoodRose.

There was also a great magician floating around by the name of Darren Rockwell.   Not your normal entertainment for a Automotive oriented event.  But I must say the guy was a riot.   I didnt get an opportunity to capture some photos of the Police Attack dog segment.   But i did however get to watch part of it.  That in itself added another good spin on things to break up the regularity of it being all about the cars.  While there i also got a chance to see my first Ariel Atom in person.

Also in attendance were the Red Bull Girls as well as the ladies from a local vendor called "Wing House".   They were there all day giving out samples of their house wings. They were pretty good.  Not the best I've had, but they were good.

Overall i really enjoyed my time there visiting.  Everyone was down to earth and the hosts and staff of the event were more than accommodating to me and very hospitable.  Definitely looking forward to another visit with a bigger turnout in the future.  

For more photo coverage you can view the slideshow below, or just hit up my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/twistedvisionzphotography for the whole album.

Everyone remembers the movie from back in the day called "The Love Bug", right?  No, well how about "Herbie"?  Although this was never the title to the movie everyone knows the star of it.  Herbie, while seemingly being just a lowly VW Bug with racing stripes sporting the number 53 actually wound up being a serious performance contender for the length of movie.  Having a quirky personality and a cool story to boot, it's honestly virtually impossible to see any VW Beetle and not make some kind of Herbie innuendo, At least it is for me. 

So that's why when I found out about Mike's VW Bug and what he had created.  I absolutely had to see the car and check it out.  And boy am I glad I did.   Mike's bug on the contrary is completely left field in comparison to the fun loving personality portrayed of the original Herbie.  His Bug just screams "TRY ME" in such a tone it gives me the chills.

With its "Rat Rod" like appearance anyone with an untrained eye could easily just pawn this ride off as just laughs when they see it.  But if you Listen real closely, you will notice that something isn't right about this car.  What should sound like a big can of bees angrily buzzing around a soda can in fact sounds like a grumble you would find in a classic Muscle car.  Confused yet??

If the sound of this Bug creeping up on you didn't key you in, maybe the appearance of the Mopar styled hood scoop on the front did.  Probably because you know these cars are supposed to be rear engine.

Mike the Mad scientist opted to stay away from the factory engine and drivetrain.  Instead he decided to somehow shoehorn a 400 cubic inch BIG BLOCK into this car.  YES! you read that right, 400ci of pure adrenaline infused Chrysler Terror.  Utilizing a custom chopped Chevy S10 frame that was shortened 14" to fit under the shell of a Beetle, a Ford 8.8 rear loaded with 4.10 gears, and Suzuki Samari leaf springs Mike was able create the base of his beastly build.

Fitting the big block with OBX block hugger Headers, Cherry bomb side pipes, Edelbrock single plane intake, and a Holley 600CFM Carb, Mike's 2,200lbs Bug sits around 250hp/300tq,  At that weight this Beetle will leave smoke and a lot of other things behind in its wake.

With the interior fitted with a custom dash, gauges, bucket seats, a Hurst Pro Ratchet shifter, and JEG's Line lock.  You can see this Bug is ready to "Bug Out" on anyone who tries.  Due to the nature of this build, a fuel cell was used in place of a conventional fuel tank along with 4-point harness's for the bucket seats to keep the driver and passenger planted on the thrill rides.

I asked Mike what his dream car was and the answer was not what you would expect.  He said his dream car is a worked 06-07 Subaru STI because he loves Subaru's and his isn't that fast, speaking of his 05 Impreza.  So i decided to ask him what the future looked like for his Franken-herbie Bug and he feels like going the route of a more powerful small block along with added fun points of adding a turbo to boot.  

Now me personally, I haven't really been big into the Audio game for quite some time.  I had a feeling that it was not Mike's thing either, I asked anyway.  "Do you Plan on doing any audio upgrades?".  In true Gearhead fashion his response was "A bigger exhaust" with a smile despite loving the idea of having a sleeper. 

Mike's 74 Bug definitely threw me for a loop after talking to him about whats done and what he has planning.  I am personally looking forward to what he does in the future with this Herbie on Steroids.  Follow him on Instagram to follow the progress of this rare and unique build.  Thank you for reading.

-Justin@TVP

Owner and Vehicle Info:

Owner Info: Michael Lustrino

Instagram: @AngryHerby

Vehicle:  1973 Volkwagen Beetle

Engine:  400ci Chrysler Big Block

Power:  250hp/300tq

Curb Weight: 2200lbs

Please Feel Free to View Other Photos from the Feature Shoot in the Slideshow Below

When Submitting please include:

- Make, Model, Year

-Three to Five Photos (does not have to be Hi-Res, but must be

 clear) Exterior, Interior, Engine bay and trunk if anything is done to it.

-A List of your major modifications that you think are Noteworthy (full specifications will be requested at a later date if choosen)

-A quick reason on why you think your ride is unique

Email Submissions to: [email protected] (Put "Twisted Features" in the subject line)

NOTE - any submissions that do not arrive with the above requirements will be ignored.