Have you seen crazy vehicles like these before?
Throughout history, some of these innovative designs have pushed well beyond the boundaries
of societal norms.
Whether a success or a failure, there's no arguing the mark they left on the industry.
I'm Glenn, and today we're taking a look at 15 Crazy Vehicle Designs produced throughout
automotive history.
Number Fifteen
Italdesign began working on the Capsula to solve the process of manufacturing expensive,
special-purpose vehicles.
The main goal was to create a chassis that had a variety of uses, including family car,
ambulance, taxi, school bus, and a police car.
All the owners needed was a screwdriver to modify it to their needs.
However, this prototype never went farther than being just a vision.
Number Fourteen
The Quasar-Unipower was a box-like car produced in limited numbers between 1967 and 1968 by
Universal Power Drives of England.
The unique cube-shaped car allowed access from all four sides with sliding glass doors
and came with plastic, inflatable seats.
It employed a four-cylinder, 1100 cc engine with an automatic transmission and reached
speeds of up to 59 miles per hour.
Number Thirteen
The Eliica - short for Electric Lithium-Ion battery Car - is an extraordinary eight-wheeled
brute of a ride.
Powered by eight in-wheel electric motors producing about 80 horsepower each, it can
reach 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds.
The car was initially built to break the speed record for street-legal gasoline-powered vehicles
but has yet to do so.
The plans were to produce 200 units for sale to the public, but only two ever got built.
Number Twelve
Designed for the 1988 Turin Motor Show, the Aztec had dual canopies that opened gullwing
style.
The interior offered some of the era's most technologically advanced audio equipment:
a JVC sound system with a cassette deck and an in-dash CD player.
Power was courtesy of a turbocharged 2.2-liter five-cylinder engine producing 247 horsepower.
Although the press and public liked the vehicle, only 18 cars were built out of a planned production
run of 50.
Number Eleven
Created in 1970, the French L'Automodule had a look, not unlike an alien craft.
In addition to the stunning design, it offered a unique feature in its hydraulic suspension,
which could change the ground clearance and tilt the vehicle on three of its four wheels.
Equipped with a two-stroke, 248 cc engine and hydraulic transmission, it had a maximum
speed of 28 miles per hour.
It was named "Car of the Year 2000" and attracted plenty of publicity while playing off of the
futuristic look.
I'm Allie, and it's Minds Eye Trivia time.
By looking at just these images, do you know what this is and where it's from?
Leave the correct answer or your best guess in the comment section below.
Number Ten
Renault introduced this six-wheeler Type MH at the beginning of the 1920s.
It was intended for use in expediting communications between African nations as there was no railroad
through the Sahara Desert at that time.
It paved the way for numerous expeditions between 1923 and 1925, with the longest coming
in at around 23,000 miles.
Number Nine
The Wikov-Kapka was the first aerodynamic car produced in Czechoslovakia.
Its four-cylinder, straight-line engine produced 35 horsepower for a top speed of around 62
miles per hour.
The biggest problem with this car was that its aerodynamic characteristics were not very
good.
For example, the added aerodynamic shields
increased the car's weight by more than 220
pounds.
Number Eight
In 1972, Michelin wanted a way to test their truck tires at high speed because of the danger
involved with semi-truck blowouts.
The answer was this crazy looking rig, you see here.
The vehicle, nicknamed the 'centipede' because of all the tires, came with two 5.7-liter,
V8 engines.
One engine powered the rear six wheels, while the other powered the mid-mounted truck wheel,
fitted with a test tire, and finally, the front four wheels controlled the steering.
Considering it weighed 22,000 pounds, it still managed to top out at 111 miles per hour.
Number Seven
The Ostentatienne Opera Sedan was the first of businessman, aviator, and inventor Bruce
Mohs' full-size automobiles.
Entry into the vehicle was gained by a single full-size door that opened at the rear of
the car.
It was also needed because the car featured a full-length steel rail on each side of the
frame to protect occupants from broadside collisions.
It's no surprise that this massive vehicle weighed in at 5,740 pounds, considering the
standard equipment included a refrigerator, a butane furnace, deep carpeting, and a water
heater.
Number Six
First raced in 1963, the Chaparral 2J is a mid-engine race car.
Powered by a 427 cubic inch engine, and producing 650 horsepower, it weighs just over 1800 pounds.
The car, made with a fiberglass-bodied monocoque chassis, featured skirts made of lexan.
Using a system of pulleys, cables, and machined arms, they could move up and down, creating
a negative pressure vacuum that sucked the car to the ground.
The whole system allowed the car to be more aerodynamic, pulling up to 1.5 G's during
turns.
Number Five
Introduced to the 1967 Turin Motorshow, the OSI Bisiluro Silver Fox resembled a catamaran
on wheels.
The car, powered by a one-liter, 4-cylinder engine, helped the car reach an impressive
155 miles per hour during testing.
OSI wanted to have the Silver Fox entered in the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans race, but
after the company fell into trouble, the project got canceled.
Number Four
The Bi-Autogo was the brainchild of James Scripps-Booth, a Detroit designer trying to
build a sports car.
It featured one wheel in the back and one in the front with a pair of small outrigger
wheels that would automatically retract around 25 miles per hour.
Scripps-Booth built the first of its kind 6.3-liter engine himself.
Producing just 45 horsepower, Scripps-Booth believed the bike-car would go more than 75
miles per hour.
The all-aluminum body was low to the ground to improve handling, and it had a self-starting
system, using compressed air stored in an onboard tank.
Ultimately, though, the Bi-Autogo was too far ahead of its time to be at all practical
or useful in 1913.
Number Three
Designed as a security patrol vehicle, the Iris Viseo has a single-seat cabin that raises
11 1/2 feet above the ground.
The driver is still able to keep driving, utilizing an electro-hydraulic system while
watching over protesters, parking lots, and whatever requires a watchful eye.
Power for the all-electric vehicles come from a 127-horsepower motor that can reach a top
speed of around 15 miles per hour.
The 48-volt battery, with a charge time of eight hours, offers a range of 52 miles.
Number Two
Built in Italy, in 1914, the Aerodinamica was one of the first aerodynamic automobiles
ever built.
The bullet-shaped body was composed of riveted aluminum and offered a trio of entrance doors.
It had a total of eleven windows all around with the windshield consisting of three large
panels of curved glass.
The vehicle could produce up to 70 horsepower and reach a top speed of 86 miles per hour.
But due to the radiator and engine placement, the driver was forced to sit three feet behind
the windshield.
They only produced one of these, although a replica sits in the Alfa Romeo Historical
Museum for those who are curious.
I'm Allie, and it's Minds Eye Trivia time.
By looking at just these images, do you know what this is and where it's from?
Leave the correct answer or your best guess in the comment section below.
Number One
In the 1930s, Plexiglass was pretty exotic stuff, which is why Pontiac chose it as the
body material for a vehicle.
Built in New York and presented at Futurama in 1939, the Pontiac Plexiglas Deluxe Six
was nicknamed the 'Ghost Car' due to its see-through body.
The car had a 3.6-liter, straight-six engine, with all of the underlying metal components
having a copperized hue, and chrome-plated hardware.
All the rubber fixtures, molded in white, gave it a ghostly effect.