r/WeirdWheels

Saw this driving around Cape Coral, Florida today and genuinely have no idea what I’m looking at.

It was cruising through traffic like this was a completely normal thing to be driving in the rain.

It looks like some kind of stretched van with homemade metal compartments along the sides, an old Chevrolet truck cap mounted on the roof, and a cage on top with a giant stuffed dog inside.

I have no clue what the purpose of any of it is, but I’d love to know if anyone has seen it before or knows the story behind it.

Also: yes I took a photo when I saw this about a month or so back, and then today saw it driving near me and thought “what the hell is that?!” I also thought it was funny the upper deck seems to be a new addition to it.

ETA: MYSTERY SOLVED
Thank you Reddit for directing me to the Reddit user who this belongs to! You can find the user/link to a video about it in the replies. I knew Reddit would come through on this.

Photo source: FYSPD on bilibili

Difference between SWAT and people's armed police is SWAT listens to local police, while people's armed police is an active service military force similar to army national guard(but full time)

essentially, the ZSL92/WZ551 family had three variants used by the PAP and local police:

• WJ-94: 4x4 variant used by PAP; very rarely seen nowadays
• WJ-03: 6x6 variant used by PAP and SWAT; also rather rare nowadays
  • WJ-03B: new variant, still used by PAP
• GA-06: 4x4 variant used by SWAT during overseas UN peacekeeping missions

Nowadays local SWAT typically uses the Saber tooth tiger(chinese modified F550) or T-rex(chinese modified Ram 5500) SWAT vehicles that are more dedicated to this role; UN peacekeeping police is no longer managed by local SWAT but rather secret service who use the VP11(also known as the snow wolf) MRAP.

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The Volkswagen Schwimmwagen was the most produced amphibious military vehicle of World War II. Approximately 15,000 were manufactured between 1942 and 1944. Only in Hessisch Oldendorf can so many survivors be seen gathered in one place and traveled for miles along the Weser River, just as they were designed to.

The Urbanina’s final “F” series arrived in the late 1960s with an electric drivetrain and four seats, but without the original rotating cabin.

It kept the same stamped-chassis layout for cost reasons, and only a few were likely built before the project ended; some chassis later went to Zagato for the Milanina.

Just inherited this vw trike. I know Harley’s but not this set up. I knows it’s a beetle engine with an automatic transmission. Never seen that before of custom trikes. Can anyone give me more info please. Tried on a motorcycle subreddit but got kicked out since trikes are not motorcycles to them. They need to call Harley and tell them that

Found on Facebook.

In the early 1960s, in a Tuscan villa, Marquis Pier Girolamo Bargagli Bardi Bandini and technician Narciso Cristiani created the Urbanina, a tiny city car that anticipated modern electric microcars decades before environmental concerns were mainstream.

Conceived as a compact, clean, and economical urban vehicle, it was built in a workshop at Poggio Adorno and aimed to offer easy access, effortless parking, and zero local emissions.

The first Urbanina used an X-shaped chassis with wheels at the corners and a rotating cabin platform carrying the steering wheel and two seats, allowing 360° entry and exit—an ingenious solution for tight city spaces.

Three interchangeable body styles were offered (open, wicker “primavera,” and enclosed “berlinetta”), and the initial version was powered by a Lambretta 175 engine, giving about 86 km/h, 3 l/100 km, and a length of just 1.96 m. Early electric prototypes used 0.7–1 kW motors and Tudor battery packs with series/parallel switching, modest range, and speeds, but already featured quick-slide battery replacement similar to modern swap systems.

A second series, shown in 1967, adopted a more enclosed cabin (using Piaggio Ape structure) and stronger electric motors up to 2 kW, with improved control via contactors and an experimental pulse‑width‑modulation speed controller developed with CETAS to provide smooth, continuous power regulation.

Despite its technical originality—rotating body, early regenerative ideas, advanced battery handling—the Urbanina project ended in the early 1970s, with its know‑how passing to Zagato and influencing later electric city cars.

The full story on SmallCarsClub.com

Lancia Thesis combined a meticulously crafted cabin with a baroque exterior to elevate the brand above its mainstream corporate siblings. Planners sought to attract affluent buyers by rejecting contemporary styling trends in favor of aristocratic elegance. The model was also intended to showcase the Fiat Group's technological capabilities rather than disguise its front-wheel-drive architecture.

Engineers employed the advanced Skyhook adaptive damping system to continuously absorb road imperfections and maximize ride comfort. Premium leather upholstery and acoustic glass effectively isolated occupants from outside noise. However, the vehicle's substantial weight contributed to early understeer and reduced high-speed cornering agility.

The bold styling ultimately failed to resonate with conservative buyers accustomed to understated German luxury sedans, resulting in disappointing sales and significant financial losses. Widespread electrical issues further damaged its reputation. Lancia subsequently ended independent development of luxury sedans, shifting its focus to rebadged Chrysler models imported from the United States.

Would the Lancia Thesis have succeeded with more conservative styling, or is even an accomplished automobile not enough for success in this conservative segment?

Not An Illustration Or Photoshop.

Developed by the Peugeot Style Centre, these recreational vehicles were designed to inject fun, passion, and unconventional engineering into urban mobility.

The Four City Toyz Concepts:

Vroomster: A carbon-fibre vehicle where the driver sits astride a central frame with the fuel tank between their legs, steering via motorcycle-like handlebars under an elongated windscreen.

E-doll: A compact, three-seater electric vehicle featuring a central driving position and scooter-style controls. Its most bizarre feature was a transparent rear boot that doubled as a detachable shopping trolley.

Bobslid: A futuristic 4x4 electric vehicle completely devoid of traditional mechanical steering, operating via two joysticks like a tank. It utilized 40 small electric motors (10 inside each wheel) and seated three passengers in a tandem row.

Kart Up: The most traditional of the four, this low-slung, open-top speedster featured a carbon-fibre body and a powerful 210-horsepower 2.9L V6 engine, evoking the spirit of a go-kart built for the road.

Sauce: https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C948570