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CarCapsule Will Not Help You Swallow Your Car Whole

The CarCapsule is rather self-explanatory—it's a capsule for your car. Given the $269 price point for an 8-foot version, or $419 for the 22-foot version, we're guessing you'll be wanting a pretty nice car that would be worth the fuss of setup, as well as the cost of mass, super-tough PVC. If you have a Ferrari, you're probably wondering how it works. Wonder no more:


Unzip the CarCapsule, drive your car into the middle, zip the case up, allow the integrated fans to inflate the device and watch as your car becomes the centerpiece for your very own life-sized snow dome. If the whole idea was not crazy enough, the fans do not stop once the casing is inflated, oh no, they carry on pumping air so your car has enough oxygen to breathe. Sure, it's ridiculous, but a giant bubble of plastic excites us for some reason. Imagine one of these in your driveway—priceless. [CarCapsule via Oh Gizmo]

5:05 AM on Wed Jan 2 2008
By Haroon Malik
11,863 views
48 comments

Comments

  • See, they got the wrong execution for this. The cars should COME packaged like that from the factory. So once you open it it's no longer in Mint Condition and we can make fun of them for doing so just to control our jealousy for the 4.2 seconds so they can get the hell out of our jealous little eyes.

  • I'd love to burst their bubble...

    This would be a neat way of protecting cars from harsh winter conditions though, especially if a heating system can be integrated, for people without garages (europe).

  • @Quantum:

    urm people in europe do have garages.. but it depends on when the houses were built, and where, in cities like im guessing in the states there isnt much room for a single story one room building next to your house...

    I would love to see ferris bueller's reasonings behind breaking into the bubble...

  • This is much more glamorous than running a hose from the tailpipe into the driver's window.

  • I wonder if the weight of snow on it would pop the bubble. No garage here either. Was just imagining this in front of my house, but with snow on the top. That'd look pretty cool!

  • Awesome, David Vetter finally has something to drive...Oh, wait...too soon?

  • Nothing like keeping flammable gases contained in a pressurized tent.

  • We have hail here every now and then. This would be awesome for those cases.

  • car condom?

  • Image of weatherman weatherman at 07:47 AM on 01/02/08 *

    Makes your car just like a new HotWheels car. The joy of unwrapping it every morning would be priceless.

    Seriously, for collectors who don't want dust and grime all over their car or motorcycle, I imagine this is a welcome product. And $400 is hardly an unreasonable price for that. I don't think you need a Ferrari to appreciate this - in fact, I think that the kids over at Jalopnik would probably order a six-pack for all those -aminos and project cars they've been looking at.

  • A Ferrari created out of thin air!

  • Image of strider_mt2k strider_mt2k at 08:05 AM on 01/02/08 *

    That is so asking to become a snow globe, you know that right?

    Serves 'em right too.
    The douche will likely take up three parking spaces in your apartment complex with this thing too.

    BUY people, don't rent! You'll avoid that kind of crap.

  • I'm sorry, but did I miss something? What is the point of this?

  • "As seen on TV" - You suck all the air out with a vacuum cleaner, then you can fit several of them into a suitcase. When you get to your destination and open it, it goes back to full size.

  • So people who own cars like this don't just hire Adam Baldwin to stand there and protect it?

  • Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies! at 08:33 AM on 01/02/08 *

    @recklessinoz: I was about to say that this is a brilliant new way to kill one's self.

  • Image of strider_mt2k strider_mt2k at 08:39 AM on 01/02/08 *

    @MikeHinds: I will be swayed by nothing less than an animation of spiders bouncing off of it!!!!

  • I imagine that these would be very useful for people who drive cars to a car show, but don't want the public to be putting their paws on it.

    I'd also see a use for them in marketing... like those cars you walk past in the mall. I'm sure the dealer would like to get one back someday that isn't all scratched and covered with Orange Julius spills.

  • These have been around for years....does nobody read DuPont Registry, if not for the main excuse to drool as an adult?

  • I wonder if humidity build up inside of these things is a problem?

  • Psh... you know those would never last long without someone deciding to stick a knife in it for fun.

  • a couple of bottles of baby powder squeezed into the air intake should do the trick for the snow globe.

  • Make sure your tires are free of dog crap before tenting. Otherwise, the next time you open it you will be hit with a wave of noxious crap smell, aged to perfection.

  • I saw a video of a bowling ball being dropped on one of these a few years ago, and it rolled off.

    But yeah, if your car was that precious, you would put it in a garage. And if you put it in a garage, you wouldn't need this.

  • Even if you get one to protect your car against snow/ice buildup, you'd still have to remove the frozen stuff from the dome before you un-bubble your car.

    But at least there's little risk of dying under it, unlike that woman a month or so ago, under her Tempo temporary car shelter...

  • "Great, now that I can afford a Ferrari, I'll park it outdoors...inside a piece of plastic."

    Why would someone without enough money to get a home with a garage even own a Ferrari? Not to mention, why would anyone buy that one? It's fugly.

  • I would love this in my garage. I use one bay for working and the other for storage. I could park one car inside and work on the other without worrying about the crap I'm putting in the air getting on the car.

  • I don't know about where you live but in Colorado Garages get pretty dusty. Leave a car sitting for a week and it's covered. Try to imagine, in you can, that not only Ferrari drivers may in interested.

  • @drallac: The majority of city dwellers in most european countries don't have garages. I didn't add suburbs into the equation, but in most eastern european countries garages are a no-go there as well, as not many people can afford one.

  • ...and what does the entire human population automatically do with plastic bubbles? I give that thing 5 minutes in the wild before it is 'popped' with a screw driver, knife or set of car keys.

  • My wife's uncle used to keep his Porsche 550 and 356 in these, while in the garage. Keeps the car from changing temperature/humidity too quickly, keeps it clean, keeps kids from dropping a basket ball on the hood, etc. If you've spent a few hundred thousand dollars buying and restoring something like that, I can't fault you if you don't want even a speck of dust settling on it when it's not being driven slowly(!!!) around the block.

  • @gokor:

    DUH! This bubble is for use INSIDE a garage, not outside.

    You can dry the air inside the bubble, allowing premium conditions for storage of your precious car while not in use.

    Also does the obvious like keeps dust off the car etc etc.

    Given that the average Ferrari spends 99% of it's time in the garage, probably a decent investment, considering you've already dropped a shed load on the car.

    Oh, and buy yourself a battery conditioner to avoid that embarrassing Ferrari with a flat battery issue....

  • I want to sit in one of these at the park with a snowman and a bunch of giant plastic snowflakes on the floor then wait to see who gives it a shake. They're kind of big, though, so I would probably have to bring a book and plenty to drink.

  • Who drives an 8-foot car?

  • Think Motorcycles, Jimothy.

  • @jimothy: Thiink Motorcycles.

  • Image of weatherman weatherman at 11:48 AM on 01/02/08 *

    @jimothy: motorcycle.

  • Hmmm... Brings many ideas about "camping"

  • Many alternative uses come to mind depending on how loud the fan is.
    Use it as a tent in your backyard for those rainy days when you just HAVE to sit outside.
    Display for models of the dressed or undressed variety.
    Hotbox.
    Hook the bottom up to a drain and you can run through the sprinkler in the middle of winter inside your house to relive those distantsummer days.
    Rid yourself of undesirables by enticing them into the bubble and using your choice of gas in the fan intake.






  • Seems that if you were this rich, you would fill it with something more inert like nitrogen or helium and just seal it off.

  • The real purpose of the car condom is this - pull in your VW bus, and see how smokey you can get things.

  • it'd be neat to fill it up with lube and throw in like 6 strippers.. :)

    it'd also be great for those great summer hail storms we get here in central texas.. those are fun.

  • Bubble-boy...in this case, bubble-car.

  • As for protecting in cold climates. Being in Alaska I can tell you that plastic does not hold up very well at -20 F, let alone -40.

    Even if you applied some heat to the fan intakes, you'd scorch your car before you could make it warm enough inside the bubble to keep the plastic elastic.

  • what? they've got it all wrong. the fans should seal it in and fill the chamber with carbon dioxide or nitrogen to prevent any possible corrosion.

    continuous pumping of air by the fans means the car will just get a steady supply of oxygen (for rusting), moisture, and dust.

  • Looks like suicide just got easier..

  • They are called Carcoons and have been around for quite some time.

  • The CarCapsule is a clear vinyl bubble that seals your car, truck, boat or motorcycle away from the elements and keeps it looking fresh and new. Dust, dirt, moisture and insects are locked out, but a built-in fan circulates filtered air within the bubble to eliminate that musty, damp smell that can ruin your stored car. The super-tough vinyl bubble is made from an anti-static, 10 mil PVC. The durable zipper is 100% nylon, so it won't scratch your vehicle. The CarCapsule is impervious to oil, gas and antifreeze and is mildew resistant and flame retardant. Available in seven sizes to fit most any car, truck, boat or motorcycle.

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