The wonderfully wacky world of wheels

The car cooker: This was another domestically inclined auto. Robert Martin took out a patent on his brainchild -- a cook stove under the passenger seat. He routed the exhaust pipe from the engine around the oven and the radiated heat cooked his dinner. Martin promoted the idea that an hour's driving would be sufficient to cook a meal, but didn't mention either the heat gain under the passenger's hot seat or how the smells of cooking would affect riders.

The vertical parker: Stand-up guy Leander Pelton did his bit to solve parking problems. He designed a car that could stand on end so it could be parked in the smallest of spaces. Where the rear bumper should have been, Pelton put a wheeled platform. The driver had to somehow tip the car vertically, then shove it on its platform into its parking spot. Pelton never actually addressed the problem of how the driver would manhandle the car upright, nor did he consider how to keep fluids from leaking out once the car assumed a vertical position. Those bugs, he declared in 1926, still "had to be worked out."

The safest car -- for pedestrians: Hanz Karl's 1932 idea was the "Pedestrian Protector." A bar in front of the car was linked directly to the vehicle's brakes. Hit a pedestrian, the car would stop automatically and a blanket would shoot out from under the front bumper. Karl explained that the tumbling pedestrian would fall on the blanket, which would soften his fall, and "the clothes will not be spoiled."

Pedal-power car: New Yorker Simon Axlerod considered the options when gasoline rationing hit during World War II, and came up with a car that didn't need gas, or any other fuel for that matter. The driver and front-seat passenger found themselves perched on bicycle seats, pedalling the chain-driven car. The fortunate rear-seat passengers just relaxed. Human nature being what it is, the car was not a commercial success, partly because it was not patented until 1945, when the war had almost ended and rationing ceased. Later efforts have fueled cars with everything from methane gas to steam.

The steam car: This was a great success, and about 500 Stanley Steamers are still on the roads. In all, 14,000 were manufactured from 1897 to 1925, when they were ousted by gasoline-engine cars that did not require a half-hour to fire up. The wooden-wheeled steamers outclassed their early rivals, though, and won a prestigious hill climb up Pikes Peak to make their first impression on the public. Today, a collector's Stanley Steamer sells for around $70,000.

The organic car: No, it wasn't what you'd think. It didn't run on vegetables. It simply had an organ installed in the back seat. Daniel Young hit on the idea in 1900 and put a keyboard behind the driver's seat so passengers could tap out melodies as they drove.

The bubble car: This version of the automobile actually floated. Heinkel, Messerschmidt and Fiat all had models for one or even two passengers. They were popular because they were economical and easy to park, but some models lacked a reverse gear. That led to difficulties for people who drove them into confined spaces where they were unable to use the upwards-opening door, and had to wait for help to arrive to pull them back out.

The amphicar: An amphibious vehicle has long been a popular concept. Seagoing cars have crossed the 21 miles of the English Channel, and armored amphibians have been used by the world's military to launch from ships and become drive-ashore landing craft. One South Carolina company builds million-dollar motor homes that get seven miles to the gallon boating across lakes, and somewhat better economy on the highway. The firm Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International also produces an ocean-going Ford Excursion SUV with rear-powered jet drive that can drive into a wave taller than itself, submerge, roll over and power out.

The flying car: Shades of the Jetsons, this car is already almost with us. Dr. Paul Moller has spent 30 years and $200 million creating a reliable "Skycar" that is slated to make its world debut sometime in the next few years. Moller International, based in Davis, California, has produced a four-passenger 2,200-pound aerial multipurpose vehicle. You can drive it on the ground at around 35 miles an hour, and then fly it like a humming bird. The vehicle will take off vertically and fly at up to 350 miles per hour. It has a cruising range of around 800 miles. So far, the SkyCar has had a couple of dozen test flights, always tethered, none very high, none for more than a minute, under strict FAA rules, but it flew successfully. About 100 would-be owners are lined up and expect to buy the first models for $1 million. But when the super aerocar goes into production, it should cost only about the same as a midsize luxury vehicle.