Earlier this year, Tyler Fever—the mastermind behind the popular YouTube channel Prop Department—went massively viral for building the world's thinnest street-legal vehicle out of a sliced-up Ford Festiva. Never one to leave a ridiculous concept alone, Fever has officially returned with the exact opposite challenge: creating the widest street-legal car possible.The final result is a bizarre, 10-foot-wide, bright yellow Ford Festiva that requires a commercial wide-load permit just to pull out of the driveway.A Massive Engineering ChallengeTo pull off the ridiculous stunt, Fever purchased several cheap, used Ford Festivas to act as donor vehicles. After completely stripping down the main chassis, he used liquid nitrogen to freeze and shatter the floor glue before cleanly cutting the entire vehicle directly down the middle with a handheld fiber laser.From there, he spread the two halves of the car 10 feet apart and fabricated a massive, custom steel floor, roof, and firewall to fuse the vehicle back together. He even manually welded a custom, ultra-extended CV axle to connect the front wheels."I built the widest street-legal car, and it's the funnest thing ever to drive around town," Fever declared as he debuted the incredibly strange, elongated yellow hatchback.Because the dashboard was extended by a massive five feet, Fever utilized a specialized 3D printer to create custom interior trim pieces, ultimately building a center console that holds a staggering 14 extra-large drinks.In another bizarre twist, the extreme width of the vehicle meant that Fever had to install a secondary steering wheel on the passenger side just to fill the empty dashboard space.The Ultimate Road TripTo prove that the massively widened Festiva wasn't just a fragile garage prop, Fever and his team embarked on a 400-mile road trip. Because the 10-foot-wide vehicle essentially takes up an entire highway lane, driving it proved to be a highly stressful—and hilarious—experience.Because the car far exceeds standard road limits, Fever had to jump through massive legal hoops."So in order to get it street legal, I had to get commercial insurance and an actual wide-load permit," Fever explained to a stunned local sheriff's deputy after getting pulled over for failing to maintain a lane.Because of the extreme width and the dual-steering wheel setup, driving the car occasionally required a wild team effort. When the officer asked who was actually operating the vehicle during the swerve, Fever offered a hilarious defense."Like I was steering, but he was on the throttle," Fever joked, pointing to his passenger.Despite a few minor hiccups, the giant Festiva successfully hauled live chickens, lumber, and enough Buc-ee's drinks to feed an army without breaking down. The vehicle was even sporting a massive, elongated vanity plate."I told them it was 10 ft wide and they said, 'Oh, you're going to need a bigger plate,'" Fever joked.
+45 others
