World's Strangest Vehicles, Part 4

"QUANTUM SHOT" #404
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Sheer Auto Adrenaline!

Spotting such vehicles in our usual boring stream of traffic can be as rewarding as catching a smile of a beautiful woman - or on the contrary, may only produce a yelp of disbelief "what in the name of Motoring Mother Mary was THAT?"

Another entry in our popular "World's Strangest Vehicles" series, this article is chock-full of surprising, and wildly confusing designs, some of which only their mother (i. e. their creators) would love.

We'll start with some vintage coolness: this "truck/passenger trailer" scores on many points. It's rare, spectacularly different, and Swiss-made.

(image credit: Vitaly Volkov)

"This vehicle was used in Zürich airport to bring passenger from terminal to the planes. Picture taken in the Swiss transportation museum in Lüzern (note: the thing above cab that looks like gun doesn't belong to this truck; it's water-gun of a fire truck that stands behind)"

Possibly Fiat Multipla beach vehicle from the 60s:

(image credit: Spiny)

"Modulo" from Pininfarina, 1970:
(back when every Italian concept car was an instant classic)

Now, let's see what weirdness can be spotted on modern streets. How about -

T-Rex vehicle is bizarre and futuristic-looking enough to be worthy of some Star Wars concept art. The amazing thing is that it's currently in production by the Campagna Corporation located in Quebec, and has been commercially available since the early 1990s:

Colvini's 6-wheeled sports car looks pretty nifty and offers more traction for cornering and braking: (more info)

(images credit: Colvini)

Speaking of super cars, this one is rarely mentioned and little-known, though it definitely looks the part. MC-1, made in cooperation between C2P Automotive and MotorCity Europe - very sharp design by David Hilton (more info) -

(image credit: carmagazine.co.uk)

Future is friendly and... full of curves

Getting back to the vintage cool designs, we can not pass by the concept vehicles created for the British "UFO" TV series. They were exceptionally sexy in the combination with futuristic ladies, posing in and around them:
(click to enlarge)

(image credit: ufoseries)

(images credit: Cloudster)

Moon Vehicles that did not make it to the Moon (yet)

NASA had multiple ideas and concept designs for Moon exploration on wheels (or not) - here are some of the Lunar Rovers that were introduced:

Grumman LSS Rover, 1963 (was designed to be launched to moon by a single Saturn lB) -

The Lunar Sortie Vehicle (LSV), a North American Rockwell proposal from 1971:

The Lunar Worm! This Planetary Roving Vehicle Concept was introduced by Philco Corp. in 1966. "This was a bellows-concept mobile vehicle which could 'inch' its way across almost any kind of lunar surface."

(images credit: astronautix)

The Ultimate Limousine: Wingless 727

This is really hard to beat: take a used Boeing 727, get rid of its wings and customize it into most luxurious and biggest limo on the planet! This is exactly what Mexican Vaca Meters Limos company did

(image credit: av8rdan)

"Up to 50 passengers can boogie on a dance floor, make a pit stop at a bar or retire to a "romantic" space in the back of the luxury aircraft/automobile." Top speed: 200 kilometers (124 miles) an hour, it has a six-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine in the back and air brakes and suspension. The company plans to offer similar ultimate coaches to clientele in the US.

More interesting limos and stretches:

Art Cars

Our traditional section deals with more avantgarde vehicle creations (which some art critics would love and the others would immediately donate to the Kidney Foundation)

Seems to be a knock-off of the "Camera Van" by Harrod Blank:

Eric Staller's creations are uniformly weird and often tongue-in-cheek:
Big Bang theory:

(images credit: Eric Staller)

Car covered in corks:

Communist Propaganda mobiles, made from trucks for some parade appearances:

Ugliness Turns Heads

This is the only explanation we can find to justify the existence of some of the disproportioned vehicles featured here.

Appropriately titled "It might fly, if it had wings - or an engine", this crazy styling gem comes from reputable Italian design firm Ghia - imagine that. The strange exterior is somewhat compensated by the cool aircraft-type steering wheel inside.

(image credit: Modern Mechanix)

This is not VW Beetle any more (only eyes, er... headlights, are left after extensive car surgery) -
This one seems to be similar to Dave Major's propellor cars

Half a car (what could be the reasoning behind this??) -

Similarly one-sided (wooden!!) car from Ukraine - more info:

The Monkees-mobile (there is no excuse for bad taste) -

The words fail us... Do not mess with this undertaker:
"Kargoyle" by Brett Barris - with a traveling Kasket beer keg included!
(made for the movie "Terror on Wheels" that was released in 1980's.)

(image credit: Barris)

This "Aaah! Uuugly!" moment obviously is created for the sake of art:

(image credit: Andy Saunders)

The prize for intentional ugliness goes to this monster:

Unusual Bikes

Volvo's Extreme Gravity Car concept was designed for "The Extreme Gravity Competition", an annual downhill car race for charity. Charity does not begin to describe it. (more images here)

The Akira bike, spotted in Japan:

Mystery bikes:

Update: This is an "Omega Chopper" from Finland, see video

Something similar to the legendary Road Dog - 5 meter long motorcycle, built by William "Wild Bill" Gelbke in 1965

(image credit: torpedo-emscher.de)

Two-wheeled car (designed by engineer Shilovski, in 1912) -

Conference Bike by Eric Staller (brings bikes to the some kind of social 2.0 idea) -

(images credit: Eric Staller)

The World's Biggest Bike, powered by Detroit Diesel, weighing 13 tons:

(image credit: Detroit Diesel)

Miscellaneous Tinkering

Apparently, someone in a Siberian village in the middle of nowhere got touched by custom car fever... Here is a vintage wonder, courtesy of Danila -

Old used cars make good trailers:

Macho School Bus:

"The Vampire" rocket-dragster, that nearly killed "Top Gear" presenter Richard Hammond in 2006. (the crash)

Roly-Poly by Eric Staller:
Watch how it lights up in action (will look good cruising Las Vegas)

(images credit: Eric Staller)

Customized Gyroscope/ Segway units:

That would be Photoshop, sir -
("everything is possible" says the Russian text)

Perhaps the most fascinating vehicle -

...is the Japanese Land-Walker Exoskeleton, created by Sakakibara Kikai company. Over 3 meters in height, and weighing in at 1000kg (2,205 lbs) to see it waking around is quite impressive sight. It's powered by a 250 cc engine and controlled by the operator with the help of custom computer software. Amazingly, you can order your own Land Walker for only $350,000 (£185,000). You can walk around your neighborhood, scaring bejesus out of the sleepy elderly populace.