A YouTuber has said that he has created the world’s widest street-legal car. The YouTuber behind the channel Prop Department revealed it in a recent video, which started with an idea to take a small Ford Festiva hatchback and turn it into something beyond what Ford thought possible.
Expanding such a small car to become one that was ultimately 10 feet wide was never going to be easy. The car needed cutting in half, spare parts needed to be acquired, and it all had to be made road legal. Yet somehow, the YouTuber and his team were able to do it.
This wasn’t just about making a show pony either. Prop Department wanted to make this a proper car that could be driven on the road. Which is why he decided to drive it for more than 400 miles across a two-day period, to see just what it was like driving such a wide machine.
The 35-minute video is a feast for the eyes, showing off the build process of the car as well as the YouTuber driving it around. The Ford Festiva itself is a relatively unremarkable car. But that changes when it becomes 10 feet wide and needs special paperwork to be made street-legal.
How the Youtuber Widened the Ford Festiva
It wasn’t as easy as simply cutting the Ford in half and adding more metal between the two sides. The car did need cutting in half, but they had to settle on a final width to make sure the car could handle the extra size. They eventually settled on 10 feet in total, exceeding the standard eight-foot-six-inch vehicle-width limit. Special permits had to be acquired to ensure the Ford would still be road legal.
In order to get the car back together, new parts needed to be created. So the team got to work fabricating a new floor and roof, as well as reinforcing the center section so the Ford could handle the extra weight. The suspension was extended, as was the rear axle assembly, while they tried to retain as much of the original drivetrain as possible. Something quite amusing was how wide the cabin ended up being, and it required two steering wheels.
Prop Department created a lot of components using a 3D printer. Some of these were for the oversized grille and the dashboard, adding a touch of customization to what is already a unique car. Following this, thin metal panels were laser-welded together, while body filler was applied and the body itself was sanded smooth. Recreating a classic Festiva look, the YouTuber and his team opt for a yellow exterior and a black interior.
How Did the Widened Ford Festiva Drive?
Creating a five-foot-long CV axle was another challenge the team faced. With another five feet for the drivetrain components, the CV axle had to be extended by the same amount. A custom shaft was fabricated, and this remarkable bit of engineering was completed. Creating the car was all well and good. But would it actually drive, and if it did so, how would it perform out on real roads?
Well, it did indeed drive. There were some near misses, however, such as with a ditch, and the hood also flew open during a speed test. They did have a police stop at one point, although he issued a warning over the car’s license plate, and not the size of it either. All the insurance and paperwork were correct for the car, meaning they could happily drive on. After they had driven it for more than 400 miles, the team concluded that this truly unusual wide creation did actually work and was even somewhat practical. We just wonder what else you could get and make ten feet wide.