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5 vehicles that are guaranteed to turn heads

Antje Binder eg
September 30, 2016

It usually takes millions of dollars to develop new car models. But some car enthusiasts have done it with their own means, reflecting their own personal tastes. Here are five impressive designs.

Fahrradi
Image: DW

It looks like a Ferrari, but sometimes even pedestrians outpace it. It's called Fahrradi, a play on the German word for bicycle, "Fahrrad." As the name suggests, the car isn't driven by a high-powered engine, but rather bicycle pedals.

The Fahrradi, presumably the raciest pedal car in the world, was revealed in 2012 as part of an automobile show. The Austrian artist Hans Langeder wanted to offer a humorous comment on society's obsession with speed.

He built a special bicycle frame and covered it with cardboard, plastic sheets and tape, painted everything in red and added a lighting system. His inspiration for the body of his vehicle was the supercar Enzo Ferrari.

However, instead of reaching over 350 km/h (over 217 mph) like the original model, the pedal-powered car rolls at about three to five km/h - depending on how determined its driver is. A special mechanism makes it even slower than a normal bicycle: Only a part of the pedals' force is transmitted to the wheels - a masterpiece of intentional deceleration.

The artist also added gull-wing doors, controlled by a bicycle-chain mechanism. They can open and close while the car is being driven. The complete name of the car, Fahrradi Farfalla FFX, refers to this special feature, as "farfalla" means butterfly in Italian.

In Austria, the Fahrradi can be legally driven on normal roads. With its extra width, all drivers in its vicinity will also have to learn to slow down.

The gallery above reveals other self-built cars that are guaranteed to grab everyone's attention.

The "Fahrradi Farfalla FFX": Slowest sports car on the road

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