Dad Builds Roadworthy 25mph Adult Version Of Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

For many of us, it was our first set of wheels - and now one dad has decided to take a drive down memory lane by building an adult version of the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. You can watch him drive it here:

Paul Renshaw, from Rugby, Warwickshire, UK, spent two months working on the project, and the end result is a road-legal vehicle that can reach speeds of up to 25mph. It's also just about big enough to be driven by a fully grown bloke, which is a bonus.

The car features an engine, accelerator, braking system, electric start and working headlights, and the dad-of-two was able to build it for just £150 ($197).

Recounting how the car came to be, the 47-year-old marine engineer said: "A few years ago my daughter sent me a photo of a tot rod based on a Tikes car and asked me if I could build one. I immediately said yes, but I was thinking that I wanted to be able to drive it, not just push it along.

Caters

"I just got off work, I got some bits of steel and started putting bits together - I did that until we had a rolling chassis that was driveable. I used the engine of a floor sweeper, I already had the back wheels and had some pieces given to me by friends.

"The body was the next challenge because I wouldn't fit in a normal Cozy Coupe car - a lot of time was spent with pop rivets and fibreglass to create a larger body where I would just about fit in.

"I got two Cozy Coupes designed for toddlers, chopped them off and squeezed them one inside the other."

Paul was able to keep costs down by building most of the car himself and salvaging materials; the greatest expense was the gearbox, which comes from a 1950s rotavator and cost £50 ($66).

The nine horsepower Honda engine was given to Paul by a friend, the braking system is based partly on a go-kart and partly on a Yamaha raptor quad bike, while the rear accelerator comes from a lawn mower.

Caters

The time and effort has all been worth it though for the reaction Paul gets wherever he goes in the grown-up Cozy Coupe.

He said: "I have taken it to a couple of car shows, retro rides gatherings, and I drive it around campsites and steam rallies. Whenever I go, it always gets attention, people jump in to take photos.

"It brings a smile to everyone and the kids love it. A lot of kids have Cozy Coupes at the back of their garden so when they see a bigger one with an engine they all want to drive it - same goes with all the adults, it reminds them of their childhood.

"I have always liked doing things like that, it was an enjoyable project."

Topics: Awesome, DIY, Dad, Car, Community

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey