Thursday, January 15, 2015

Steamed!



Remember the movie and television show, "Wild, Wild West"? I was surprised about the bad reviews, because it seemed to me that the premise of a highly developed Victorian steam-powered alt-future was a far more interesting scenario than the existence of superheroes or zombie/werewolf hordes, as fictional realms go.  It did have legs, though, as "steampunk" became a thing.








 


Who  knows if that inspired the Pagani supercar designer in Italy, but in 2012 they debuted their "Huayra," a $1.6 million, 720 h.p. mid-engined V-12 monster that looks like it came from a very different future than a Toyota would evolve into.

The Huayra is featured in videogames and has been covered by the media, like other supercars, but this one is distinctively described as a "steampunk jet aircraft."  A look at the interior gauges and controls makes that clear.  Wearing a Flash Gordon helmet while in the driver's seat seems quite appropriate.

I saw a handmade car that looked like a rocket Mr. Gordon would be familiar with on "American Pickers," I think.  Now if you had a well-equipped shop, along with the time and funds, wouldn't it be even more fun to make your own steampunk car?  Restored collectibles are nice, but that would be, to use a very non-Victorian adjective, awesome.













 




 

1 comment:

  1. I like the leather seats but not sure about that cup holder between your legs. That would steam me up.

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