WATCH: The Cozy Coupe you can drive for real
Oxfordshire mechanic builds a grown-ups version of the classic children's Little Tikes car
An inventive mechanic from Oxfordshire has built his very own adult-sized version of the bestselling Little Tikes Cozy Coupe children's toy car. And forget pedal power: unlike its toy-sized inspiration, this coupe has a 800cc engine, and can go from 0 to 60 mph in 17 seconds!
The ToyTown Coupe, as its creator John Bitmead has called it, took 5 months and £35,000 to build. With the help of his brother Geoff and his boss Nigel Douglas, managing director of Attitude Autos, near Bicester in Oxfordshire, John took apart a Daewoo Matiz to create his version of the classic children's toy car.
Every detail has been carefully copied from small toy to big toy, including the yellow roof, glassless windows and oversized drinks holder.
"It was really important to me to get the details exactly right," says John. "The ignition is even a big button, and we created all kinds of moulds to get the steel roof and unique seat shape exactly right. I love setting myself a challenge, and once I’d got the idea in my head, I was determined to see it through."
His creation has apparently already been for a spin down the motorway but, confesses John, "I’m too scared to do it again in case we cause an accident!
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