Bizarre ‘Lo-Res Car’ Fetches Surreal $111,111 Price at Bring a Trailer Auction

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

  • The Lo-Res Car, created by the United Nude footwear company, takes inspiration from an abstract, low-resolution version of the Lamborghini Countach and is up for auction on Bring a Trailer.

  • The body is composed of 12 tinted clear polycarbonate panels and sits on a steel-tube frame, with power coming from a 5-kilowatt electric motor.

  • The Lo-Res Car is being offered for sale by the Petersen Automotive Museum, and half of the proceeds will be donated to an environmental nonprofit.

UPDATE 10/19/21: The United Nude Lo-Res Car was sold for $111,111 when the auction closed on October 15, 2021.

While the vehicle you see here looks like a smaller, car-like sibling to Tesla’s radically styled Cybertruck, this futuristic wedge is actually the creation of footwear company United Nude. Christened the Lo-Res Car, this wacky vehicle was originally sketched by United Nude founder Rem D. Koolhaas, drawing inspiration from an abstract, low-resolution version of the Lamborghini Countach. While it’s tricky to spot the Countach heritage, the Lo-Res Car’s design is certainly stunning and now it can be yours, with United Nude’s vision up for sale on auction site Bring a Trailer.

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

Four prototypes of the Lo-Res Car were created for promotional purposes, with the initial version winning a Wallpaper Magazine Design Award in 2016 and later prototypes appearing in music videos. This example, chassis number three, is built on a steel tube-frame chassis with a body made from 12 tinted clear polycarbonate panels. There are simple rectangular light bars in the front and rear, as well as illuminated United Nude logos. A KDS 5-kilowatt electric motor powers the Lo-Res Car through the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission, and it uses front disc brakes to come to a stop—although it likely never gets going very fast to begin with.

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer

To get inside, the remote-control clamshell bodywork raises to reveal fixed tandem seating made from polished metal with ribbed black upholstery. On either side of the seats are several light bars and the driver’s control panel—which includes an ignition switch, battery charge indicator, and other switches—sits to the right. The driver navigates via a chrome, hexagonal steering wheel, and there are simplistic digital displays positioned behind the wheel.

This unusual creation is being sold by the Petersen Automotive Museum, which previously featured the car in its Disruptors exhibit in 2019 after acquiring it around three years ago. The Lo-Res Car’s mileage is unknown and it is not titled or registered for street driving. The Petersen says that 50 percent of the proceeds will be used to maintain the museum’s vast collection, with the other 50 percent being donated to an environmental non-profit called Energy Independence Now. Bids for the Lo-Res Car currently sit at $45,000, and the listing ends on Friday, October 15.

This story was originally published October 13, 2021.

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Katherine E. Ackerman

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