Click above for high-res gallery of the Splinter Wooden Supercar

When we first reported on the Splinter, we thought that the students at North Carolina State University had no intentions of building the unique wooden supercar. Apparently, we were wrong. As much of the interior and exterior of the car as possible is made from good ole' fashioned wood, including the frame, wheels and little pieces such as the steering wheel. Specifically, the body shell is a composite, like fiberglass or carbon fiber. Much of the external skin, while still wood, is actually a weave and is coated in an epoxy. While it should prove to be plenty strong, we don't imagine that building a car with this particular process results in a car which is all that light. Still, nobody is going to argue that this car isn't renewable.

There is at least one part of the car that's not made from wood: the drivetrain. A twin-supercharged Northstar V8 engine will power the car and a 6-speed tranny will send the power to the rear wheels - suspended of course on transverse leaf springs made from laminated wood.

For some cool pictures of the process, check out Autoblog's gallery: Splinter Wooden Supercar - the build

[Source: Building the Splinter via Jalopnik via Autoblog]

This is the second vehicle that we've shown you which is made almost entirely of biomass. The first one was undoubtedly cool and used hemp materials for the bodywork. That car ran on ethanol and would be a first class ride for the right person, and it was capable of 150 miles per hour. This one, on the other hand, is made entirely of wood. The source article does not mention if it was nailed, screwed of glued together... maybe all three. I would not recommend such high speeds in it, which is alright 'cause it's probably not capable of them anyway. Well, maybe rolling down a hill with one heck of a tail wind! Anyway, the idea of actually driving a car of wood is rather scary, I don't think I'd do it. That other biomass car, the Eco One, would look absolutely perfect in my driveway!

[Source: Gizmodo via Jalopnik]

I'm not really sure what to say about this car. I guess I'll start by admitting that this is not really a "green" car, I am posting about it anyway, because I thought you might like it. I am not sure if this car is really wood under the wooden "scales" that adorn the outer skin, and I can't understand the owner in the video either. But, if the car were made mostly of wood, then this would be sustainable, right? Just kidding!

From the owner: "What do I know? If one loves cars, he can make everything. People find me weird, and ask me how can I do it. But, how can I not? If you like something, then you can make anything. It wouldn't be very good to stay in the rain, but it can't do much harm to the car."

[Source:Automotoportal via Hugg]