Good morning, Oppo! Have a car that looks like it just got a wedgie.

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
02/25/2020 at 10:19 • Filed to: oddimotive

This oddly pinched, wavy 1930's-esque egg-shaped thing is a 2008 4Stroke Rumen. It is a French or possibly Bulgarian (sources not clear) neo-retro car designed by Roumen Antonov, the owner of a successful transmission company. He said the design was inspired by the Bugatti Type 57, which... um...

S ssuuuurrrre...

It was powered by the drivetrain from a Toyota Aygo, except that the drivetrain was moved to the rear. The body was made of plastic, the interior was leather and wood, the engine was in a fancy leather box in the back:

a nd the whole thing only weighed 550 kilograms (1, 212 lbs).

Size was comparable to a S mart car or a Mini, and it reportedly handled quite well, which made it fun to drive. A nd if you wanted the experience of a convertible, then you could remove the rear hatch, which was so long that the top of it was above your head. It wasn’t particularly fast, though, as the engine only made about 68 horsepower. Still, it looks fun, right? And all that fun could be bought for the low, low price of... 55,000 euros . Oh no.

DISCUSSION (13)

phenotyp > Jim Spanfeller
02/25/2020 at 10:32

That poor thing. It deserved better.

Jim Spanfeller > phenotyp
02/25/2020 at 10:39

Deserved better than having a wedgie, or better than to have an insane price tag?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Jim Spanfeller
02/25/2020 at 10:40

What if I told you I like it? I mean, it’s funky, but the retro-modern look is cohesive, not like say, most of Mits uoku’s clashy garbage. R eliable Toyota driveline? F un to drive? Convertibleish? Y eah. I’d have one if I had enough disposable income to overcome the boutique pricetag.

Jim Spanfeller > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
02/25/2020 at 10:44

I like it, too. The “face” strikes me as somewhat comical, but overal l I think it looks really interesting and besides the price, I think there’s a lot to like here.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Jim Spanfeller
02/25/2020 at 10:52

There’s “inspired by” and then there is ill-fitting copy.

the grille being laid back FAR too much is really the tragedy.

Seems like a decent intention to pay homage to Figoni et Falaschi’s renowned work for Ettoire Bugatti, but just too many corners cut, and some literally cut off, diminshes the result.

I want to be supportive of style in the automotive arena, but it is not necessarily an easy thing to pull off well.

I am not sure if the windshield actually dips in the midde across the top, but the roof is convex and compound curved, the top of the windshield will not look flat with a horizontal cut-off. One of those things where lines that appear straight are often not straight, and certainly not two dimensional.

phenotyp > Jim Spanfeller
02/25/2020 at 11:04

Deserved better than looking like that.