When we came across this amusing video of what appears to be an ice resurfacing machine cruising at highway speeds on Bangshift.com this past week we had a simple question—how did someone turn a Zamboni into a street legal vehicle.
The simple answer is they didn't. Although this vehicle was built to resemble a modern version of the ice resurfacing machine invented by Frank Zamboni in 1949 it is actually a well disguised 1984 Chevrolet pickup truck. In fact, beyond the driver's station this unique custom vehicle shares almost no parts with an actual Zamboni—the body panels and frame work beneath are all hand built.
According to Coldride.com, this phony Zamboni was first conceived in the 1990s and became "available to the public" in 2008. You can rent this strange vehicle—which features a passenger compartment capable of holding 12 people in front of the driver station—for transportation or appearances if you're in the area of Minneapolis, MN.
To us renting a faux ice resurfacing machine instead of a Limo or a Party Bus seems like a fantastic idea, but we're kind of amazed there are enough other people that share our desire for this rather strange, likely freezing and potentially dangerous form of transportation to keep the Cold Ride in business.