Fastest furniture in the west

The car is environmentally-friendly

A wooden car made by a west Wales carpenter is being used as a model for solar and electric vehicle-makers.

Owner Friend Wood spent two years building the Tryanne in a workshop on his farm near Maenchlochog in Pembrokeshire.

He was inspired after a visit to a boat-builder who was making a 30ft speed boat with the same cold-moulding technique as Mr Wood used for the Tryanne.

The three-wheeler weighs just 900 pounds, but has a top speed of 101mph.

Solar

With no fewer than 70 miles to the gallon, the Tryanne is a real performer.

And the polished bodywork is not cheap veneer either, but 100% African mahogany.

Mounted on a Citroen 2CV engine and a timber wood chassis, its wooden body is not simply for aesthetic reasons - the low weight and superb aerodynamics make it very environmentally friendly.

And it is being held up as an example in the construction of solar and electric powered cars.