Compact surf buggy

Cutting a sharp style with its faux wood-grain body panels and white wall tyres, the Chevrolet Spark Woody Wagon celebrates the dawn of surf culture.

Though it can't match the 'Woodies' -- timber bodied large sedans and wagons that were favoured by surfers in the 1950s and '60s in the USA -- this particular Woody Wagon art car pays homage to the carefree era.

Strapped to the roof racks is an Escape Mini-Mal surfboard (made in Cornwall, naturally) and finished with a wood-effect panelling to match the Woody Wagon.

According to Chevrolet, 'Woody Wagons' were immortalised in song, "...chiefly in The Beach Boys' Surfin Safari and Jan and Dean's Surf City, both widely regarded as two of the most famous surfing tunes ever."

This one-off creation was designed to coincide with the Boardmasters festival held at Cornwall in the UK and the car is also part of a larger "Young? Creative? Chevrolet!" arts competition, which will culminate with an exhibition at the 2010 Paris motor show in October.

The Chevrolet Spark will be badged as a Holden and sold in Australia, expected to arrive later this year.

Following on from the success of the Holden Cruze, the Spark is the second new generation global car from General Motors and will slot in underneath the Barina as a sub-compact car.

A couple of engines are offered in European models, but the Australian market Spark is likely to be powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine generating a modest 60kW/111Nm. Expect very good fuel economy however; rated at around 5.1L/100km for the combined cycle, the compact car is getting close to hybrid fuel consumption levels.

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