The Snail Car

Photo: Emily Lang

Behold The Golden Mean, a "snail car" created by blacksmith John Sarriugarte and his wife Krysten Mate of Form & Reform shop from a 1966 Volkswagen Bug:

"I woke up and said, 'We have to build this giant snail,'" she said. "It totally wasn't planned. This whole project has been weird coincidences and math."

The visually stunning vehicle takes its name from the golden ratio, a mathematical proportion that's said to produce aesthetically pleasing art and architecture. The spiral in the snail's shell is shockingly close to the ratio. Other inspirations for the project include the giant pink snail from Doctor Dolittle, giant mechanical elephant puppets by Royal de Luxe and Jules Verne's imaginative creations.

Emily Lang of Wired has the neat story: http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/08/math-strange-dr.html