Rat Fink Inspired 1975 Corvette Bubble Ray is One of a Kind

Photo Credit: Mikayla Whitmore

A lifelong obsession with building cars resulted in this one-of-a-kind 1975 Corvette that has even inspired a Hot Wheels model in its honor.

Las Vegas-based engineer Gary Reid bought a 1975 Corvette junker for $1,000 nearly 10 years ago, unaware that he was getting ready to embark on a very unusual journey with the car.

Eventually, his talents enabled him to transform the C3 classic into the “Bubble Ray,” apparently so named for the unique glass cockpit that envelopes the driver.

Reid’s obsession with things on wheels started when he was 11 years old and worked on soapbox derby cars with his father.

“Building that first soapbox derby car, I won the race in Golden, Colorado, went on to Akron, Ohio, and raced there,” he says. “I learned to work with my hands and tools, equipment, different types of materials. It was something that always kind of came natural, getting my hands greasy.”

He completed the Bubble Ray in just a year, doing everything except the paint himself.

“From the motor and transmission to the suspension and brakes—everything was done within one year,” he says.

How does he top the Bubble Ray? How about an all-electric, self-charging car currently in the works?

“After I built the Bubble Ray,” Reid says, “there’s kind of no going back. Each one has to be bigger and better.”

Source:
lasvegasweekly.com

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