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Category Archives: Curiosities
1908 Baker Electric Car
As gas prices continue to fluctuate, many drivers are seeking more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly vehicles. The Nissan Leaf is unique among modern alt-fuel vehicles because it is a purely battery-powered vehicle that does not include a gas engine at all – unlike its competitors from Toyota and Chevrolet.
A pure electric-powered car may seem like a novel approach to getting better fuel economy, however the idea is anything but new. Continue reading
Zap Xebra 3 Wheel Electric Vehicle
Because of its black and white stripe pattern, the zebra is one of nature’s most recognizable animals. Along those same lines, the Zap Xebra is a very recognizable car. Can you guess why?
No, it’s not an optical illusion. This is a 3-wheeled passenger car with the single wheel in front. But wait, it gets better! The Zap Xebra is an all-electric car manufactured in China! You can imagine my complete and utter surprise when I spotted this one silently humming around in Glendale, Arizona.
With a price of just $12,000 brand new, Zap had the market cornered on affordability (and unusual looks). However, at that price point there must have been some compromises in quality. According to several websites I found, some of the cars were made of fiberglass while others were made of steel. None of them ever came with airbags.
The range is an estimated 40 miles at 40 mph, so it can’t go on the highway. The driver must have been pretty close to home at the time I spotted him.
These cars were only produced from 2006 to 2009. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the front, but it has this crazy third headlight in the center that gives the car a very “mouse-like” appearance. Whether you like it or hate it, this is definitely not a car you see every day!
1997 Camry Flip Out Navigation
I saw this while I was reading through the April 1997 issue of Motor Trend at the library and though it was pretty interesting, so I had to had to snap a picture (of a picture). The article wasn’t about the navigation system or anything, just a review of some of the changes to the Camry for the 1998 model year. The weird part is that I’m having trouble finding any references anywhere to a navigation system ever being installed in an XV20 Camry. From what I’ve been reading, the 2000 Avalon was the first Toyota vehicle to feature a navigation system, so I’m guessing that this was a one-off example Toyota sent to the magazine for the review to wow them. I think it’s pretty cool, but I’m a sucker for weird things like this. I like how it’s a factory installation but it still interferes with the flow from the center AC vents when it’s out.
Maybe the unit itself gets really hot and it all just worked out perfectly?
Arizona Forestry Dispatch Office
2003 Toyota Tundra Terminator 3 Edition
I didn’t think this was real at first- Wikipedia doesn’t even mention it in their entry for the Tundra, but after some digging around I did find a couple facts about this truck.
Most sources I’ve found say that 850 “T3” Tundras were produced, with 250 going to Canada and the other 600 being sold here. Supposedly, they were only officially offered in black although I did find a guy on a forum swearing he has a factory green one. The truck is pretty much a normal Tundra except it’s got special wheels, all the chrome and aluminum (except for the special wheels) is black, it comes with factory dual exhaust (which actually sounded pretty good), its got some special leather seats and that’s pretty much it. It’s nothing really nothing all that special, other than it’s limited production. I don’t see why Toyota didn’t do it right an at least offer that supercharger they are so proud of as an option or something. It wouldn’t be a bad looking truck if it just didn’t any of those decals on it. Ok, let me rephrase that: compared to the new Tundra, It wouldn’t be a bad looking truck without the decals. There, I’m glad I cleared that up.
