
Video: Are They Real? Real Cars That Look Like Cartoon Characters

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 02:36
You, too, have moments when you want to go back to childhood, get in a toy car and go to a magical land where there are rivers of milk, chocolate trees and unicorns, and not an outstanding mortgage, a current heated towel rail and a child's homework? Where to get horned horses and edible landscape - we, frankly, do not know, but now we will tell you about cars with toy looks.
Austin Healey Sprite






Looking at the first generation Austin Healey Sprite, it is very difficult to contain a smile - it seems that the car is literally happy to see you (in a good way, not what you thought). And I want to reciprocate her, giving in to the heat on deserted country roads.
Moreover, the Sprite fits perfectly for these purposes: at one time (from 1958 to 1961) the roadster was considered a full-fledged sports car. Yes, it spends more than 20 seconds to accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour, and its 0.9-liter "four" develops only 43 horsepower, but its modest weight (600 kilograms) and compact dimensions make it very mobile. Watch this video. Fun, isn't it?
Between 1958 and 1961, 48,987 First Generation Sprites were produced. Many of them are still alive.
Peel Trident





There were not many cars in the history of Peel Engineering from the Isle of Man, but they all became famous to one degree or another. The single Peel P50 is known for its size: it even entered the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest production car on the planet. Well, his heir, Peel Trident, was remembered for his extraordinary appearance.
Trident looks like it was drawn by some cartoonist: he is both impetuous and ridiculous at the same time. The main highlight of the three-wheeled car is the plexiglass bubble, which provides excellent visibility and no less elegant heating of the interior. By the way, in order to get inside the Trident, this very bottle must be thrown forward. And then drive very carefully: you can “catch your ears” in this car, but once!
Such a crumb, which was produced from 1965 to 1966, was set in motion by a 4.5 horsepower DKW two-stroke motor. Only 82 Trident units were built, each costing £ 150.
Nissan S-Cargo





At the end of the last century, Nissan launched the Pike Cars line, which included four models with neoclassical design: the Be-1 and Pao hatchbacks, the Figaro convertible and the S-Cargo commercial van. All of them are adorable in their own way, but it is the S-Cargo with its arched profile that looks like it was painted by a child with a rich imagination and remarkable artistic skills.
The car was first shown at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. In the same year, its production began. By 1992, 8 thousand vans were built, of which several dozen ended up in Russia. We have similar machines running mainly in sushi or pizza delivery services, but some of them are in private use.
Technically, the S-Cargo is not as interesting as outwardly: inline-four, front-wheel drive, three-speed automatic. But who cares about facts and numbers when this van is so adorable?
MitsuokOrochi






From all sorts of nyash-myash, we briefly turn to frightening, but therefore no less cartoony cars. As is the case with Nissan's Pike Cars, any Mitsuok model can feel completely comfortable in this selection. But the most bizarre creation of the company is by far the Orochi sports car.
According to Mitsuoka, the Orochi is a true supercar, but it is true and not true at the same time. Yes, the Orochi is based on the platform from the first generation HondNSX, but the Mitsuok engine is weaker than the Honda of the last century: behind the passenger seats is a 3.3-liter V6 from Toyota, which develops only 233 horsepower. It is docked with a five-speed automatic transmission. But a supercar is not only dry numbers in the passport, but also looks. And Orochi, named after the eight-tailed and eight-headed dragon, looks extremely extravagant from the outside.
Opinions about the design of the model are polarly divided: some consider it very interesting, while others - blatantly ugly. The popular car site Jalopnik, for example, named the Orochi as the ugliest car in history.
Geely lc





Admit it, you like pandas. They are cute, playful, awkward, emotional - it is impossible not to smile when you see these merry woolen people. So the marketing department of Geely thought the same, and then gave the go-ahead for the release of a panda car. This is how the Geely LC hatchback was born, which, depending on the market, may also be called Geely Pand or Geely EMOtion.
Fortunately, LC's good looks don't end there. It is cheap, economical and, like most Chinese cars, is well equipped: there is an air conditioner, six airbags, an audio system worthy by the standards of that time. In addition, the Geely LC was one of the first models to earn a maximum five stars in the Chinese C-NCAP crash test.
The hatch was produced from 2011 to 2016. Considering that its successor, the Geely Yuanjing X1, turned out without a hint of cartoonishness, the experiment with pandas seems to have been considered unsuccessful at Geely.
TatMagic Iris / Ace Zip





Looking at these two hardworking kids from India, it is very difficult to believe that machines do not have a soul: well, a soulless piece of plastic and iron cannot have such a cute look! It seems that the anthropomorphic "Fyr-fyr" from the Soviet cartoon "How a donkey fell ill with sadness" served as the source of inspiration for the Magic Iris microvan and the Ace Zip truck. After all, their faces, depending on the angle, also express a different spectrum of emotions.
In terms of their technical design and dimensions, both models are closer to rickshaws than to full-fledged cars: their length does not exceed three meters, and they are driven by a single-cylinder diesel engine that produces 11 horsepower. This does not prevent Ace Zip from carrying loads weighing under 600 kilograms, and the Magic Iris van from carrying four people! But these "Indians" are the size of the original MINI hatchbacks!
Waymo firefly




Autonomous control systems are now being developed by almost every car company. Even the domestic KamAZ seriously intends to put trucks on the road, in which the driver can sing along in karaoke to Sergey Lyubavin, without being distracted by the road. Software giants are not lagging behind in this direction. Yandex is working on autopilot, talk about the innovative Apple electric car with autopilot has become more frequent … Well, where in this company without Google.
The company has a Waymo division that has been focusing on autonomous control systems for over 10 years. Chrysler Pacifica semi-autonomous minivans are the main carriers of Waymo's high tech these days, but five years ago the company tested its radars and lidars on subcompact electric cars that appear to be harmless ladybugs. These crumbs were called Waymo Firefly.
Alas, Fireflys can never go serial: they were just a technology testing platform. But the cars look very cute. Considering that on the roads of the United States, the toddlers have run over more than one hundred kilometers, they worthily took a place in this list.
OrR1



While the Waymo Firefly went to the margins of history in 2017, there are cars ready to take over the cartoon. This is both the Honde and the OrR1 - and the latest model turned out to be even more "lively" than the charming Honda hatchback.
The Or is a young company that is part of Great Wall Motors, and the R1 is its first model. Conceptually it resembles the latest generation Smart ForFour, but technically has nothing to do with it. If only for the reason that the R1 can be strictly electric and strictly front-wheel drive. On the front axle of the hatchback there is a small electric motor with a capacity of 48 horsepower, but since the hatchback is light (990 kilograms), it is capable of accelerating to over 100 kilometers per hour. Even if it will take him some time.
By the way, the Great Wall brand itself also has a car that would look appropriate in The Simpsons or Futurama …
Great wall futurist






… However, there is a possibility that it will also be produced under the Ora brand. This is the Great Wall Futurist sedan unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show last September.
The concept's neo-futuristic exterior was designed by Phil Simmons, who previously drew Land Rover SUVs. The interior is kept in the same style. And, in principle, this is all the information that is known about the Futurist at the moment. Rumor has it that it will be fully electric with a range of 700 kilometers. But it is not exactly.
AlphAce Coupe






In the case of the Ace Coupe from California-based startup Alph, there is a little more specifics. First, the model will be strictly electric: it is built on a modular "skateboard" platform with an underground battery pack that will provide a range of up to 400 kilometers.
Secondly, pre-orders for the car are already open. Although the final cost of the Ace Coupe is still unknown. So is the power. There is only information that the base two-door will accelerate to a hundred in about 6 seconds, and the top-end one - in 4.6 seconds.
Finally, thirdly, both the exterior and the interior of the model turned out to be so unusual that the Ace Coupe can be safely placed in Cyberpunk 2077 or some superhero animated series about the post-apocalyptic future.