- 1933 Dymaxion
- 2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 6×6
- 1962 Peel P50
- 1947 Norman Timbs Special
- 1921 Leyat Helica
We think we know cars and for the most part, we do, but that doesn’t prevent us from being surprised by some of the weirdest cars to ever hit the roads. Many of these cars never made it to production, or if they did, it wasn’t for very long. These automotive oddities were often created to fill a specific need, which they did rather well. Unfortunately, filling this need was to the detriment of the rest of what many drivers wanted in a car. Here are five of the weirdest cars you probably have never heard of before now.
1933 Dymaxion
1933 Dymaxion | Wikimedia Commons
Dymaxion was more than just a car; it was a way of life. Buckminster Fuller coined the word and invented several Dymaxion items. These included a house, a map, and a sleep schedule with four naps per day. While some might feel they need those four naps, the 1933 Dymaxion was an interesting car. This was one of the weirdest cars ever made, riding on three wheels with a rearward tilt. The rear-mounted Ford V8 was a great feature, but otherwise, this car was seriously strange. MotorTrend tells us only three of these cars were ever made. One was wrecked, another scrapped, and the third became a chicken coop before it was restored.
2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 6×6
2013 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 6×6 | Mercedes-Benz
What happens when you take a G-Wagen to the next level? You get one of the weirdest cars ever made. While extremely useful, the Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 6×6 was not a practical option for many drivers. This monstrous G-Wagen turned pickup truck rides on six big stonkin’ wheels and uses an incredible 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that pumps out 536 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque. The added hardware makes this off-road brute extremely heavy, but that doesn’t stop it from hitting 60 mph in only 7.8 seconds. Why is this a weird car? This monster is great on an open desert but impractical on most public roads.
1962 Peel P50
Peel P50 | Wikimedia Commons
The Peel P50 serves one purpose in its life; it was the Guinness World Record holder as the smallest production car. This tiny machine weighed only 123 pounds and used three wheels. This setup and small weight make it a front-runner for the strangest car ever made. The Peel P50 didn’t come with a reverse gear, but at this light weight, some owners could lift it up and turn it around to go forward. Stranger still than this tiny and light car is that someone paid $176,000 for the P50 at a Sotheby’s auction. The Peel P50 is still in production, but modern versions come with a reverse gear and other items that come with a modern car.
1947 Norman Timbs Special
1947 Norman Timbs Special | Wikimedia Commons
The Norman Timbs Special might be one of the weirdest cars ever made, but the sleek style makes it a car many would love to drive. This low-slung topless sports car includes a front-mounted cockpit with curves that lead to a long rear end, giving this car an elongated raindrop shape. Timbs was an Indy racking engineer and made this car with a Buick Straight 8 engine in the rear of the car. That makes this car pretty cool. Can a weird car be a cool car? The 1947 Norman Timbs Special answers in the affirmative.
1921 Leyat Helica
1921 Leyat Helica | Wikimedia Commons
What do you design when you think cars are too heavy and lack aerodynamics? You build a lightweight car that can cut through the are like a hot knife through butter. Marcel Leyat created a propeller-driving car that could have taken flight had it included wings. This was one of the strangest cars ever made, but 30 models were built, and 23 of those were sold. This car featured a lightweight, streamlined plywood boy that tipped the scales at 550 pounds. The Leyat Helica recorded a speed of 106 mph in 1927, which is pretty good from an 18-horsepower Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine.
What do you think of these weird cars?
Next, check out the top five Aston Martin cars of all time, or see more of the weirdest cars ever made in this video below:
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Keyword: 5 of the Weirdest Cars You Never Knew Existed