Mechanic builds himself the 'world's smallest Hummer' to cope with rising fuel prices



A mechanic was suffering so much from rising fuel prices that he built himself the world's smallest Hummer lookalike which does 60 miles to the gallon.

Andy Saunders, 45, used five cars to create the tiny, eco-friendly version of the notorious, gas-guzzling US road beast.

The auto-alchemist now rides around in the vehicle that does 60 miles to the gallon - 54 miles further than the genuine Hummer.

Fuel efficient: Andy Saunders built himself the world's smallest Hummer lookalike which does 60 miles to the gallon

Based on the pensioners' favourite, the Suzuki Wagon R, the dwarf Hummer is now turning heads when Andy drives it around his home town of Poole, Dorset.

The 1,000cc engine can reach speeds of nearly 100mph, but takes an age to get there.

And while rap stars who are keen to be seen with the original Hummer might sneer at Andy's creation, it has become a hit on the streets among young lads.

Sprayed in Pagan Gold, the 10ft 6ins long and 4ft 10ins high motor took 300 hours to create from a variety of vehicles.

Custom built: The Hummer lookalike is based on a Suzuki Wagon R and runs on a tiny 1,000cc engine

The bonnet is made from the boot of a Peugeot 206, the roof was taken from a Vauxhall Agila, the headlights are from a Land Rover Discovery and the indicators were from a VW Golf.

Andy paid £1,500 for the Suzuki Wagon R and now believes a car firm should start to produce its own version of the dwarf Hummer.

Micro machine: Andy with his tiny car

Andy said: 'When I saw the Suzuki Wagon R I thought the doors looked a bit like Hummer doors.

'I had the idea of building a small Hummer so I bought the Suzuki, which is mainly sold to the over-70s who are disabled.

'It's not very cool at all, but after converting it into the Hummer people think it's really trendy.

'Fuel prices are rising so quickly that a genuine Hummer would cost an absolute fortune to run - but not my Hummer.

'It costs about £46 to fill up and does about 60 miles to the gallon. And it's cheap to tax.

'I used a number of cars alongside the Suzuki to build it, including a Peugeot for the boot, a Vauxhall Agila roof and Land Rover Discovery lights.

'Although it's small and I'm 6ft 4ins tall, I get into it quite easily and there is plenty of head room.

'Although it is compact and has a little engine it has plenty of attitude and that's what the youngsters love.

'If you offered them a Suzuki Wagon R they would laugh at you, but show them my Hummer and they think it is so cool.

'With the price of petrol soaring, small, fuel efficient cars will become more popular and I really think someone ought to produce a dwarf version of the Hummer.'

The genuine Hummer was derived from a military vehicle and became a favourite of celebrities until environmentalists began to criticise them.

They are nearly 17ft in length, 6ft 6ins high and boast a 6,200cc engine and go from 0-60 in eight seconds. But they need all the power to shift the 8,600lbs.

Famous owners have included Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Beckham, and they can cost up to £50,000 to buy.