Cool Stuff Designed by Car Manufacturers

Car manufacturers are a crazy bunch. Not content with designing the next Bugatti Veyron, they’ve even ventured into fashion, stationary, music – and would you believe, furniture.

Check out some of their crazy creations below. This post appeared originally in Car Magazine UK, with the exception of the two Lexus inventions.

1) Lexus Hoverboard

 

A new type of skateboard, that hovers on a specially designed track. You’ve got to watch this 5 minute video into the creation of the board, to appreciate the immense technology crammed into its bamboo frame.

 

2) Lexus Mountain Bike

An aesthetically appealing bike, that’s comfortable in the mountain track or the city. The NXB’s front forks feature inverted suspension developed by KYB, a company that also provided suspension for the Lexus LFA supercar. The rigid, inverted suspension of the NXB’s front forks absorb any vibrations.

 

3) Ferrari Pencil Case

 

Maranello knows a thing or two about rinsing its brand for all its worth – you may have noticed the explosion of Ferrari Stores at the world’s more urbane airports. Back to school shopping just went into 5th gear!

 

4) The Mazda Sofa

Apparently inspired by the CX-3 crossover, the sofa looks great, as long as you don’t have to sit on it.

 

5) The Lamborghini Blazer

Lamborghini is collaborating with the Italian d’Avenza Fashion tailoring brand and showed this hand-cut jacket at a fashion show in Florence in June 2015, complete with silk-yarn finished buttons. We’re not sure if the flaps lift up at speed to aid cooling.

6) Ford Sailing Boat

Influenced by Ford’s new GT supercar, this boat is crafted in carbon-fibre. Not sure if it comes in eco-boost mode.

 

7) Ford Guitar

Ford’s guitar is made from alluminium and wood, and the paint is incidentally the same as the GT show car.

That’s it for now! What other non-car items have you seen made by a car manufacturer? I know my wife is crazy over the Ferrari handbags. As long as she doesn’t ask me to get her the car 🙂