For parents who are really on the go, a British plumber has devised the ultimate in baby strollers: a steel-reinforced, twin-exhaust, 10-horsepower baby carriage capable of reaching highway speeds in less than 30 seconds. In fact, it holds the world's record as fastest stroller.
When Colin Furze, 33, learned he was about to become a dad, he decided an ordinary baby stroller simply wouldn't do, PopSci.com reports. So he welded a 125-cubic centimeter motorcycle engine onto the steel cage of what has to be the world's most seriously pimped-out pram.
Furze also constructed a steel platform for the driver to stand on while operating the stroller, complete with a cup holder. "It is rather scary to drive, but I've had lots of envious looks from mums and dads, especially when they are pushing their babies up hills," Furze told the Daily Mail.
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Steering, accelerating and braking are accomplished by levers on the baby carriage's handlebars (also cribbed from a motorcycle). Furze did make some design refinements along the way: The first set of skateboard wheels he used on the high-speed stroller melted. "It was quite pathetic," Furze told PopSci.com.
And though he initially intended to drape the baby carriage's canopy in delicate fabric, Furze opted instead for unadorned welded metal. "It looks a bit more Mad Max," he told PopSci.com. Though he has no intention of putting his newborn son Jake into his monstrosity, it hasn't stopped Furze from putting a baby doll inside the pram, just to startle onlookers.
Understanding how Furze constructed the pram is one thing, but figuring out why is a another matter. It helps to know that Furze has been creating high-octane, pyrotechnic stunts for years. In his 20s, he built a 50,000-square-foot (4,700 square meters) mountain of fire by launching a small rocket into an enormous pile of wood, reports PopSci.com. The stunt launched Furze into the Guinness Book of Records.
Every few years, Furze attempts to set another world record, and his latest for the fastest baby carriage should be safe for a while: In 2012, he and his pram topped 50 mph (80 kph) on a local drag strip.
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