NISSAN VERSA

NISSAN VERSA

MSRP: $12,815
EPA Mileage: 27/36 (CTY / HWY)

Built by Nissan to be an inexpensive car, the Nissan Versa succeeds in every way. The Nissan Versa is a very bare bones vehicle, having low cost plastic interior panels, and a small 1.6 liter 109 horsepower engine. The Nissan Versa won’t be winning any races, but that’s not the point of this little sedan. At a base cost of $12,815, the Nissan Versa is a very affordable car, perfect for a student who just needs transportation from point A to point B. The Nissan Versa gets very reasonable gas mileage as well, with 27 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. A few standard features include Bluetooth connectivity and steering wheel radio controls.

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1965 DODGE DEORA CONCEPT CAR

1965 DODGE DEORA CONCEPT CAR

The 1965 Dodge Deora was originally built for the Detroit Autoramain 1967 and is one of the oddest cars ever created. Created as a unique hot rod, the car does not have doors, and would actually become the model for one of the original Hot Wheels toy cars. One of the unique features of the auto is the manner by which the driver enters the vehicle. Instead of sliding in through the windows due to the lack of doors, the front of the car cab opens similar to a Venus flytrap. This allows the driver to seat his or herself before closing the cab of the vehicle and taking off. The vehicle is powered by a 2.8 liter, Slant-6 engine and uses a three speed transmission for shifting gears. The car is still around, and was sold in 2009 at auction for more than $225,000 USD.

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1947 NORMAN TIMBS SPECIAL

1947 NORMAN TIMBS SPECIAL

The 1947 Norman Timbs Special is one of the most unique and odd looking vehicles that you will ever see. Norman Timbs designed the vehicle and was an Indianapolis racing engineer before creating the vehicle which features a front-mounted cockpit and curves that lead to a tail shaped like a raindrop. The car was created with a Buick Straight 8 engine that was located at the rear of the car chassis. The 1937 Auto Union Type C racer provided a good bit of the inspiration for Timb’s design, with the car capable of traveling to speeds approaching 120 MPH. Driving the vehicle at high speeds required the use of driving goggles since the Special did not have a roof.

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1942 OEUF ÉLECTRIQUE

1942 OEUF ÉLECTRIQUE

If you have never seen an egg on wheels, then the 1942 Oeuf électrique will definitely be one of the oddest cars that you have ever seen. The auto consisted of three wheels, and was powered by batteries during an age when gasoline was the predominant means to power automobiles. Paul Arzens from Paris, France, was the primary designer of the car, and he made his name by designing railway locomotives and painting before moving into the auto industry. The bubble of the electric egg was made of aluminum that was hand-formed as well as curved Plexiglas which was just starting to find adoption as a glass substitute throughout industry in this timeframe throughout Europe and the United States.

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MAZDA NAGARE CONCEPT CAR

MAZDA NAGARE CONCEPT CAR

The Mazda Nagare Concept Car was first introduced to the public at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. The auto definitely ranks as one of the strangest vehicles produced as it was part of an exercise in organic and natural car design to help guide the future of Mazda auto design. The Japanese translation of the auto name means “flow,” and the company design engineers used the vehicle to study the effect that motion had on the natural surroundings while creating the auto. The primary designer of the auto was Laurens van den Acker, and the Mazda Advanced Design Team who were located in Irving, California. The car is distinguishable by its extremely large windshield that sits at an extremely steep angle connecting to the top of the auto. The wheels of the car are extremely large and are wrapped into the wheel wells of the vehicle. This helps incorporate them as part of the car body, and are another one of the design features making the Nagare one of the oddest cars that you will ever see.

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