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Watch this car: It drives both directions and does serious doughnuts

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89-year-old fused Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon for a car with both manual and automatic transmissions

Show more Ontario mechanic Bill Brown fused a Dodge Omni and a Dodge Horizon together and says the result is a car that goes both ways, with both automatic and manual options. 1:02

Bill Brown was a little boy when he got his hands on a 1921 issue of Popular Mechanics and saw a photograph that would stay with him for 50 years: two Ford Model T's cut in half and fused together, back to back.

"Gosh, someday I'm gonna build one of them," Brown remembered thinking to himself that day.

Brown, now 89 and living in the southern Ontario community of Seaforth, was true to his word. He's now the proud owner of a two-way car, meaning it drives in both directions.

It's a step above the car he saw in that 1921 photograph. That one "looked like it would go both ways, but it wouldn't, unless you reversed it," Brown recalls, saying the introduction of front-wheel drive helped his design.

Owner Bill Brown, of Seaforth, Ont., says he drives one end of the car when he goes uptown, another end when he goes downtown. (Allison Devereaux/CBC News)

How he made it

By 1984, he was a licensed mechanic who owned his own auto-wrecking company.

Two cars ended up on the lot, both damaged from rear-end collisions: a 1978 Dodge Omni and a 1979 Plymouth Horizon. Both were four-doors with front-wheel drive.

Brown cut the two cars down the middle, then welded the floor and roof together. The doors, however, were hanging open where they met, like open cupboards. He sawed, then welded them to create one long door on each side.

Brown traced the shape of the windows, making new ones from acrylic Plexiglas "that fitted, and fitted in good."

You can listen to the AM and FM radio at the same time.​​​​​ - Bill Brown

To ensure the windows matched the contour of the door, Brown clamped the edges of each window, tied them with rope and suspended weights from them.

He then left the pieces of Plexiglas in a sunny spot for about a month, until they had the proper curve. The project took about one winter.

"It's just a matter of taking your time, sawing it in half, putting it together," Brown tells people who inevitably stop wherever the car is parked to ask questions and peer inside.

Side to side 'like a crab'

The car has two engines, each under its own hood. The Dodge Omni end, which Bill prefers, is automatic. The Plymouth Horizon end is a standard.

"You can listen to the AM and FM radio at the same time," Bill said, because the car has two steering wheels, two driver seats and two full dashboards — facing opposite directions.

Brown got the idea for his two-way car from a 1921 issue of Popular Mechanics. (Allison Devereaux/CBC News)

When driving the Omni end, he puts the standard in neutral and locks the steering wheel, reinforcing it with a bungee cord.

If both motors are running, the car is capable of going forwards, backwards and side to side, "like a crab," he said.

"It's just a matter of getting a little synchronized."

Brown doesn't show off tricks as often, but there's one that's hard to resist: doing doughnuts.

"We did try it. We got too dizzy and had to quit," he said, chuckling.

Turning heads

The car is without a doubt a "conversation piece" that attracts a crowd, he said. On sunny, summer days, Brown parks it out front of a local restaurant while he's inside and drinks coffee.

When he's done, "I go out and join the crowd that's gathered around it, and have a talk with them."

Brown has endless patience for the questions, proud of the car he dreamed of owning as a child.

"It turned out very good, I'm quite pleased with what I accomplished."

No matter which direction he's driving, the car’s back lights are headlights. Brown had this coverup custom made so drivers behind him wouldn’t get confused. (Allison Devereaux/CBC News )

It's also led to some memorable moments.

Once, a man driving in the opposite direction made a complete U-turn after spotting Brown's car. He returned, asked questions, and got his picture taken behind the wheel.

While driving one day, Brown saw "kids bouncing all over the backseat," in another vehicle, trying to get their dad to look at the car.

He assumed the kids were reacting to the second steering wheel, facing backward. When he drives, Brown now places a pillow on the dashboard to hide the rear-facing steering wheel, so it doesn't distract others.

"That's what gets their attention," he said.

Brown only drives his car in spring and summer. 'Once the snow comes, that's the end of it.' (Allison Devereaux/CBC News)