EDD CHINA’S SOFA SITTING PRETTY
Road-going sofa restored to celebrate opening of a garage
Edd China’s infamous 1994 Casual Lofa sofa car has been made road-legal again to front a new MoT business’s launch day celebrations in Bracknell, Berkshire.
Motest, which has 21 servicing and MoT test sites across the south of England, bought China’s Grease Junkie garage in December last year and has fixed up the sofa. It’s borrowing it from him to use it as part of its opening event on 30 April.
The former Wheeler Dealers star still has a connection with his old garage – he does the voice-overs on its local radio ads.
John Ball, Motest managing director, says: ‘It’s blue and fluffy now rather than the original leopard skin upholstery, but other than that it’s as it was in 1994.
‘ We had to renew the track rod ends and ball joints. We then road-tested it and gave it an MoT, which it passed with no advisories.’
The sofa, which is powered by a 1.3-litre Mini engine, features a pizza dish as the steering wheel, a beer can as the hand-operated brake ‘pedal’ and a chocolate bar as the gearstick.
The opening event at the garage in Bracknell will feature a free and informal classic and retro-car event from 11am until 4pm.
Ball is also planning to have a classic MoT test demo to show visitors what to look out for.
He adds: ‘This is a great excuse for people to get their classics out for a drive and display them. Edd will be giving people rides in the sofa throughout the day.
‘All we would ask is people turn up in something classic or very interesting — a bit like at the Ace Cafe!’ he laughs.
China has a history of motorising various pieces of household furniture and currently holds Guinness World Records for the fastest office (Hot Desk, 87mph), mobile bed (Street Sleeper, 69mph), garden shed (Gone to Speed, 58.41mph) and not forgetting the toilet (Bog Standard, 42.25mph). www.motest.co.uk