Revealed: 700bhp WOODEN supercar

23 January 2009

President Obama unveils his plan for an eco-friendly America � with one carmaker taking it literally. Vijay Pattni is your host for this week�s Weird World of Wheels.

He may have fluffed his swearing in oath, but there is no doubt � Barack Obama is the 44th President of the USA.

President Obama is set on cleaning up the planet: �We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars��

And it seems one plucky carmaker has already begun the transformation into renewable-motoring�

A big tree

A collaboration between Joe Harmon Design and the North Carolina State University has resulted in this lumber-ing beast � the 700bhp �Splinter�.

A supercar fashioned entirely from wood, the Splinter is designed and built by a group of university students, and new details reveal the car�s painstakingly hand-crafted wooden body has now been fitted to a chassis.

Power is sent to the rear wheels � as it should be � via machinery lifted from a Corvette, and the engineers have laboured night and day to make sure the engine doesn�t burn the striking body.

Ah yes � the engine. For these North Carolina students, nothing but a twin-supercharged 32-valve Cadillac V8 will do�producing upwards of 700bhp.

Just remember to pack a cushion � the headrests and suspension have been carved out of wood�

For more info, log onto http://www.joeharmondesign.com/.

Life in the slow lane

Dale Lyle was told a mobile camera had clocked him speeding at 98mph in his 1.3-litre Honda Civic.

But Dale knew his 18-year-old Honda couldn�t reach that speed�and spent £1,200 proving his car�s inability to hit 98mph.

He bought his old car back from a friend for £600, and spent another £600 on an independent driving specialist to speed test it at a two-mile circuit in Bedfordshire, which found the 130,000-mile Honda could only reach a top speed of 85.4mph.

After he produced the evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case.

A rather relieved Dale later said: �I am not being funny but this car is ancient and has 130,000 miles on the clock, and so there is no way it will do that speed.�

This little Lambo went to town

Everybody wants a Lamborghini � the Italian carmaker churns out some of the world�s fastest and most desirable supercars in the world.

In fact, some people resort to making their own. We interviewed Discovery Channel�s Chop Shop designer Leepu, who revealed he once made his own Lamborghini.

Who said they could 'knock Clarkson out in one punch'? Find out now...

And Japanese Lamborghini tuners LB Performance together with Liberty Walk showcased a new take on the fabled supercar � a Lamborghini-styled quad-bike.

Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, these mini Lambos feature low-profile tyres and four-wheel-drive.

Expect them to appear on MTV�s Cribs in the near future�

Speaking of one-off supercar creations, the Sultan of Brunei is the lucky owner of a unique modified Ferrari 'FX' of which just SEVEN exist. Can you find it in our image gallery?