Bio Diesel Frankenstein Art Car - Lives on French Fry Oil

Womble Truck - Bio Diesel Frankenstein Art Car - Lives on French Fry Oil

The Womble Truck is a bio diesel Frankenstein art car that lives on french fry oil and may very well be one of Britain's most environmentally friendly cars. It was pieced together in a lab from 21 different cars but is capable of reaching speeds up to 80mph...eventually.

The vehicle was cobbled together from an array of car parts including some from a Sixties Morris 1000, Seventies Mini, a Ford, a Reliant Robin, an MG Midget, a Vauxhall Viva and a Volvo 740. This Frankenstein art car is definitely the poster child for budget mod projects.

It was created by sculptor and environmentalist Buzz Knapp-Fisher, who spent the last six years modifying the automobile into an almost carbon-free mode of transport. He spent about $400 on the car and made some modest and cheap adjustments over the years. Artistically speaking it works because even thought he used all kinds of car parts he managed to stay on one side of the color spectrum.

The Womble Truck started out as a gas car but he eventually was converted to run on bio diesel and now runs entirely on french fry oil. It can run on regular diesel and only does so if its too cold to start with bio diesel first. As you can imagine his gas bill is way low. Nice work Buzz and good luck on your next project with the electric car.
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Womble Truck - Bio Diesel Frankenstein Art Car - Lives on French Fry Oil

Womble Truck - Bio Diesel Frankenstein Art Car - Lives on French Fry Oil

Oil: The Creator of Many Fuels

It may not be very surprising that Volvo’s V60 Plug-in Hybrid was originally set to target the European market. North Americans as a whole strongly prefer gasoline powered vehicles over diesel (equipped with diesel fuel pumps and diesel injectors). They also usually prefer SUVs over wagons. But what is the difference between diesel and gasoline, and why do we prefer gas?

There are chemical differences between the two as they are both derived from oil at very different temperatures, but I won’t bore you with that. The main reason that American’s tend to prefer gasoline over diesel, although diesel engines get better gas mileage, is because gasoline burns much cleaner. Diesel engines are also known to be much louder. Because gasoline engines have a low compression ratio they require spark plugs to ignite the fuel. In addition to a spark plug they need electrical support from an electric coil, a distributor, and an alternator. A diesel engine has a much higher compression ratio and creates enough heat to ignite the fuel at injection, therefore eliminating the need of a spark plug and additional electrical support.  Both engines create energy in a four stage process (although differently): the intake stroke, the compression stroke, the combustion stroke, and the exhaust stroke.

In the past years there have been many improvements in diesel technology and it is being used more commonly than it has before. In regards to Volvo’s diesel wagon, they have recently announced the XC60 plug-in hybrid as the gasoline alternative and it will be headed to US markets soon. This vehicle can travel up to 35 miles running on just electricity and is said to get about 100mph in Hybrid mode. What’s more important to you, better gas mileage or lower emissions?

The Mannesmann-Sachs Nivomat! Say What?

A friend of mine told me that his Volvo had a Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat shock.  Now, I know a lot about car parts. I know an ABS Control Module like the back of my hand, which my friend knows nothing about. After I made sure that he just didn’t get back from the dentist and was slurring his words, I decided to look into exactly what this strangely worded shock assembly is all about.  I am assuming my friend is doing the same thing in regards to an ABS Control Module.

The word Nivomat is actually a contraction of two French words, niveau and automatique.  In English, this translates to “level automatic.” Finally! Some words I actually understand.  Basically, the Nivomat does exactly what its English translation says it does.  It is a compact device that automatically levels out the vehicle.  So, when the back of your Volvo station wagon is full of all your kids’ really heavy soccer gear, your car will not sag in the back.  This will give you a smoother ride, keep your eyes on the road instead of the skies, and avoid looking like a low-rider.

The Nivomat shock assembly combines all the common components of a shock assembly; springs, struts, and shock absorber into one small housing.  The energy required to adjust the height comes from relative movements between the axle and the vehicle body while driving.  No electric engine or motor is required. After a few miles of driving the car will rise to optimum height. If the road is bumpy then the Nivomat adjusts to a higher level, for greater ground clearance.  That’s one clever Nivomat.

This type of suspension can be found mostly in European vehicles, cars that carry heavy loads, and trailer hauling vehicles.  So, the next time you’re in your friends Volvo, Saab, or Jaguar and their car is sagging in the rear you can be helpful. Instead of making a crude joke about them having “too much junk in their trunk,” you can politely tell them to have their Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat checked out.

The Fin Car by Bill Lockner

the fin car

Bill Lockner’s car is a 1979 Volvo that has been enhanced and rebuilt using scrap yard metal, and car parts that were bound for the landfill. “It started out stock,” Lockner explains, “and as time went by, things got added to it.” These things include truck fenders, the back end of a Rambler, and a fin. “[The Fin Car] was an idea to use up and change a car that to me represented soccer moms in the ‘70s,” Lockner says. “Every soccer mom had a ‘79 Volvo.” Lockner’s car features a removable fin, naturally, and is fully operational. He has driven his car to art car festivals throughout Washington, and regularly services his car to keep it running for everyday use. “What I like about it is that it makes me laugh,” Lockner says. “Wherever I go, when I drive it, it makes me laugh.” Lockner has owned five or six art cars over the years, and currently has another that’s a work in progress. His newest car project is a 1975 Gremlin that Lockner hopes to turn into a kinetic sculpture.

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Volvo revealed performance version Volvo S60 car

Volvo has revealed the performance version of Volvo S60 flagship sedan is also called as the Performance Project which uses two partnerships within Volvo family Polestar and Heico.

The Volvo S60 car is powered with turbocharged 3.0L engine system produces 325 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque which has an increase of 25 hp and 29 lb-ft of torque. The engine software upgrade comes from Volvo racing arm Polestar.

The Volvo S60 Performance Project has been lowered by 15mm. The car features sports suspension with monotube damping on rear, stiffer springs and bushings are stiffer when compared with dynamic chassis in the regular S60 models. The car also has unique 19-inch Heico wheels and exhaust system to further accentuate S60 great engine note. The Heico wheels are shod with Pirelli tyres.

The Volvo S60 Performance Project has R Design interior sports seats with firmer side bolstering, leather clad three spoke steering wheels, dials with blue surrounds and aluminium ridged pedals.

10 Great Ways To Paint a Volvo - Volvo getting in on the art car bandwagon

Volvo Art Car by Lowrider

Volvo is the latest company to get in on the art car band wagon along with BMW, Tesla and many others.

Last February at a rail station in Zurich ten groups of Swiss street artists painted and repainted Volvo S60 and canvas. It took five days to record the event with a camera mounted across from the exhibit that took a photo of the artists’ accomplishments every five seconds. The video by the way is fantastic. Over a period of five days approximately 35,000 commuters got a chance to see these graffiti street artist work their craft on a volvo art car.

One of the artist took advantage of the time-lapse photography and made their project into a very humporous stop-motion animation

“Our intentions with this art project was to express and emphasize in a creative and innovative way the design of the Volvo S60,” said Volvo Cars Switzerland president Anouk Poelmann.

The cars turned out great but its too bad they had to paint over each peace, it would have been great to see each of these art cars out on the road turning heads.

Volvo Art Car by Donovan, Onu and wes 21

Volvo Art Car by Blackyard

Volvo Art Car by Daim

Volvo Art Car by Nevercrew

Volvo Art Car by Sukibamboo

Volvo Art Cr by C-Line

Art by Yummy Industries

Volvo Art Car by Pius Portmann

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Lightning McQueen Volvo Rally Art Car

If you were 3 years old, what car do you want your parents to own? It's not an easy question to ask a 3 year old as there answers are limited. However, Lightning McQueen surely has to be one of the top. And, if you need a sporty looking vehicle to base your Lightning McQueen on - what would you choose? A Volvo 740 of course.

In this case, three grown adults made the car of their dreams, apparently. A Volvo 740 plucked from obscurity that had spent its life driving round the UK's home counties, was now made into an art car. And driven across Europe repeatedly on our events.

I've never actually worked out what the motivation to make this car was, apart from further capitalising on a Cars dvd they had obviously bought.

You may be wondering whether there are any similarities between this car and a real sports car. There aren't.

However, the side effect of being the proud owner of Lightning McQueen meant that the owner was constantly bugged by their kids to take them to school in Lightning, which included half the kids from the neighbourhood. As the owner lamented one day, we can do the school run in a brand new Mercedes, or Lightning. Lightning won every time.

So there we have it. How to impress your children. Make Lightning McQueen.

By Justin Clements Street Safari