A new look for the Mega Maniac

Yes, and no...

The current wrap on the Mega Maniac was primarily the work of Rod and the crew at Gator Wraps in California. My son, Chris managed the project, and his decisions along with the fine work of Gator Wraps, won us Best Appearing Car at the Denver Nationals. And for those who didn't see the video of it, the car was actually wrapped in the DIYAutotune garage in Atlanta. Gator wrap can find a local shop to do the actually application if you aren't located close to their facility in California. Our sponsor at the time was DIYAutoTune.com and they had a video online of the wrap being done, in stop action. It was awesome. I think it may still be available as link from their website. Take a look at it if you wonder how they apply a wrap. My continued thanks to Jerry and the DIY team, they are good friends, and were a terrific partner, and the car Proudly wore their name all of this year.

In Las Vegas, as some of you know, we lost our hood, which was severely damaged, and the wrap was torn all over the hood. We compensated for the tears showing the white car underneath, by applying black duct tape to cover the white, and it actually wasn't too bad from a little distance. Don't you just love the many uses of duct tape in drag racing?

But the hood was severely damaged and needs to be replaced, and as I pursue the new hood, the idea of a new wrap has become all the more consuming.

So, I called Rod at Gator Wraps today. And I shared with him a thought I have been harboring about a new wrap for the Mega Maniac.

This one won't be easy, as most wraps for most cars are pretty abstract, and somewhat arbitrary, but this is one is quite transforming and extremely specific, bringing "life" to the car. One of my criteria is to keep the same basic color scheme. So Rod and I discussed the idea for a little while.

So using the same basic color scheme is the "yes" part of "yes, and no" which I said at the beginning. The "no" part of "yes and no", is that while the car will look at first glance, and from a bit of a distance, to be similar to the current design, up close it is a whole different and pretty radically different design.

One of the things I really like about Rod and Gator Wraps is that they are visionaries. You describe what you want, and they hear you, and can interpret and carry it out. So I am pretty sure that he "Got It!" And the ball is back in my court.

As I leave him to think further about the new design, I must get some close up pictures of the car as is, showing where a couple of dimensions were just a little bit off. And we want to provide the exact dimensions so this wrap, and the wraps for any other Challengers who decide as we did, that a wrap is a better alternative to a complex design than a paint job would be, is right on.

I won't tell you about the new "theme" for the Mega Maniac. That will have to wait until we (the collective "we" who currently includes me, and Rod) decide if it will actually be able to be done in the way I envision it. I think it will. And I am extremely excited about it. So for now, let's just say that it is pretty darned aggressive.

I don't see any races on the schedule that make sense for us until somewhere in April, unless we find a sponsor or two. And I guess it would be a good idea to get sponsors before the new wrap goes on. But we have a kick butt car, and if we can't find sponsors who want to share the winner's circle with us, I guess that we just have to go it alone.

Hey, by the way..... Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Holidays!

David