One of the great things about car renderings is the ability to let your imagination go crazy. You can use an existing car model and re-imagine it without a roof, or you can get really creative and redesign it in a different body type altogether. There’s something to be said, then, for renderings that take two models from two different automakers and combine them to create an entirely new model. It’s the kind of Transformers-like job that we should be seeing more often in the real world. Or should we? The truth is, BudgetsDirect undertook this very exercise, and the results are all “interesting,” to say the least. As an added bonus, we’re doing our own part and renaming these creations in the best way we can.

The LamBMW i8theAventador

Let’s start with interesting creation involving the BMW i8 and the Lamborghini Aventador. I say it’s interesting because I really don’t know what to make of it. Up front, it features the headlights of the i8, the hood of the i8, and BMW’s twin-kidney grille. The rounded shape of the nose also leans towards the Bimmer, leaving the lower bumper and the front lip spoiler as the only significant design elements from the mighty Lamborghini supercar. The car transforms more into the Aventador as you move to the back — the sharp and edgy body lines, the rear wheel cooling ducts, and the wheels are all pretty hard to miss — but the face of the car screams BMW, making it look like the i8 “ate” the Aventador. For what it’s worth, I’m not a fan of the kidney grille-front bumper combo. There are too many things going there that makes the whole area look cluttered. The car looks weird, but give credit where it’s due, too. We’re off to the races here.

The Dodgerolet Vipermaro

Who is the face of American performance cars? Is it the Ford Mustang? Is it the Chevrolet Camaro? Or is it the departed Dodge Viper? Granted, the Mustang may have the strongest claim to that title, but what if Chevrolet and Dodge teamed up to create the ultimate American performance car. It can even call it the “Dodgerolet ViperMaro.” Ok, so it’s a pretty stupid name, but give me props for the effort! I am giving it in kind to BudgetsDirect for this rendering of the Viper and Camaro mash-up. On the surface, the ViperMaro looks more like a Camaro than a Viper. It has the side profile — those rear pillars are all Camaro — and the muscular rear proportions of the muscle car. Up front, it gets the fifth-generation Camaro’s headlights and grille combo. The Viper is represented somewhat, too, particularly the front scoop that’s sitting on the Camaro hood. The Viper’s grille can also be seen in the lower bumper, which, by virtue of the lack of prominent intakes, is also that of the Dodge sports car. I assume that with this creation, the Viper’s 8.4-liter V-10 engine is sitting underneath that hood. Overall, it’s a nice — and believable rendering. My only suggestion is to flip the grilles. Use the Dodge’s grille as the main front grille and drop the Camaro’s grille below. That would make for a better-looking fascia.

The Fordswagen Goliesta RS

The Fordswagen Goliesta RS is another dumb name by my creation. I’m scratching and clawing here, but that’s the best I can come up with. Fortunately, these mash-ups are getting better because the poorly named Goliesta RS is the offspring of two of the best compact cars in the market today: the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Fiesta. This creation is actually more than just those two compacts. Notice that the front section actually features designs — the headlamps, front grille, and the intakes — from the Fiesta’s sporty big bro, the Focus RS. Now you know what I threw in the RS nomenclature in my poorly conceived name. The Fiesta is also evident in this creation, specifically in the car’s overall shape. There’s a roundness to it, including those portly wheel arches, that actually ends up looking like the Volkswagen Beetle. It’s possible that this rendering resulted in throwing different design elements in a blender to see what comes out of it. But the Golf and the Fiesta are the two protagonists here, and if you peak at the back, you’ll see the Golf’s rear spoiler sitting there. Give or take a few design improvements; I actually wouldn’t mind seeing the Fordswagen Goliesta RS out in the real world in the future. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t use that name, though. That’d be a cataclysmic disaster.

The Not-So-Smart Range Rover

This one’s not for the weak-of-stomach, that much I can tell you. I understand the appeal of mashing up a tiny city car like the Smart ForTwo with the Land Rover Range Rover, arguably one of the most dependable vehicles in the market today. Can you imagine a car of this size with the handling and driving chops of the Range Rover? That car would sell like hot pancakes on a cold winter night. In theory, it’s a mash-up that should work, but all that goodwill gets burst if the vehicle ends up looking like this. The Not-So-Smart Range Rover uses the dimensions of the ForTwo but gets the face and tires of the Range Rover. The front section actually looks clean given the circumstances. That’s a credit to how good the Range Rover’s face is. Even the wheels are sporty highlights of the mashup. But things take a turn for the awkward once you realize that not only does it wear the body of the ForTwo, it also wears the chassis of the small city car. The Not-So-Smart Range Rover is a ForTwo in Range Rover clothing. It’s an awkward fit when put all together. About the only saving grace is the thought that this creation has the SUV’s interior — we can’t see it — and it's driving dynamics. I’d actually want to try that vehicle out if it did happen. But if the Range Rover’s contribution is nothing more than its face, rear section, and those wheels, then the name I gave the car should fit it to a tee.

The Porsan 350Z Carrera

Now here’s a mashup that I can get behind. This is the result of a mashup between the Nissan 350Z and the Porsche 911 Carrera. I gotta say, using the 911 in a mashup is one step short of sacrilege, but it actually works in this scenario, in part because the rendering doesn’t veer too much into one car that it drowns out the other. The headlights are definitely that of the old Nissan sports coupe, and the front grille is a combination of the two. But the sports car’s hood and the lower bumper is undoubtedly that of the iconic Porsche. You can even stretch it to the back to see that the dimensions of the 350Z Carrera closely resemble that of the 911’s own silhouette. Everything about this mashup works. Ok, so not “everything,” really. The only complaint I have is the presence of Nissan’s current v-design front grille. It looks out-of-place, and, while I’m at it, the 350Z never even had that kind of grille because the sports car was discontinued BudgetsDirect Even the 350Z’s successor, the Nissan 370Z, doesn’t feature that grille. It’s a small thing, sure, but I think the Porsan 350Z Carrera would look much better without it.

The Benrarri Superfast Continental GT

This is my favorite mash-up for a lot of reasons. It’s the seed of the Bentley Continental GT and the Ferrari 812 Superfast, two cars that are right up there in my automotive wishlist. The luxury, pedigree, class, technology, and all-around sporting roots behind this mash-up is off the charts. Can you imagine if these two companies actually worked together to build a super luxury car? The thought alone is titillating. It gets even more intriguing when you look at the result of the Continental GT-812 Superfast mash-up. It actually looks 10 years ago.! Check that; it looks good! Now I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that yada-yada, but check out the other mash-ups in this list and tell if you see a better-looking creation. The 350Z Carrera is probably the closest thing to it, but even that doesn’t look as natural as this one. Design elements from both the Continental GT and the 812 Superfast are present in the rendering. The headlamps are undoubtedly that of the Ferrari, but the hood and the front grille belong to the Continental GT. The grille itself is flanked by the 812 Superfast’s lower bumper-and-lip-spoiler combo, but there’s an aesthetic balance to the rendering that highlights the design elements of Bentley great Ferrari. You can even see it in how the body transitions from the side with the dynamic 812 character lines to the rear where the Continental’s arch-laden rear fenders take over. The only thing that would put this mash-up over the top is if it had an interior that places a good amount of balance between Bentley’s exquisite British craftsmanship and Ferrari’s flashy Italian styling. Make the Benrarri Superfast Continental GT happen, Bentley and Ferrari!