Possibly realising their public transport system is a bit crappy California has recently spent a bit of money getting their transport system up to date with the rest of the world and now the focus is on a high speed rail system just like in Japan and Europe. The plan is to link San Francisco and Sacramento with San Diego via LA, Estimated route times and prices are over on their website with a cool gallery of videos that are worth a look (see link below).
Either you love them or hate them but personalised Licence plates are big business for the states who have them available, so it comes as no surprise to us to see that Hello Kitty has sold herself out in Queensland, Australia to the local transport department. The Simpsons who have been known to enjoy the corporate dollar by marketing their image on as many things as their own Crusty the Clown does, have also come to the party for those of us who don’t want to drive around with a pink number plate with a rainbow and flowers on it. So what do you think? horrible idea or just excellent. hit up our comment form below.
[youtube r5w2VgY4YK8]
GM have released another teaser of their much hyped Volt electric car, this time on youtube. Check it out above, we think its kinda cool but perhaps the white ipod inspired dash is a little over done of late. What do you think of it? Drop us your thoughts below.
[youtube pGVO5_uIIiw]
Another funny video this week where someone took the phrase “The only way it would go faster is if it went backwards” literally. The guys in this footage seem to be having a bit of fun in their modified Fiat 126. It looks like they have somehow grafted a front wheel drive engine steering and suspension into the fiat in place of the standard Fiat rear engine. It sounds like a hell of a lot of work to pull off this effort but does make for some funny driving especially when the passenger is also steering the Fiat’s original front end (now back end). The film looks to be taken in Poland, so the Fiat 126 in question may actually be the Polski Fiat 126p built under licence by Poland’s FSM (Fabryka Samochodów Ma?olitra?owych). If you know any more about this car or know of any other cars with crazy mods drop us a line below.
[youtube WhfEGKc7PLQ]
Skoda has made a big comeback in recent years so there adverts have been hitting TV screens in a lot more places then they would have at the time when they were churning out outdated cars mainly to communist eastern block countries. Since 1991 Skoda have been owned by the VW Group and they now produce modern styled cars with decent quality like their VW cousins, unlike some of the Skodas of the 70s and 80s. A popular Skoda ad to hit the screens in Australia since their launch has been the Skoda built out of sand, we found this clever earlier version that involves building a car out of cake and our love of cake makes us want to share it here. Take note of what gets used for engine oil too.
[youtube AA3MX7pzdk0]
Toyota Have unveiled what they think we will all be getting around on in the not too distant future and it looks very much like a Segway. Toyota’s version known as the Winglet features a smaller body that houses an electric motor, two wheels and internal sensors that constantly monitor the user’s position and make adjustments in power to ensure stability. Meanwhile, a unique parallel link mechanism allows the rider to go forward, backward and turn simply by shifting body weight, making the vehicle safe and useful even in tight spaces or crowded environments. Toyota have shown 3 versions of their winglet, one with Segway style handlebars and two others controlled by your knees or shins. For the full low down on the Winglet check out their press release after the jump or watch the video above.
[youtube 9nQxs4RESms]
During the early 80’s it was pretty cool to own a Delorean, Their space age looks, stainless steel body and gullwing doors proved a car just needed to look good to attract buyers even if it didn’t perform very well. After the Delorean motor company went broke a new Delorean company was set up to supply parts to the 6500 owners of Delorean DMC-12s from a range of new old stock and reproduction parts. Recently this company has announced they will be returning the DMC-12 back to limited production using the old panels still in stock, along with a new frame and underbody, all equipped with modern gadgets and a better performing engine. The video above takes a quick tour of the facililities of the new Delorean werehouse and is worth a watch if you remember the 80’s at all.
[youtube xM1Et_DvEYc]
Most Beetle owners have faced the idea of giving their beloved cars bodywork a bit of a spruce up at one point in their cars life, but this guy takes it to a whole new level. the beetle in the video above is covered with over 20000 oak tiles, that apparently took around a year to attach to the car along with fabricating other oak bits and pieces (we especially like the wiper arms). So if your more handy with a chisel than welder give some thought to creating your own wooden car. Gallery via Gizmodo.