Crazy 'Beatnik Bubbletop' goes to auction

To anyone who spies it on the highway, it becomes an automatic "What is it?"

In fact, it's the Beatnik Bubbletop, a mashup of different Cadillac, Chrysler and Lincolns that were combined to create a homage to some of the crazier concept cars of the 1950s and 1960s.

It's going on the block at Auctions America's Santa Monica event on July 17 and 18.

It's hard to tell from looking, but the Beatnik Bubbletop started life as a 1955 Ford. It's under there somewhere.

Though the car look feels like the early 1960s, some components are actually far more modern. The chassis, for instance, is from a 1988 Lincoln Town Car. It was built over four years by a Long Island car customizer, Gary "Chopit" Fioto, who has always had a thing for bubbletops, according to Auctions America. The front bumper is from a 1959 Cadillac and finned taillights are from a 1960 Chrysler.

The result is a car that catches your eye anywhere you look -- from the aircraft-style "yoke" steering wheel to the fender skirts and wild paint job.

The car is powered by a 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet V-8. And because it can get mighty warm under the giant bubble, there's air conditioning.

It is expected to fetch $150,000 to $250,000.