One Lap of the Web: The Weird World of Wheels

-- Introducing the greatest television show you've never heard of: "Operation: Mystery!" Imagine if the "X-Files" took place in 1960s Japan, and had its own cool custom car the heroes rolled around in: the Tortoise, a pudgy little thing that resembled the unholy combination of an Opel GT and a Dustbuster. It was bulletproof (not really), had gullwing doors (really) and was based on a Subaru 360 (really!). Sadly, its whereabouts are unknown, and it might have disappeared into the ether along with the UFOs its heroes probably investigated. I want to believe.

-- Watch a bunch of Dutchmen do cool things with cars. "What things?" you may ask, assuming that the epitome of Dutch car culture begins at the humble DAF and ends with a couple of Ford Mustangs. Well, these guys shortened a Volkswagen Golf (that they bought for 25 Euros) to Funny Car proportions, then welded on some circular roll hoops -- so they can do stoppies and roll the entire car back onto its wheels, bouncing merrily away, to the breathless excitement of the narrator. The folks at MSN thoughtfully included subtitles so we may understand the incoherent ramblings of the Dutch and their made-up language.

-- The Milles Pattes Citro

By Blake Z. Rong