”Steering is a tiller, pointed directly at my face.”
May 7, 2025 7:05 AM Subscribe
Aging Wheels is the YouTube channel of a funny guy who likes weird cars—Reliant Robin, Trabant, you name it. Recently he bought two models of Spira, a car so light and economical that the door comes open at highway speeds. (YT 43:19, but it is immediately funny)
(Stipulated: neither post nor video is intended to disparage environmentally conscious travel)
(Stipulated: neither post nor video is intended to disparage environmentally conscious travel)
Saying a small car's size or weight makes it unsafe is like blaming school buildings for school shootings. Yes, people do it but they look like assholes for not acknowledging the real problem, which is ease of access to assault weapons, or in the former case, 3-ton death-machine cosplay vehicles.
Sure it looks like these are poorly built, and I wouldn't buy one. But even well-built small cars are "unsafe" in this guy's book, if he can't see that it's the giant truck that is the safety problem.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:08 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
Sure it looks like these are poorly built, and I wouldn't buy one. But even well-built small cars are "unsafe" in this guy's book, if he can't see that it's the giant truck that is the safety problem.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:08 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
How does that even get up to highway speeds?
When the entire vehicle is foam and plastic, you don't have that much stuff to accelerate, and a fairly modest electric motor can do a hell of a lot. In a sense, it's... actually kind of impressive?
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:57 AM on May 7
When the entire vehicle is foam and plastic, you don't have that much stuff to accelerate, and a fairly modest electric motor can do a hell of a lot. In a sense, it's... actually kind of impressive?
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:57 AM on May 7
Aging Wheels is one of our subscriptions, we follow his car projects, accomplishments, and occasional hilarious mistakes with joy. I particularly appreciate his use in editing of car work sounds; clank clank bzzzzzZIP clang! He's got great delivery. He's also friends with Technology Connections, so one can spend a bit of time enjoying auto repair or toaster content.
posted by winesong at 9:00 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
posted by winesong at 9:00 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
Saying a small car's size or weight makes it unsafe is like blaming school buildings for school shootings
It becomes pretty clear in the course of the video that the unsafety he's talking about is it being a poorly-constructed, rickety-as-hell thing that feels terrifying to try and even drive in a straight line at highway speeds.
Like, I agree that the main problem with current-day car injury and fatality rates is the sheer mass being moved around at high speeds and small lightweight cars are gonna lose that fight until all the cars are small and lightweight, but...this is not the small lightweight car you want to be driving even in a post-chonker vehicular landscape.
posted by cortex at 9:47 AM on May 7 [8 favorites]
It becomes pretty clear in the course of the video that the unsafety he's talking about is it being a poorly-constructed, rickety-as-hell thing that feels terrifying to try and even drive in a straight line at highway speeds.
Like, I agree that the main problem with current-day car injury and fatality rates is the sheer mass being moved around at high speeds and small lightweight cars are gonna lose that fight until all the cars are small and lightweight, but...this is not the small lightweight car you want to be driving even in a post-chonker vehicular landscape.
posted by cortex at 9:47 AM on May 7 [8 favorites]
even well-built small cars are "unsafe" in this guy's book
As a long-time subscriber. I don't think that's an accurate assessment of the Aging Wheels presenter's understanding of things.
Speaking of accurate assessments, "well-built small cars" would not count as one in this case anyway.
posted by Chef Flamboyardee at 10:53 AM on May 7 [1 favorite]
As a long-time subscriber. I don't think that's an accurate assessment of the Aging Wheels presenter's understanding of things.
Speaking of accurate assessments, "well-built small cars" would not count as one in this case anyway.
posted by Chef Flamboyardee at 10:53 AM on May 7 [1 favorite]
Like, I initially thought he was going a bit hard on the Spira, but then it kept getting worse and worse, to the point where I was wondering if "fraud" might be an accurate assessment.
posted by Chef Flamboyardee at 10:54 AM on May 7
posted by Chef Flamboyardee at 10:54 AM on May 7
Wow, people will really do ANYTHING to avoid riding a bike. Considering what roads are like with asshole drivers I mostly get it, but looking at the two-wheeler Spira...come on already.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:16 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:16 AM on May 7 [2 favorites]
I understand that the car is not well built. I said that.
Wasn't it hilarious how he used his important opening minute to joke about killing someone in a small car by driving a big truck over them and not even noticing? That didn't leave me optimistic that he really understands the factors affecting safety in small vehicles, and the next few minutes didn't get any better, so I quit.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:07 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]
Wasn't it hilarious how he used his important opening minute to joke about killing someone in a small car by driving a big truck over them and not even noticing? That didn't leave me optimistic that he really understands the factors affecting safety in small vehicles, and the next few minutes didn't get any better, so I quit.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:07 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]
It sure seems very safe for pedestrians or bicycles colliding with it.
posted by uncle harold at 1:38 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]
posted by uncle harold at 1:38 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]
How does that even get up to highway speeds?
It's built with off-the-shelf electric motorcycle parts on a vehicle that's designed to be very lightweight. I doubt it weighs 400 pounds empty.
I have an electric Vespa lookalike that I imported from China (and managed to get street-legal and registered in California). It runs a single 5000 watt, 72v in-hub motor, and it can easily reach 55MPH or a little more. It weighs around 250 pounds with battery and without rider.
I'd think that a pair of 6000w in-hub motors would have no trouble pushing a 500 pound car (plus driver) to those speeds with no trouble at all, especially if they ran it at a higher voltage.
posted by toxic at 2:16 PM on May 7
It's built with off-the-shelf electric motorcycle parts on a vehicle that's designed to be very lightweight. I doubt it weighs 400 pounds empty.
I have an electric Vespa lookalike that I imported from China (and managed to get street-legal and registered in California). It runs a single 5000 watt, 72v in-hub motor, and it can easily reach 55MPH or a little more. It weighs around 250 pounds with battery and without rider.
I'd think that a pair of 6000w in-hub motors would have no trouble pushing a 500 pound car (plus driver) to those speeds with no trouble at all, especially if they ran it at a higher voltage.
posted by toxic at 2:16 PM on May 7
That didn't leave me optimistic that he really understands the factors affecting safety in small vehicles
His hobby is collecting early small low-production-volume electric vehicles; I feel he's pretty clear-eyed about the risks involved in driving them and that he's decided to accept them in return for the dubious pleasures of hooning around in said vehicles.
I mean sure, comparative mass, but: most of the vehicles he features on his channel have pretty much no safety features besides a seat-belt; as he mentions in the video, most of them are three-wheelers specifically to sidestep crash safety regulations. It's not just that they're small; it's that they're small and terrible and I think that's kinda why he enjoys them.
The Spira does seem to be the one which has terrified him most so far; even more so than the Twike.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:21 PM on May 7 [2 favorites]
His hobby is collecting early small low-production-volume electric vehicles; I feel he's pretty clear-eyed about the risks involved in driving them and that he's decided to accept them in return for the dubious pleasures of hooning around in said vehicles.
I mean sure, comparative mass, but: most of the vehicles he features on his channel have pretty much no safety features besides a seat-belt; as he mentions in the video, most of them are three-wheelers specifically to sidestep crash safety regulations. It's not just that they're small; it's that they're small and terrible and I think that's kinda why he enjoys them.
The Spira does seem to be the one which has terrified him most so far; even more so than the Twike.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:21 PM on May 7 [2 favorites]
He really liked the Aptera,which probably wouldn't fare a lot better against a large pickup.
posted by Reverend John at 3:27 PM on May 7
posted by Reverend John at 3:27 PM on May 7
Wasn't it hilarious how he used his important opening minute to joke about killing someone in a small car by driving a big truck over them and not even noticing?
*shrugs* Made me laugh. *shrugs*
I get anxiety just watching that guy spend so much money and time getting remarkably shitty cars in running condition. More or less.
posted by 2N2222 at 3:42 PM on May 7
*shrugs* Made me laugh. *shrugs*
I get anxiety just watching that guy spend so much money and time getting remarkably shitty cars in running condition. More or less.
posted by 2N2222 at 3:42 PM on May 7
This is Action Park, the Car.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:01 PM on May 7
posted by cobaltnine at 5:01 PM on May 7
Wasn't it hilarious how he used his important opening minute to joke about killing someone in a small car by driving a big truck over them and not even noticing?
The opening joke isn't in the best taste, but it becomes really quite clear over the course of the video that this is functionally a review of the OceanGate Titan of cars.
posted by eschatfische at 5:36 PM on May 7
The opening joke isn't in the best taste, but it becomes really quite clear over the course of the video that this is functionally a review of the OceanGate Titan of cars.
posted by eschatfische at 5:36 PM on May 7
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