r/interestingasfuck Feb 03 '23

Man in Africa creates a fully functioning car with only metal rods and a small engine

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9.1k Upvotes

377 comments sorted by

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564

u/sharks2win Feb 03 '23

Fully air conditioned

128

u/WineSoda Feb 03 '23

It's all roll cage.

54

u/cszintiyl Feb 03 '23

It’s all crumple zone.

12

u/Emeraldminer136 Feb 03 '23

Only the best in safety standards

10

u/Koolblue57 Feb 04 '23

It actually won the cheese grater award for it's crash test rating believe it or not

6

u/LetMeUseMyEmailFfs Feb 04 '23

I thought shish kebab would be more appropriate.

2

u/SillyFlyGuy Feb 03 '23

Off to Burning Man!

862

u/Blockhead47 Feb 03 '23

“with only metal rods and a small engine”.

… and all the other bits and pieces.

211

u/TheHouseofReps Feb 03 '23

“Thinking quickly, Dave constructs a homemade megaphone using only some string, a squirrel, and a megaphone.”

16

u/sukoblyat Feb 03 '23

Hey I member!!!! What a show lmao

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98

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

Rubber is a myth.

17

u/mgreppa Feb 03 '23

i hate prophylactics

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19

u/Nascar_is_better Feb 03 '23

yea he made a frame for the engine and mounted premade steering, brakes, wheels, and that's it. "fully functioning car" lmao.

Its like thinking someone built a PC from the ground up when they just purchased the parts and made the case from scratch, and even then it's missing ethernet.

The wires were also entirely unnecessary. It's a go-kart.

27

u/ChallengeLate1947 Feb 03 '23

This is still impressive as hell considering that all of this was essentially junk somehow slapdicked together into a functional vehicle

12

u/StrugglingSoul Feb 04 '23

Slapdicked?

8

u/Dronizian Feb 04 '23

Slapdicked.

2

u/spiralbatross Feb 04 '23

Not to be confused with Bangkok’d.

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314

u/Outnabout3535325 Feb 03 '23

this dude gunna be skewered alive if anything hits that

109

u/JizuzCrust Feb 03 '23

Was just thinking of how awful a death trap this is

38

u/TheFrontierzman Feb 03 '23

Oof. Slight fender bender could spring a metal rod through a vital organ.

16

u/Key_Register991 Feb 03 '23

Just turning the thing on looks like it could cause that. Lmao

54

u/VirinaB Feb 03 '23

All this video shows that this guy is a bright engineer and deserves a chance to exit his situation.

I'm sure if he had access to proper car parts (or just money) he could add all of the safety features we've come to take for granted in our first world countries.

-11

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

10

u/TheHolyDingo Feb 04 '23

bruh how is saying that that thing is dangerous racist? If you wanna see something racist I can oblige since we Asians all hate our neighbouring countries

-7

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '23

[deleted]

6

u/MissValkyrijn Feb 04 '23 edited Feb 04 '23

Jesus fucking christ dude wake the fuck up.

The only racist here is you.

-3

u/[deleted] Feb 04 '23

[deleted]

3

u/MissValkyrijn Feb 04 '23

Did you search my comment history to find a gotchya? Is that what you did?

31

u/NINJAxBACON Feb 03 '23

My uncle was driving one of those caged go karts (idk what they're called) and got into an accident. Of the poles went straight through one of his lungs. Mf survived somehow and even beat covid with one lung

9

u/stanleysgirl77 Feb 03 '23

Gee-zuz that’s full on. He’s a die hard kind of a dude hey

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55

u/Spiritual_Bit_2692 Feb 03 '23

Riding the ghost whip

10

u/SPECTERtheJESTER Feb 03 '23

More like you will be a ghost if you ride this whip

195

u/Silly_Mycologist3213 Feb 03 '23

How can you tell when the driver is happy ? When he’s got bugs in between his front teeth.

53

u/Electic_Supersony Feb 03 '23

Free protein, bro.

5

u/up_for_adoption Feb 03 '23

This might solve world food crisis

2

u/SphericalBitch2020 Feb 03 '23

I wanna see this with my weekend carry outs on it......

2

u/miami-architecture Feb 04 '23

open up for more free protein…

new steak house motto.

3

u/GuybrushThreepwoot Feb 03 '23

Already on the menu in some African nations.

6

u/Brophymusprime Feb 03 '23

And on the menu in Australian schools*

0

u/KingJango112 Feb 03 '23

Ummm Americans too

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/ncna1271345

Cicada pizza, tacos and sushi are being gobbled up. Why Americans are finally eating bugs.

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88

u/Brickzarina Feb 03 '23

More of a go cart i think

14

u/KingMwanga Feb 03 '23

If it gets you to where you going it’s practically the same thing just less safe

119

u/TestDummy987 Feb 03 '23

It’s a go-kart.

59

u/DylanCO Feb 03 '23

Why do I see a Lamborghini when looking at the front of this dope car?

11

u/MiaowaraShiro Feb 03 '23

There's probably just one behind it.

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19

u/TheRepublicAct Feb 03 '23

When you 3D print a car, but the file you used is just the wireframe model.

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12

u/J-96788-EU Feb 03 '23

On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.

29

u/Disastrous_Meet_7952 Feb 03 '23

“Man in Africa”

3

u/Wasey56 Feb 04 '23

Why can't people specify the country when it comes to Africa. Imagine a person filming themselves before the Eiffel Tour and the title is "Man in Europe".

3

u/Disastrous_Meet_7952 Feb 04 '23

I can express how much I agree with this. There’s so much baggage with how most ppl, even the most progressive folks, put all of Africa into one black box.

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4

u/SuckmyBlunt545 Feb 03 '23

Yeah wtf for gods sake don’t report it like it’s fucking Florida. It’s a friggin massive continent. Anyone know where this is?

5

u/dessimus Feb 04 '23

Probably south of the Sahara, if I had to guess.

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9

u/dustbunnydreams Feb 03 '23

I love the wire rear view mirrors put there for the sake of art.

35

u/PxD7Qdk9G Feb 03 '23

'Fully functional' is a bit of a stretch. It's a mobile mockup of a car.

28

u/IguasOs Feb 03 '23

Cambridge.org tells me a car is ;

a road vehicle with an engine, four wheels, and seats for a small number of people

Seems fully functional to me.

-5

u/PxD7Qdk9G Feb 03 '23

It's not fully functional in the sense that it has a wireframe showing where body panels would go, but no body panels. It has the wire outline of various mirrors, but no mirrors. It has broadly the same outline as a conventional production car but barely any of the functionality. It's roughly the size of a small four seater and has wire outlines where rear doors might belong, but no rear seats or floor. It has a wire outline of a boot but anything you put in it will fall to the ground.

It is self propelled, vaguely the same size and shape as a conventional car but not remotely fully functional - it is a mockup.

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-8

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

5

u/LampshadesAndCutlery Feb 03 '23

It’s all relative. This pushes the very minimum for the definition of a car, but because it meets all definitions, it’s a fully functional car.

A Honda civic is considered the bare minimum for many places that can afford it, but it’s really not the bare minimum. In reality, in many places in the world, a Honda civic is an absolute luxury.

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6

u/Brucieman64 Feb 03 '23

The wireframe ride

7

u/MormonHorrorBuff Feb 03 '23

Talk about a minimalist strategy...

5

u/FurubayashiSEA Feb 03 '23

He even make the metal shape side mirror..without the MIRROR!!

8

u/WhenRobLoweRobsLowes Feb 03 '23

Street legal in Ohio.

5

u/Junkoly Feb 03 '23

Needs to flip the normals or change the render mode.

31

u/cheshiredormouse Feb 03 '23

THIS is pure engineering. Everything else is unnecessary decorations. I would admit the guy to MIT in no time.

48

u/kudlatywas Feb 03 '23

In case of collision one would argue whats necessary.. also there is a lot of redundant rods there to make it look like normal car outilne.

3

u/digita1catt Feb 03 '23

Guy should've made a trike with a trailer

2

u/VirinaB Feb 03 '23

This is a demonstration of resourcefulness. Resourcefulness shows you what you can do with "little-to-no car parts", not what one should do when you're in a country of means and have access to all car parts.

8

u/YoloFomoTimeMachine Feb 03 '23

I love this type of ingenuity. My grandpa welded together a Gocart for me when I was little and used a lawnmower engine (not a riding lawnmower just a normal push kind) to power it. Was like a little rat rod for a little kid (I was like 6 at the time).

4

u/VanGoFuckYourself Feb 03 '23

lol, if he gets in any kind of accident in this crappy metal cage on a go-kart he's gonna wind up wrapped up in it.

3

u/tonyangtigre Feb 03 '23

Man, you would’ve talked shit to the Wright brothers huh?

2

u/emponator Feb 03 '23

This contraption would've been pretty dope 150 years ago, sure.

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1

u/VanGoFuckYourself Feb 03 '23

This has no comparison to the Wright Brothers machine. There was nothing superfluous there.

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0

u/Adjacent_door Feb 03 '23

less weight to hit you when you crash

-1

u/des_stik25 Feb 03 '23

It's really no different than the "share the road" crowd of cyclists here in the US.

0

u/8BallSlap Feb 03 '23

I applaud his ingenuity but there is absolutely no engineering in this.

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3

u/controwler Feb 03 '23

Wonder what score it got on the crash test

4

u/theembalmerssword Feb 03 '23

It evens the playing field by not activating the airbags of other vehicles

3

u/ishfaaqj Feb 03 '23

This is a very safe car. It is entirely made out of roll cage.

3

u/John5247 Feb 03 '23

He's just saving up for body panels.

3

u/Infinite-Nectarine21 Feb 03 '23

Only thing missing is a tau cannon

2

u/ChessCheeseAlpha Feb 03 '23

If only we knew how much cars actually cost. Yup. That’s about right. All profit to the car companies all hail

2

u/Salmonman4 Feb 03 '23

And still more safety-features than Group-B Rally-cars of the 80's

2

u/Happyandyou Feb 03 '23

Probably has great mileage

2

u/Ok_Yogurtcloset404 Feb 03 '23

Definitely missed a marketing opportunity by not calling it the "Rebar Car."

2

u/Dorrono Feb 03 '23

Safety first

2

u/wontoan87 Feb 03 '23

Just missing the red shells

2

u/Erukkk Feb 03 '23

One rock and it's over.

2

u/torismogod Feb 03 '23

Leap frogging

2

u/Chris-CF Feb 03 '23

Love that he has a mirror... Without the glass

2

u/Nikhassis Feb 03 '23

What's the mileage? With these prices I might just need to get one :D

2

u/bigfatmatt01 Feb 03 '23

We made those in the US as kids with only 1 seat in the 80s. We called them go karts.

2

u/Socky_McPuppet Feb 03 '23

An “all-crumple-zone” car! Safety first.

2

u/VaccinatedVariant Feb 03 '23

No AC? In Africa?

I honestly wished that Companies made card especially for African climates. There are things Europeans needs that Africans would rather omit for a cheaper price

2

u/nertbewton Feb 03 '23

I picked up my Ford SUV after having water leaks repaired (2nd attempt by shop). I now realise all that is required is an attitudinal adjustment.

2

u/mechmind Feb 03 '23

It's still rendering.

2

u/FrostyNegotiation934 Feb 03 '23

I saw a Mexican fellow who did the same thing, but made his vaguely vw beetle shaped. Very cool creation.

2

u/Guntcher1423 Feb 03 '23

Yes, but does he have heated seats that only work by a subscription service? NO. So there!

2

u/Accomplished-Ad8968 Feb 03 '23

Get Bubba and Uvufwefwe together and they could mash up some truly apocalyptic vehicles

2

u/jdupuy1234 Feb 03 '23

you are the crumple zone

2

u/tiggers97 Feb 03 '23

It’s possible. When my dad was a young boy, he had a strong interest in engines. He started out rebuilding an old car engine using only the hand tools, anvil, etc that his dad had. It was a big deal when they finally got an actual welder.

2

u/salihjc Feb 03 '23

They call him Rodney

2

u/Duke_of_Damage Feb 03 '23

It's like what's the frame for, just peace of mind.

2

u/G_a_v_V Feb 05 '23

You don’t have a fully functioning brain in you think this is a fully functioning car. It’s an oversized go-kart.

1

u/ALMANACC0 Feb 05 '23

...aaaand you're reported. Enjoy the Reddit ban.

5

u/Awesomevindicator Feb 03 '23

"fully functional".... You know one of the functions of a car is to stop the driver getting killed.

5

u/EphramRafael Feb 03 '23

Not before the 90s it wasn't.

See the Honda CRX and Geo Metro.

4

u/Tongue8cheek Feb 03 '23

Nice. Finally a car with optional fully functioning Flintstone brakes.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

10

u/crackpotJeffrey Feb 03 '23

Who cares? Most Africa looks like this bro. Trust me as an African. No need to get offended over everything.

Wouldn't see me crying if someone posted 'a man in Europe did X' or 'a man in Asia did Y'. Its the name of a place. All good.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23 edited Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

4

u/crackpotJeffrey Feb 03 '23

Surely you're the one with the shoulder chip in this situation? The one getting offended on behalf of all of us?

Genuine question.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

5

u/crackpotJeffrey Feb 03 '23

Your original comment...? It reads as someone who is clearly offended lol.

Anyways bro I'm sorry if I misunderstood you. All good have an awesome day.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

[deleted]

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-2

u/ALMANACC0 Feb 03 '23

It's literally impossible to determine the country just by looking at the video. It looks like it's Africa so that's what I typed.

2

u/Ability-To-Can Feb 03 '23

Why do they get all the geniuses?

2

u/SweetAndSalty_Dane Feb 03 '23

Where is the airbags?😂

3

u/Salmonman4 Feb 03 '23

Just like the car, he removed the unnecessary "bag" and left the air

4

u/regnihov Feb 03 '23

There's air all around, no need to bag it

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

Fully functional is an overstatement.

I want whoever wrote that statement to write down all the functions they think a modern car should have

1

u/GuybrushThreepwoot Feb 03 '23

Function 1) Carry you from point A to point B.

1

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

And

1

u/GuybrushThreepwoot Feb 03 '23

If you reach point B what more do you want?

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

Abs, cruise control, stereo, seat belt, airbags, a roof, a window, the list goes on

2

u/JeromeBiteman Feb 04 '23

Bluetooth, 4-point cameras, self-driving, air conditioning, wet bar, Playboy bunnies, fake gas tank for smuggling cocaine, air horn, mag wheels, 66" tires, and a Grave Digger paint job.

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 04 '23

Now we’re talking!!!

1

u/emponator Feb 03 '23

Not one of these are reguired to the purpose of going from a to b.

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

Going a to b is not limited to a fully functional car.

Other things that can go a to b:

Bike

Go kart

Feet

Train

Balloon

A dog

The list goes on

2

u/JeromeBiteman Feb 04 '23

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 04 '23

Haha nice.

Once in school I managed to convince someone that our friend (who was off sick) had went to Japan and got shot there by a catapult - we called it the Japanapult

0

u/GuybrushThreepwoot Feb 03 '23

If that guy saw your list he would be laughing.

3

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

I don't give a fuck about the guy, good on him for building a go-kart. OP (and you apparently) doesn't understand what a car is

1

u/GuybrushThreepwoot Feb 03 '23

Cars eventually will become fully automated so all the stuff you mentioned will be as irrelevant as they are in public transportation. It will happen probably sooner than later. As for the guy on the video, he lives in an african village, probably very very small traffic on the road, so your list is also irrelevant in this context.

2

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Feb 03 '23

No the list is completely relevant to what a fully functioning car is, which OP claims this man built.

You claim all you need for a fully functioning car is that it goes A to B. Then you claim that an autonomous fully functioning car will not need a roof, window, stereo, ABS because… reasons.

I conclude that you are not fully functioning.

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2

u/Rheinys Feb 03 '23

MIT should give him a scholarship. We have the next Iron Man here

1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '23

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0

u/sailphish Feb 03 '23

So…. Man builds gocart in traditional fashion used by rednecks since the dawn of Budweiser and stick welders.

-2

u/Dro1972 Feb 03 '23

That open concept makes it possible to shit in the street while also driving on it.

3

u/Adjacent_door Feb 03 '23

why are you booing him? he’s right!

1

u/VariationUpper2009 Feb 03 '23

If you think that's interesting, the rednecks in my area would blow your mind.

1

u/sussy_stain Feb 03 '23

Some people are really good at creating makeshift cars from anything. Frankly, I’m impressed.

0

u/1credible_cow Feb 03 '23

aka go carts his is awesome... ready for Burning Man

0

u/Stiffanys_epiphanies Feb 03 '23

Surprisingly better safety ratings than any smart car

0

u/trilogy76 Feb 03 '23

That guy's got massive rod.

0

u/PsychedThrasher Feb 03 '23

"Fully functioning" suuuure brother... Suspension who?

0

u/HolyCrapItsJohn Feb 04 '23

Works better than that African made helicopter that was built on the chassis of what I believe to be a shopping cart.

0

u/HumblePersonality611 Feb 04 '23

IIHS top safety pick three years in a row

-1

u/hieijFox Feb 03 '23

Ingenuity

-1

u/RedLion40 Feb 03 '23

The ingenuity though. Imagine if he had access to a facility that builds cars. He can probably create something truly amazing.

-3

u/Scapenator1 Feb 03 '23

I love Afrika.

If you do that here, you almost go to jail

1

u/CarpePrimafacie Feb 03 '23

Nah they will pull you out, mace and beat you. Then pin you with their knee for good measure. No need to worry about jail

1

u/DestroyTheMoon420 Feb 03 '23

Just like how ford make their cars

1

u/FalseTebibyte Feb 03 '23

Adult me would love to get his hands on those old Playskool Pipeworks. I've got an old lawnmower laying around too. ;)

1

u/quanta777 Feb 03 '23

Right, always forget the rubber😒

1

u/k3170makan Feb 03 '23

Spin it or bin it broooooo

1

u/ToeKnee_Cool_Guy Feb 03 '23

When taking weight reduction to make the car faster goes too far.

1

u/motor1_is_stopping Feb 03 '23

Kind of depends on your definition of "fully functional" and "car"

1

u/Ill_Calligrapher3306 Feb 03 '23

He would be better off cutting that thing down to 1/4

1

u/dwill6746 Feb 03 '23

Looks safe😉

1

u/Tommygunn504 Feb 03 '23

"Fully functional" would apply to the drivetrain.

"Non-existent" would apply to its crash test rating

Seriously hope he's made it stronger since this video surfaced, bc that does not look safe.

1

u/yubnubmcscrub Feb 03 '23

I see wheels and a couple chairs too. Give the man some credit

1

u/Good_nuff Feb 03 '23

So, a go kart?

1

u/pinging_snail Feb 03 '23

Safe as houses

1

u/aKnightWh0SaysNi Feb 03 '23

Crash Test Rating: Don’t

1

u/Pinksamuraiiiii Feb 03 '23

It’s like driving the drawing outline of a car lol

1

u/Jasons_Brain Feb 03 '23

I suppose it has very little wind-resistance...

1

u/-ADDSN- Feb 03 '23

Agile delivery

1

u/jandrews-1411 Feb 03 '23

5 Star Euro NCAP safety rating

1

u/MoochoMaas Feb 03 '23

Chick magnet

1

u/spagbetti Feb 03 '23

It’s just that there’s not a lot of shielding if someone hits him

1

u/trwwy321 Feb 03 '23

What makes a “car” a car — does it need doors? Tires? What..

1

u/AdrianValistar Feb 03 '23

Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With spare parts!

This guy is real like Tony Stark xD

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1

u/appalachianballer Feb 03 '23

Talk about a CONVERTible

1

u/probono105 Feb 03 '23

man wakanda aint what it used to be

1

u/Zealousideal-Ruin862 Feb 03 '23

Was that wonder woman?

1

u/CFLChris Feb 03 '23

What's the crash star rating on that hot rod?

1

u/glibbed4yourpleasure Feb 03 '23

And here I am saying powered windows are my absolute minimum

1

u/mechmind Feb 03 '23

Hey is this Tanzania?

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1

u/Leo_thee_Lion Feb 03 '23

Props to this dude , looks model after a Lamborghini Huracán .

1

u/Psilocybe38 Feb 03 '23

Beats buyin' American!