Weird Car of the Day: 1942 L’Oeuf Electrique (The Electric Egg)
A cross between a jellybean and an electric fishbowl on wheels, the L’Oeuf Electrique rolled onto French streets in 1942 looking like it had escaped from a cartoon. Created by designer Paul Arzens (who apparently took “thinking outside the box” way too literally), this aluminum-bodied oddity featured massive curved Plexiglass windows that made passengers feel like goldfish on display.
While most wartime vehicles were built for combat, this egg-shaped wonder was fighting a different battle – against fuel rationing. Powered by five hefty batteries that weighed as much as a small piano, the three-wheeled curiosity could waddle along at 43 mph for about 62 miles before needing a recharge. Post-war, Arzens decided his electric egg needed more scrambling power and installed a tiny Peugeot gas engine that barely broke 50 mph.
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