Several owners, and definitely a few bumps, but for a couple in Dorset, the opportunity to turn a £30 fairground dodgem into a roadworthy car was too good to miss.
Chris Acock and his partner Zarra Lea bought the old fairground carriage off eBay for just £30 and after stripping it out and spending £400 on the project it is now capable of a leisurely eight miles an hour.
The couple installed a mobility scooter engine into the dodgem and after attaching front and back lights and hazard warning lights the vehicle is now legally allowed to drive on UK roads and pavements. With a range of 20 miles from the mobility scooter battery, the vehicle has proven perfect for a trip to the local Tesco in their home town on the south coast.
“I'm building stuff all the time - all sorts of weird and wonderful things - so this was the next evolution,” Chris told MailOnline.
“I bought the dodgem on eBay for £31 and the mobility scooter for £200 on an online market place before merging them together.
“I stripped everything out of the bumper car until I was left with the bare shell then I took the mobility scooter apart.
“I bolted the scooter's battery to the underside of the dodgem then did the wiring, painting and sorted the lights out.
“It wasn't that difficult to do and Zarra loves it. It's our mode of transport to go to the pub and shops and it seems to make people smile as we go past.
“That's all you can hope for in these difficult times, having a giggle.”
The couple drive a more traditional Land Rover for journeys longer than 20 miles.