Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Cars That Are Things

ha-car-things
Cars overwhelmingly look like…cars. But sometimes intrepid individuals (or marketing firms) desire to gain attention by making cars that look like other things. What sort of things? Anything you can name, from scaled-up telephones to tiny dirigibles. And that’s what we’re looking for today: any vehicle intentionally shaped like something other than a car.
[Thanks to our own Robert Emslie for this suggestion! If there’s a topic you want the Hooniverse hive-mind to explore in the marble slabs papyrus scrolls electronic bits that make up Encyclopedia Hoonatica, send your topic to the Hooniverse tips line.]
The Caveats (there are always caveats):

  • Obviously, we’re not talking about production models, here. Promotional vehicles, custom show cars, homemade art cars, any sort of one-off is acceptable.
  • It can’t just be an odd looking car (covered with pennies, etc.), it has to look like something else.
  • Likewise, it CAN’T just look like a car carrying something, such as an energy drink, a a wristwatch, or a lion. The entire body of the vehicle has to be the “thing.” Sure, you’ll see wheels and chassis parts here and there, but if you can tell the model or manufacturer of the source vehicle, it’s probably not what we’re looking for.
  • Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other land vehicles are all good. Don’t know how big a rabbit hole boats would be. I’m including airplanes just because I’ll be really impressed if somebody’s built a flyable airplane that looks like a princess phone or a teacup.

Difficulty: Like playing soccer against giant tortoises.
How This Works: Read the comments first and don’t post duplicates! Bonus points for adding photos.
Image Sources: wheresmatthew.com, Higgs56.com, Eric Lindbloom’s Flickr feed.

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111 responses to “Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Cars That Are Things”

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      Is the bottom part of the Wienermobile supposed to be a bun? Or is the sausage floating on a sea of mustard?

      1. JayP Avatar
        JayP

        Started out as a yellow chassis… and I thought it was a bun.
        Maybe cheese?
        http://www.2laneamerica.com/wienermobile/

    2. Batshitbox Avatar
      Batshitbox

      This is just asking for a head-on collision with the Wienermobile.
      http://crow202.org/2010/stupid-car.jpg

    3. Kiefmo Avatar
      Kiefmo

      The kids and I ran across one recently.
      My son got to pose as his favorite food.

    4. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      I wasn’t sure whether to post this as a reply to Weinermobile or Thing.
      http://www.panicmanual.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/gayduo.jpg

  1. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    What about custom LeMons racers? Speedcop’s “Spirit of LeMons” seems to fit the bill and even gives you your impressive airplane…though not exactly flyable.
    http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz148/SpeedycopPics/spiritoflemonsdonerightside_zpse38fe97d.jpg
    http://speedycop.com/spirit-of-lemons.html

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      You want to impress me? Show me a Cessna 310 that looks like a Toyota van.

      1. Lokki Avatar
        Lokki

        Oh, you mean like this?

        1. Tanshanomi Avatar

          Marginally related trivia: Cessna did build about 50 Cessna Skyhook helicopters.
          http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/CF-OHE_zpsdcca3e96.jpg

          1. engineerd Avatar
            engineerd

            I totally forgot about the Cessna Skyhook! Gotta love piston-powered helicopters.

          2. Texlenin Avatar
            Texlenin

            Ohh Ohh Can we get a post about these on A.T.???
            Pleeze Pleeze Pleeze?
            And it’s clay tablets around here folks. Nothing else matches their archival
            durability…..

  2. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    car phone Phone car.
    http://www.thephonecar.com/tele.jpg

    1. PotbellyJoe★★★★★ Avatar
      PotbellyJoe★★★★★

      They claim to be 80% through their build of the sub sandwich car too.
      http://themutantbrothers.com/images/mutant_vehicles/concept-sub-sandwich-car.jpg

  3. CruisinTime Avatar
    CruisinTime

    One size fits all?

    1. Batshitbox Avatar
      Batshitbox

      Jinx!

  4. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Although this doesn’t pass the requirements for this week’s challenge…
    http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicv/vfiles6575.jpg

    1. Monkey10is Avatar
      Monkey10is

      Also meta; a whole car that looks like part of a car:
      http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/cms/autos/Boldride/meineke-muffler-car-1.jpg

    2. Alan Cesar Avatar
      Alan Cesar

      My brain can’t make sense of the scale of this.

      1. dead_elvis Avatar
        dead_elvis

        Maybe it would help if someone could photoshop in a 6 year old dressed as an adult, and a 40 year old dressed like a child?

  5. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    ..

  6. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    I think this qualifies, but I’ll bow to the decision of the judges

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      But those all look like cars.

      1. 0A5599 Avatar
        0A5599

        Exactly. Well, assuming you count pickup trucks and microbusses as cars.
        But they look like DIFFERENT cars. The Power Wagon is an apartment. The Bug is a fire truck. Not sure about the bus.

  7. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    Fiskar or Fishcar? You decide!

  8. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    Orange you glad they didn’t do a lemon instead?
    http://www.supercars.net/gallery/119513/2182/886113.jpg

    1. Rover 1 Avatar
      Rover 1

      I’ve heard a rumour that these are the ONLY cars banned from Le Mons, for fear of diluting the series.

      1. Kiefmo Avatar
        Kiefmo

        Not because of the wheelbase shorter than the track width?
        The directional instability must be a hoot at any speed above walking pace.

  9. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    mutt ( not the M151)

  10. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    Uhmmm ..

  11. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    hello kitty

    1. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      Or would that be outboard?

  12. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    been done..

  13. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    it is a big one …

  14. Jeepster Avatar
    Jeepster

    Murry

    1. Monkey10is Avatar
      Monkey10is

      I agree: That looks quite a lot like a Thing to me…
      http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/04/CC-33-064-800.jpg

      1. Vairship Avatar
        Vairship

        Ahem…

    1. Guest Avatar
      Guest

      I’ve heard of this one, and knew it sprayed water from the beak, but its other abilities are even more astounding:

      “To make sure the Swan’s other amenities befit the marque, Matthewson had a multi-note, exhaust-driven horn installed that he could play on a keyboard in the rear seat, but an even more startling way to clear the roads ahead was the swan’s beak, which emitted a jet of scalding water onto anyone in the way. Other features: glowing eyes, Indian silk upholstery, plenty of gold leaf, brushes to keep the wheels clean while moving, and an “orifice” round back that would deposit whitewash on the roads. Because sometimes a swan’s gotta go.”

      http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/23/jay-leno-examines-the-bonkers-1910-brooke-swan-car-at-pebble-b/

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      No, that’s clearly a Brass Era Automobile With Horse Affixed Also.
      (for those who don’t get the Kienholz reference, perhaps you shouldn’t Google it at work.)

    1. ptschett Avatar
      ptschett

      Not a Holstein-Davidson. Must be a Cowasaki.

      1. tonyola Avatar
        tonyola

        …with power steering.

      2. Monkey10is Avatar
        Monkey10is

        Hard to make out the Brand from here.

      3. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Cowja?

    2. Tiberiuswise Avatar

      He’d never steer you wrong.

    3. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      Registering at the DMV should be easy. I mean, all you need are headlight (check), tail lights (check), turn signals (check), functional horns (check).

  15. Citric Avatar
    Citric

    “We’re not talking about production models”
    But, of course, there are exceptions.
    http://pitstop.gozoomo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/cupcake-car-pitstop.jpg
    Neiman Marcus did try to sell these for $25,000 each.

  16. Monkey10is Avatar
    Monkey10is

    WARNING: if u buy a pickup truck DO NOT tick the dealer option for ‘Rhino coat’! its not what I expected.
    http://www.fosilfueled.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/animal_cars_001_11212013.jpg

  17. Rover 1 Avatar
    Rover 1

    “Obviously, we’re not talking about production models, here.”
    How about an honorable exception for the wittily named Nissan S-Cargo which really does look like a snail?
    They have become quite common around here and tany sighting always makes me smile.
    http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/file/width/640/media/6347067/Nissan%20S-Cargo%20(1).jpg
    http://www.tflcar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/S-cargo-05.jpg
    http://www.tflcar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/S-Cargo-spec.jpg
    http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/file/width/640/media/6347077/Nissan%20S-Cargo%20(2).jpg

  18. Alan Cesar Avatar
    Alan Cesar

    The best A-Team-themed LeMons car ever made. There was a cone air filter inside one of the nostrils, if memory serves.
    http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/24-Hours-of-LeMons-American-Irony-Mr-T-21-626×426.jpg

  19. LEROOOY Avatar
    LEROOOY

    Living in Houston and attending the Art Car Parade every year is cheating! Deliciously cheating!
    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6e/31/60/6e3160c516a5e9661c2e6bde45016629.jpg

  20. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    There aren’t nearly enough wagons on U.S. roads.
    http://www.radioflyer.com/content/sites/default/files/radio%2520flyer.jpg

    1. engineerd Avatar
      engineerd

      I think that is an unwritten rule. Belly Tank racers, Miata, and Raptor are always the right answer.

  21. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

    Which one of these two Cosy Coupe’s would you rather own?
    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/29/article-2548056-1B0C0EC400000578-840_634x423.jpg
    You’d say the big one, I know, but it’s based on a Daewoo Matiz so that makes the choice a little trickier.

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      But the little one seems to spend lots of time with the mechanic:

  22. mechman Avatar
    mechman

    I think this fits the rules somehow…
    http://lindstrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Bike-2.jpg

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      In planes:

  23. jim Avatar
    jim

    http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/flying-tank.jpg
    Comrades, bask in the russianness of the Antonov A-40.

  24. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Slow as a….

    1. tonyola Avatar
      tonyola

      Or even slower….

  25. discontinuuity Avatar
    discontinuuity

    “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?”
    http://onscreencars.com/content/uploads/2010/11/good_burger_car_1.jpg
    Fun fact: this is the same Pacer used in Wayne’s World.

  26. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Spongebob Van

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      NO, that’s a decorated Sienna.

      1. 0A5599 Avatar
        0A5599

        How about a more accurate rendering of a different cartoon character?
        https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6135/5916411455_4e2617628d_b.jpg

    1. gerberbaby Avatar

      I wonder what the weight distribution is on that. I bet she’s not really leaning on it.

    1. theskitter Avatar

      Those movies are nightmare fuel.

  27. spotarama Avatar
    spotarama

    the couch and the orange are both Edd China inventions as are the shed, the builders skip and the office desk. theres a company running track days in the Uk using Edd’s inventions as the track cars
    http://www.greasejunkie.com/worlds-wackiest-racers-old.html
    it appears he also built the doubledecker cars that TopGear used in the international challenges, he made a bathtub sidecar too
    let google images be your guide as i’m a bit thick to be inserting images here

  28. Gee Nick Avatar
    Gee Nick

    Elvis,

    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      Nah, I might have gotten fat but I never did go grey, let alone white. Maybe you’re thinking of Jim Jarmusch.
      https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UC26Cqerbeg/TGFRhp1BkFI/AAAAAAAAByQ/n27NhhAgkO0/s1600/jim+jarmusch.jpg

  29. marmer Avatar
    marmer

    Slightly surprised that no one has mentioned these. What’s not to like about strange French trucks from the 50s and 60s? http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/02/21/le-freak-not-so-chic-tour-de-france-promotional-vehicles/