Would you drive one of these?

Apparently, VW is reviving this program, with a cost of materials at about $6,500 per car:
http://seriouswheels.com/cars/top-vw-1-liter-car.htm

It will sell big time but get fire insurance....once the magnesium chassis lights "youz ain't gonna put it out".

Cory - that car has some similarities with the car the VW Design Team entered in the Manufacturers Soap Box Derby a couple of years back. They hold this event just around the corner from me on a nice downhill course. I have other pics in my photo file from this race.

Kinda cool in a 'geeky' sort of way!!

I liked the VW Scoote better it was a 3 wheeler. and a single pasanger vehecle.

There are two active threads out there right now about gas leaks, and we are talking magnesium bodies? I'm outta here!

Crash resistance!!!?? What sort of weed do they smoke over in Deutchland? Does the phrase "Hasta la vista, baby." mean anything to you? 100 km/liter is about 62 mi/qt or 240 MPG!!! Holy gasahol, Batman! The only way to do better is to pedal a bike. They do not really show two people in this thing. As I see the seats, I am reminded of a two man bobsled. Hope they have positive ventilation, and a life-time supply of breath mints.

Still, it would be nice if people would actually drive something like this. I love the minimalism.

I had a sportbike with a magnesium engine block, I never heard of one catching fire. Would be fun to watch if it did.

Stephan - it would look like there was a miniature 'sun' burning in the middle of what used to be your motorcycle!

Well, if EVERYBODY rode around in one of these little cocoons, and there were seperate highways for trucks, busses and the like, then MAYBE this would work. And folks have been running MAG (as in magnesium) wheels for a long while. How many of those have combusted, one might wonder. And Jimbo is right as can be: once "involved" (I guess that is a Fireman's term -- Cory??) a mag fire will impress you like no other. I think they may put this stuff (shavings) in fireworks.

Big difference between magnesium alloy and just plain magnesium. As in Type 1 engine cases (mag alloy) and type 4 engine cases (aluminum alloy). If either one were pure metal, neither one would be worth a hoot. Sorta like air is an alloy; we need the oxygen to breath, but 80% of what we inhale is nitrogen, which would quickly suffocate us in pure form. Where the hell is this going . . ?

David - you retired guys have WAAAY too much time to think this stuff up! COOL!

Believe me Jim, I'd much rather be doin' than just thinkin'. The doin' has slowed way down, but unfortunately the thinkin' goes on adnausium. As the song says, "I'm way too young to be this old!"

David - are you back in SoCal (San Diego) for the winter?

If you are, I'll scare up a few SOC'er to run down to your neck of the woods and have you lead us through some of the roads around Julian/Palomar or wherever! I bet even BillBecket in Carlsbad and Larry Bull would join us. Heck we might even go by and harass, oops, I mean holler 'Wassupp' to Esther and Grant if they are in town and not out traveling the RV scene!