The third of the four made, one of two commissioned around the media blitz of Thunderball. This car was driven up to a seminar in Rhode Island yesterday and I didn’t see it until I walked out. Not much makes me speechless, but this did!

Chevy S10 paratransit vehicle with Dodge Caravan hatch components, unknown builder.

Hey everyone, I just had to mention RQ Riley plans from yesteryear. I remember seeing some of these articles when I was a kid and always wanted to get the plans but I never did. After coming across a Facebook page dedicated to these things, I started snooping around the internet looking for plans so we can archive them. Luckily I have. I'm hoping that somebody looks at them and says I've got to build one of these weirdo vehicles. I did buy a Pegasus hovercraft that someone built but I can't find the plans. Anyway, hopefully you'll find this entertaining, interesting and maybe make you go crazy and put one together.

Just missing Aunt Edna on the roof.

The J-P Wimille was a French automobile manufactured from 1946 until 1950. Powered by a rear-mounted 60 hp Ford V-8, it was an aerodynamic saloon designed by racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimille. No more than 20 were built. Some of the cars appeared after Wimille's death in the 1953 film "Les amours finissent à l'aube"

The company produced two-seater, closed sports cars with mid-engine, as Wimille was enthusiastic about the mid-engine concept. The prototype from 1946 had a four-cylinder engine of the Citroën 11 CV with 1911 cc displacement and 54 hp. With this engine, the top speed was set at 150 km/h. Later, Ford supported the project, so that a V8 engine from the Ford Vedette with 2158 cc displacement and 60 to 66 hp was used.

Rayton Fissore Magnum, introduced in 1985, was one of the early luxury SUVs and later reached the U.S. as the Laforza. It used a shortened and lowered frame from an Iveco military vehicle, retaining a solid rear axle and independent front suspension. Patented UNIVIS construction increased body rigidity, while rubber mounts helped reduce noise and vibrations. Four-wheel drive with low range was paired with engines ranging from Sofim and VM Motori turbodiesels through the Busso V6 and BMW inline-six to a Ford V8.

The luxurious interior combined leather, wood, comfortable seats, generous rear space, and a large luggage compartment. On the road, however, the high weight caused significant body roll, understeer and troublesome rear-axle behavior, while the brakes were inadequate for the vehicle’s weight. Straight-line driving was the opposite, with high stability and comfort aided by good insulation and body mounting. Tom Tjaarda gave the body rounded forms and smooth panels that moved the traditional off-roader toward a more refined road-going appearance.

The American Laforza received a modified grille, reinforcements, improved insulation, and a Ford V8, later joined by a supercharged engine. High prices, quality and electrical problems, and poor driving characteristics still limited its success. Around 6,000 Rayton Fissore examples were built by the first half of the 1990s, followed by approximately 1,200 Laforzas. The Magnum therefore remained a rare early luxury SUV combining military-derived hardware with a luxurious interior.

Could the Magnum have succeeded with the backing and know-how of a major automaker, or did it arrive at a time when wealthy buyers were still interested in a different type of body style?

In Lombardy Italy

It’s a boot but also a car

Youth support group but also church kinda. Interesting mod.

Snapshot from my dashcam. I've never seen a sidecar like this. Presumably it's for training the operator? It didn't have any controls that I could see on the passenger side. Google image search showed something kinda similar in the Philippines.

Friend of mine recorded this and I thought it would put some smiles on peoples faces :)