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Jason Woodside bought the car in a bar parking lot in a sleepy little beach town called Dana Point. The Mercedes 240D, born in 1982, had a name, King Lear.

This has nothing to do with what the vehicle became, but it’s worth mentioning, King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies. If you’re into Shakespeare or took a Billy Shake course in High School or college, you may remember the play. King Lear is dear William’s darkest tragedy. 

The film above, featuring a car now coined the Cortex Cruiser, is a vessel of symbolism. It’s a trippy little (almost) three-minute edit. In case the goal of the short eluded you, here are the cliff notes:

The Cortex Cruiser symbolizes the brain going through a state of inspiration; it’s the vessel of Jason Woodside’s creativity. The smoke bombs are meant to be a roadblock for motivation – something that culls creativity or inspiration and retires you to, presumably, a life of never-ending sitcoms and cereal in a dingy apartment where you’re always late on rent. Or at the very least pushes your productivity back a day, an hour, a week. The idea of the film is that inspiration is continually seeking a host, and once the host and inspiration connect it can transport you to far off corners of your mind. 

Feeling cosmic, or, er, inspired yet? 

Now, let’s have a look at this marvelous machine, a Woodside x Vissla Collaboration. 

Mr. Woodside is a New York-based muralist whose art happens to look quite nice on cars and clothes. After he purchased this car from the South Orange County theatre aficionados, he drove it out to Joshua Tree along with plenty of spray cans followed by a camera crew and spent 12 hours making it sing. It was a terrible day for spray painting in the desert: wintertime–17 degrees with winds blowing upwards of 30 miles per hour.

It was kind of him, however, to remove his jacket for a few shots. That’s the beauty of photography and film, unless it’s raining or snowing you can’t perceive temperature. But when you schedule a day to shoot, get a car, the paint, and the artist altogether, the show must roll on.

Along with the newly named Cortex Cruiser (the Mercedes’ second identity), Vissla’s got a new line featuring Jason’s art. More to come on that soon. Vissla’s long been driving around the finest cars in surfing, from the Dream Steeple van constructed by wood guru, Jay Nelson, to this reinvigorated Mercedes from the ’80s. 

Go on and tap the play button above to watch a funky little short from the desert to the sea and cast your gaze below for a party flyer.

Next Thursday (5/16) in Los Angeles, we will be hosting a party with the folks from Vissla in Los Angeles. There will be food, drinks, music, and the Cortex Cruiser will be in attendance for all to view. And who knows, maybe the gentle people at Vissla will eventually give it away!

Come thirsty, leave happy.