{"id":622650,"date":"2026-10-06T21:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/622650\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:40:09","slug":"street-fighter-iis-battered-lexus-becomes-a-real-driveable-prize-auto-trader-nz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/622650\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Fighter II\u2019s battered Lexus becomes a real, driveable prize \u2013 Auto Trader NZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Street Fighter II\u2019s car-smashing bonus stage has made an unlikely leap into the real world, with a Lexus LS400 transformed into a driveable replica of the game\u2019s much-abused sedan.<\/p>\n

US insurer, The General, has teamed up with Capcom and movie-car specialist Vehicle Effects to recreate the arcade icon, with one fan set to win the car and US$25,400.69 in cash.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For anyone who spent their youth feeding coins into arcade machines, the reference will be familiar. Between fights, Street Fighter II gave players a chance to earn extra points by punching and kicking a parked car into scrap.<\/p>\n

This Lexus has been given rather better treatment.<\/p>\n

The build was overseen by Dennis McCarthy and Vehicle Effects, whose credits include the Fast & Furious films. Pixelated exterior detailing reproduces the game\u2019s blocky graphics, while the cabin gets fresh leather upholstery, upgraded speakers and front headrests marked \u201cYou\u201d and \u201cWin\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even a coin-slot control that activates a seat warmer, bringing a little arcade interaction to an otherwise conventional luxury sedan. <\/p>\n

Beneath the gaming makeover is a 1994 LS400 with a 4.0-litre V8, automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. According to the official giveaway rules<\/a>, it has covered approximately 135,000km and retains its factory engine, transmission, chassis and suspension geometry.<\/p>\n

The modifications include a removable vinyl wrap, 3D-printed trim, custom upholstery, modified factory wheels and new tyres. It\u2019s a functioning car rather than a static display prop.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd after all the hits this thing has taken, I\u2019d say it had more than earned a break,\u201d McCarthy said.<\/p>\n

The project forms part of a promotional campaign for the forthcoming Street Fighter film, giving the long-suffering bonus-stage car a starring role of its own.<\/p>\n

Entries close on 18 November 2026. Unfortunately for Kiwi gamers, the giveaway is restricted to eligible adult US residents with a valid driving licence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Street Fighter II\u2019s car-smashing bonus stage has made an unlikely leap into the real world, with a Lexus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":622651,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-622650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}