And the engine was more or less complete, too. You don't see a whole lot of these in the junkyard, and I admit that thoughts of a sleeper government-issue, refrigerator-white Taurus (or, better yet, Sable) had me tempted to grab that little 220-horse DOHC Yamaha beauty. Imagine the fun of torque-steering your way into trouble, back out of it, and then lurching back into trouble... and that's just getting out of your driveway! I ended up passing on this engine, since of course I need to save my pennies for my Econoline Dekotora project. But still, good to know it's possible to do a junkyard-swap sleeper Taurus.

When I was a young NorCal proto-hoon yearning for my first set of internal-combustion wheels, my peers and I figured a clean 350 Chevelle was the best we could reasonably hope for, and a fine aspiration that was. Over in the UK, however, our English counterparts were jonesing for Yamaha FS1-E sports mopeds as their barely-obtainable dream vehicle (well, if Captain Slow is to be believed, that is). As Mr. May puts it in his column, the FS1-E was 'the world's best example of marketing opportunism in the face of a legislative loophole,' providing cheap, reasonably quick wheels to 16-year-olds, who were otherwise prohibited from riding motorcycles. Sadly, May never actually obtained his FS1-E, but he finally had a chance to ride one. Read all about it in his Telegraph column. – Murilee Martin

As seen on TV: All I want for Christmas 1977 [Telegraph.co.uk]

Related:
Captain Slow Goes 407.4 Kilometers Per Hour! [internal]

Transportation design student Axel Dichamp dubbed this dadaesque scooter prototype "Ploof," which could be an onomatopoeic approximation of the sound made when its image smacks against the optic nerve. Dichamp's idea was to create a Yamaha two-wheeler for adult consumers concerned with comfort. The result is a motorcycle that wouldn't look out of place parked inside a public library. The seating perch is an honest-to-goodness mid-century-modern chair, four legs and all, while the base appears to have been influenced by personal watercraft and superbikes. We had this dream too, only Jimmie "Dyn-o-mite!" Walker was at the controls, and he may have been eating cantelope. – Mike Spinelli

College Exhibition: IAAD - Yamaha Project [Car Design News]

Related:
The Fhybrid Scooter: Hydrogen Powered Hybrid Power [internal]

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Swapping superbike engines into weird, little European cars makes us giddier than the Ladies Auxiliary on casserole night. This time, the car is a Goggomobil and the engine is from a Yamaha FZR1000. The Gogglomobil, about as well known on these shores as the collected works of Heinz von Lichberg, is a post-war microcar once offered with a 250cc engine and an electric transmission that could manage about 45 mph with a tailwind. But oh, what a little tweaking can do. The donor car for this project, a 1961 model, enjoyed a ground-up rebuild that culminated in it being a serious runner, despite its derby-like comportment. It's all backed up by copious video and digicam chronicling, too. [Thanks to Daniel for the tip.]

Top-Fuel Goggolmobil

Related:
Turbo 'Busa Rear-Drive Mini [internal]

Whither the mad inventors? Right hither. Part motorcycle, part four-wheeler, the Type 1 prototype was influenced by Star Wars speeder bikes, Japanese manga and Elf enclosed-motorcycle prototypes of the 1990s. Its builder, an automotive engineer, set out seven years ago to create a new automotive construct for urban areas. Drawing on a combination of digital and real-world modeling, he fabricated the result primarily using common shop tools. Powered by a 1990 Yamaha FZR 600 cc liquid-cooled, DOHC engine, fed by Mikuni carburetors (stage 3 jets), producing around 91 hp, linked to a six-speed tranny, the rear-drive Type 1's wheels are set at 60-degree angles and offers (for what it's worth) integrated side-impact protection.

Phueled

Related:
What Hath Moonraker Wrought? Why, the Volkswagen GX3! [internal]