Just before the beginning of WWII, the de Havilland aircraft company proposed to the Air Ministry that they build a bomber that was so fast it would not need any defensive armament. The Ministry turned it down, believing the idea to be impossible, but de Havilland went ahead and built the plane anyway - almost entirely out of wood!

The result was the Mosquito, a plane that exceeded all of its intended limits and went on to be one of the best aircraft of the war. It was so fast and light that it was used in all sorts of roles - all because of the strength and light weight of the wood it was built from. The lesson must surely be: don’t knock wood!

And it seems the same applies in car design. A furniture maker with the unlikely name of Friend Wood has built a three wheeled car with a wooden body. Using mechanicals and 602cc engine from a Citroen 2CV, the car has a top speed of over 100 mph and returns a fuel consumption of between 55 and 70 mpg. That’s not bad by any standards.

The car has been named the Tryane II and, although the body makes no secret of its wooden construction, it is well streamlined and quite pretty. Mind you, I’m not sure how it would fare in an accident - imagine all those splinters flying about…

The Viking spirit lives on in Iceland. Far from being satisfied with fighting the climate, the rugged landscape and the strains of Bjork, the Icelanders get their kicks by driving overpowered homemade jeeps over mountains - and across lakes!

And I do mean across - these things don’t float, so they have to keep them going at full tilt or have a date with the bottom of the lake. It’s quite amazing that the knobbly tires have enough traction on the surface of the water to keep the car going so fast.

But you don’t have to believe me - have a look at this Top Gear clip.

Here’s something a bit unusual: the Bowler Wildcat, obviously designed with one eye on the Paris/Dakar Rally but being produced for sale too. It is based on the Land Rover but with much more power and strength.

As can be seen from the video, the net result is almost more fun and craziness than anyone could wish for. That is one very fast off road vehicle - if you have to own one, it will set you back a mere $100,000 or so.

When it comes to alternative fuels, it seems there are more possibilities out there than ever dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio. We all know about ethanol (basically fuel made from sugar), hydrogen and electricity, but how about running your car on vegetable oil? Yes, ordinary cooking oil.

It sounds crazy but apparently lots of people in the UK are doing it. It only works with diesel engines but there are plenty available over there and the low cost alone is enough to make it a tempting proposition.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at this Top Gear clip then. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

And when you hear that it works best with used cooking oil, preferably from a Mexican restaurant, well, I guess all those fiery chillies were bound to make a difference…