Nov 9, 2009: Bumper Cars
 

Here's another one that arrived in an email, like the snake & lizard on friday.

http://cellar.org/2009/bumpercar1.jpg

My first reaction was, Are you shittin' me? But like the lady said, It's twue, It's twue. ;)

I'd be pretty damn cautious over 40mph, in those high center of gravity, short wheelbase, narrow track, toys. :eek3: But Me Want.
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I see you too must have a forwarding-mother-in-law..

I thought there would be a ringling of clowns driving those.

Yea, a Shriner's wet dream.

These beautiful 4-wheelers wouldn't be legal in most states, as they have no fenders. I'm surprised they're road-legal in the People's Republic of California, with its overly-strict laws about safety, pollution, welfare, and so on.

Wouldn't the bumper be a fender?

No, a bumper's a defender. ;)
I think Ohio is another state the lets them go fenderless. PA says the width of the tread, 15 degree ahead to 75 degrees behind, the centerline of each wheel.

Fenderless is street legal here too and in Fla. I think they look pretty cool. I bet they haul ass from a standing start.

just as long as they actually don't -- ya know--BUMP anything with it.

Umm...not sure I'd want to have a hot engine between my legs like in that woody model. Wow...how much is wrong with that sentence?

or, how much right?

Hmmm, I don't think so. Someone had a car with a missing fender and replaced it with a two by four to be legal. This is the state of front and back plates, too.

We're all about safety and morality here in Ohio.

say that in English

Gee, I was in Youngstown many years ago, and saw a car with no hood, front fenders or front doors being driven down the street. On the other hand, the driver was wearing a seat belt and was not reading porn, so I guess you are correct. :D

You could be right. I remember reading in Rodder's journal, about a guy living in western PA, registering his car in Ohio to beat the fender law, but it could have been the other way around. In MA, you don't need fenders, but you need a front plate

The fender has to be at least as wide as tire's tread. It must extend no less than 15 degrees ahead of the vertical centerline of the tire, and end no less than 75 degrees behind the centerline, measured from the center of the wheel. UNLESS, the vehicle is registered as a Street Rod, and carrying PA Street Rod plates. In that case, no fenders, bumpers, or hood is required. But if there's no hood, the fan must be shrouded.

Up in the northwest, Oregon, Washington, or somewhere, they have a law that says fenders are optional, but if you don't have them, you aren't allowed to drive in the rain or on unpaved roads. Every state has their own interpretation of what's cool, and much of that depends how politically active their street rod organizations are.

They look like lots of fun, but I'd rather have an Ariel Atom, a street-legal stripped back hot rod.
The model demonstrated here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA weighs 500 kilograms (1100 lbs) and produces 300 brake horsepower and does 0-60mph (100kph) in less than 3 seconds, and was the second fastest car top gear have yet tested. I've read of a 500 horsepower model.
Test driver: "It feels like my brains are being sucked out..."

Here in CA the fender requirement is a function of the vehicle weight. That's why roadsters don't need fenders and neither would these bumper cars.

That's NOT a hot rod. That's a purpose built, street legal, race car, that looks like most race cars. There's a ton of cars that go fast, if you can afford them.

This is not about going fast, this is about going slow, profiling, looking cool, and having fun.

Last time I checked fenders were required in Michigan only if it was being driven in the rain.

Ha! Youngstown? Probably Vinnie on his way to a hit.

ps I would love one of those bumper cars!