As long as people dream up wild ideas about how we get around, we’ll always have unusual car designs. Some of the funkiest are sold today, while other weird cars were sold in the past. And others even challenge the very definition of what a car is.
We didn’t use very rigorous criteria determining our collection of weird cars, just so long as they made it from somebody’s imagination to the street.
One thing is for certain: you either love these weird cars or hate them.
Believe it or not, this monstrous vehicle didn’t come about in the 1950s, but instead was a product of the 30s and early 40s. The Stout Scarab kind of looks like a Volkswagen Beetle and a Packard had a drunk night together in the garage.
William Stout, a former executive at Ford, designed this car. You can see it has heavy aeronautical influences. Oh, and despite what Chrysler will tell you, this was the original minivan, only done classier. Other innovations found on this unique creature were independent coil springs for the suspension, resulting in a dramatically smoother ride.
The Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle, or ETV, was a one-off vehicle created by Mike Vetter, an entrepreneur in Florida. It’s a full-electric supercar, and slightly resembles a shoe. Or maybe a computer mouse. To call the design polarizing is stating the obvious.
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Regardless of your opinion on its looks, you must admit the ETV is a show-stopper. You could make people stare, even on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles.
Also called the Xavante, this was the second vehicle made by Gurgel, one of the weirdest automakers to ever exist. You can see some resemblance to a Volkswagen Thing, only this vehicle takes the weird factor a few notches higher. Incidentally, VW components were under the skin.
Adding to the weird factor is the Plasteel body. If you’ve never heard of Plasteel, you’re not alone. It was a material Gurgel invented, mixing fiberglass and steel into an odd composite that never took off.
Finding unusual cars in India doesn’t take much effort, but Tata Magic Iris sticks out even among the weird cars on the street. It’s a compact van meant for rapid public transit solutions. The thing definitely was not made to be beautiful, with headlights that look like comic book superhero eyes, a boxy shape and a stance that almost gives the impression of being half drunk. It’s narrow and tall as well, and that fact is accentuated by the steep sides and rear and a flat nose.
The funkiness continues to the interior, with plenty of 90-degree angles. The seatbacks and bottom cushions are as flat as a pancake, intersecting at 90 degrees, making them look about as comfortable as sitting against two boards. As for the dash, it has all the excitement and design finesse of a toddler toy. What’s more, the cargo area is partitioned off with a roll-up material that closely resembles a sunshade. The whole thing is just plain bizarre.
Weird looking doesn’t necessarily mean ugly, because this little British roadster is actually kind of cute. I, along with many, many others, think the combination of the headlights, grille, and front fascia looks like a smiling frog-like creature. If you look at a proper green Austin Healey Sprite, it’s just uncanny.
When it was originally designed the headlights were intended to be retractable. However that feature got nixed due to cost-cutting measures. Just try to look at this car and not smile. I dare you.
You’ve gotta wonder what the conversation at Renault’s design studios was like when the Twizy was created. It’s kind of like a cross between a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe and a golf cart. Renault didn’t think you’d want real doors, but instead these crossbars like what you get on some amusement park rides.
The top of the Twizy bubbles out, and it suddenly tapers off at the rear. The front features a deep crease that only adds to the oddness of this vehicle.
Despite its appearance, the battery-powered Twizy is popular. In 2012 it was the best selling electric car in Europe.
When Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud saw the Sbarro Windhound, he fell in love. The Saudi king wanted a customized one for his sport of choice: falconry. The result is something almost out of this world.
Sbarro took a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, stretched it out, added a third axle, installed two sunroofs, and even added seats with hydraulic lifts that would allow you to vault up through the sunroof. Yes, that’s not a typo: the seats would rise through the sunroof, so you could shoot at stuff (that’s why when you Google the vehicle, the top result is always some dude with a rifle jutting out of the top). Oh yeah, an onboard refrigerator keeps the meaty treats for the falcons fresh.
You may recognize this car from “Family Matters” way back in the day. Steve Urkel owned one of these weird cars, of course. However, you might be shocked to learn it’s a Bimmer. While BMW has plenty of funky-looking GT models these days, the weirdness started with this thing.
The strangest thing about the Isetta was that the entire front end, windshield and all, was the sole door. Sure, the design saves on space. You could theoretically drive an Isetta through a mall or pretty much any indoor facility, it’s so small.
Aside from the door, the first incarnation of the Isetta had only one wheel in the rear. Its profile resembles that of a gumdrop. There’s really nothing normal about the car.
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