November 30, 2023

How the Crusty Cuore came to be

Have you seen our adventures with the rusty, crusty Daihatsu Cuore? If you haven't CHECK OUT THE SERIES OF VIDS HERE where we take Australia's saddest Cuore and turn it into a racecar. People have wondered where the car came from so we tracked the fella who built car down and had a chat to him about the who, where and why of the Crusty Cuore...

"My name is Brad Peachey, I’m 28 years old, and I work two jobs; one as a manager at Maccas [McDonalds], and one as a fitter for a company call Tyree which builds transformers for power stations.

"In early January 2020, just after the bushfires happened and when Covid started appearing, my cousin asked me if I wanted her car for free as the motor was stuffed. She even got it delivered to my house inside a delivery truck... not a car carrier; an actual truck that delivers pallets with the lifting tail gate (which isn’t a ramp).

"I started building it within days!

"I have always been a fan of Kei cars and smaller cars. I think I would have been maybe 11 when I realised that I liked them, playing a game called Juiced on PS2, and driving around in a Honda CRX.

"I bought my first car, a 1991 Honda CRX, at 14 and from there owned plenty of cars, but always went back to the small ones. I've owned my fair share of Daihatsus, mainly Sirions with the 1L and 1.3L, and then when I found out that you could get what is essential a two-door Sirion that weighed less and looked like a tiny panel van: the Cuore! I fell in love!

"This car was built mostly in my front yard, and I had help with some of the things like motor swaps and welding on the roof basket. My girlfriend and son also helped out by putting some of the hundreds of stickers on it.

"The style I was going for was “the automotive equivalent of a Bento Box”. I wanted a car that would make people smile and, by doing this with the Cuore, I also solved my speeding problem, because I can’t, haha.

"I was always changing it and finding new things to do to it but once I got an idea I would just do it not second thought about it.

"The Cuore ended up having three motors in it while I had it. I got it with a blown motor and changed it. Then, two years later I let my brother borrow it. Then, he blew it up so I changed it again.

"I also had 50mm wheel spacers with a set of Rays three-piece wheels on it at one time... 'till I tried to take two 100kg blokes to a Year 12 formal. So yeah.. I was always working on it.

"MCM honestly inspired so much of this car, it’s crazy. I've grown up watching MCM so when I got a car that cost me nothing I felt like I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted to it. I looked for inspiration and MCM was what came to mind.

"I wanted to modify the car to make it look as crazy as possible for as cheep as possible. And if that sentence dosent scream MCM I don’t know what does.

"The feeling of selling a car that’s been in your life for years, and putting so much work into it is quite upsetting; it makes you feel like you’re missing a part of yourself. But when I sold it too Moog it was a much easier goodbye.

"When the first video came out about it, and I saw Marty’s face: priceless! It is crazy to see a car that used to be parked out the front of my house, now online for even more people to see; it is amazing.

"If I was to build another Cuore, I think I would keep it clean, but ulgy. So not as much stupid stuff on it, maybe paint in like a dark metallic brown, with a set of chrome dinner plates. Just enough to annoy some people, make some people laugh, and have some enjoy it."