Cars with feathers, cars with teeth, cars that give a whole new meaning to Vorsprung durch Technik.
WE’VE AVOIDED ART cars constructed solely for festivals – these 21 bad boys can be found on the road, so keep your eyes open. Yep it really is possible to drive a swan!
1
Customized cruiser
Cool cruiser photographed at the Red Lion Run Car Show. Photo used with kind permission of bob merco. Feature photo by taberandrew.
2
Mondrian art car
Crazy 3-D Mondrian photographed at the Art Car Fest 2006 in San Jose by L. Marie. Sort of like a Rubix Cube on wheels.
3
Ford truck
Customized Ford truck pictured at the Heavy Rebel Weekender, a 3 day festival in North Carolina celebrating music, bikes and cars, and featuring mud wrestling and a beer chugging contest. Photo used with kind permission of Doug Johnson.Intermission
4
Camper van mayhem
An RV clowning around in a carpark in Sweden. Picture by Jeremey Burgin.
5
Telephone customized car
The safest way to use your phone whilst driving. Photo by Thomas Duchnicki.
6
Swan car
Commissioned in 1909 by eccentric Calcutta millionaire Robert Nicholl Mattewson, the Swan car was hand carved from wood and covered with plaster. It has eyes that glow in the dark, a beak that sprays scalding water to clear a passage through congested streets, and it can even poo on the pavement! Photo copyright stkone. Used with permission.
7
Flashy van
Flashy van entirely covered with old cameras rigged to take candid pictures of people who don't realise they work! See cameravan.com for more details. Photo by albany_tim.
8
Musical car
Designed by Harrod Blank, the man behind the cameravan above, the stereo system and all the instruments on this car work and are designed to be played. So if you don't like the music where you're at, make your own! Photo by albany_tim.
9
Redhead car
Proof that customized cars can deliver an important message, this one traces the origin and significance of redheads! Photo by howieluvzus.Intermission
10
Cuasimodo festival car
Cuasimodo is a celebration that takes place in Santiago, Chile, on the first Sunday after Easter. It commemorates a time when Chilean cowboys had to protect the priests that were travelling around giving communion to people unable to get to church. Nowadays, people decorate their bikes, horse-carriages and other vehicles, and parade around the district. Photo courtesy of Eileen Smith.
11
Dragon car
Scary but cute - a cheeky little monster photographed at the Art Car Fest 2006 in San Jose by L. Marie.
12
Space car
Although it may look like something out of Star Trek, this crazy beast was cruising along in South Side, New York, apparently blasting the Electric Slide out its stereo. Photo by Mike Drawback.
13
Bad-ass truck rod
Bad-ass truck rod caught at the Goodguys southwest nationals in 2009. Photo used with kind permission of Swanee 3.
14
Wooden eco car
Eco friendly "transport pod" built from different types of wood, weighing only 450 kg and containing a 2CV engine which helps it achieve very efficient mileage. Photo by chrsoz.
15
30 inch rims
Summer rollin' in South Beach, Miami. Photo by Phillip Pessar.Intermission
16
Crazy car
If you can cruise down the street in a car like that, then you truly are beyond boundaries. Photo by James Trosh.
17
Street rod
Sexy futuristic street rod shot at the Richmond Nationals, 2008. Photo used with kind permission of vaphoto1.
18
Don't slam the door too hard...
...you never know what might happen! Photo taken in the West Village, New York, by See-ming Lee.
19
Classic paint job
No car is truly complete until it has a picture on its bonnet of a half naked woman toting a revolver. Photo by saguayo.
20
Lego style car
Lego car parked outside a grocery store. Obviously! Photo taken by idealisms.
21
Customized car dashboard
The only thing missing here is a time travel button. But, what happens if you push the question mark? Photo taken by Simon Davison.
Nick Rowlands
Nick lived in Egypt for six years, working as a tour leader, EFL teacher, city guide editor, and online guidebook writer. He's currently in San Francisco searching for his centre. He (kinda sporadically) blogs at Delicious Chaos, and you can follow him on twitter.
Sick. That cameravan is cool. Off to check their site, I wanna see what kind of pics they get!
Fun essay! I think my favorites were the Car Phone and the Ginger History Mobile.
This is great! I went to an art car parade (and weekend) in Houston one year. It was really fun. I especially want a ride in #11.
Love #2, though I’m personally a bigger fan of the Van Doesburg car. I hear it can go diagonally, not just straight
Oh man that RV Clown Car is frightening… reminds me of the movie “IT”
My fave is #11. Love that monster car.
Loving the Lego Localmotive!
Kate mentioned the Art Car Parade in Houston. Where else can you see a car turned into a cockroach?
Even if you can’t make the parade, you can still visit the Art Car Museum in Houston the rest of the year.
#13. Bad-ass truck rod Is so damn cool it doesn’t belong in the collection. It’s the only one that could get out of its own way ! Damn that truck rules ! To paraphrase Ted Nugent, “That sucker’s turbocharged !”