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Driver Stopped by Police With BMW Modified to Resemble Thomas the Tank Engine

Modifying a car is something that is in the hands and pocket of every owner who is interested in this aspect, but it is not always easy to blend ideas with legislation.
A 5-Series BMW E39 modified to look like Thomas the Tank engine 1 photo
Photo: West Yorks Roads Policing Unit on Twitter ( @WYP_RPU )
A British man that is known in his country as the “King of the Eccentrics” has learned about this aspect the hard way, after police officers pulled him over earlier this week in his E39 BMW 5 Series.

Instead of stance, "hella flush," or other trendy modding currents, Jake Mangel-Wurzel had something different in mind for his German sedan.

He modified it to look like Thomas the Tank Engine, which is a fictional locomotive from as series of books. The character was the most popular after the books came out, and it was turned into a television series named Thomas&Friends. Some of you may have watched on TV when you were kids.

Police officers were not impressed by his modifications, which involved placing something that looks like a barrel on the hood, complete with the appropriate paint job. The “face” of the famous character was also drawn on the barrel.

The modifications performed on the vehicle are questionable, and we would not do them to any car in the world, but that is what we feel about the topic.

British legislation does not allow modifications that are not previously inspected and approved, and the driver was fined for “construction/use” offenses.

You can imagine that no self-respecting institution in a civilized country would accept fitting a barrel to the front end of a car, because it could be a hazard for pedestrians in the event of an accident. Unfortunately, hurting the eyes of petrol heads is not an offense yet.

According to The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Mr. Mangel-Wurzel has several cars that have received bizarre modifications. Surprisingly, one of his rides received its MOT certificate last year even if it had a toilet mounted on its roof.

The car in question is a Kia Rio, and he even posted a sign on it that supported the country’s departure from the European Union.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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