In an age when teenagers are forsaking cars for smartphones, it's encouraging to see that some people have the right idea and are getting their children hooked on motoring at a young age.
Evan got his Lightning McQueen Powerwheel for Christmas in 2009, when he was two years old. By 2012, he'd worn out the plastic wheels and had outgrown its capabilities. So Evan and his dad made some modifications. Here's how they did it.
We decided to upgrade the oem plastic wheels to metal rims with rubber tires. From that point more modifications were added every few weeks. Now, Evan's Lightning McQueen Powerwheel is equipped with an aluminum back half chassis, dual sealed gel batteries with an output of 24 volts, a 500 watt .66 horsepower electric motor, disk brake, throttle modulated variable speed control with reverse and sparco battery cut off switch.
Sure, Evan's dad appears to have fancier gear than most of us do, but his approach is brilliant. He's got the kid laying on his back, wrenching on the rear end of an appropriately-sized sports car, then has him out on the track testing what he's built. We can't think of a better way to stoke the enthusiast spirit. (Hat tip to Adam!)
Photo credit: FFTEC Motorsports/YouTube