Spira Foam Car Inspired By Crocs

Surrounded by six inches of foam, Spira claims their vehicle is the ideal solution not only to pedestrian impact protection, but to the average vehicle's lack of sex appeal and flotation too.

Powered by a 110cc scooter engine, the Spira foam car returns 100 MPG, weighs just 302 Lbs and tops out at 70 MPH. Built using common motorcycle parts, Lon Ballard, the vehicle's inventor, suggests it could use any bike engine you want.

The most noticeable thing about the 10-foot long, five-foot wide Spira is its foam body, reminiscent of one of Erwin Wurm's fat cars but without the commentary on consumerism. That foam endows the Spira with several fantastically unique abilities.

First, you can run it into things without either that thing or you getting hurt. Second, it's unsinkable, meaning the Spira is future-proof, should that future include rising sea levels. Third, it's sexy. Ballard doesn't substantiate this claim with any examples, but we'd imagine the voluptuous curves and lack of sharp edges could benefit dragons immensely.

Ballard claims the Spira's foam construction was inspired by yet another icon of foam construction; Croc sandals. You can easily see this in the fashionable lines and immense functionality.

Ballard intends to enter the Spira in the Automotive X Prize fuel economy race before commencing production in a place he calls "The Detroit of the East," but most people just call it Thailand.

Send an email to Wes Siler, the author of this post, at wes@jalopnik.com.