Posted at: 07/06/2012 2:33 PM
Updated at: 07/06/2012 11:08 PM
By: Mike Maybay

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State Patrol: Front Seat Gas Tank Fueled 'Unsafe' Car

It runs on alternative fuel source and the driver can see the road in ways most cars don't offer.  But you won't be seeing this classic Ford Pinto back on a Minnesota road any time soon.

A Minnesota State Trooper stopped the car Sunday on U.S. Highway 52 in Koochiching County.

A State Patrol spokesperson posted photographs of what the Trooper found on the agency's Facebook page.

"Much of the vehicle was rusted out," said the spokesperson.  Photos show a clear view through what remains of the floor to the road below.

But that wasn't all.

A tire was wedged behind the driver's seat, a placement the spokesperson said was holding the seat in place.

The Trooper spotted a gas can on the front seat.  A hose ran from the gas can, out the passenger window, around the front and under the hood, "rigged up to the engine," according to the spokesperson.

"The car was impounded and the driver was cited for a number of violations," said the spokesperson.

Those violations included unsafe equipment and not having a Minnesota license.