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Photos: Williamsburg Man Selling Crazy Pimped Out "Transformers" Truck
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 16, 2013
Modified Jul 17, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 16, 2013
Modified Jul 17, 2013
Share
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Act now and an extraordinary hybrid truck with remote control doors and dope exterior LED lights can be yours at auction for a starting price of $250,000. Owner and creator Orlando Figueroa tells us he spent four years designing the vehicle (which he calls "USA 1") from the frame of a 1981 Chevy pickup. "I finished it on 9/11 but it wasn't at this level," says Figueroa. "I brought it to another level since then. Before, it looked like a spaceship and now it looks like a Transformer." He's now auctioning it off to make money for a new, more ambitious design.
"When I was young, I had a vehicle in my dreams that would fly, and I lived in it," Figeuroa tells us. "It had lasers, missiles, everything. It was like a living being that I was inside! So I programmed my brain to create it when I grew up, in the future. It's not the same as when I was a kid but it's close, in my mind. I taught myself how to do all of this." And here's how she looks at night, all lit up:
Figueroa, who was born in Puerto Rico and now resides in Williamsburg, also designed a costume to go with the vehicle. "When I designed it I put "USA 1" on it, and I have a whole costume that says USA 1," he explains. "I wanted to make videos for kids who are bullied, like Captain America. But it's for auction now. I have to auction it now because I have other designs I want to make. I want to make a robot motorcycle that transforms to protect the driver if there's an accident. I need the finances from this to take that to another level. That's if God permits it."
Asked what the police think of his ride, which seats four comfortably in the sun-lit back, Figeuroa says, "The police stop me all the time to take pictures. I was in Delaware, and a cop stopped me and begged me to follow him to the precinct, and when we got there all the cops were waiting outside to take photos. And then the Captain took me to his office and gave me a card to help me get out of jail if I ever get arrested!" It's unclear if the card comes with the truck, but the costume does, and you should be able to talk yourself out of any situation with that on.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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