Phnom Penh's No 1 Ladies Taxi Scooter Agency

In Cambodia's capital, motorbike taxis are everywhere - but it's extremely rare to see women drivers transporting tourists. Those who do are judged harshly. Meet the young entrepreneur trying to change that.

Benjamin Bowden's Spacelander

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It was 1946, and Benjamin Bowden had a spark of inspiration. Just by sitting down in my office and thinking about it, I said to myself I should select a product that had not been made before, he stated. As a result, he designed and assembled a bike that he called the Classic, later changing it to the more appropriate name, the Spacelander.

Advertisement Posters Of Russian Automobiles From The 1950s And '60s

The automotive industry in the Soviet Union spanned the history of the state from 1929 to 1991. It started with the establishment of large car manufacturing plants and reorganisation of the AMO Factory in Moscow in the late 1920s–early 1930s, and continued until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991.

Before its disintegration, the Soviet Union produced 2.1-2.3 million units per year of all types, and was the sixth largest automotive producer, ranking ninth place in cars, third in trucks, and first in buses.

The Golden Sahara II By Jim Street

The Golden Sahara II was a custom car made by Jim Street. Here it is seen on a June 25, 1962 broadcast of I've Got a Secret.



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(via Nag on the Lake)

The Fastest Ship In The World

The Francisco is the world's first high-speed ferry that uses liquefied natural gas as primary fuel. The ship can carry 1,000 passengers and 150 cars while surpassing 58 knots.



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Boeing Moves Massive Airplane Parts

See how Boeing's Long Load Crew moves spars and stringers over 30 meters long for the Boeing 777, 767, and 747. The steer car is attached to the back of a long truck that hauls large structural components for wings about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Boeing's Fabrication facility in Frederickson, Wash. to its factory in Everett.



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(thanks Cora)

Honda's Self-Balancing Riding Assist Technology

Honda has unveiled a well-balanced piece of motorcycle technology designed to help riders stay in the saddle at low speeds. The Riding Assist concept bike has an adjustable front fork that assumes a wider angle to increase stability and its own motor attached to the front wheel.

As anyone who's ever tried to maneuver a big bike out of a parking lot at low speed knows, keeping balance at 2 or 3 miles an hour is one of the trickiest aspects of riding.



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The Aircraft That Carry Planes, Tanks, And Soldiers

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The C-5M Super Galaxy is Lockheed Martin's latest version of its C-5, first flown in 1968. With a monster cargo bay, longer than the entire distance of the Wright brothers' first flight, it can carry a 280,000-pound load for 2,150 nautical miles, then unload and keep going for 500 more.

In photos: the unseen aircraft that carry planes, tanks, and soldiers.

The Giant Concrete Arrows Across The US

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In the early 1900s, the fastest way to deliver mail was by rail, but there was a machine that could travel faster than trains, and that was, of course, the airplane. There was, however, one major problem: unlike trains that could run all night and on all weather, airplanes could only fly during the day and only when the weather permits.

Flying was still a risky business. This was also the time when there were no GPS, radar or radio guidance. The Post Office came up with a solution - giant, concrete arrows laid on the ground that literally pointed the right direction to the airmail pilots.

A Hypersonic Commercial Plane Prototype

The Paradoxal is a commercial supersonic/hypersonic passenger aircraft concept capable of flying on a sub-orbital parabolic trajectory between distant parts of the globe within hours. It uses a Rotary Ramjet engine as the air-breathing engine and then converts to a rocket to reach a suborbital altitude.

The Paradoxal would thus be able to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney in less than 3 hours and make a gracious suborbital parabolic incursion into space for a fascinating view of the stars and Earth from Space.

11 Foot 8 Inches: The Infamous 'Can Opener' Bridge

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The 11 foot 8 inches bridge, also known as the Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass, located in Durham, North Carolina, United States, has attracted international attention because it frequently tears the roofs off of trucks as they pass under the bridge.

The bridge cannot be raised, because nearby railroad crossings would also have to be raised. Jürgen Henn, who works in a nearby office, mounted a video camera to record the crashes. Since April 2008, he has recorded over 100 crashes.

Cars Of The Future (1948)

This short was released theatrically on May 21, 1948 and featured the cars of the future.



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7 Trains Plowing Through Snow Like It's Nothing

The trains have to run on time, but sometimes a little snow gets in the way. In that case, the only option for a train is to just plow right on through. Here are 7 trains that weren't about to let a little snow stop them.

The Michelin Railcar

image credit YouTube

In the 1930s, Michelin developed the 'Micheline', a rubber-tyred train. Some Michelines were built in the United States by the Budd Company. Michelines offered unprecedented ride smoothness, but they soon proved to be problematic.

The low load that the wheels could bear limited railcar sizes and demanded a high number of tyres (up to 20) per car. The extra complexity of rubber-tyred rolling stock meant that the Michelines were superseded by conventional steel-wheel rolling stock.

How Cars Went From Boxy To Curvy

The big shift from boxy cars in the '80s to curvy cars in the '90s, explained.



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(via Laughing Squid)

Leaded Gas Was A Known Poison The Day It Was Invented

image credit: Don O'Brien

For most of the mid-twentieth century, lead gasoline was considered normal. It wasn't: lead is a poison, and burning it had dire consequences. But how did it get into gasoline in the first place?

The Most Astonishing Pegaso

image credit Car Style Critic

Not many Pegaso automobiles were ever built during the period 1951-57 when the brand was active. Cars were a minor activity of what was essentially a Barcelona based truck manufacturer.

But from 1951 to 1958, they also produced a sports car named the Pegaso Z-102 in both coupé and spider form. The car had a design that was astonishing when it first appeared more than 60 years ago.

How Tyres Work

Cars rely on four small contact patches on their tyres to provide traction through turns, accelerating and braking. People push their cars to the limit, driving in extreme conditions and the tyres need to be able to grip through whatever is thrown at them.

The inportance of having the right type of tyre for your usage is paramount to getting the most out of your vehicle.

The Scout Scarab

image credit: Dave

The Stout Scarab is a 1930–1940s American minivan designed by William Bushnell Stout and manufactured by Stout Engineering Laboratories and later by Stout Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan.

The Stout Scarab is credited by some as the world's first production minivan, and a 1946 experimental prototype of the Scarab became the world's first car with a fiberglass bodyshell and air suspension.

(via Everlasting Blort)

History Of The Land Speed Record

As the Bloodhound SSC goes into production to try and conquer the 1000 mph mark as well as the land speed record at the same time, take a walk down memory lane and check out some of the most significant cars to break the land speed record since 1898.

Infograph by Select Car Leasing.

(thanks Herley)