While idling at home during quarantine because of coronavirus crisis, one man thought about creating a car.
Johnson County inventor, Tom Trompter, didn’t permit coronavirus to eliminate his creativity. When Trompter, a retired engineer, takes you for a spin, he does it in a vehicle he built from the wheels up — from scratch.
When the COVID-19 pandemic put the brakes on many industries, Trompter went to work for constructing a car out of random items, some of which came from yard sales.
Trompter’s “Model T” has made the use of pieces of bicycles, metal shelving, a shower door, and a broomstick and others to form a car with an old-timer feel to it.
“I’ve always built things. I’ve always been that way, even when I was a kid,” Trompeter stated.
The car uses two electric motors, and it even got a backup camera system.
Trompeter said he completed the multi-year project last week, most of which involved work being completed in his basement. Trompeter said he used downtime during the coronavirus crisis to make his creation hum. The car tops out around 25 mph.
“You always want to find something to do. This really worked out great for me,” Trompter stated.
“I’ve always said, ‘I could use that for this. That would work really good,’” Trompeter stated. “A lot of people throw things away. Sometimes, I look at things and say, ‘I don’t want to throw that away. I might need that.’”
When all the objects come together, the car was built.
Trompter said this two-door version might ultimately lead to a sedan style of his vehicle.
Neighbors are hopeful his car will show up in an upcoming Independence Day parade. But Trompter stated his car isn’t licensed, and it isn’t street legal, so he uses it only for short travels around his home.
