Our more astute readers may have noticed this interesting fact already: chess pieces and Hot Wheels (or Matchbox, or similar) cars are both small, solid objects that can be held easily in one hand. I’ve confirmed this with a double-blind study. This fact leads to one question: what cars would be what chess pieces?
This is a trickier question that you might initially suspect; you need cars that are visually distinct, yet manage to convey just enough of the character of the chess piece to make sense in its role.
Here’s a quick example set:
Pawns: Original 1968 Hot Wheels Custom Beetle
Rook: Jeep CJ-7
Knight: Toyota 2000 GT
Bishop: Cockney Cab II
Queen: Citroën SM (Matchbox)
King: Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (1958)
Something like that. But you’ll do better. So let’s see what you come up with!
DISCUSSION
Pawns: You need something that’s fine for short trips, but the unintended acceleration gives you the veer off to the side attack!
Toyota Camry
Rook: You need something good for straight lines
Ford Mustang Cobra Jet
Knight: Needs to be good at taking corners
Ariel Atom/Nissan GT-R
Bishop: It’s all about the angles
Lamborghini Reventon
Queen: Needs to be a jack of all trades, and sexy to boot!
McLaren P1
King: Only good for short trips, similar to the Pawns, but costs much more!
Bugatti Veyron!!