After the pink assault rifle, and the bedazzled Gundam robot, Hello Kitty has tainted yet another bastion of manliness, the Ferrari Modena.

Some have suggested this kind of auto blasphemy should be illegal, but unfortunately, the person who afforded to buy it can do whatever they want with it. This particular Hello Kitty car was spotted on the streets of Jakarta, in Indonesia, where the Japanese icon apparently has quite a following. Now, the exterior doesn’t look so bad, except for the Hello Kitty exhausts, huge rear window decal, and hideous side-mirrors, but the interior s simply beyond words.

Hello Kitty seat covers, steering wheel cover, mats and all kinds of other memorabilia taint the inside of this Ferrari road monster. There’s really just one thing the owner of this car could do to complete this “massacre” and that’s replace the Ferrari logo with that of Hello Kitty. Can you imagine the horror?

If he can afford to but a Ferrari and turn it into a Hello Kitty shrine on wheels, maybe this person should build himself a Hello Kitty castle to go with the car.

Photos by Detikoto and GT Spirit

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Five resourceful Chinese students have managed to built a fully functional Bugatti Veyron out of 10,280 empty cigarette packs.

This incredible project began when the five students, from Xi’an Electrical Mechanical University, decided to do something to determine their fellow students to quit smoking. Cigarette packs were a part of their project, from the start, but at first they wanted to arrange them into different anti-smoking logos. But as they gathered more and more empty packs, the idea of an environment-friendly electric car became more attractive.

During an inspection, university officials found the empty cigarette packs, and were ready to punish the five But after learning the reason of their effort, the university backed their initiative 100%, offered them work space, expert advice from experienced teachers and got all the 2,500 students of the school to help them gather empty cigarette packs.

The five students were thus able to finish their cigarette pack Bugatti Veyron, in time for the World No Smoking Day. Their incredible creation is just 300 kilogram heavy, and apart from the steel frame, engine, break system and gearbox, it’s made out of 10,280 empty cigarette packs.

It’s hard to imagine a Bugatti Veyron made of cigarette packs actually works, but this one actually does, and you can see it for yourself, in the video, at the bottom. Sorry about the low quality pics!

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Zhang Haiting, a 58-year-old car buff, from Shanghai, China, has built a mini electric vehicle, all by himself.

But we’ve seen people build their own cars before, the thing that makes Zhang Haiting so special, is that his particular creation is environment-friendly. The resourceful Chinese inventor and machinery veteran designed and put together his electric vehicle, by himself, using all kinds of salvaged parts and materials.

Zhang has been using his zero-carbon emissions electric car, on his daily commute, for about a year, and Shanghai locals have begun noticing. They regularly get close and curiously check out the weird looking buggy that looks more like a bumper car than a real vehicle, and never miss the chance to get behind the wheel.

The home-made vehicle, built by Zhang Hiating, reaches a top speed of 30 km/h and runs for 50 km, with a fully charged battery. Seeing the reactions of passers-by, its creator is now thinking of commercializing his invention, for the price of just 5,600 yuan ($820).

via ImagineChina

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Making use of ULC (ultra light construction) an Austrian car enthusiast managed to build the lightest and slowest Porsche in the world.

The Ferdinand GT3 RS may look a lot like a Porsche roadster, but as we all know, appearances can often be deceiving. I’m not even sure we can call this thing a car, considering it doesn’t even have an engine, but it’s definitely an interesting concept. The Ferdinand GT3 RS weighs an astounding 99.63 kilograms, which is lighter than any other working car, but that means all the “unnecessary” components were left out. The body of this home-made sports car is made of plastic tubes, and the wheels are so slim they wouldn’t even fit on a bicycle.

The golden finish of the Ferdinand GT3 RS may look impressive, but you’ll be surprised to know it’s just gold-painted duct tape, covering the plastic tube frame of the car. Since it doesn’t even have an engine, you’re probably wondering how it works. As you can see in the video at the bottom, this DIY vehicle is powered by…(wait for it)…pedals. Just like on a bike, you’ll have to make good use of your legs, to get from A to B.

You can see a lot more photos of the building process of the Ferdinand GT3 RS, on its Flickr stream, but we’ve posted enough photos to give you a good idea of how it was made. The world’s slowest Porsche is now on display at the Lentos Museum of Art, in Linz, Austria.

via Ferdinand Johannes

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Mark Perkins has spent the last 25 years putting together an unmatched collection of vehicles from famous movies and TV series.

Mr. Perkins says owning a Ferrari or a Bentley is nice too, but he’s just not that type of guy. He’s rather interested in finding and acquiring famous vehicles that everyone recognizes. After a quarter century of scouring for this definitive movie motors, he’s now the proud owner of the original Flintstones car, Del Boy’s Reliant Regal, Batman’s Batcycle, Mr. Bean’s Mini, Starsky and Hutch’s Ford Torino, and the Aston Martin James Bond drove in Goldfinger.

He also owns replicas of the Batmobile, the Ghostbusters’ Ectomobile and Noddy’s Toyland car. They’re all stored in his basement , in Ascot, Berkshire. Aware of their value, Mark Perkins has insured them for a hefty sum, 500,000 pounds.

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One of the city’s most anticipated events, the Houston Art Car Parade is considered the largest of its kind in the world.

Around 250,000 spectators gathered in Houston, to see over 300 wacky and crazy vehicles drive by, on May 8th. Dan Akroyd, star of “Ghost Busters” movies, as well as other famous comedies, was the one who kickstarted the flamboyant event, in the cheers of the crowd.

The Houston Art Car Parade brings together car enthusiasts and artists alike, featuring a selection of extremely modified cars that, despite all the adornments, still run beautifully. Scroll down for the most interesting cars at the 2010 Houston Art Car Parade:

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If you’d like to get married in a special place that doesn’t have a church or chapel nearby, you can always count on the Best Man mobile wedding chapel.

This strange looking vehicle is actually a 1942 American la France, converted by professional tuners, on a TV show called “Trick My Truck”. It belongs to Darrell Best, an ordained minister who uses it to get people married, wherever they like. Based in Shelbyville, Illinois, the Best family travels across the Midwest, at various wedding destinations.

The Best Man is the result of about $100,000 worth of tuning work, and it includes a functioning organ, stained glass windows, an altar, and two wooden pews. Darrell’s wife and his two sons are also ordained ministers so the Best Man is always in demand. So far 30 couples were wed in this mobile chapel, including Darrell and his wife, Lisa, who renewed their vows.

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After seeing photos of himself and another supercar he built, back in 1981, Henrik I. Matevossian, from Armenia, sent Yaplakal forum some newer photos of his home-made Maserati.

Matevossian, a passionate motorist, started this project in 1985, and changed the design several times, trying to make his car look more sporty. He had to do everything himself, and progress was pretty slow. The building process stopped after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Armenian car enthusiast resumed work after 2000. He finished his masterpiece in 2007.

The engine, gearbox and rear suspension came from a real 1984 Maserati V6 BiTurbo. This home-made supercar also features a Weber carburetor, control unit for the turbines, altered front suspension and the steering wheel of a Toyota.

Matevossian’s greatest sadness is that Armeniean law doesn’t allow him to drive his home-made Maserati outside national borders, so he can show the world his creation.

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Presented at the beginning of 2009, Marussia has finally hit the streets of Russia, and we have the pics to prove it.

You’re probably wondering what a car has to do with an oddities blog, but i figured it’s not every day you see a super car that’s made in Russia. We first reported on the Marussia, in January of 2009, but if any of you had any doubts this futuristic looking beast would ever hit the streets, you were wrong. Livejournal user, quantum, took some awesome pics of the Russian super car, and it looks a lot better than I expected.

Marussia is the brain child of Russian GT driver, Nikolai Fomenko, and it’s the first GT model built in Mother Russia. Most of the parts, are however imported. Marussia features an ingenious light body that can be changed whenever you’re sick of the colors.

If you’re wondering if there’s more to this super car, than the aerodynamic look, you should know it’s got a 3.5 liter engine, and 300 bhp, under the hood. Marussia reaches 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.

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Just because someone can’t afford a Lamborghini, doesn’t mean they can’t have one. Young Chen Jinmiao built the coveted sports car, himself.

Chen had dreamed of driving his very own Lamborghini, ever since he was a child. And when he became a skilled mechanic, this ambitious man decided it was time for his dream to become a reality. He downloaded the necessary blueprints, began searching and manufacturing the parts , and after a year’s work, he finally had his own yellow Lamborghini.

Chen Jinmiao, of Chenzhou, Hunan province, spent a total of about $3,000 on his home-made Lamborghini, and though it might not look exactly like the real thing, it has the wing doors that open upwards, and a top speed of 60 miles per hour.

Photos via People’s Daily

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British sculptor and active environmentalist, Buzz Knapp-Fisher, has spent the last six years working on the Womble Truck, an odd looking vehicle that has almost no impact on the environment.

Buzz bought the truck, six years ago, for a little over $400, and thought it was perfect for his environment art car. Named after popular TV show, “The Wombies”, who recycled all kinds of junk, in ingenious ways, the Womble Truck was modified to tun only on chip fat and biodiesel. One of the most amazing things about this weird looking truck, is that it was put together using parts from 21 different cars.

The Womble Truck had its original engine replaced with a biodiesel engine,and in the last year, the British inventor managed to make some adjustments that allow it to run on chip fat alone. If temperature is high enough, the truck will start and run on fat, if not, it will start on biodiesel and then switch to chip fat. And, believe it or not, this baby reaches top speeds of 110 mph, so it can hold its own, on the road.

Considering it only cost a little over $400, and the car parts were also pretty cheap, the Womble Truck is indeed a worthy technological achievement.

via Daily Mail

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Ann Conte and Jeanne Wiley have managed to renovate an old, beat-up car, by weaving it a new body, out of seat belt material.

The two artists set their sights on a 1960’s MG Midget that was used as support for firewood, in an American backyard. Their project was all about “recycling, reusing, repurposing and sustainability” so they decided to give their Midget a woven look. And what better material to use, than overstock seat belt material (over 500 yards of it). After weaving the body, the two simply bolted it to the car’s metal skeleton.

The seats of this woven vehicle are made of a partially recycled material, known as Corian Terra, and the headlights and tail lights are handmade ceramic. Conte and Wiley’s recycled car can be admired as part of a new exhibit at the South Shore Art Center, in Cohasset, MA.

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Some people have a thing about covering their cars with the strangest stuff, but a 1969 Ford Mustang? There are those who would consider this to be blasphemy.

From the Pen Guy’s pen-covered Mercedes and General Carbunkle to the Camera Van and the plush-toys-covered Corolla, we’ve seen quite a number of vehicles covered in the most bizarre memorabilia, and this Mustang artcar makes a nice addition to our automotive collection.

Spotted on the streets of Alameda, California, this 1969 Mustang is covered in skulls, skeletons, clowns and creepy Jack-in-the-Box dolls. As you can imagine, people were circling this 4-wheeled mutant, trying not to miss any details. It’s nice, if you’re into strange-looking pimped-out rides, but Mustang fans could have a meltdown.

Jalopnik via AutoRoyalty

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Adorned with almost 500 stuffed toys, Bruce Mitchelson’s Toyota Corolla has to be the craziest-looking car in Melbourne.

Bruce thought a great way to show his support for the Cronulla Sharks rugby team would be to paint his old Corolla in the team’s colors and stick on some plush sharks. This was back in 2008, but the Cronulla Sharks have barely won a game since.

But the idea of sticking toys to his car was so good that Bruce couldn’t stop. He kept buying toys at garage sales, and at one point he was adding up to 12 toys a day. Now he’s pretty much run out of space, but he estimates there are 300 stuffed toys on the outside, and around 200 on the inside of his Toyota Corolla.

And if you’re thinking the police might have something to say about Bruce’s toy car, you should know the man is totally in the clear. he has been pulled over several times, but as long as the license plate and side-mirrors are visible, he’s ok.

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A team of wacky scientists from BBC1’s “Bang Goes the Theory” TV show, have converted a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco into a coffee-powered car, nicknamed Car-puccino.

As revolutionary as this concept sounds, it’s more of a fun project than a cost-efficient one. The idea behind Car-puccino is relatively simple: coffee, like wood or coal, has traces of carbon in it, so it burns. Use a bucket load of coffee, heat it enough to break it down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, direct the gases towards the engine, and you’ve got yourself a running vehicle.

That sounds easy enough, but there is a down-side to using coffee as fuel. First of all, it’s between 25 and 50 times more expensive than petrol. Car-puccino is schedule to journey 210 miles, from Manchester to London, and the team estimates it will burn through 70 kilos of coffee. Multiply that by 13-26 British pounds per kilo (depending on the quality and brand) and you get some pretty big numbers. Plus, Car-puccino will have to pull over every 60 miles or so, so the crew can clean up the filters of tar.

Pretty original idea, but I doubt we’ll ever see Car-puccino go into production. I wonder what the exhaust fumes smell like, though…Espresso?

Daily Mail via AutoRoyalty

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