The Man Behind The Builds
Master fabricator, EV innovator, record-breaking builder
Reverend Gadget
Master Fabricator • EV Pioneer • 10 World Records
Gregory “Reverend Gadget” Abbott is a steel fabrication artist, industrial designer, and CEO of Left Coast EV. With over 40 years of hands-on craftsmanship, he’s built everything from Hollywood movie props to record-breaking giant machines to high-performance electric vehicles. An ordained minister since 1986, Gadget earned his moniker at Burning Man and has been creating the extraordinary ever since.
Road Warrior
Born in Torrance, California and raised by the ocean in Seal Beach, El Porto, and Pacific Palisades, Gadget’s journey began early. At 15, he started designing and fabricating his own car: a 1957 Volkswagen built from scratch using the front suspension, engine, and transmission, ordering everything else from the JC Whitney catalog.
This was his first welding project, so the car was blocky and crude in the front, becoming more curvy and elegant towards the back as he learned new tools and techniques. At 16, he registered the vehicle and drove it across 26 states, covering over 10,000 miles. The journey taught him self-reliance, problem-solving, and the joy of creating something functional from raw materials.
EDUCATION & EVOLUTION
Gadget graduated from Pacific Palisades High School in 1977 and attended Menlo College for one year before dropping out. His father supported the decision, saying Gadget was “never gonna have a regular job anyway” and that having “done all your prerequisites, you can learn the rest of the engineering from books.”
After leaving Menlo, Gadget worked as a handyman, learning the building trades before becoming a building contractor. Nearly a decade later, he returned to formal education at Santa Monica College from 1978 to 1986, studying Industrial Arts, Art History, Economics, and Business. He also studied Computer Programming at UCLA.
To pay for his schooling, he worked as a live-in butler and cook.
During this time, Gadget was also involved in off-road desert racing, redesigning suspension systems for racing vehicles. This hands-on experience with high-performance mechanics would later inform his approach to electric vehicle conversions.
From Wool To Steel
After his academic years, Gadget established his own shop focused on woodworking and cabinetry. In the late 1980s, he shifted to professional metal fabrication, doing structural steel work and collaborating with artists on monumental public artworks. The three-and-a-half-story hand sculpture at LA Metro’s El Segundo station? That’s modeled after Gadget’s own hand. He moved on to crafting postmodern fenestration, stairs, rails, and other structural architecture, merging form and function in every project.
Design Partnership
Gadget and his partner Lisa Krohn built a business designing and selling furniture that received numerous awards. Their work blended industrial fabrication with artistic vision, creating pieces that were both functional and sculptural.
Gadget also spent time teaching industrial design at SCI-ARC (Southern California Institute of Architecture), sharing his unconventional approach to fabrication and problem-solving with the next generation of designers.
Hollywood & Props
HOLLYWOOD & PROPS Gadget’s fabrication skills caught the attention of Hollywood, where he built props for major films including Batman, Castaway, and Spiderman.
His ability to create functional, oversized, and visually striking objects made him a go-to fabricator for productions requiring custom metalwork and engineering.
10 Guinness World Records
Gadget holds 10 guinness world records for engineering and fabrication, many built with the Discovery Channel’s BIG! team.
Each project required custom engineering, structural calculations, and flawless execution, skills Gadget now applies to every EV conversion.
World’s Biggest
World’s Biggest:
Claw Game
Cuckoo Clock
Espresso Machine
Hair Clippers
Treadmill
World’s Biggest
Guitar
Popcorn
Vacuum
Barbeque
Blender
Toaster
The EV Revolution
Gadget’s passion for alternative energy led him to electric vehicle conversions in the early 2000s, long before EVs became mainstream. He founded Left Coast EV to specialize in converting classic and vintage cars into high-performance electric vehicles, proving that sustainability and style aren’t mutually exclusive.
His conversions don’t just replace engines with motors. They reimagine the entire driving experience: from braking and handling to air conditioning and keyless entry, each conversion delivers 21st-century performance wrapped in timeless automotive design.
“Converting the world one EV at a time.”
The Philosophy
For Gadget, electric conversions aren’t just about swapping engines. They’re about preserving automotive history while embracing the future.
Every classic car has a soul worth saving, and electrification ensures these legends can stay on the road for generations to come. It’s greener to convert an existing vehicle than to manufacture new, and the performance speaks for itself: instant torque, silent power, and zero emissions.