Ordinarily when you think of mashing up a car and an airplane, you think about making a car that flies. That’s not exactly the notion that hit police officer Jeff Bloch when he came upon a vintage abandoned Cessna, however. He decided to cut off the wings, add the bottom of a van, and make the whole thing into a bizarre driving plane. The contraption is named Spirit of LeMons, and it was built to compete in a race called 24 Hours of LeMons, an event where unusual and falling-apart cars get on the racetrack and do the best they can.

Bloch modified the vehicle to make it street-legal, giving it headlights, brake lights and turn signals. He’s got the proper plates and insurance to ensure that he can legally drive his crazy car around. According to Bloch, people will follow him for miles when he’s driving the Spirit of LeMons just for the chance to talk to him and find out more about his decidedly unusual mode of transportation. In the near future Bloch wants to drive the vehicle cross-country; we can only imagine how many followers they’ll accrue on that trip.

The post Grounded Airplane is Still Able to Fly Around the Racetrack first appeared on Gajitz.

We’ve all been hearing for years how much more eco-friendly it is to take the train than it is to drive – but this is the car that could change that. The Prominence Commuting Device is an ultra-compact electric vehicle that is not only street-legal (at least in Japan) but beats the train on CO2 per-person emissions.

Built by solar car racing group Team Prominence, the PCD is made from parts that are readily available to people who want to follow the team’s lead and build their own tiny electric vehicle. The little powerhouse can travel 90 km (56 miles) on a single charge and the battery takes just four hours to charge completely.

Sporting only three wheels and one seat, the PCD is definitely a commuter vehicle and not a family car. Rather than regular side-opening doors, the PCD features a hatch that lifts up to allow passengers access. This definitely adds to the vehicle’s futuristic looks.

Although the PCD can reach speeds of up to 46.6 MPH, it is classified as a motorized bicycle/small motor car, which means that on Japanese roads it is only allowed to go up to 37 MPH. Which, after you see its tiny size next to regular cars, seems like a good thing. A collision at higher speeds (or with a very large vehicle) would be totally devastating to anyone in the PCD.

The post Tiny Electric Commuter Car is Greener Than Riding the Train first appeared on Gajitz.

Before electric cars entered the mainstream, there was a common assumption that electric motors could never provide enough power to make for viable vehicles. We’ve moved past those days, but this gorgeous wooden racer isn’t exactly putting those low-power rumors to rest. It is run by an electric screwdriver, though…so perhaps we can forgive its lack of impressive speed.

The Rennholz (German for “Race Wood”) was created for the HAWK Hildesheim bi-annual race, in which the custom vehicles all have to run on electric screwdrivers. A group of design students developed and built this slick, beautiful handmade car from custom-fabricated bent plywood.

Propelling the vehicle is a plan old Bosch electric screwdriver. The car’s top speed is a mere 15 MPH and it can only run for about 10 minutes at a time. In order to run any faster or any longer, a much bigger battery would be required. But the point of the Rennholz isn’t practicality; it’s meant to be a celebration of the materials and a testament to the creativity of its makers. And those things it does very, very well.

The post Electric Screwdriver-Driven Wooden Car is Elegantly Slow first appeared on Gajitz.

In general, taking a bike trip means that you have to pack rather lightly. But the Golden Gate, created by Jay Nelson, gives you the eco-friendly benefits of an electric bike along with a gigantic cargo space for lugging around all of the comforts of home…well, almost.

The Golden Gate is composed of an electric motor and a shell made of fiberglass, plywood, glass and epoxy. There are some bike parts thrown in there for good measure as well as a steering wheel that contains all of the vehicle’s controls. The driver sits cross-legged in the cockpit to drive.

In the cargo area is a miniature kitchen containing a sink, stove and cooler. There’s a toilet and a bed, and even space for storage. The vehicle can only go about 1o miles on a single charge, and at a top speed of 20 MPH you won’t get very far. But if you could manage to carry around extra batteries or have a reliable network of charging stations along your route, you might even manage to get all the way across town.

The post Custom Electric Bike Camper for Short Jaunts to the Beach first appeared on Gajitz.

Hippies and VW purists, avert your eyes. This hefty Volkswagen mod might just leave you in tears. Some creative soul in California decided to take the body of an old VW bus and plunk it on top of a 1945 Studebaker Weasel tank and paint the whole thing a menacing shade of camouflage. A rusty old VW bus has never looked so battle-ready before.

Back in its day, the Weasel would have been able to able to float and would have had a top land speed of 35 MPH. There’s not even proof that this unholy union even starts, but it is for sale. The price is undisclosed, and you know what that snooty sales guy at the corner collectibles shop always says: if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

The post This Rad VW Tank Will Smash Your Flowers and Rainbows first appeared on Gajitz.