Beautiful Engine · 2016–2019
A fully electric Moroccan-inspired mutant vehicle designed, built, and licensed for Burning Man.
Role: Designer / Builder · Client: Beautiful Engine · Location: BRC
Beautiful Engine is a fully electric mutant vehicle designed to give burners cozy rides across Black Rock City. Built on a Taylor Dunn airport luggage cart base, the vehicle features a welded steel frame, CNC-routed plywood body, and artwork by muralist Shrine. After acquiring the vehicle in 2016, I stripped the original subwoofer build and re-envisioned it as an intimate, detail-oriented oasis: a furry blue bed, Moroccan lanterns, hand-placed mirrors, ceiling wallpaper, and candle holders. In 2018 I added a cantilevered canopy and covered the wheel base for a cleaner silhouette. The entire lighting system uses programmable LED strips, color-changing on the roof frame, blue ground-effect LEDs on the base, and illuminated lanterns inside. Power comes from a CHINS LiFePO4 12V 300Ah lithium battery system, charged by a portable inverter generator at camp.
Turn a utilitarian airport luggage cart into a rolling work of art, a Moroccan oasis in the desert.
CNC fabrication for the body, welded steel frame, hand-curated Moroccan decor, custom LED programming, and a full EV electrical system with lithium batteries and motor controller.
Disciplines: Experiential Design, Fabrication, Art Direction