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Santa Car Mark III. Actually the full name is Lincoln Santa Is Coming To Towne Car and was created by Brian Taylor who also created the Metro Santa Car and Machete Betties Roller Derby Art Car. I just came across this video of him riding his latest Santa Car that gives you a glimpse into what its like riding an art car around town. I know its Summer time but I needed cheering up today so Brian's Santa Art Car is just what the doctor ordered.

These art trucks were seen at the Finald Truck show recently which sorta reminds of the Japanese Decotora Trucks I wrote about some time ago. I love this first one, a Mercedes tanker truck covered with the face of Russel Crow actor of my favorite movie Gladiator. These truck drivers go all out with leather seat, LED lights, lots of chrome and of course all out airbrushed works of art that completely cover their trucks.

Russel Crow Truck

In my opinion there are much better ways to harvest worms and growing them on a car is not one of them. This is what happens when you leave your car unattended under a tree for some time. Worms, Worms and MORE Worms, maybe he is harvesting worms for fish baitvia

What got me started in the journey with my own art car the Mercedes Pens and now with Art Car Central was a book called "Art Cars: the cars, the artists, the obsession, the craft" by Harrod Blank.I walked into the library one day and was browsing the car section when I came upon the most amazing book I had seen in a long time. In it was filled with images of people who had decorated their cars with paint, glued objects, car modifications and everything in between. Many of those cars have since been featured on Art Car Central like the Fruit Mobile, Hoop Car, Camera Van, The Phone Car, The Button King, Glass Quilt, and many more from Harrods Blanks Art Car Agency.

If you have ever seen an art car around town and wondered why would someone do that to their car. Or where curious about the type of person who would drive an art car, then this book is definitely for you. I now have my own copy and it never gets old. You never now, you might end up making your own art car and one day it could end featured here on Art Car Central, I look forward to your art car submission.

For those of us who plan their trips from coffee shop to coffee shop finally a better solution. A car that is powered entirely by roasted coffee grinds is now a reality, I can feel my hear raising as I write this.

The car is called the Car-Puchino and was created using a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco that sorta looks like a time traveling DeLorean from back to the future. It was created by a team from BBC1 science program Bang Goes The Theory and driven 210 miles between Manchester and London.

It does about 60mph and uses about 2.2 lbs of coffee for every three miles or 56 espressos per mile (56epm). Its going to take 154 lbs so price depends on the type of coffee you use:

1. Premium = Kona Coffee = $30/lb = $4,620
2. Plus = Starbucks Breakfast Blend = $10/lb = $1,154
3. Regular = Folgers = $5/lb = $770

A trip like this is a bit of grind since you have to stop every 40 miles to add coffee grinds, every 60 to clean out the coffee filters. Even with a top speed of maybe 60 mph a relatively short trip could take all day to complete. On the plus side, there will be plenty of coffee and bathroom breaks.




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Lynda Farley is the creator of the Liberty van, and doing her part to creatively express her First Amendment Rights. Lynda believes in the rights of smokers to be able to smoke anywhere at anytime. She also believes that smoking dangers are a total myth perpetuated by "those" who are lying to us about the whole thing. She has taken pictures of her car in front every statehouse in the lower 48. She hopes to repeal smoking bans across the nation, restore our constitution, and get the word out on the smoking "hoax". Lynda is all "fired up" and has taken plenty of pictures of her journey, be sure to check out her Fall and Christmas tour pictures.

In this a video a talented kid shows off his skills in replicating the sounds of a hot rod import, a two stroke mopped, dirt bike a VW bug that keeps stalling and ends it with the sound of a hand held weed wacker. Great video, Rated R for some language.

inCARnation - Apocalypse Mobile/Time Machine

inCARnation, the Apocalypse Mobile/Time Machine was sent in by Meg (Hint, the one with the pink hair). It was built over the course of a few years at her apartment in Minneapolis and is under constant construction. The frame is an early 1990s Honda Accord that belonged to Adam. Adam Lutterman (Atom), Andy Rennert (MN Phatts) and Meg (Dee Zaster) all contributed to its creation. They take it to Burning Man every year and it made its debut this year at the Houston Art Car Parade and promise to be back, I guess that's the time machine aspect of the inCARnation. They also participate in Art Car events in the Twin Cities on a regular basis. They are beginning work on radically altering the appearance, but the plans are under wraps. It will be bigger and badder the next time around, so keep a look out!

Russian Bullet Flower Power BMW Art Car


BWM Art Car Bullet Flower

via Jalponik

Russian Flower Power took on new meaning when a Russian artist commissioned some gun enthusiasts to take aim at a BMW 3-Series with riffles and draw pretty flowers with the bullet holes. As you can see by the closeup on the car they missed a bunch of the marks, but it looks like they had a blast. More pictures on English Russia

Mondo Spider

The Mondo Spider is a 1600 lb, 8 legged walking machine originally built by a Vancouver-based team of artists and engineers in 2006. Initially gas-powered, the spider has been converted to run entirely on battery power, making it the world's first 100% electric, zero-emissions walking vehicle. This vehicle will be at this weeks Maker Fair


Mondo Spider from flimflamfilms on Vimeo.

The World's Slowest Porsche - Ferdinand GT3 R-S


Do you drive fast and are Tired of Red Light Camera Tickets? Austrian artist Ferdinand Johannes has solved this problem by creating the most advanced Porsche ever, called the Ferdinand GT3 R-S, The World's Slowest Porsche. He has come up with a way to avoid all traffic tickets by installing a revolutionary new power source under the hood called the "bike" with a whopping 1MP (Man Power). Not only will it NOT go 0-60mph in 10 seconds, but probably wont go past 10mph, EVER.

Let me tell you what it DOESN'T have:

• No turbocharge,
  
• No 450hp
• No 3.8 flat-six engine
• No Disk Brakes
• No Manual gearbox
• No Sound System
• No Club sport package
• No Leather Seats
  
• No Airbags
• No Roll cage
• No 6-point drivers racing harness

Rest assured that there will be no more traffic tickets once you unleash the pure bike power of the Ferdinand Porsche GT3 R-S.

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Katherine Smith, of Jarrettsville, glued 8,000 colored ping pong balls on an old 1971 Volkswagen Beetle named "The Last Cup". Her art car features different scenes each section of smiley face hood peace sign on a even the hub caps and bumpers are covered with ping pong balls.

Bikes with shoes instead of tires is definitely a better alternative to using bike tires which need air and tend to go flat. All you need is a bunch of shoes and you are good to go, oh and a helmet would be good as well.

Todd Kundla rides his Shoe Bike via


Walking Bike by Max Knight via



Travis Pastrana Shoe Motorbike


Be sure to check it this cool video with Travis Pastrana doing flips with his shoe motorcycle.

I have seen this solar chariot in many outfits during the past three years at Maker Fair first as George Bush the "American Gladiator", then Arnold Schwarzenegger as the "Solinator" and last year as Barack Obama as the "Obama Bot". I am sure I will be seeing the solar chariot again this year as who knows what.

Bob Schneeveis has a science and engineering associate at Stanford’s department of neurobiology, and is responsible for building this robot charioteer to test out the efficiency of legs versus wheels. The experiment was successful, as the charioteer moves alarmingly fast, with emanating metallic chunking noises that you’d expect from a robotic biped. Bob charges his charioteer using solar panels along with his other vehicle a sparrow that he uses to go about his daily business.

Arnold as the Solinator by skuarua

Barack Obama as the Obama Bot by Stephen Bowline

George Bush the American Gladiator by dtweney

The Fruit Mobile a 1967 Ford station wagon has been around for many years and was created by artist Jackie Harris. The Fruit Mobile is also available for gigs through the Art Car Agency. Full Story

Riot Wheel is a 1000lb monster motorized big wheel with the driver up front that took about 18 months to build. It was built for a trip to Burning Man and was an instant hit, and since then has been featured on Discovery Channel’s Monster Nation. The Riot Wheel video at Burning Man is a must see!!!

Lots of (K)nots! - Knited Electric Scooter by Cory Nelson is the warmest, coziest most snugly electric scooter I have ever seen. It will in this years Houston Art Car parade and it will be entry #258, so be sure to wave.

This has got to be the fastest couch I have ever seen at 90mph down the race track on a rainy day.

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I know its totally random, but that's what you get surfing the Internet late at night, snow art car from Russia.

Extremobile is brought to you but none other than Extremo the Clown creator of the world famous Mirabilis Statuarius Vehiculum. This is the van he drives around Portland for his window painting business, nice van Extremo, what is that sign say anyways???

Artist Jay Nelson is the creator of this small electric camper pod encased in a fiberglass shell, complete with a water tank, stove, cabinets, fold-down table and convertible bed. His love for surfing goes further with this modified Honda Spree that serves as a tiny expedition vehicle. Outfitted with surfboard rack, roll-out canopy, and plenty of storage, Jay imagines filling it with gourmet provisions and heading to a remote beach for some exploration and relaxation.



Triple Base Gallery images