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World’s fastest baby carriage built by first time dad

Some men respond to pregnancy news by building a crib. Others smoke a cigar and start debating baby names.

Not many dads-to-be build a twin-exhaust, 10-horsepower, gasoline-fuelled stroller — but such was the response of 33-year-old British plumber Colin Furze upon learning his girlfriend was pregnant.

Having already pursued a Guinness World Record in speed — he holds the record for fastest mobility scooter — a speedy "megapram" was the logical next step for the adrenaline junkie.

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Using an already-purchased baby carriage as a template, Furze constructed a motorized version complete with food petals, thick tires, and platform for the "driver."

"It is rather scary to drive, but I've had lots of envious looks from mums and dads, especially when they are pushing their babies up hills," Furze tells the Daily Mail.

Read the specs of the project at Popular Science.

Don't worry, Furze's baby boy, Jake, will never ride in the stroller that can accelerate to 53 mph in just 30 seconds.

"His son, Jake, was born in September 2012, and a month later Furze cleared 50 mph while riding his stroller on a nearby drag strip — the first world record of its kind. He’s quick to note that he has no intention of putting Jake in the speeding carriage. But that hasn’t stopped him from spooking onlookers with a convincing stand-in: a baby doll wrapped patriotically in a Union Jack," Gregory Moore of PopSci writes.

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Furze joins the ranks of other cool dads who get inspired by their kids.

One father built his kid a Podracer stroller. Another built a Cadillac baby carriage that shoots fire from its tailpipes. Another turned his son's Lightning McQueen Powerwheel into a mini electric race car. And yet another built his son a tank.

Let's not forget the Ontario dad who built a Wipeout-style obstacle course for neighbourhood children.

What's the craziest thing your dad ever built for his kids?