If you were an automotive enthusiast during the mid-Aughts, you are certainly familiar with the crew at West Coast Customs. The shop was the home of MTV’s iconic TV show Pimp My Ride, which ran for 73 episodes here in the States. The show proved so popular that a number of international versions quickly hit global airways. After more than a decade since it last aired, the United Kingdom is finally about to get another crack at the Pimp My Ride universe thanks to a little help from the team over at eBay.
Pimp My Ride UK initially debuted back in June of 2005 and ran for just three seasons before ultimately being pulled. English DJ Tim Westwood was the original host, while the modification and restoration work was completed by the team at Carisma Automotive. Now though, British rapper Lady Leshurr, who is best known for her Queen’s Speech series of freestyles, is going to take a crack at reviving the project. Hosted on the MTV YouTube channel and bankrolled by eBay, the show will return as an internet property on August 19.
One of the first vehicles the team is slated to work on is a Mitsubishi GTO, which Top Gear reports will wear some Fast and Furious-inspired tweaks. That’s only fitting considering the two franchises have similar career timelines. The work is slated to take place at the Wrench Studios, which is a high-performance tuning shop located in Ashford, England. Based on the high-horsepower builds that have been featured on the shop’s own YouTube page, the pairing seems perfect for this sort of endeavor.
Pimp My Ride has had an interesting cultural history. The show took a lot of flak for the sheer amount of “TV magic” taking place during production, but it has managed to cement itself as a genuine part of car culture from its era. And while there may not be a ton of tribute vehicles running around, it will be interesting to see what this British crew is able to come up with. Hopefully we get to see some builds that you wouldn’t see come out of the oh-so-American West Coast Customs.
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.
