It's the red and yellow car that most adults of a certain age will have fond memories of.
Whether it was furiously scooting across your next-door neighbour's crazy paving patio or speeding along the corridors of your local children's hospital, there's no denying the Cozy Coupe kick-started many a car obsession.
That obsession clearly hasn't abated for mechanic John Bitmead and his petrolhead friends who set about creating a fully functioning life-size Cozy Coupe for the road.
Mr Bitmead, his brother Geoff and close friend Nigel Douglas spent five months converting an old Daewoo Matiz to look just like the popular kid's toy but it wasn't easy.
Five months, £35,000 and a whole heap of elbow grease later and the road-going Cozy Coupe was ready for a test run.
That obsession clearly hasn't abated for mechanic John Bitmead and his petrolhead friends who set about creating a fully functioning life-size Cozy Coupe for the road.
Mr Bitmead, his brother Geoff and close friend Nigel Douglas spent five months converting an old Daewoo Matiz to look just like the popular kid's toy but it wasn't easy.
Five months, £35,000 and a whole heap of elbow grease later and the road-going Cozy Coupe was ready for a test run.
"We were chatting one day about how more people have probably driven a Cozy Coupe than any other kind of car – and it snowballed from there," he added.
Although the drive train and basic underpinnings of the humble Matiz remain, Mr Bitmead and his small team of mechanics meticulously replicated the recognisable features of the Cozy Coupe, from the glassless windscreen to the oversized cup holders that sit inside the car.
"We took it on the motorway once, but I'm too scared to do it again in case we cause an accident," Mr Bitmead added.
They are always in peoples' front gardens. We thought it would be great if we could get an adult version of it."
Mr Douglas said he also wanted to tour around the country with the toy car to raise money for London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.
Although the drive train and basic underpinnings of the humble Matiz remain, Mr Bitmead and his small team of mechanics meticulously replicated the recognisable features of the Cozy Coupe, from the glassless windscreen to the oversized cup holders that sit inside the car.
"We took it on the motorway once, but I'm too scared to do it again in case we cause an accident," Mr Bitmead added.
They are always in peoples' front gardens. We thought it would be great if we could get an adult version of it."
Mr Douglas said he also wanted to tour around the country with the toy car to raise money for London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.
No comments:
Post a Comment