June 25, 2007: Japanese D.I.Y. cars

[Undertoad]

It's the Monday Neatorama collaboration image!

note: a tragic editing error caused UT to not present this as a Neato collaboration image. He apologizes



Spluch featured this item some time ago (OK, months ago), but it's worth a second look.



Since the image is from Chinese Xinhua.net, we can only reply on Spluch for the explanation:

Mitsuoka Motor, a Japanese company, has just unveiled a micro kit car "K-4", equipped with a 50cc engine on its classical tested sports car body, developed for the do-it-yourself customers in Tokyo. It is composed of more than 500 parts and takes approximately 40 hours to assemble. The Kit-Car measures just under 2.5 meters (eight feet) long and can run at up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour. The expected cost of each of this vehicle is US $6,460.

31 MPH? Well this one isn't going to attract much attention in the US, but in areas where transportation is a little less available, maybe this can be shipped around to provide a cheaper alternative. Someone (can't remember who, it was a news report over the weekend) is building cheaper, sub-$5000 cars for India.

On the other hand, if the price of gas is $5/gal then the price of the vehicle is less of the overall cost of transportation.

Be sure to check out our friends at Neatorama for more neato items all the time!

[SteveDallas]

Where's Heathkit when you need them?

[Cloud]

put together with child labor, no doubt

[xoxoxoBruce]

Not being able to pick up chicks is a serious drawback for a sportscar.
It's a kit, Cloud.

[odie number seven]

And if it rains? Do you just hold up an umbrella cruising along at the death-defying rate of 31 mph?

[CharlieG]

Wouldn't be legal in the USA - it doesn't have airbags, and crumple zones and all the other required safety stuff (shoulder belts etc) - heck, I'd be a CAR that sized in the USA would have about 5K worth of safety and anti-smog stuff on it - by law. Heck, starting sometime in the next few years, cars HAVE to have electronic vehicle stability controls

For 60% of what I do, one of those little Cushman carts would work. The police around here use them, but for you and me, they are not street legal

[glatt]

Saw this DIY car in the paper this morning, but it's from the Philippines.

Bangued Mayor Ma. Zita Claustro-Valera proudly displays her bamboo embelished car as she promotes her town's bamboo Festival. The festival showcased a trade fair featuring Abra's One-town-One-Product which is bamboocrafts. (Art Tibaldo/DTI-CAR Info)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Why does she have a hubcap on her head?

[mitheral]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

On the other hand, if the price of gas is $5/gal then the price of the vehicle is less of the overall cost of transportation.

I can't imagine a 50cc motor consuming much gas. Even at $5 a gallon that's 1000 gallons of gas. If you only got 50 miles per gallon that is 50K miles.

[Gravdigr]

The yellow one looks like it's already crashed.

[Gravdigr]

Holy crap, she stole Gilligan's car!?! The perfesser worked so hard on it, too...



"I ain't been dropping no eaves, sir, honest." -Samwise Gamji

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by mitheral

I can't imagine a 50cc motor consuming much gas. Even at $5 a gallon that's 1000 gallons of gas. If you only got 50 miles per gallon that is 50K miles.

Presuming you're not squashed like a grape. Good lord, have you seen those Jap trucks?

[kerosene]

[SPUCK]

Yeah and a 50cc engine puts out about the same amount of pollutants as 40 SUVs. Wunerful.