You shall be vaporized in T-minus 10 seconds and counting…
[Found here, and yeah, that’s a Messerschmitt KR175.]
Category: Automotive
Elie Aghnedes’ Contribution To The World: The 1954 Rhino
Greek-American inventor Elie Aghnides amassed a fortune coming up with clever inventions.
One of his more unusual creations was the “Rhino,” an amphibious four-wheeled vehicle designed to patrol and defend the vast roadless wastes of Alaska and Canada.
Weighing in at five tons, the four-wheel-drive machine could hit speeds of 45 miles per hour on the highway.
Defining features were its massive front wheels, which had six-foot diameters and weighed 1,500 pounds each. Their hollow, hemispherical shape gave the Rhino its unique all-terrain capability. As the vehicle sank into mud, sand, or other soft surfaces, the bearing surface of the ribbed wheels increased, giving it greater traction.
The Rhino’s massive wheels and low center of gravity also meant it could tip 75 degrees to either side without toppling over.
In the water, the hollow wheels provided flotation, while a rear water jet provided propulsion at speeds of about four miles per hour.
The Marmon-Herrington Company of Indianapolis built one prototype of the Rhino for demonstration. The United States military declined to purchase any, reportedly out of concern that the wheels could be punctured by gunfire, sinking the vehicle [via].
Not only could it float, it had such a low center of gravity that it was nearly impossible to overturn. Here it is in action:
Elie Aghnides didn’t stop there. He created another prototype amphibious vehicle named “The Cyclops,” but for some reason the prototype construction failed. Aghnides won a $120.5K settlement with The Marmon Group in 1972.
I want one, if only to crash Burning Man without paying.
[Images from here, here and here. Found here.]
Wannabe Dodge Hemi Van Babe Magnet
This one’s been sitting in our What-To-Do-With-This-File for several years now. It’s way past time we set it free.
All we can guess is that the owner of this black pervo-van knew exactly what he was doing after he re-upholstered the interior and dash with tufted blue and white carpet, installed a wet bar, string lights and a sound system with an 8-track player that plays nothing but Barry White’s Greatest Hits. But even that didn’t get the babes, so he took the obvious next step: GO STEALTH.
[Found here. More Babe Magnets here.]
1964 Soviet Taxi Prototype
Even a babushka with a baby carriage full of pea soup fits in, without a drop spilled. The car never made it to production, but the concept is interesting, given the state of automotive manufacturing in the USSR at the time.
[Click the images below for full size.]
This unique test car was designed in 1964 based on components of “Moskvich-408”. It successfully passed performance tests in Moscow and was recommended for serial production In Yerevan, but due to different reasons it didn’t go this far…
[Caption with more photos here.]
Chopped & Slammed VW Microbus
I want one.
Portland Hipsters Can Eat Me.
No, that’s not a photo shop. It’s a real pig being fed a Bunk sandwich. With minimal sleuthing we determined that the hipsters’ porker is standing on the pristine pavement in front of BUNK Sandwiches 2017 NE Alberta Street, Portland Oregon.
This is not their only venue, and they have a Bunk Truck for catering. Why didn’t they tell me? After all, I’ve already got a cool hip logo for lease or rent:
BTW, Google Maps Street View captured this Babe Magnet parked across the street from Bunk’s.
[Top image sent via email. Muchisimas Grassyass, Russ.]
The Bug That Wasn’t A Bug But Was.
Take a guess as to what it was – the answer’s below the break. Continue reading “The Bug That Wasn’t A Bug But Was.”
Introducing The 2015 MultiCar BS Coupe
![The 3-wheeled MultiCar has been around for decades and is featured on many traffic reports. Manufactured by Pyeongwa Motors of North Korea, The 2015 MultiCar BS Coupe has many improvements over previous models, including tempered glass, a front-wheel disc brake and reverse-engineered Carter carburetors. Handling is somewhat below par, and there is no insurance coverage available to date. If price is a concern and replacement parts are not a concern, then the MultiCar may be just the right choice for you. [Strutts News Services]](https://tackyraccoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-multicar.gif)
Manufactured by Pyeongwa Motors of North Korea, the 3-wheeled MultiCar has been around for decades and is featured in many traffic reports. The 2015 MultiCar BS Coupe has many improvements over previous models, including tempered glass, a front-wheel disc brake and a reverse-engineered Carter carburetor. Handling is somewhat below par, and there is no insurance coverage available to date. If price is a concern and availability of replacement parts is not, the MultiCar may be just the right choice for you.
[Strutts News Services]
Thanks to the glory of communism, North Korea has what might be one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the world. Although the government doesn’t release official stats, the best estimate is that there are fewer than 30,000 vehicles on the road—in a country of nearly 24 million people. (Officially, private citizens can’t own cars, but those with government ties manage to.) You are more likely to know somebody with a private jet than a North Korean is to know somebody with a car.
[…]
Although a minute segment of the population owns cars, the rate of growth is significant. In fact, in 2007, cars were deemed prevalent enough that Kim Jong-Il ordered the confiscation of all Japanese-built vehicles.
[Via Pyeonghwa Motors.]
I suppose North Korea could set worldwide standards and opt for energy-efficient eco-vehicles that can be recharged overnight, but you’d have to drive to Pyongyang every night to do it and drive back the next day.
“Socialism/Fascism/Communism works. It’s just that it’s never been properly enforced.” –A random liberal.
LMAO.
The Best VW Repair Manual Ever: “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot”
This predates the “For Dummies” books, and although it focuses on VWs, it’s also a primer on how all the systems in a gasoline-powered car work, how to maintain them, how to diagnose trouble and how to fix it. It’s written as if your Uncle Joe was coaching you, and the diagrams (and comics) are hand-drawn in Robert Crumb style. I learned a lot from it when I was in my 20s, and the book is still in print via Amazon here.
Even if you don’t own an old VW, get a copy and read it just for fun, enjoy the illustrations, and pass it on to your favorite teenage greasemonkey like I did. (It’s the perfect Christmas gift for someone with a VW, an adjustable wrench, a hammer and a couple of screwdrivers.)
Oh, and click on the image to see the big picture.
Clint Eastwood Talks To The Lucas
Interesting that every time I worked on my car my hands and forarms showed it and there was no camera around, but then I’m not Clint. The photo would be entirely believable if it were Chuck Norris because his cars piss oil and refill themselves automatically once he steps outside.
[Found here.]
Tacky Raccoons 