This may well be the oddest vehicle to be posted at the Cohort, in this case by Staxman. So what are we looking at? (In the foreground, as the one in the background is more than a bit odd too). I’ll tell you what I see, and then maybe you can tell us what you see.
I’m seeing the back half of a midget racer, or at least a replica of one, but the bus-like angle of the steering wheel looks authentic. The rear wheels, don’t, so who knows about the axle. Moving forward, the parasitic appendage grafted onto its side looks like an aftermarket motorcycle sidecar. But this is a first, in terms of seeing one used to double the seating capacity of a monoposto. A midget racing driver’s ed car?
From this side, we can see that the rear wheels have full-enclosing fenders at the rear; the other one has been removed.
Ah; here it is. An dit’s licensed to a museum. The Museum of Automotive Oddites?
Here’s the view from the front. There’s an Alfa Romeo emblem on the nose cone, which looks more Lotus 7 than midget racer. And the engine is indeed a classic Alfa DOHC four. The front suspension is by double wishbones and coil-over springs. And there’s headlights. That’s what I see.
What do you see?
Fun on a sunny day.
I googled the decal on the right side, Close Enough Engineering. It says they are:
“A collection of artists, engineers and designers located in Seattle,
specializing in illustration, prototyping, proof of concept models and theater and display pieces.
Facility includes welding, brazing, machining, casting, thermoforming and sheet metal fabrication.”
Looks a fun place to work (or play)….
http://closeenoughengineering.com
ETA That probably explains the other vehicle in the background too. Rather uglier than the (beautiful) subject, but I’d still like to know more about it.
Article about them. Looks worth a visit next visit to Seattle..
http://blog.seattlepi.com/insouthlakeunion/2010/04/30/close-enough-engineering-photos-and-narrative-from-the-south-lake-union-artists-collective/
Also, podcast about the creator:
http://carsyeah.com/ourportfolio/steve-walker/
I am *so* jealous
Seattle also has an excellent wooden boat museum, the Center for Wooden Boats, for visitors interested in other transportation options. (Full disclosure: I’m a member.)
Calling back to an article on TTAC yesterday – Put your dog in the sidecar.
For some reason this brings me back to Mr. McClure’s wonderful Charger article a couple weeks back:
“Wife! I have yet another vehicular option for us! Come outside and see!” The sidecar wasn’t bad, I said to myself many miles later. La Esposita smiled to herself behind the wheel as we hurtled down the road….
That sidecar, despite its lilliputian size, looks very much less scary than one on a bike. The latter puts passengers in line with the doors of parked cars, and subjects them to the dreaded “shotgun braking” where one cannot stop from pressing the floorboard. Having that big wheel and fender up front on the midget probably lessens the fear factor.
What’s that vehicle with the wide white sidewalls next to it?
That’s what I wondered. I thought it looked British. Also looks like the body panels were mounted with a hammer and nails.
It does have a Morris Minor-ish look, though you’re right that the poor thing has been put through the wringer.
Yep, that’s our crowd. Do a nice article on an interesting car, and all the comments want to know about is the car in the background.
Not at all. I for one can certainly appreciate the inspiration, design, and sheer talent involved in building something like this … hey! Check out the MGB! Love the original wheels. 😉
In all seriousness, though, this is an amazing piece of work. Hard to categorize, however, which may be why some are drawn to the more conventional cars around it. Still a beautiful project, though.
It looks like it’s a ball to drive, that’s what I see!