 | | | | |
| |
 | |
What's all this about bashing cars? Whether it's down at the local scrapyard or in a space-age workshop, people all over the country are trying to transform the humble car into – well, just about anything. | |
 | |
| |  | | Adapting and converting cars for fun has been a big hit for television. Everyone's favourite, Channel 4's Scrapheap Challenge, has spawned a host of exciting off-shoots over the airwaves and on the internet. An American version called Junkyard Wars has been warmly received by fans of metal madness. Salvage Squad shows how much armchair enthusiasts love to see old machines being restored. And now Monster Garage sets another challenge as we see Cookie and the gang working against the clock to transform lovely motors into freakish gadget machines. | |
 | |
| | All these shows have encouraged ordinary people to have a go too. Scrapyards and fabrication shops across the country have been bashing, smashing, welding and melding all sorts of contraptions together for county shows or just for fun. Give your average farmer a welder and some scrap, and watch out village fête! Even if you don't go in for something completely monstrous, there's still a mass market in general conversion. One-way systems in the UK were built for the low-slung converted Vauxhall Nova to race around on a Friday night. Magazines and chain stores now exist which are packed with everything from UV underlighters to LED washer nipples. Full body kit? 'ave it! | |  | |
 | |
| |  | | On the serious development side, some new adaptations are becoming real contenders for the future. Among these cutting edge vehicles is the amazing Moller Skycar. It's capable of vertical takeoff and landing just like a Harrier Jump Jet. Designated the M400, this fantastic machine should cruise at 350mph in the air and still manage a decent mpg. It's still being tested but so far trials have been successful. The company believes that 'the automobile is only an interim step on our evolutionary path to independence from gravity'. What a brilliant idea. | |
 | |
| |  | | Moving in the other direction, Subeo has made the first commercial underwater sports car: the Gemini. After that James Bond movie it just had to be done. Gemini can be driven by its joystick along a road and is completely capable of riding underwater as well. The two-seater subcar uses sophisticated fly-by-wire technology, and has everything from life support systems to surface buoyancy tanks. It's a complete private recreational sub that can take you down to 50 metres below the surface. | |
 | |
| | So if you're gripped by the TV shows, why not move on and create your own manic monsters, customise a standard-issue Metro with add-ons, or get your hands on one of the latest space-age developments? The future has four wheels and there's something for everyone. Top of page | |  | |
