We've been tossing around the idea of wood cars for a while, but not until now has an ambitious group really wanted to test the limits of wood by creating a performance car out of cellulose products derived from trees. Joe Harmon and his NC State comrades have developed and begun the initial phases of production of the appropriately named "Splinter," a wood car capable of—hang on to your pine cones—240 mph.

Based on what Harmon told Ananova, it just seems that the kid has a woody, for um, wood. He calls the miracle substance, which of course was the basic ingredient in transportation engineering for a millennium and a half, a "truly amazing material" and continues to elaborate on the "look, feel and smell of natural wood." At least he does mention that wooden cars taking to the road is a pretty farfetched idea. Good job being a realist, Harmon. Or maybe I should say naturalist. [Ananova]

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