The Guinness Book of World Records has announced that there is a new record holder for smallest street legal car: A four foot long, two foot wide ride that is legally registered in Texas. But it can only go on roads with a limit of up to 25 MPH. Is that fair?
Austin Coulson constructed the wee little bastard of a car, which is two feet one inch tall, two feet 1.75 inches wide and four feet 1.75 inches long, has a half gallon gas tank, and has a top speed of 33 MPH. It's based on an ATV, but very heavily modified in order to meet the roadworthy vehicle status.
Kudos to Austin, this is very, very cool. It is drivable, licensed, and registered, which seems to be the only requirement for the record.
But we see a problem.
A top speed of 33 MPH makes it registered as a "low speed vehicle," which means it can only go on roads that have a top speed limit of 25. That's the same registration that golf carts in senior communities have, and is similar to a moped registration. It's legal on some streets, but not on all streets. This sounds like a loophole.
It's kind of like that Terrafugia flying car. That's not so much a flying car as it is a plane with wings that folds in. But because it can drive on some roads semi-competently, it gets to be considered a flying car.
Shouldn't the record holding road legal car be road legal on all roads? Shouldn't you be able to take it on the highway? Highways are roads. What about a village with a speed limit of 30? Technically this car isn't even legal there.
What's next? A car even smaller that's legal on the roads of one retirement community in South Florida? Guinness needs to lock that down.