Automotive Oddities

Here's hoping there weren't any sharp turns on the way home.

A hubcap collector proclaims Merry Christmas

Messages from a concerned truck driver

They may have been slow, but they were cool. In fact, the VW Bug is still very cool.

Does this mean one of the "Guys" has left the company?

Seems like a good time for a coffee break

A security device worth advertising

Be the talk of the neighborhood, and cut the lawn in record time with your hotrod mower.

And you thought smoking around gas pumps was dangerous?

This Range Rover abomination is ready for — off roading?

The bugs sure are bad this summer!

This truck seems to meet the citeria

Haapy New Year!

A very clever roadside sign that just may get you to slow down and do a double take.

This truck is in the toilet. No, this truck IS the toilet. This plumbing company wins "the best use of an automobile in its business" hands down. You might flush all your cares away driving this monstrosity around town.

A very instructive street sign — at least once a month.

One of the best For Sale signs we've seen. This might be the ultimate version of the new "green" truck. But probably time for a new set of tires.

Giving the daredevils fair warning!

This farmer has put a couple of hay bails to good use creating usual yard art with an old pickup and an unidentified smashed car. (Photo by Howard Wright)

The proverbial fork in the road. Seems someone had a lot of time on their hands.

Making good use of used tires. A tire store in Kinston, N.C., has an impressive Christmas display featuring a lighted Christmas from a pile of tires. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This old Fiat 500 serves as an advertising device for a number of firms in Milford, Pa. Might be the new winner of our unofficial "best use of old cars as advertising signs" contest. And rating on top of an old school bus is a nice touch. (Photos by John Matras)

LimePod car-sharing service of Seattle was shut down in the fall of 2019 leaving hundreds of Fiat500 cars stored in a lot near near Renton, Wash. The future of car sharing in the U.S. has been in question in recent months. It seems that unless a car sharing service is owned by rental car company or car manufacturer, it is not sustainable.

Was this automotive mashup built for an impending zombie apocalypse or perhaps as an alien fighter ready for action at Area 51? It appears to have been crafted from a mid-60s Chevrolet. Or maybe not. MotorwayAmerica contributing photographer Ralph Gable discovered this "thing" in his many travels in North and South Carolina.

Here is a true hybrid car with an authentic Toyota Prius front end. At least the front and rear hubcaps on the same, tying the entire design together. Perhaps someone had too much time on their hands with a welding torch?

It never ceases to amaze us how people choose to decorate their cars in outlandish costumes. This work of art stands out as one of the most outlandish. The "Owl Car" was discovered in a parking lot in Bisbee, Ariz. (Photos by Jim Prueter)

There's not many places left in the country where Clark Kent can do a quick change into his Superman outfit, but we found one in Carmel, Calif., complete with a telephone. While cellphones have made the telephone booth obsolete, these booths might come in handy if your battery has died. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This 1950 Ford truck works well in our "vehicles used as advertising signs" category. It was found outside the Old Oyster Factory Restaurant on Hilton Head Island, S.C. Very nice restoration. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Tow Mater, a 1951 International Harvester boom truck, is a major character in the movie "Cars" and its sequels. And the embodiment of Tow Mater lives in Galena, Kan., the town along Route 66 used as the model for Baxter Springs, the fictional town in the movie. You can find Tow Mater look-a-likes across the country. One just showed up on U.S. 301 near Kenly, N.C. It's an old GMC tow truck that kind of looks like the son of Tow Mater. (N.C. photo by Jim Meachen)

A scene from yesteryear on old Route 66 in Kansas depicting a famous brand of gasoline from the '50s and a vintage Packard sign. The UHaul truck adds a bit of nostalgia with it Route 66 Story painted on the side. (Photo by Ted Biederman)

And who says you can't take it with you? Gerry Cameron shot this picture of a hearse pulling the stuff someone wants taken with them.

Perhaps this is the new Volkswagen Wooden Shed Concept? It might make for nice, but tight, living quarters, but as a road-going vehicle it doesn't appear very aerodynamic.

Perhaps this little guy is another satisfied Walmart shopper. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Another entry in our "best use of a vehicle for a sign" contest is this 1954 Ford panel truck spotted in Cedar Point, N.C. The owner says it goes by the nickname, Miss Fannie. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This is a story of the Outback. How about this? An Outback pulled by an Outback parked at the Outback. Never happen, right? (Photo by Brad Hennig

The Bed Bug enters our contest for best use of a car to advertise a business. A novel idea that certainly catches the eye. Almost as good as the barbecue restaurant in Georgia that uses a Bug as an outdoor cooker. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

We must ask, is this the new woody? Perhaps the owner of this car has an aversion to paint?

It's been a cold winter, but it still might prove wise to check the depth of the ice before driving your two-ton pickup onto the lake.

We were unable to discover how much "rent" this jewel of pickup truck commands. But we don't expect to have to wait in line for this northern California rental car gem. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This guy must be a prolific hunter or a taxidermist advertising his work.

This is a bad sign. A Mercedes-Benz hood ornament has gained some freakish "hair" in the form of snow and ice, a sign that old man winter has arrived with all his fury.

Mark Madson, known for his bizarre automotive creations, restored a 1959 Chevrolet pickup and with the help of a crane placed it 30 feet in the air in a tree near his house in 1994. It has been featured on Ripley's Believe It or Not and is an attraction along highway 43 about six miles east of Beloit, Wis.

Spotted in a shopping center parking lot a "two-story" pickup. Someone used left-over lumber and somewhat suspect ingenuity to turn this old Dodge Dakota pickup into a moving van of sorts. (Photos by Jim Meachen)

It might prove advantageous to follow this wine truck around for awhile.

It's only fair

Don't throw out those old beads filling the attic, make use of them. This  "B Dazle" 'd car was found at a street market in Roanoke, Va. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

We can only speculate, but this guy probably got caught in New Jersey traffic near McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst joint bases (Photo by Ralph Gable)

Don't abandon your old pickup, make use of it to advertise your business such as this strawberry farm on the northern coast of California. (Photos by Jim Meachen)

A bird comes out of its "home," a wheelwell on a sport utility vehicle to perhaps check the weather. Looks sunny. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

A candidate for the "Best Use of an Automobile in a Business Sign" is this "cooker" at Beetles BBQ in Woodstock, Ga. They have great ribs.  Don't know if they were cooked in a Volkswagen. (Photo by Jim Meachen)
 

Someone used considerable imagination to construct this head-turning Halloween display in central Virginia. It didn't hurt that they had a rusted-out Dodge vehicle from the mid-20s as the base for their "haunted truck." (Photos by Jim Meachen)

Does this monstrosity have a reverse gear? Someone had plenty of time on their hands, time to weld two old 1980s era Chrysler Corp. minivan front ends together. Seen near Newark, N.J. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Riding in the clouds. An advertising sign seen in eastern N.C. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

These 1963 Ford Galaxie "zombie cars" were found on a rural road near Portland, Ore. The "zombies" are stripped of their headlights (eyes), engines (heart) and dashboards (soul) and make a very interesting display for passers-by. What's the deal with these cars and several others parked around the yard? There was nobody on the premises and we were left wondering. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

A candidate for "Best Use of Car in a Christmas Scene"