The real support could be inside the teacups, attached to the wooden blocks the cups are on...and are there any views of the underside of the table?

I remember having seen a bet, many years ago, on the german quiz show "Wetten, dass?". A guy set a large truck on top of four wine glasses. I haven't found a reference, though.

It's just a matter of weight distribution, shape, and. . .ummmm. . .a term that has just slipped my mind but has to do with the properties of the material. If you have something of the right shape, and if you apply the force evenly, the object can support what seems an impossible amount of weight. It would have to be done very carefully, and of course you will eventually reach a weight limit where the cups will shatter no matter how careful you are. Overall, though, it's not much different from bridge supports holding up a heavy span, or a person reclining on a bed of nails without them puncturing his skin.

You can get a similar result from an egg. If the egg is small enough that you can put your hand completely around it, and if you apply pressure evenly on it, you can squeeze it as hard as you possibly can without so much as cracking the egg shell (if you decide to try this at home, though, I would strongly suggest trying it first with a boiled egg).

Years ago my mother dropped a porcelain tea pot on an enamel sink - it chipped the enammel sink.

Tough stuff china.

I've seen this once before advertising the strength of the teacups. They had some info in front of the display swearing that there was nothing but teacup holding up the car. So, I doubt they'd go to all that trouble to then be deliberately lying - if they wanted to impress just display it without explanation.

Can I have the Lamborghini when they are done?

Scientifically, it is possible. The curved shape of the teacup would reincforce the material by spreading out the force upon it. A person can put his weight on four eggs by the same principle. Note that they care would have to be place in them just right, perfectly evenly, and all four at once, which fits the description of the crane.

It's also possible to walk on eggs, without breaking them. Again: shape and material are _tough_.

Well, I can probably get an answer for you guys.

The manager of the Toronto Lamborghini dealership lives two doors down from me lol

I'm sure he was involved in letting this happen, I should ask him the next time I see him.

Ask him if there is an engine in it. The engine makes up most of the car and is in the back right? Does that still fit in with correct weight distibution?

"The engine makes up most of the car and is in the back right?"

I believe the Gallardo is a mid-engine, meaning the majority of the weight of the engine is forward of the rear axle. Mid-engine is the most desirable configuration for a sports car as this gives the best weight distribution for handling.

Anyway, after the reading the blog entry my gut feeling says real...

I'm trying to get my husband to swing by and check it out after work today. He works in North York though, and is giving me grief about it Something about it "being way out of my way" and "I'll miss the damn bus" etc etc....

My whole problem with this is if you have a Lamborghini would it be lime green?

The color reminds me of the 70s-vintage Fiat X1/9s

Actually, that colour is pretty desirable, and kinda rare. From what I remember, there are only a couple of the lime green Lambo's in Canada.

I still haven't asked him, I dont think he's home yet.

I.. I actually feel a little creepy. It's like I'm stalking him.

"Actually, that colour is pretty desirable, and kinda rare. From what I remember, there are only a couple of the lime green Lambo's in Canada."


Hmmmm! <sarcasm>I wondeer why?</sarcasm>

Perhaps the teacups are made of the same material as the Snout Cups thread also posted today...And that material would be: umm Pig Iron... sorry

I like the color - it's like the Riddler-mobile

Well, I emailed Mythbusters about it via their Myspace page. I hope they check it every now and then.

I don't understand the allure of myspace, I had to open an account to send a message and I find it sloppy, laggy and a PITA. Maybe it just offends my designer sensibilities or something.

Anyone know if there is another way to send to a message to them? Discovery's webpage is a mess.

Someone mentioned that the engine could be missing,
and I just wanted to add that everything could be missing.
Auto and large appliance makers often manufacture hollow
versions of large products for display purposes.
There are several reasons for this.
They cost less to ship, can be rigged for suspended 'aerial'
displays, can fit through a small door and be assembled in a space where they otherwise wouldn't fit, etc.

Oh -
almost forgot... So the ad wouldn't really be a lie.
The teacups ARE holding the car...
they're just omitting that it's not a car one could drive.

Notice the block under the tea cup? The number of pounds per square inch being supported is based upon that block. Granted the tea cup must transmit the weight and the narrow part just above the base must be able to take the force being applied through it, but if the compressability of the porcelain is good enough, the block itself may be the deciding factor.

And I forgot to ask, was this stunt set up in broad daylight or hidden? If it was set up while the public could watch, it is unlikely that hidden supports were placed inside the cups.

hey... didnt anyone notice that there is a block at the TOP of the teacup too...along with under the teacup?

No, I hadn't noticed it. It wouldn't help the weight distrobution, but it would make it easier for the cup to survive the car being placed on it. Without it, the tire might have some part below the rim of the cup and exert outward pressure that the cup couldn't withstand.

I walk across this corner four times a day (I live one block away, and my daughter's school is five blocks in that direction). It was set up in daylight, and even if it hadn't been, this is one block from Yonge and Bloor, probably the busiest intersection in Canada, so even in the middle of the night it's never dark and never deserted. I didn't stand around to watch the whole process, but I did see various stages of the set-up and I'm fairly certain it's real. This large, upscale store in a boutique neighbourhood has a history of innovative and unusual displays. I once stopped to watch a glassblowing demonstration, full kiln and all, on this corner... the artist's wares being sold inside. And just a few months ago they placed two huge, flat-screen tvs in their windows with outdoor speakers, broadcasting live World Cup soccer. Believe me, you have never seen so many men gazing into a porcelain retailer, or so many businessmen taking very, very long lunches. Judging by the number of bored-looking wives and girlfriends standing around with them, it may even have attracted some customers. Keep in mind, too, that the car/teacup display was set up in the middle of the Toronto International Film Festival, halfway between two of the major venues, and in the area where all of the celebrities tend to be photographed shopping. Mind you, I've lived here for five TIFFs now and have yet to spot anyone famous, but the pics in the paper assure me they're all right here, somewhere. Oh, and there is, of course, a theatre-appropriate velvet rope barrier all around the table, and 24-hour uniformed security, not to mention people who come out to empty the place settings not under the car after it rains. Personally, I'm not all that impressed.

To anyone who thinks the Lamborghini's colour is unusual, Lambos are always bright colours, sky-blue, lime green, etc. Don't ask why.

I'm not dead certain if it's real, but my gut sez that it is.

As a potter, I can happily confirm that porcelain teacups will take that load easily.
You'll note the bearers are placed on a block, probably of an engineering grade plastic, and a similar block is placed on the top of the cup rim, this evens the load.
When I was being annoyed by a woman at an outdoor crafts fair, who said my porcelain wine-goblets looked too fragile, I took one and threw it as high in the air as I could. As I expected, it plummeted to the ground without harm... on grass, of course.
I sold them all within twenty minutes.
So -conclusion?
No Hoax.

I love tea!

That is unbeliable. I guess if you had enough cups and distributed the weight enough it could work. Also, I know those are very light cars which helps as well.

For further edification, from the Sept. 2008 re-staging:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmPK1lkOINU

Sorry, but it didn't occur to me that there would be this discussion on whether it was a hoax. It didn't appear to be a hoax in the least bit to me, standing there in front of it, but then I didn't even think of holding the camera under the table. In walking around I'm fairly sure there was nothing out of the ordinary underneath the table.

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