If history has taught us anything, it’s that the American hot rod culture is deeply rooted in the sort of significant vehicles that are much more than the sum of their make and model year. In fact, for many of these iconic homebuilt rods it was a stretch to refer to them as “Fords”, “Chevys” or other nameplates.

Whether they were gleaming show vehicles or stripped down racers, some of the coolest cars were built from the bones of several different models, reformed into something completely removed from any vehicle that ever rolled out of the factory.

In the early days it was quite common to have cars with mismatched frames, bodies, engines and suspension, all in the name of speed and style.

Fast forward some six or seven decades and that spirit still lives on in a few of the cars we see today - including this 1994 Honda Accord Wagon, where little similarities remain to the other Accords that left the Ohio assembly line.

The stark contrast becomes all too apparent the moment you see the car the dump the clutch and start slaying the rear tires as the telltale sound of turbocharged inline six sings from the engine bay.

This is no longer an Accord. It’s a Frankenstein’d creation that’s part Honda, part S13, part Skyline, and all awesome.

Beginning with a worn out Honda wagon bound for the scrap yard, owner Aromondo Monoletti and fabricator Robert Bell decided to embark on a seven-month project that would result in what’s probably the most unusual Accord on the face of the earth.

Out came the factory front wheel drive Honda engine, transmission and suspension and in went a custom front tube frame that houses a front subframe from an S13 240SX along with a rear subframe and differential setup from the same car - thus creating a highly unusual front-engine, rear-drive Honda wagon.

When it came to source an engine to power this one-off creation Nissan’s venerable SR20 would have been the typical choice given the S13 front subframe, but Aromondo and Robert had other plans. They decided to take things even further and upgrade to straight six power - more specifically an RB25DET Neo from an R34 Skyline, complete with an HKS turbo upgrade.

The car uses mostly factory S13 suspension and components and despite the slammed ride height, some clever engineering allows the Accord to retain its full suspension travel. The new steering column was also sourced from the tried and true S13.

Inside the car, the once family-friendly cabin now houses a full Formula D-spec roll cage with a super cool integrated roof rack, - and the original Accord dash now houses an instrument cluster sourced from a Z32 Nissan 300ZX. Both Aromondo and his passenger sit in Bride full bucket seats.

While the body still identifies as an Accord Wagon from most angles, up front you’ll find the bumper has been adapted from an R32 Skyline and a set of overfenders are used to match the custom-built 18x10 front and 18x12 rear Work Rezax wheels.

In the short time it’s been completed the Accord has already been a big hit both at car shows and on social media, and the plan is to get the car out to some grassroots drift events to see how she slides.

And whether it’s going sideways or just cruising down the street this one of a kind American-built Japanese street shark is a fitting successor to the OG hot rods that first roamed the open roads way back in the forties and fifties.

Owner/Driver: Aromondo Monoletti @ape_inc

Car: 1994 Honda Accord Wagon

Engine/Powertrain: Nissan R34 Skyline RB25DET NEO; HKS GT28 turbo upgrade; S2 Q45 90mm throttle body; Z32 300ZX fuel tank; rear-wheel drive conversion; R34 Skyline 5-speed manual transmission; R33 Skyline driveshaft; S13 240SX rear differential

Exterior: ZG style fender flares; R32 Nissan Skyline front bumper; retro style fender mirrors

Interior: FD-spec roll cage with integrated roof rack; Z32 300ZX instrument cluster; Bride full bucket seats

Wheels/Tires: Custom-built 18x10 front18x12 rear Work Rezax mesh wheels

Suspension/Brakes: Custom front tube frame with S13 subframe and suspension; S13 rear subframe and suspension; Z32 300ZX brakes; S13 steering column