Streetcarver

The BMW Street Carver was a skateboard created by BMW. It had an extremely stiff wood and fiberglass deck and a unique steering system based on that of the BMW 5 Series cars.

The Street Carver was notable for the striking appearance and its steering mechanism that gave it the ability to carve like a snowboard or surfboard. The Street Carver employed large, 110mm curved wheels, which were required because the axles roll in relation to the ground as the board is turned (as opposed to traditional skateboarding axles, which remain parallel to the ground as the board is turned).

The BMW Streetcarver is a very smooth carving board at both low and high speeds. Due to its unique steering mechanism, the turning characteristics of the board are determined by the geometry of the swing lever arms, and cannot be modified (in contrast to the ability to adjust the bushings or kingpin on standard skateboard trucks).

The Street Carver was produced from mid-2001 to 2004. Since production ceased, the boards have become increasingly collectible, fetching prices at and above the original retail price of $495.

External links

* [http://www.time.com/time/2001/inventions/go/incarver.html Streetcarver]
* [http://www.bossbi.com/boards/streetcarver/streetcarver.php BMW 5 Technology Series at Your Feet]