‘Super’ Mario channelled his video game namesake to come up with the ingenious solution (Picture: SWNS)

A mechanic has won an award for innovation after mending a broken down Land Rover… with a potato.

AA patrolman ‘Super’ Mario Papademetriou, from Chingford, initially struggled to mend a broken condenser on the 1960s vintage Land Rover using tin foil and silicone repair tape after being called out to a farm in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.

But like his video game namesake, Mr Papademetriou thought outside the box and wired up a potato to act as a makeshift condenser – and the car started.

‘As the vehicle was on a farm, there were a lot of vegetables around, so I thought I’d try wiring up a potato with a couple of screws to act as a condenser,’ he told the East London and West Essex Guardian.




MORE: This cow got her head stuck in a bike

‘Amazingly, it started instantly, so I followed the owner to the garage and he said the vehicle had never driven so well!

‘You have to improvise all the time. I knew that a potato can be used to generate electricity and I saw it there and thought I’d give it a go but I didn’t expect it would work.

‘Over the years, I’ve used ladies stockings as a fan belt and used a raw egg to stop a small radiator leak.’

The owner made the 12-mile journey to the local garage, where the car’s ignition system was properly repaired without the use of vegetables.

Mr Papademetriou who has worked at the AA for 30 years, was awarded the most original and inventive roadside repair last week by his superiors and given a £50 Debenhams voucher.