En route to a motorized nanocar.

[structure: see text] With the eventual goal of demonstrating a motorized nanocar, the key structure has been synthesized which bears a light-activated unidirectional molecular motor and an oligo(phenylene ethynylene) chassis and axle system with four carboranes to serve as the wheels. Kinetics studies in solution show that the motor indeed rotates upon irradiation with 365 nm light, and the fullerene-free carborane wheel system is an essential design feature for motor operation.