Buggy harnesses wind

Gary Reid is used to getting attention. As a 6-foot-plus owner of an unmistakable bubble-topped hot rod, curious stares are nothing new, and the diehard do-it-yourself auto enthusiast is developing a vehicle he hopes will appeal to the eco-conscious masses.

Reid, a city of Las Vegas engineer and devoted fan of iconic car designer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, is working on a highly stylized battery-powered electric buggy that -- if all goes as planned -- will help solve the world's petroleum-dependent woes. 

The Wind Jammer, named by his wife, Royina, started its life as an Infiniti Q45 sedan before being morphed into a trike (two wheels in the rear and one in the front) that is charged solely by a wind turbine. The turbine, located at the vehicle's rear, is designed to create energy while the Wind Jammer is in motion, and can also be raised up to 10 feet to collect power when the vehicle is parked.

Reid's most recent creation is not only functional, but fashionable. 

"All the electric cars you see out there are square, boxy, nobody would really like 'em type of things, so I wanted to make something that'd look cool," Reid said of his geometric "Rat Fink green" trike, which he plans to cover in aluminum diamond plate and accent with stick-on vinyl.

The Wind Jammer was inspired by Reid's neighbor, who uses four windmills located on his property to generate most the electricity he uses in his home.

"I thought, 'If they can do it on a house, why not a car?' " Reid said. "It makes it a totally self-sufficient vehicle: Just park it outside, let (the turbine) spin, turn, charge up the batteries; come out, jump in; you don't have to plug in -- no gas, no nothing."

The Wind Jammer employs the same technology used in Chevy S10 pickup conversions -- a 9-inch motor powered by 144 volts, which gets a range of 70 to 80 miles cruising at 60 mph -- but the Wind Jammer, at less than 1,000 pounds, weighs one-third as much as the stock truck does. Although Reid isn't yet sure of its range, he hopes it will get at least 100 miles per charge.

"Nobody's done it before, so no one can tell me how far it's going to go," Reid said.

Reid has big plans for the patent-pending Wind Jammer, which ABC TV is considering showcasing on "Shark Tank," a show that helps entrepreneurs launch their business ideas. If the project proves successful, he will take the Wind Jammer on a cross-country promotional tour.

"What's neat about it is it's like a dune buggy, it's like a motorcycle, it's like a car," Reid said. "It's kind of like a motorcycle with a cage around it, but then it's got the bubble on there, got a wild body shape to it, so everyone who sees it really goes crazy."

Reid is best known for his Roth-inspired Bubble Ray, a sphere-topped blue hot rod emblazened with flashy purple flames. The "100-percent hand-built" hot rod is so eye-catching that Reid avoids driving it because it has caused car accidents among admirers on the road. Skeptics sometimes assume the former Corvette -- modeled after Roth's 1960s Beatnik Bandit -- is a Roth original.

"When I saw (Gary) driving around in his bubble-top car, I thought it was like Dad came back to life or something," said Dennis "Lil Daddy" Roth, Ed Roth's son, who is also an artist and car builder.

Reid's dedication to Big Daddy style has helped him forge friendships with the late artist's wife, Ilene, and son Dennis, whom he met at car shows.

Reid's voice quavers as he recalls being invited by Ilene Roth to lead the Rat Fink Reunion parade in Manti, Utah -- a defining moment in his life thus far.

"It made (the experience) full circle, of not only having the cars and the toys when I was a kid, then building a car that was a tribute to (Ed Roth) and then his wife liking it so much that she not only awarded me a couple things in the show, but had me park where he built his car, had me lead the parade that's in his honor back to their house and to me," Reid said. "It's one of those things that gives you goosebumps to think about."

Reid has plenty to think about these days as he waits on a response from "Shark Tank" and puts the finishing touches on the Wind Jammer. Even if he doesn't go on the show (he'll find out by Oct. 23 if he's been cast), Reid still plans to market the trike.

His wife has high hopes for the project.

"I hope my husband's invention goes through and we can help a lot of people," Royina Deleon-Reid said. "That would be awesome."

The Wind Jammer, along with the Bubble Ray and Rat Fink Flyer -- a souped up Radio Flyer wagon -- will be on display at Trunk or Treat Classic Car Show Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Center, 101 Pavillion Center Drive, in Summerlin.