It took furniture maker Friend Wood, 46, more than 2000 hours to build his three-wheel, tear-drop shaped car, which he has named 'Tryane II'.   The two-seater was put together using the chassis and 602cc engine from a Citroen 2CV. Mr Wood then built up layers of African mahogany around a basic mould using a boat-building technique known as 'cold moulding'.  The car is a a three-wheel adaption of the classic four-wheeled 1969 Citroen Diane and is able to do between 55 and 70 miles per gallon.   The Tryane II is built from layers of African mahogany

The Splinter can produce 700bhp from its twin supercharged, 4.6 litre V8 engine - almost 300bhp more than a Porsche 911 GT3. And with a top speed of 240mph, it will leave the Porsche and the new Lamborghini Revanton in its wake.  The two seater, which is made from a combination of maple, plywood and MDF, weighs 1,134kg - 240kg less than the lightweight Porsche.

Joe Harmon, from North Carolina, who is head of the project, said: "Wood has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminium or steel, and it possesses a versatility that makes many types of construction techniques possible. The satisfaction involved in making something from a piece of wood is awesome." The Splinter, which has a roll cage to protect the driver and stiffen the chassis, has a laminated wood veneer chassis and wooden wheel rims. Suspension is provided through laminated wooden arms and springs made from osage orange wood. It is not made from solid chunks of wood, but rather moulded laminates.