This Man’s Giant Bumper Car Will Put a Smile On Your Face

There are all sorts of impressive project vehicles happening everywhere. Restoring old cars. Modifying classic muscle cars. Outfitting a stock pickup truck with every accessory kit available. But a giant bumper car? That just brings out the kid in us.

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At least that was the goal for retiree Dan Hryhorcoff.

During COVID, everyone took on a new skill or hobby. Some people learned to bake bread. Some of us learned to play an instrument. But for Hryhorcoff, his goal was to build a giant bumper car big enough for an average adult that is powered by a Chevy engine. As an added bonus, it is also street-legal!

A resident of northeastern Pennsylvania, Hryhorcoff has an impressive portfolio of projects in his repertoire, including a yellow submarine and a giant street-legal pedal car. But when the COVID pandemic struck, suddenly he had all the time he needed to work on his newest viral project.

Building a Giant Bumper Car

With a new goal in mind, Hryhorcoff was inspired by the post-WW2 era 1953 bumper car models made by the company Lusse that were found at the Knoebels amusement park in Elysburg, PA. After spending about eight hours at the park, Hryhorcoff copied the dimensions of the bumper cars, took photos, and created templates to gather as much information as possible in order to replicate them on a larger scale as closely as possible.

The final product ended up being twice the size of the original bumper cars, but with a mishmash of car-size upgrades. It is powered by a Chevrolet Aveo engine, its front wheel came from a motorcycle, and a fiberglass exterior. It also features a long, vertical pole in the back to mimic the same ones that bumper cars receive their electricity. Only this one is just for aesthetic purposes.

Obviously, we’re all imagining the idea of more giant bumper cars out on the streets. So long as they run at low speeds, they could make bumping into other giant street-legal bumper cars… fun.