Drive a Road-Legal Chevy Bumper Car!

Dan Spent Pandemic Doing Interesting Things Instead of Binging Netflix

Recall the bumper vehicles we would take pleasure in as kids? For numerous of us, that arrived to be our first time sensation motorist’s freedom. Although we have grown in years and now typically drive contemporary automobiles, one particular individual nostalgically chose to replenish their childhood days, inducing a personalised fibre-glass model with a Chevy powerplant intended for use on the main roads.

This unbelievable conveyance is owned by 72-year-old Dan Hryhorcoff, an engineer who put together his bumper auto amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As opposed to the ordinary pastimes of making banana bread and viewing Tiger King during this difficult time, this skillful individual endeavoured in his shed to manifest his blue crash car into existence.

We have witnessed a similar spectacle before; Colin Furze appointed his bumper car with a hundred-horsepower Honda motorbike engine.

“I had been wanting to build something unique for a while,” Hryhorcoff said to Popular Mechanics. “When the pandemic hit, I thought it was the perfect time to start a new project.” And that’s when he decided to build a life-sized version of the classic video game character Mario from Super Mario Bros.

Knoebels replica bumper car hits Lackawanna County roads

In his spare time, instead of fiddling with a classic car, Hryhorcoff decided to recreate a 1953 Lusse Auto Skooter bumper car that he saw at Knoebels amusement park in Pennsylvania. The bumper car had a “Chevrolet pickup truck sorta look” to it that he found appealing, so he set out to copy it.

After spending eight hours calculating measurements of the vehicle and capturing reference shots, he increased the scale of the vehicle twice over. Calling upon fiberglass techniques acquired in his youth and other past endeavors, Hryhorcoff masterfully modeled the bodywork for his invention, beginning with Styrofoam models for every individual component.

“When I was 13, my dad taught me how to use a lathe – he was really a master of all trades,” recalled the engineer. In line with this, Hryhorcoff decided to go for a Chevrolet Aveo engine. Although it’s not as powerful as a V8 from a Silverado, it still offers enough power to the small bumper car.

“I took the front of the Aveo and chopped it off and put that in the back of the bumper car,” said Hryhorcoff. “The front of the bumper car is a motorcycle wheel,” he added. This configuration, the builder explained, gives the road-going bumper car greater agility, allowing it to turn corners with ease. Because of its special design, the vehicle is registered as a three-wheeled trike.

This delightful-looking vehicle includes many of the details found in an actual bumper car, such as the power pole which brings it to life. As observed from the video, the ride is completely roadworthy and quite easy to maneuver.

Hryhorcoff proclaims himself an engineer, not an artist, asserting that he would choose to emulate existing designs. Even in such replication, his pieces are still spectacular artistic creations, so the magnitude of skill and artistry at play has to be revered. We look forward to seeing his next venture with great anticipation.