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Stunt driver takes out Guinness World Record for the world’s tightest parrallel park

14 January, 2015

Sick of giving up those convenient parking spots because you don’t know whether your car will fit? Well, Fiat may just have the answer, and it comes in the form of their 500 model

We’re not going to talk about reversing cameras or that automated parallel parking rubbish, though — globally recognized stunt driver Alastair Moffatt has claimed the Guinness World Record for the world’s tightest parallel park, behind the wheel of a Fiat 500C.

Alastair was able to slide the Fiat between two parked cars, into a gap only 7.5cm longer than the car. This was done with a completely standard car, with only the ESC disabled to allow the car to be controlled with the handbrake, and higher tyre pressures. Alastair also utilized a steering knob to help with the rapid wheel work required.

You might not be willing to engage in such antics, but may at least rest assured that if you find yourself behind the wheel of a 500, you should have no problem squeezing the tiny vehicle into those pesky probably-too-small parking spots.

Check out the video of Alastair Moffat actually parking the Fiat below:

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.