3D Printed Ford Gran Torino

Walk through this year's New York international Auto Show, and it's clear that the current crop of cars are rapidly catching up with the concept vehicles of the future.

But one audacious 3D-printed car on display at the event, a Ford Gran Torino, looks like it just arrived from the underworld or an alien planet — and we doubt automakers will ever catch up to this kind of design.

See also: The 12 Most Expensive Cars at the New York Auto Show

Crafted by Ioan Florea, this "liquid metal" version of the 1971 Ford Gran Torino looks like it was touched Ghost Rider or peeled from the walls of an H.R. Gigerspacecraft.

Florea wasn't on hand to explain his process, but luckily gave a recent interview with 3D Printer World. "The actual 3D printing is basic," he said. "Design the shapes, slice them, generate the G-code and print them.

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

"The complicated part is the transfer technique that I invented … I use a mixing mill that weighs around 12,000 pounds. It's a multi-stage process that requires exact measurements, exact timing and ideal temperature conditions."

Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

His nightmarish vision of the old-school Ford muscle car is definitely a departure from the smooth lines present on most of the cars on display this week. But this inventive approach to car design could be a sign of some of the wilder customizations we'll see on the streets in the near future.

You can get a closer look at the car in the gallery above.