worlds fastest bumper car

How do you turn a fairground bumper car into a 200 km/h race car?

That was the question behind one of the more ridiculous — and potentially dangerous — projects at Tink Customs.

The target was a 200 km/h (approximately 125 mph) world speed record attempt for a bumper car, taking the basic shell of a traditional dodgem and completely rethinking what sits underneath it. The existing record was already over 100 mph, so simply making a fast bumper car wasn't enough. The plan was to build something capable of going considerably faster.

The project got well beyond the talking stage. Donor bumper cars were tracked down, the design and engineering began to take shape, and plans were developed for a custom chassis, performance engine, bespoke components, wheels and a suitable roll-over structure. The project also involved researching the Guinness World Records requirements and figuring out exactly what would be needed to make a legitimate attempt.

One of the biggest challenges was simply finding the right bumper car. These vehicles are becoming increasingly rare, and the potential donors were thousands of miles away, making acquisition and transportation a project in themselves.

With support from TAC Fabrication and a fundraising campaign helping to get the project moving, the build began — before eventually being shelved for the time being.

It's not necessarily the end of the story. The work already done remains here as a record of the project so far, and if the right combination of opportunity, funding and insanity comes along, the world's fastest bumper car may yet get another chance to hit the track.

200 km/h. In a bumper car. Because apparently 100 mph wasn't enough.

Bumpercar World Speed Record Attempt

Can a bumper car really do 200 km/h? This is the beginning of the Tink Customs project to build a world's fastest bumper...