Autos, Motorcycles & Planes News
News: Colombian Coke Transporter Seized
This weekend in a jungle estuary, the DEA and local Ecuadorian police seized a prototype narco sub that may be the most sophisticated one yet. Complete with air conditioning and periscope, this 100 foot creation would have carried a more cocaine tonnage than any previously captured narco sub. To give you a perspective on the resourcefulness of these outlaws, consider this. A U.S. Navy Virginia Class attack submarine will run around $2.8 billion. But a drug lord in Cartagena would make you one...
News: Working Bugatti Veyron Built with 10,000 Empty Cigarette Packs
Cobbled together from thousands of empty cigarette packs, this electric-powered vehicle puts the "car" in carcinogen. Looking suspiciously like something the China National Tobacco Corporation would commission as part of an advertising campaign, the Bugatti Veyron-style auto is actually meant to discourage smoking. The English-language version of the People's Daily offers the following explanation:
News: Hello, Mach 6! Hypersonic Scramjet Shatters Speed Records
Holy *&@!... imagine flying faster than a speeding bullet. Or traveling at 1 mile per SECOND. Or being propelled 6 X the speed of sound.
News: Shhh, Don't Tell the Neighbors
This is one serious secret door. In fact, you can hardly call it a door, being it is the entire exterior of a house(!)
News: Just What a Hummer Needs... MORE
You'd think a Hummer couldn't get any more over-the-top (unless you're talking a horse-drawn Hummer or remote-controlled Hummer, of course), but Japanese tuner Calwing’s US division, 213 Motoring has come out with a Hummer boasting a whole extra set of wheels. I'm not quite sure why this is necessary, but nonetheless, Bornrich reports:
News: Piss’d Off Pete, the $100K Super Hot-Rod Hauler
After 3,000 man hours and $100 grand spent, 49-year-old Randy Grubb of rural Oregon turned this old junker long-haul truck...
News: Chopper Brothers Build Haiti's First DIY Helicopter
Three Haitian brothers, with no training of any kind, have constructed a working, flying helicopter. Total cost? 45,000 Haitian dollars, which comes out to approximately 1100 American bucks. Their chopper is the first helicopter to every be produced in Haiti.
News: Could This POSSIBLY Be Street Legal?
Don't get too excited. The answer? It's not. However, this James Bond inspired road rage mod is still prettttty awesome. Colin Furze's scooter can shoot up to 15 foot flames. Furze, a plumber, built it because he was sick of other drivers cutting him off.
News: Motorized Horizontal Death Trap
This bad boy has an 80cc motor and for added danger, you can ride it in a whole slew of different positions. Ride it like a luge, or a trike, or go ahead, lie on your stomach and put your face right next to the engine. The more reckless, the better.
News: Car-puccino Runs Purely on Coffee
Another creation by Bang Goes the Theory, the "car-puccino" is a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco powered solely by roasted coffee granules.
News: I Want One. VW Passat Mini-Monster Truck
Kinda like the strap-on tank, but with more monster truck-style. No background info, other than that this bad boy was produced in Estonia. Previously, Monster Truck Your Smart Car.
News: World's First EVER Monster Truck Backflip
Last year WonderHowTo's favorite daredevil Travis Pastrana attempted to land the world's very first monster truck backflip. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out as he had hoped. Here's what happened: Now, one year later, Pastrana's fellow Nitro
News: $27K and Climbing- Bid Quick For Your Own Personal Hovercraft
Via Urlesque, "Designed by New Zealand inventor and mechanic Rudy Heema, the fiberglass WIG is all hover, all the time, until it hits 70kph at which point it starts to fly... The auction runs through next Saturday, so act quickly if you want to be ready for church."
News: Up, Up & Away - Get Your Own Jet Pack for $75K
The age of personal flight has finally arrived. You can now purchase your very own jet pack for the extremely high price of $75,000. The Martin Aircraft Company Jetpack gets 30 miles to the tank, sails along at 60 mph, and can reach heights of almost 8,000 feet. Oh, and bonus: since it weighs less than 254 pounds, you won't need a pilot's license to operate. Previously, NASA's Wicked Cool Take on the Classic Jetpack.
News: Super Eco-Car Gets 2,752 MPG
The upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon promises to unveil vehicles that will blow current fuel economy standards way out of the water. California Polytechnic State University is one of the most promising contenders, with a vehicle that gets 13 times the 230 mpg General Motors promises the Chevrolet Volt will deliver (plus, the Cal Poly car doesn't even use batteries!).
News: Strap-On Tank Converts Any Car Into Badass Monster
One word. Awesome. Wish your Honda had army tank capabilities? Luckily, Russian DIYers have come up with a totally badass conversion kit that uses tank treads to turn your car into a monster.
News: Three DIY Snow Vehicle BEASTS
As Popsci says, these DIY snow vehicles show winter who's boss. The Snow Chopper
News: Run Your Car With Wood Chips
Forget electric cars, quit mixing your at-home biodiesel; just attach one of Dutch John's handy wood gasification contraptions to the back of your car and fuel your transportation with backyard wood chips.
News: Build-It-Yourself Airplane for $2000
Shell out a mere two grand and you can build yourself your very own operating airplane. Back in 1928, Bernard H. Pietenpol decided everybody should have the option of personal flight. So Pietenpol drew up the plans for the Pietenpol AirCamper, and guess what? His family is still selling the plans for it.
Apple Founder Wozniak: Prius SOFTWARE Also Causing Out-of-Control Acceleration
In today's Silicon Alley Insider, the legendary Apple founder, Steve Wozniak, says "his new Toyota Prius occasionally goes insane on the highway--and that it's a software problem, not a hardware problem. He has tried to tell Toyota and the US government, but they won't listen."
News: NASA's Wicked Cool Take on the Classic Jetpack
NASA recently unveiled the ultimate sci-fi geek's transport dream: the Puffin, an electric vehicle that takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane (at 140 mph). Did I mention "boost mode"? Hit that button, and this baby can speed up to nearly 300 mph.
News: Snake-like Vehicle Moves In and Out of Rocky Crevices
Uh. This thing is incredible. Just watch it move. The real action starts around 0:30. The beast has been named Chainlink, and was made from salvaged parts and a fuel injected Ford 5.0 V8 engine, taken out of a '93 Cobra Mustang (via creator/YouTube user rhauf1).
News: Awesome Modified Subaru is King of Snow and Ice
I want to drive one of these monsters around this winter. DC Shoes Co-Founder and Rally Team Driver Ken Block collaborates with Subaru to create the worlds fastest cat track operation automobile for backcountry access for snowboarding.
News: Frenchman Spends 10 Years Building Lamborghini Motorcycle Sidecar
45-year-old French medical technician, François Knorreck, has spent ten years and $22,000 building the ultimate luxury sidecar: a motorcycle seamlessly attached to a Lamborghini body.
News: DIY "Boat Tail" Ups Fuel Economy to 64 MPG
Darin Cosgrove, founder of Ecomodder.com, used just cardboard, aluminum and duct tape to make his DIY "boat tail", a mod that creates aerodynamic efficiency. The tail, attached to his 1998 Pontiac Firefly, extends the car by 4.5 feet and increases the fuel economy to 64 MPG.
News: Crazy Rocket Launcher Motorcycle Mod
Ok, probably not the safest idea. Around 1:03 or so it appears that the rocket could have easily hit him, after bouncing off a side wall.
News: Massive Pickup Truck Fits Entire House Inside
Amazing clip from Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld television series, which aired on the BBC back in the mid '90s. Seikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates created this incredible monster, which was modeled after the '50s era Dodge Power Wagon.
News: Car Completes World's Largest 360° Loop-the-Loop
This past spring, British TV show Fifth Gear aired stuntman Steve Truglia performing a Hot Wheels inspired feat. The daredevil completed the world's largest 360° loop-the-loop. Death was a definite risk.
News: New Super Hybrid Kicks Tesla Motors' Butt
Capstone's CMT-380 stealth looking prototype can hit 150mph, compared to Tesla's 125. Tesla better step it up.
News: $44K Street Legal Wooden SuperCar
Beautifully constructed wooden SuperCar Maniwa manufactured by Sada-Kenbi. The wooden Japanese car goes for $44,000. Wow. That's a lot for a toy. However, this baby is street legal and can go up to 90km per hour (that would be 55mph).
News: Launch Cars Off Cliffs For Fun
More redneck fun. Bob Moravitz plus family and friends have created an 8 hour event of propelling vehicles off cliffs. Held yearly, admission is free but donations are encouraged (to cover insurance costs).
News: Why Buy a Car When You Can Build-It-Yourself?
BBC show Top Gear has built a homemade electric car in just 18 hours: the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust.
News: Old Bumper Cars Go Street Legal
Flickr user MR38 has posted a set of photos of bumper cars made street legal, as displayed at the annual Cruisin’ Grand festival in Escondido, California. This mini cars were retrofitted with 750 cc Kawasaki motors. Cool auto mod.
News: Jetman Flys Over Atlantic with DIY Wings - Plummets!
Yves Rossy, AKA Jetman, attempted to fly across the Atantic from Morocco to Spain yesterday. His homemade, jet powered wings "span 8 feet and are powered by four kerosene-fueled jet engines."
News: Turbo Turkey - Cook the Damn Bird Above the Camshaft
So, I suppose we're going both redneck and Thanksgiving turkey twice today (Redneck Slingshot Chick + Extreme Thanksgiving Recipes).
News: Superhero Mountain Climbing Car
I'm not sure about the who, what, where, when or how...but man, this mountain climbing car is cool. More car customizations/mods: (HowTo).
News: Jay Leno's EcoJet Seeks any Muffler That...Muffles
The EcoJet. No, it's not a economy-sized jet engine aircraft. It's Jay Leno's version of an eco-friendly car. A very, very fast eco-friendly car.
News: Explaining Super Fast, Super Floaty Maglev(itation) Trains
Maglev trains. Why are they so cool? Well, for starters, they float. The idea of levitating trains have been around since the '60's. The first commercially available levitator was introduce in 1984, Birmingham, England. The fastest known floating train is Japan's JR-Maglev, reaching speeds of 581 km/h.
News: Japanese Built Mini Fiat Cinque Tank-Tractor
This is no ordinary tractor. Nor is it an ordinary Fiat. Not by a long shot. Japanese ironsmith Kogoro Kurata custom built this bulldozer from an old Fiat 500 body and caterpillar tracks, which can only reach a speed of 3 km/h. It may move at the pace of a snail, but I wouldn't mind using this beast to shovel my driveway (in style) this come winter.
News: Feng Shui Your Motor Home
A group of industrious, like-minded friends built this amazing DIY metal motor home from scratch, converting an old semi into luxury-style living.