Sultan Kosen is a Turkish farmer who holds multiple world records certified by the Guinness Book of World Records since 2009. One of them is that of the world's tallest man, a feat that comes with certain advantages and many downsides in terms of living a regular life.
One of these downsides is finding a car that would fit him. The first time Guinness recognized him as the world's tallest man, Kosen admitted that he would struggle daily with stuff most people take for granted, from finding shoes or pants that fit to finding a car in which he could ride not in total comfort, but the closest thing to it.
Kosen is now 251 cm (8ft 2.82 in) tall, and he's still struggling with these things, even though he's famous enough today to assume he's living a comfortable life. But he seems to have found a workaround for the issue of personal transport and will even indulge in the pleasure of driving himself every once in a while.
Photo: Guinness Book of World Records
One of Kosen's most recent posts on social media aims to address this very question: how does the tallest man in the world drive in winter? Last year, he did a similar video showing how he drove himself, and the secret wasn't in finding a car that fit him but in finding a car with an opening sunroof. As long as one is there for Kosen to stretch outside of the cabin, he doesn't have to find a vehicle large enough to be comfortable for his tall frame.
The same applies to winter driving. The difference is that this time, instead of an older-gen BMW, Kosen opts for the third-gen Peugeot 308 and a small umbrella attached to its roof. The umbrella is for rain and snow protection, of course.
The 308 is inspired by bigger brother 3008, offered with a choice of hybrid, gas, or turbo-diesel engines. It's a decent, even family-friendly option for the daily commute, and Kosen seems to agree. The sunroof is the one feature that won him over, of course.
That said, this is most likely an intentionally-misleading joke on Kosen's part. We're not questioning his claim that he drives himself like that regularly, but a simple scroll on his social media shows that all car-related videos are shot on what looks like private property and at slow speeds. No one but a happy-go-lucky pooch would find such a ride in a car enjoyable at high speeds, even with the provision of the small umbrella.
The answer that might surprise you, hinted in the headline, is that the world's tallest man probably doesn't drive himself at all, unless in very special situations like this one.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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