US YouTuber turned this obscure three-wheeler EV into a train and it looks as weird as it sounds

A US man managed to convert an unusual-looking car into an even more unusual-looking train. 

Motorbike YouTuber Matt Spears got hold of a Spira – a three-wheel electric micro-car that you’ve probably never heard of. 

While you may never have heard of the Spira, it’s a pretty interesting little vehicle.

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The unusual EV has bodywork that is 90% foam

Designed with a heavy focus on safety, the Spira’s bodywork is 90% foam, meaning it’s very lightweight – 137kg (302lbs) and can even float, as Spears demonstrates in a clip he shared online. 

This foam contains millions of air cells that work a bit like teeny airbags in case of an accident. It offers protection for the car’s occupants as well as cyclists or pedestrians who are out on the streets. 

The Spira, which was invented by Lon Ballard and designed to be used on the roads of Southeast Asia, has a fuel efficiency of more than 100mpg. 

All well and good, but how would it look as a train? 

That’s the thought that pushed Spears to transform the cute little Spira into something that can run along a track. 

It didn’t take too much work to turn the three-wheeler into a train

He used a ‘bunch of go-kart parts’ and some aluminum to craft a front axel that could have train-style wheels mounted onto it. 

Spears then made some extended suspension mounts so that the rear track was wide enough to roll down the railway track without becoming stuck, and added some extra guide wheels to the back. 

With that done, Spears gave it a go and took the newly redesigned Spira out onto an abandoned railway track to test his handiwork. 

It all starts off OK, as it gets moving without a hitch. 

“Alright, I’m pushing through the bounce,” he said in the clip. 

“Whoa! I can feel it like we’re going on a turn right now and it goes straight, then it bounces. It’s really scary.”

But his good luck came to an abrupt end after the car’s wheels became stuck, as Spears admitted that he may ‘have some damage’.

Spears took the vehicle back to his shop and gave it a thorough patch-up before returning to the tracks where it traveled smoothly along. Nicely done. 

If bizarre DIY jobs are your kind of thing, then check out what happened when this guy put horse and carriage wheels on a Dodge Challenger. 

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