When it comes to Mr. Snuggles (Kobe Bryant) and his West Coast Customs' 1963 Impala->ke1792 SS Convertible, it seems that having $100,000,000 in the bank will change a man's taste in automobiles.

From this air-ride and 808-thumping beast, Kobe's previous taste in cars was not quite as universally refreshing as his favorite brand of soda, which is Sprite, by the way. Painted a hideous purple/blue blend and with Cheech and Chong-style low-rider wheels: this nasty custom is really an L.A. special.

The 100-spoke, 13-inch wheels and the interior are reasonably well done, but watching the West Coast Customs' brain trust on cable TV does not inspire confidence in one inch of the engine mechanicals, handling, reliability, performance or value of this 1963 Impala SS.

This example is for sale at $100,000 even, with over 700 people watching the auction and dozens of offers already rejected. No word if West Coast Customs would do a barter deal for tutoring and (maybe!) get these artistic geniuses a GED certificate or two.

Click past the jump to take a fantastic voyage in Kobe's baller Impala, which might even come with a grumpy meet/greet with Jesse James.

Exterior

This Impala SS Convertible was one of the longest and most revered GM cars from the early 1960s. Its styling shows a period of transition for all car styling, with some blocky features like JFK's 1961 Lincoln Continental but also the wide and flat grille from years later for most cars.

The fully chromed-out trims here make it hard to tell what is original on this Impala SS, versus added, painted or changed by West Coast Customs.

Typically, any car modified to this extent becomes basically worthless after about a decade. Shoddy workmanship and lack of experience is usually to blame.

Interior

The interior is starting to show signs of deterioration already, which does not bode well. The white leather and vinyl trims are all filthy dirty and coming apart in places like the door panels.

The dashboard and gauges themselves look pristine, and are likely reproductions, not original parts. Another strike against this Impala's value, unfortunately.

Drivetrain, Suspension and Brakes

Under the hood is the 327-cubic-inch, small-block V-8 engine that came standard with the six-three Impala SS with a "custom" carburetor, headers and an exhaust system. Unfortunately, there is no mention of which 327 it is, so there is no way to know just how much pop this thing really has.

An autobox at least makes driving the big beast pretty simple, but this is still a long and low car on an aftermarket air-ride suspension. Since Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover have a hard time making their air suspensions last for more than 5 years, we are a little skeptical on this one.

Pricing

This custom lowrider is for sale on eBay for $100,000.

Conclusion

You can take the Impala SS away from Kobe Bryant, but can you take the Kobe out of the Impala? Despite all these harsh critiques of this purple stallion, there is a slim market for these types of machines, given the '65 Impala SS is climbing the collectable car list. Too bad this puppy doesn't have the 409 ci V-8, then we may even be enticed to pop in a bid.