Photo: Instagram / Ant Anstead
X-Men actor James Marsden is a passionate car collector, so he must know about or empathize with the pain of having to sell off “the one” because you can’t afford to pay for repairs. So, when his former brother-in-law went through it, Marsden came to the rescue – and delivered beautifully.
With help from Ant Anstead and the team behind Celebrity IOU: Joyride, the Discovery Plus series that sees celebrities hook up friends with custom vehicles as a very unique and touching thank-you, Marsden gave Will, his former brother-in-law, the gift of a lifetime. “The One” for Will had been an old Buick that had been passed down from generation to generation in his family, which he had to sell off because he couldn’t afford to repair it, and other bills took priority.
Marsden and the team found a rusty 1963 Buick Electra 225 that fit the bill, and they used the chassis of a Karma Revero to make it live up to that “Electra” name. The final build, wearing a gorgeous green shade with carbon fiber accents, was brought to the 2021 edition of the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas. The last slide in the Instagram embed below is of Anstead and Marsden up on stage, talking about how the idea for the project came to be. British racing driver and Formula One champion Jenson Button was also on hand for the big unveiling.
This isn’t Will’s family-owned Buick, but it will have to do. It was picked up at a junkyard and involved a lot of work to turn into a one-of-a-kind cruiser with a lowrider feel and a modern, hybrid powertrain. On battery power, the car has a range of 61 miles (98 km). Under the hood is a turbocharged three-cylinder BMW engine.
Because the skateboard added a lot of weight to the car, some of it was shaved off by adding carbon fiber parts: the hood is carbon fiber and helped to make the vehicle 100 pounds (45 kg) lighter. It also shimmers in direct sunlight, a small but awesome bonus.
The trunk bears a personalized touch by Marsden himself, right next to the Buick logo. “Peaceful” was a song written by Will’s father, which he then played at all his children’s weddings. It’s a beautiful tribute to a beloved family member and a clue as to the secret nature of the car – “unless Will's flooring it,” The Scott Brothers say in a note on the build.
Marsden’s project (and very special gift to Will) is featured on season 1, episode 2 of Celebrity IOU: Joyride. If you’re not caught up yet, the gallery above contains plenty of photos of the beautiful Electra.
Marsden and the team found a rusty 1963 Buick Electra 225 that fit the bill, and they used the chassis of a Karma Revero to make it live up to that “Electra” name. The final build, wearing a gorgeous green shade with carbon fiber accents, was brought to the 2021 edition of the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas. The last slide in the Instagram embed below is of Anstead and Marsden up on stage, talking about how the idea for the project came to be. British racing driver and Formula One champion Jenson Button was also on hand for the big unveiling.
This isn’t Will’s family-owned Buick, but it will have to do. It was picked up at a junkyard and involved a lot of work to turn into a one-of-a-kind cruiser with a lowrider feel and a modern, hybrid powertrain. On battery power, the car has a range of 61 miles (98 km). Under the hood is a turbocharged three-cylinder BMW engine.
Because the skateboard added a lot of weight to the car, some of it was shaved off by adding carbon fiber parts: the hood is carbon fiber and helped to make the vehicle 100 pounds (45 kg) lighter. It also shimmers in direct sunlight, a small but awesome bonus.
The trunk bears a personalized touch by Marsden himself, right next to the Buick logo. “Peaceful” was a song written by Will’s father, which he then played at all his children’s weddings. It’s a beautiful tribute to a beloved family member and a clue as to the secret nature of the car – “unless Will's flooring it,” The Scott Brothers say in a note on the build.
Marsden’s project (and very special gift to Will) is featured on season 1, episode 2 of Celebrity IOU: Joyride. If you’re not caught up yet, the gallery above contains plenty of photos of the beautiful Electra.
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