zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There
The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There-March 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:07

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

For over 14 years, ™ has provided car enthusiasts an option for when literally anything else is just too normal. The Mike Vetter ETV is an “Extra Terrestrial Vehicle” that can be plopped down onto the drivetrains of a variety of cars. Another one of these has surfaced in the UK, and it’s certainly the weirdest Chevrolet Cobalt that money could buy.

The folks of Silodrome this creation. It was for sale through a Bonhams auction, but as of writing the auction appears to have been withdrawn. I’ve recovered it through the just to stare at the thing. We’ve written about this car a number of times dating all of the way back . Yet, despite all of those years the thing is still striking.

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

Mike Vetter got his start in the kit car world by first building Ferrari and Lamborghini kit cars riding on the humble Pontiac Fiero. Making such vehicles came at odds with the aforementioned automakers’ legal departments, so he decided to build kit cars of his own wild designs.

I’ll let alum Jason Torchinsky an eloquent lowdown on this ride:

ETV stands for “Extra Terrestrial Vehicle” and “Mike Vetter” stands for Mike Vetter, owner of the Kit Car Factory, a Florida-based make of elaborate body kits for Boxsters, MR2s, Chevy Cobalts, and more. His stuff looks to be pretty dramatic and probably not to everyone’s taste. Personally, I love seeing people doing novel things like this, and I think the world would be a better place with more crazy-ass kit cars out there.

So the story goes, the ETV is the result of Vetter wanting a sports car that had space for his daughter. He began modifying a car, and much like so many projects like this, it became far bigger than the original idea. I’m glad it did, because the result is incredible. I mean, how many of the cars that you’ve driven came with a five-foot-long windshield?

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

The spaceship-esque body is made out of fiberglass and as you could guess, the wheels are hidden behind wells.

Pull open the gullwing doors, and the illusion of something futuristic is broken by the outdated and uninspiring dashboard of a Chevrolet Cobalt.

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

At least you get to sit in pretty cool seats. Visibility looks frankly awful, though.

Now here’s where things get muddy. This car was on display at the London Motor Museum for many years until the museum went bust during the pandemic. Now, because of a high court ruling in the UK, it ended up on the auction block.

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

Bonhams doesn’t know much about the car’s powertrain, noting that at least some ETVs were built out of Chevrolet Aveos with 1.6-liter fours. Bonhams didn’t even know when it tried to auction the vehicle last year — . The dashboard suggests that this is not an Aveo.

A search of the vehicle’s VIN notes that this started life as a Chevrolet Cobalt, first registered to Vetter himself. Power should be coming from a 2.2 liter Ecotec four good for 148 HP to the front wheels.

Image for article titled The Weirdest Chevy Cobalt Money Can Buy Is Still Out There

Clearly, this is more about the looks than speed.

This example also needs work as the vehicle’s air suspension and camera systems are both non-functional. It also hasn’t run in some years. Bonhams was expecting to get $10,400 – $15,600 for it, a far cry from the car’s $95,000 original price.

With the listing withdrawn for a second time it’s hard to tell what will happen to this car. Hopefully someone puts it back on the road someday.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Mar 8, 2026
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Mar 8, 2026
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Mar 8, 2026
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Mar 8, 2026
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Mar 8, 2026
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Mar 8, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved