Photo: Instagram / Paddy McGuinness
Now, there’s one ice cream van that’s bound to get to you in the nick of time with your favorite frozen treat! Top Gear’s Paddy McGuinness is officially a Guinness Record holder, having set a new world speed record for an ice cream van.
Fans of the BBC show Top Gear are probably familiar with Mr. Nippy, since it was introduced early on, even before the latest series premiered, in promotional videos. Mr. Nippy is an all-electric conversion of a traditional ice cream van and it’s the vehicle that was able to drive McGuinness right into history books.
At the end of October, at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, the Top Gear presenter and Mr. Nippy were able to shatter the current record for an electric ice cream van and take home the Guinness certification. The scene was included in the latest Top Gear episode, and you can see a video of it at the bottom of the page.
At heart, Mr. Nippy is a traditional ice cream van. Or “was,” better said. In an attempt to bring this nostalgic vehicle into the 21st century, McGuinness came up with an idea. The result is an ice cream van that can deliver on all types of terrain, whether it’s paved streets, beaches or even bodies of water, since it has an onboard rubber ring for “aquatic delivery.”
Based on a 1979 Bedford CF ice cream van, it sits on a 1980s Land Rover 110 chassis, has Tesla running gear and Mercedes / Tesla batteries. It even has a roll cage, because safety is important – even more so than getting to ice cream-loving customers in time.
The previous Guinness world record was held by British inventor Edd China, who was able to hit 73.921 mph (118.964 kph) in March 2020, in a similarly-converted electric van. McGuiness and Mr. Nippy topped that, hitting 80.043 mph / 128.8 kph on the same stretch. Guinness World Records Adjudicator Pravin Patel was on the scene and he verified the attempt, so Paddy McGuinness is now officially a Guinness record holder.
“Since joining Top Gear I’ve already had a lifetime’s worth of amazing experiences but achieving a Guinness World Records title is total life goals,” he said after the successful run. “The distant jingle of an ice-cream van still makes kids and adults giddy with excitement, and I hope viewers enjoy what we’ve done with the unique Mr Nippy.”
At the end of October, at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, the Top Gear presenter and Mr. Nippy were able to shatter the current record for an electric ice cream van and take home the Guinness certification. The scene was included in the latest Top Gear episode, and you can see a video of it at the bottom of the page.
At heart, Mr. Nippy is a traditional ice cream van. Or “was,” better said. In an attempt to bring this nostalgic vehicle into the 21st century, McGuinness came up with an idea. The result is an ice cream van that can deliver on all types of terrain, whether it’s paved streets, beaches or even bodies of water, since it has an onboard rubber ring for “aquatic delivery.”
Based on a 1979 Bedford CF ice cream van, it sits on a 1980s Land Rover 110 chassis, has Tesla running gear and Mercedes / Tesla batteries. It even has a roll cage, because safety is important – even more so than getting to ice cream-loving customers in time.
The previous Guinness world record was held by British inventor Edd China, who was able to hit 73.921 mph (118.964 kph) in March 2020, in a similarly-converted electric van. McGuiness and Mr. Nippy topped that, hitting 80.043 mph / 128.8 kph on the same stretch. Guinness World Records Adjudicator Pravin Patel was on the scene and he verified the attempt, so Paddy McGuinness is now officially a Guinness record holder.
“Since joining Top Gear I’ve already had a lifetime’s worth of amazing experiences but achieving a Guinness World Records title is total life goals,” he said after the successful run. “The distant jingle of an ice-cream van still makes kids and adults giddy with excitement, and I hope viewers enjoy what we’ve done with the unique Mr Nippy.”
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