Compact 'jet sports car' completes maiden voyage in Wuhan

Mechanic Zhu Runqiang stands next to his "plane sports car" converted from a motorcycle, which he traveled in whole night to Wuhan on October 2 to seek funds for further improvement. Photo: Changjiang Daily

A mechanic completed a 300-kilometer drive to Wuhan overnight in a custom made "jet sports car" converted from a motorcycle on October 2 in search of an investor for his vehicle.

The 47-year-old inventor Zhu Runqiang, a mechanic from Jingzhou, Hubei Province, explained he traveled to Wuhan looking for an investor to help further develop his prototype.

According to Zhu, the 5-meter-long vehicle is a converted motorcycle with a jet-shaped metal body, equipped with an on-board computer and a 7-inch screen. It tops out at 40 kilometers per hour.

Zhu explained the project had been in the works since 2000 and he finally finished using his savings of 50,000 yuan ($8,165).

Since the car is neither licensed nor street legal, Zhu took backcountry roads all the way to Wuhan to avoid police, making one detour to repair a broken fuel tank.

While local traffic police explained conversion kits or other chassis alterations are illegal, no charges have been pressed against Zhu at the time of the report.