Car-bon Miles Trabant Pedal-Car

Jamie McCartney's pedal-powered Trabant

With the help of the Volks Electric Railway engineers, artist Jamie McCartney has ripped the two-stroke engine out of this Trabant and converted it to pedal-power. Despite being one of the 'most polluting vehicles on the planet ', the Eastern-block classic also has more recycled fibre content than the hemp Lotus. As Jamie puts it: "the East-Germans used whatever they could get their hands on to make the bodywork: old bits of cloth, papier mache, whatever."

'Hemp My Ride'

Jamie and his engineer have done a fantastic job of coupling the two recumbant bicycles to the drive-train. The car is surprisingly easy to ... er... ride, as the twist-grip gears help you to get the significant weight moving. Once you're up to speed (we managed about 15mph in my short test-cycle), the momentum means you can cruise up and down the sea-front with ease. This exquisitely turned out model comes complete with solar-powerd lights, hessian and astroturf upholstery, and a custom internal roof, painted to look like the sky for that free-wheeling convertible feeling.

The Car-bon Miles team would have been clear winners of the Kick the Carbon Habit challenge if they'd hadn't given up when they hit the first hill out of Brighton.

Lotus Eco Elise Hemp Concept

See it in action at the Revolve Eco-Rally 2009

Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2010 Vehicles

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