I built a ‘perfect replica’ of an iconic classic motor using an old fridge – it looks just like the real thing
A PETROLHEAD has revealed how they built a “perfect replica” of an iconic classic car using an old fridge.
Ernie Adams recreated a legendary motor from the ’40s in miniature to add to his museum collection.
Ernie, from Maricopa, Arizona, makes fully functioning models of vintage “dwarf cars”.
He started out by building a 1928 Chevrolet way back in 1965 which he made using metal from a set of nine disused fridges.
The Chevy boasts fully functioning drive parts including a two-cylinder engine, clutch and a transmission system borrowed from a three-wheeled postman’s cart.
Since then, he’s gone on to design and build a whole range under the Dwarf namebadge, including a “perfect replica” of a 1949 Mercury Coupe – the pride of his collection.
He made it out of flat sheet metal that he bent and shaped himself.
It looks almost identical to the real thing but is a fraction of the size and features a Toyota engine under the hood.
Most importantly, it’s road legal with working lights, windscreen wipers and mirrors, meaning Ernie can drive it around wherever he likes.
It even has a working interior, with a radio, heating system and dashboard dials all in operation.
The car took him five years to build but has since one several awards.
Displaying his trophy case in an interview with Ridiculous Rides, Ernie joked: “One of them I got with another man’s wife with me in the car.
“It barely fit in the little car.
“People asked if I was going to leave the trophy and take my wife or leave my wife and take the trophy.
“I said: ‘Hell I’m taking the trophy, that’s somebody else’s wife.”
One of those awards may well have been for its speed, with the mini motor topping out at an amazing 100mph.
Sadly for admirers around the world, though, you’ll never be able to get your hands on one as Ernie insists there is no price high enough for him to sell his creations.
He said: “I haven’t sold any of them, they’re just not for sale.
“One fella went to £356,000 to buy this Mercury but I keep saying it wasn’t for sale.
“That’s the biggest offer I’ve ever had.”
As for the future, Ernie was last working on a Dwarf modelled on the 1904 Oldsmobile Pie Wagon but insisted that would be his last project.