Parallel parking is a hard skill to master. Squeezing into a small spot takes practice and a good deal of faith. Maybe that's why this video of a Lego car sneaking into tiny spots is so satisfying to watch.
It's the latest video from Brick Technology, which created other interesting vehicles including a Flintstone RC Car. Like that vehicle, it's not a kit you can just wheel into your local Lego store and buy. But you can see how the car was made and the pieces needed to create it by watching the video.
According to the video's description, there's only one rule – the car has to park inside the space in two turns. The catch is the space gets smaller each time.
It starts with a rear-wheel drive car backing into a normal size space, a maneuver most city dwellers can handle with ease. Then the space gets smaller. Again, no problem for the king of parallel parking or anyone else who relies on their car's bumpers to make the space bigger. But that's against the rules, here. So the builder increases the steering angle. And the space gets smaller again.
Suddenly the GMC Hummer EV CrabWalk feature doesn't look bad at all. Four wheels that steer are better than two when needing to get in and out of tight spaces. But then the space gets smaller still.
It's fascinating to watch the evolution of the custom Lego car as its physical mechanics change to adapt to smaller and smaller spaces. The process is similar to the five-speed transmission built on the channel, starting out simple and becoming increasingly complex. The car is controlled via Bluetooth using a Playstation-style controller and a rechargeable battery. All of the other parts appear to be off-the-shelf Lego pieces.
Now, if we could just get a variable-length chassis as an option in real-life. That feature would be awesome for trucks that could expand to increase their hauling capacity or shrink down to parallel park in a space meant for a Mini.
