Designed by engineer Jean Bertin and developed in France from 1965 to 1977, this decidedly retrofuture (from today’s perspective) hovertrain was supposed to bring the French rail network to the cutting edge of land based public transportation, just as Concorde had done for the airways.

The train was designed to glide above the tracks, but instead of using magnetic resistance, the Aérotrain would float on a cushion of air.

Sadly however, the project was abandoned in 1977 due to lack of funding.

The death of Bertin also played a large role in the project’s demise, as did the adoption of TGV (the Train à Grande Vitesse, high-speed-train) by the French government. This as it turns out was very efficient high-speed ground transport solution.

However, although the project was abandoned in the late 70s, the test tracks were never torn down. Today, the lifeless tracks can still be found high upon the countryside.

There were two platforms for the change of direction of the train at the extremities of the track, one is Saran and one in Ruan. A middle station in Chevilly is also still visible.

The tall concrete tracks remain essentially untouched from when they were built, save for a small portion above the A19 road which was demolished.

The Aérotrain may not have been the future of French transportation, but remains a fascinating relic from its past, and another essential location for keen urban explorers.

[Image Credits: Wikipedia, nuancierds.fr]

The post L’Aérotrain – The Concept Hovertrain that Never Was appeared first on SOBIFY.

The company has recently announced a new contest for an exclusive stay in a gondola-turned luxury hotel room above the ski resort of Courchevel.

The cable car sleeps four and has two beds and in what you would call a ‘cosy’ set up at best. However, the views of are absolutely incredible.

On arrival, the winner of the competition will be treated to a run up the ski hills via snowmobile to the cable car. There, mulled wine and a typical Savoyard dinner of cheese fondue welcomes all that stay.

The night is then spent 9,000 above Combe de Saulire, which is the highest point of the Courchevel resort.

Unfortunately, the cable car is housed in the station at the top of the mountain all night, so guests will not experience the sensation of dangling free in the center of the cable car run. However, this does mean you can use much needed facilities such as a washroom.

The next day, the car’s occupants will be in the perfect position to lay first tracks over the fresh snow at dawn, before the lifts even start operating.

The contest is choosing one lucky winner and the only way to enter is through the fake Airbnb listing, by writing a 100-word paragraph about why you should be chosen as the winner. The listing is available for one night only.

[Credits: Business Insider, Studio Paris]

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Bagger 288, the largest land vehicle in the world

Hitler rehearsing a speech in front of a mirror

The end of the Great Wall of China

Sign outside Memphis Park in 1952

Cancer cells under a microscope

An illustrated grocery list by Michelangelo, enabling his illiterate servants to know what to buy.

A giant dust storm that hit Western Australia in early 2013

Einsteins desk the day he died

A Geyser just before eruption

Bavarian town of Nordlingen built in a 14 million year old meteor impact crater

Overcrowded prison in El-Salvador

The Northern Lights from space

Hitler’s Office

A rare 360 degree rainbow captured from an airplane

What pugs looked like before selective breeding

Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke immortalizes his family by leaving a photo of them on the moon in 1972

A Russian soldier playing an abandoned piano, Chechnya 1994

George Washington’s teeth

Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin

An image of Mars in true color from the Curiosity Rover

Workers pose more than 100 feet in the air during construction of the Brooklyn-bridge

The post 25 Incredible Images That Couldn’t Possibly Change Your Life appeared first on SOBIFY.

Urban exploring has really taken off in South Korea, (no pun intended with this particular story). And here we have an abandoned location of unique sort.  It is actually a disused Boeing 747, that was converted into a restaurant, which was subsequently abandoned. To add to the strange nature of it all, the abandoned Boeing 747 restaurant is in the middle of a city. It looms beside a busy highway, and is sandwiched between large Korean apartment buildings all around.

The urban explorer that took these photographs, (first published on Dark Roasted Blend) credited the people at Urban Exploration Resource, for the discovery of this relic of jet flight. The story actually becomes even more interesting with the fact that this was the second Boeing 747 ever made and apparently the first to be flown commercially. (Below is a photograph of the aircraft during more glamorous times.)

When the plane was no longer in use, it was later disassembled and then shipped over to Korea to be partially reassembled as a restaurant. Evidently the business didn’t last very long, and sadly the restaurant closed up shop with the shell of this once magnificent jet liner wasting away beside a railway track.

The menu, and typical restaurant utensils and artefacts have been left behind. Increasing the somewhat sombre atmosphere of seeing the aircraft in such a forlorn state.

[All images copyright Jon Dunbar]

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However, there also remnants of those dark days that exist in another form; the actual structures that were once used as part of the war effort. These often grey and decaying historical ‘time-capsules’ can be found strewn across the countryside of the UK and Northern Europe too.

Studland Bay I, Dorset, England (2011)

Photographer Marc Wilson spent six years visiting 143 such locations for his book, The Last Stand, which was released late last year.

The images illustrate the thread that has run through the tapestry of British life since these structures were built. Or, as Marc himself puts it, “The period of time in between their construction and today is made up of the histories, stories and memories that the work hopes to reflect. The objects can be seen as full stops in the timeline.”

Beyond this, they serve as another reminder of those struggle and ultimate sacrifice so many gave in the defence of the liberty that we enjoy in Europe and much of the world today.

Brean Down II, Somerset, England (2012)

Portland, Dorset, England (2011)

Abbot’s Cliffe, Kent, England (2010)

Lossiemouth II, Moray, Scotland (2011)

Widemouth Bay, Cornwall, England (2011)

[Photography: Marc Wilson]

The post The Forgotten WW1 Structures of Great Britain appeared first on SOBIFY.

Image Credits: © Artcurial

The idea of one day discovering something extremely valuable that had been hidden away for years, is enough to capture the imagination of us all.

However, that is exactly what happened to Pierre Novikoff of French auction house Artcurial, when he received a phone call back in early 2014.

The barns and other buildings contained a total of 60 classic cars

On the end of the line was a representative of an estate, that included a run down barn with a collection of antique cars, (many of which had not been touched in almost half a century).

Novikoff and colleague Matthieu Lamoure of Artcurial were not prepared for what they saw upon arrival.

Many of these highly sought after cars have been hidden away for over 50 years

The barn and its contents have been labeled the most valuable barn find of all time; a discovery being compared in grandeur to the uncovering of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

In classic Car terms there has never been a discovery quite like it. The barn contained 60 rare and vintage automobiles highly sought after by collectors.

Every inch of the barn contained a relic from an earlier automotive era

The cars were manufactured by legendary makers such as Maserati, Bugatti, Ferrari, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago, Panhard-Levassor, Delahaye, and Delage.

Adding to the rarity and value of the find, many of the cars were rare models with coaches built by some of the most renowned coachbuilders of the time, including Million & Guiet, Frua, Chapron and Saoutchik.

The total resale value of the 60 cars is said to be close to $20 million

The classic cars were originally owned by entrepreneur Roger Baillon, who acquired them during the 1950s and 60s. However, upon falling on financial hardship Ballion was forced to sell much of his collection.

After his death, the cars that remained were passed down to his son. Somehow, he had no idea of the cars potential value and they were left to continue rotting in the various barns and outhouses of the property.

Maserati A6G Gran Sport Frua from the Baillon Collection

After he passed away, Roger Baillon’s grandchildren inherited the collection. Which brings us neatly back to the present, and the inclusion of Lamoure and Novikoff tasked to ascertain the cars’ worth.

It was certainly a job the two revelled in. Merely taking stock of all the items took them several weeks. Out of the 60 cars found in the barn, there were three Saoutchik-bodied Talbot Lago T26s, including an extremely rare Grand Sport Aérodynamique and a Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet -once owned by King Farouk of Egypt.

Talbot Lago T26 cabriolet Saoutchik formerly owned by ex-King Farouk of Egypt

The most valuable car in the collection, was a beautiful 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider. In auction the car is expected to sell in excess of $10,000,000 USD.

This particular Ferrari California once belonged to French actor Alain Delon – who had been photographed in the car with actress Jane Fonda in 1964.

The Ferrari 250 GT California SWB Spider from the Baillon Collection

“You go into this profession for discoveries like this … this really is a treasure … an once-in-a-lifetime discovery…when we arrived here, we found ourselves overcome with emotion.” Lamoure said during an interview after the find.

“I think some should be left as they are, and others should be restored,” said Lamoure. “This is a unique testimony. It is the collectors who have this opportunity to make the successful bid who will decide. If you think about it, there are always restored cars available to buy on the market. These vehicles are unique.”

Pierre Novikoff & Matthieu Lamoure in one of the barns

“This is a very rare opportunity presenting works of art unknown to the market. For the Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport coupé Saoutchik, caved in at the rear, I think it should be left in this condition. It is a sculpture.”

Although a very nice idea in theory, whether this will happen remains to be seen. The full collection is due to go up for auction in February 2015.

[Image Credits: Artcurial]

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It reads like something you might see in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

In 2013, the Lyubov Orlova, a Russian Cruise ship weighing over 4,251 tons broke free from its towing line as it was being delivered from Canada to a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic.

From there it drifted into international waters, where responsibility for its salvage became complicated. No one was willing to step forward and finance the search or dismantling of the vessel.

The outcome? A former cruise ship built to explore the icy waters of the Antarctic (her hull was Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A, and constructed to withstand impacts with ice) began floating through the Atlantic with no one aboard.

And with no crew, warning lights, or functioning global positioning system, the untrackable ship became lost in the ocean.

Built in 1976, the Lyubov Orlova was named after the Russian film star Lyubov Orlova. The ship was built for the Far Eastern Shipping Company based at Vladivostok in the Soviet Union.

In 2010, she was seized at St. John’s harbor in Newfoundland following a suit by a haulage contractor against the Russian owners over $250,000 in unpaid fees.

The ship remained tied up for more than two years before it was sold to Caribbean buyers in February 2012.

After the vessel broke free, Transport Canada claimed they were no longer responsible for the ship and with little chance of it drifting back under Canadian jurisdiction, they what you would proverbially describe, ‘wiped their hands of her.’

According to a document from a US intelligence agency, obtained by the AFP, the abandoned ship was last seen approximately 1,300 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland, and was drifting toward Europe.

After that, the Lyubov Orlova disappeared. “Canadian officials acknowledged they did not know the location of the ship, as the vessel’s global positioning system was no longer working,” the AFP reported.

Irish authorities began looking over satellite data to try and locate the loose vessel however the Ghost Ship never appeared in their jurisdiction.

Two signals were picked up on the 12 and 23 March 2013, presumably from lifeboats which fell away and hit the water.

A week later, an unidentified object of about the right size was spotted on radar just off the coast of Scotland – but search planes never verified the find.

No official search was subsequently undertaken for the Lyubov Orlova, although it is agreed she must have eventually sunk, as of today no one has any real idea where she may have ended up.

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Architecture from behind the Iron Curtain is fascinating.  Their often stark brutal presence offering a dark romance indicative of the design from that era. Combine that with the often atomic space age influences and you have a school of architecture very much of its time.

This collection of images are of various buildings within the former Soviet Union and parts of what was once Yugoslavia.

The post 20 Vivid Examples of Socialist / Communist Architecture appeared first on SOBIFY.

The ever advancing technology of the 3D-Printer has reached new heights with this: The World’s Tallest 3D-Printed Building from Shanghai-based construction firm WinSun Decoration Design Engineering.

The company has unveiled a five-story apartment building that has been made entirely with a giant 3D printer. The building has a terra cotta brick-like exterior and is on display at the Suzhou Industrial Park.

The industrial park also houses a 1,100-square-meter (11,840-square-foot) 3D-printed neoclassical mansion, ‘manufactured’ by the same company.

Both buildings were made with a patented “ink” that is created from recycled construction waste. The printer is a colossal 150 meters long.

The company is a pioneer in the 3d printing construction world. Last year it printed 10 affordable single-story houses in 24 hours. These advances have quite rightly captured the attention of architects, humanitarian aid agencies, and governments across the globe in the pursuit of affordable housing.

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Regulations For A New Industry

But what about safety? According to the chief engineer in charge of inspecting the buildings (Ma Rongquan, of Chinese Construction) both structures are in compliance with national standards.

However, it has prompted the argument that new standards may need to be written in the face of emerging 3D-printed architecture. “We need to revise and improve such a standard for the future,” Rongquan told the 3D-printing-focused blog 3Ders.

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Orders are being made. Ten houses have been ordered by a Taiwanese real estate group, while 20,000 of the affordable single-story houses are being prepared for the Egyptian government.

The company is clearly going from strength to strength and is certainly receiving worldwide coverage for the efforts.

At a press conference earlier this month, WinSun CEO Ma Yi He announced the company’s plans to build 3D construction factories in more than 20 countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Qatar, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Its engineers are currently working on a printer that turns desert sand into building material.

The Associated Press toured the models on display at the Suzhou Industrial Park:

The post World’s Tallest 3D-printed Building – WinSun Decoration Design Engineering appeared first on SOBIFY.

We like to embrace all kinds of architecture here on Sobify, but none come more fun than this unusual selection. With this series of buildings you are witnessing scenarios where the designing architects have thrown the rule book out of the window. The result? Well the creation of homes that are clearly very strange indeed.

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1. World’s Slimmest House, Poland

Polish architect Jakub Szczesny has laid claim to having built the world’s narrowest house, (92 centimetres (3.02 ft) at its narrowest point.)

Even at its widest point, (152 centimetres), the Keret House makes for some strange style living. The property is squeezed into a crevice between two buildings in the centre of Warsaw, and was designed quite specifically for travel writers in mind.

Szczesny, who is one of the co-founders of arts group Centrala, approached Israeli writer Etgar Keret to become involved in the project. The concept being that the home would only be suitable to someone relatively transient, as no sane person could put up with it for too long.

Photography is by Bartek Warzecha, © Polish Modern Art Foundation, The National Centre for Culture.

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2. Giant Seashell House, Mexico

Want to know what it would be like to live in a shell? The owner of the Nautilus House in Mexico City, clearly wanted to find out. The end result was this amazing shell-shaped house designed by architect Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica.

Inspired by the work of Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright, the house interior is full of smooth surfaces, spiral stairs and natural plantings, all adding to the effect that you’re living inside a snail shell. Strange indeed.

Website: arquitecturaorganica.com

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3. Skateboard House, USA

The PAS House, built in Malibu, California is the ultimate house for skateboard fans. The client and visionary of the project is Pierre Andre Senizergues (PAS), a former World champion and Pro Skater and the founder of Etnies. The effect is an unusual home where nearly every surface can be traversed on four wheels.

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 4. Converted Church, Holland

Okay, so there are plenty of converted churches out there. Especially if you live in Europe. However, this example is done particularly well.

Zecc Architecten repurposed and converted this abandoned churche located in Utrecht, Netherlands into a beautiful modern family residence.

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5. Transparent House, Japan

A house not for the faint hearted, or for anyone that values their privacy. At least living in this transparent house located in Tokyo, Japan would offer plenty of sunlight.

Known as “House NA”, the 914 square-foot transparent house was built by Sou Fujimoto Architects and is associated with the concept of living within a tree.

Architect: Sou Fujimoto Architects | Photographer: Iwan Baan

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6. Stone House,Portugal

Located in the Fafe mountains of northern Portugal, A Casa do Penedo, or “the House of Stone,” was built between four large boulders found on the site.

The house was built in 1974 as a family’s rural retreat. However, as time has passed the home has attracted the attention much attention from tourists and architecture enthusiasts. So much so, you can now find images of the Stone House all over the web. Being so perfectly integrated into its natural surroundings, it is both beautiful and very, very strange.

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7. Converted Water Tower, Belgium

Architect Mauro Brigham of Bham Design Studio has repurposed an old water tower in Belgium, simply known as Chateau d’eau, into a livable home.

This 30-meter-high tower was first constructed sometime between 1938 and 1941. It is now a high-tech, modern residence offering all the amenities you could ever want from a home.

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8. World’s Smallest 1sq Meter House, Germany

Once a Laotian refugee and now a German architect, Van Bo Le-Mentzel applied his knowledge of what it is like to be homeless, with the emotional and financial importance of owning your own space.

While it not be for everyone, his experiment with the worlds first 1sq meter home is a worthy contender for the strangest house in this list.

[Plans for the one-square-meter (or 1SQM) house are available for free, along with its bare-banes list of essential building components. Plans can be found here.]

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9. Dick Clark’s Flintstones Inspired Home, USA

Another home in this list with a Flinstones inspired theme. This one is owned by American television and radio star, Dick Clark. Th house sits on a 23 acres lot in Malibu giving one a 360 degree view of mountains, seas and cityscapes.

The house was the brain child of Architect Phillip Jon Brown who suggested to create a house that looked like a rock formation in order to blend in with its surroundings. (The home is situated right next to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area.)

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10. Slide House, Japan

Now this has to be the dream home for any child, (and adult with child like sensibilities. Japanese studio Level Architecs based in Tokyo, Japan, are behind this property and the ingenious yet strange aspect to this is the fact all 3 floors are connected with a slide.

A staircase wraps around one side of the rectangular house and the slide encircles the other. Absolutely brilliant.

Slide House Photographs by Shinichi Tanaka

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11. The Steel House, Texas, USA

To say that the Steel House is a labour of love would be an under-statement and then some. Artist and architect Robert Bruno has been battling away with a welder on this one since 1974.

The concept is some where between animal and machine, according to Bruno – the organic curves do hold a particularly haunting beauty.

The artist has approached the building like a sculpture, with the constant modifications a big reason for the ongoing 40 year time scale it has taken to complete.

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12. Bubble Castle, Theoule, France

Designer Antti Lovag long rebelled against traditional structures. And they do not come much more untraditional than Bubble Castle. The bulbous compound sits on the southwest coast of France, where it attracts tourist sightseers and architect fans from across the globe.

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Main Gallery

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