It may look like AI, but the car you see above really exists. This Fiat Palio Monster 4×4 is a creation by Brazilian mechanic Rafael Pimentel and caught the attention of internet users after being spotted on a beach in Brazil.
In an interview with the website Quatro Rodas, he explained that the unusual creation came about as a way to please his girlfriend, Ângela.
“I’ve always liked buggies. My girlfriend and I enjoy going off-roading together, but a buggy only has two seats. Since I have two kids and she has one, there was no way to take everyone along,” Rafael explained.
“That’s when she started asking me, ‘Can we fix something better? So everyone fits,’” the mechanic recalled. With his girlfriend’s approval, he began researching cars to start his ambitious project.
After weighing which vehicle he could use as a “guinea pig,” Rafael found a Fiat Palio that was the best possible candidate. The car had several documentation issues, was loaded with fines, and had a blown engine.
Rafael spent only about US$ 550 on the car and soon began working on it with the help of employees from his workshop. In the final product, only the bodywork remained from the original Palio.
While the entire cabin and interior are original and functional, the chassis was built by him, as were the mounting supports. Under the hood, he installed a 2.0 AP gasoline engine from a Volkswagen Santana, producing 100 hp.
The front and rear axles came from an Opala, the transmission from a Chevette, and the steering box from a Gol. The car also received an agricultural reduction gearbox and, of course, pickup truck wheels.
In total, it took three months of work to reach the final result. Rafael spent about US$ 5,500 to build his own automotive Frankenstein, which he nicknamed the “Monster Palio.”
On its very first adventure, the car ended up with a broken rear driveshaft. The damage occurred on a trail in the Lençóis Cidreirenses, in Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.
The Monster Palio will remain parked while it recovers, but Rafael said he is already thinking about some upgrades, including installing air conditioning and improving the off-road system, replacing the current 16-inch wheels with 20- or 24-inch wheels fitted with agricultural tires.
“I really made it to draw attention. I like really crazy things. I could buy a Jeep, for example, but nobody records videos of a Jeep. And the important thing for me is that people really liked it,” he said.
Photos: Facebook. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
