If you wanted to upgrade your daily driver to make it a little more efficient, where would you look for inspiration? Maybe the kind of clever engineers out there electrifying all kinds of classic cars, or perhaps your favorite sci-fi to see how people thought we’d be getting around in the future? One budding mechanic has done almost that, looking to the world of make-believe for a way to improve their car’s efficiency, but their inspiration came from “The Flintstones.”
The Flinstone family, really, were the pioneers of zero-emission travel when you think about it. They’d scoot around Bedrock on the back of a dinosaur or in a car that was powered by their own two feet. Now, YouTuber Ali Spagnola has set out to create a modern version of Fred Flintstone’s car, by cutting the floor from an old Infiniti.
The build, which was all documented in the video below, starts by cutting out as much excess weight as possible. So, out come the seats, the engine and all manner of trim panels and pieces. The center console is also ripped out, as is the battery and the carpets. It’s carnage.
Then, it’s time to start prepping to cut a hole in the floor of the car, so the transmission needs removing along with the exhaust pipes so there’s nothing to obstruct all the foot power the car is going to need in order to run.
After two days of ripping parts from the car, it’s then time to start cutting it to pieces. The saws come out and Spagnola and her team set about making the hole in the floor that’s required to get the foot-powered machine up and running. It takes another day of hard work, but soon the car is stripped to its bare bones and there are now two holes in the middle of its floor.
With the mechanics of the car now sorted, the team sets about beautifying their creation. First, they paint it all black and then apply details like a stone-look to the lights and wheels, and a marble effect to the bodywork of the Infiniti. Finally, some wood paneling is added to really bring the design together nicely. Honestly, it’s a wonder the Japanese company doesn’t offer this spec from the factory.
The finished car is utterly ridiculous, but does it work on human power alone and show that there’s another zero-emission powertrain option out there? Kinda, yeah.
Spagnola hops inside the car and it really works. It moves forward, manages corners and comes to a stop when you need – it’s like a real life car. Sure, you’d use your energy a little better on a bike, but can you fit a life-size dinosaur in the trunk of a bike? I think not.
The whole video of the build is available to watch above, and Spagnola has a bunch of other fun car builds over on her YouTube channel. Or if this whet your appetite for wild automotive projects, why not check out the PennyFarming that’s being assembled from tractor parts or see how another budding wrencher got on rebuilding a totaled Rolls-Royce Wraith.