Picture this: You're deep into your studies at a nearby café when all of a sudden, you see an extremely realistic-looking yet oversized banana drive by.
Are you seeing things? Is college making you delusional? Nope, it's just Steve riding by in his "Big Banana Car," or, more formerly known as the "Braithwaite Cavendish Four-seat Velos-a-nana." It was surely a sight to see. Everyone around me also turned to look, smiling and laughing, just about as confused as I was, but also, undeniably intrigued.
This is based on a true story, folks.
Not only did I see his "Big Banana Car" once, I saw it twice, driving down the road again the very next week. It was almost too good to be true, so I Google'd "Big Banana Car" and found the official Instagram for the yellow fruit mobile. I was desperate to know more, so I quickly messaged the account and set up an interview with Steve.
The story of Steve and his "Big Banana Car" is ironically inspiring.
He is from Oxford, England, and he left his mundane job running a sign business to pursue his dreams in the banana business. When I asked him what initially sparked his interest, he said that aside from his prior interest in cars, he simply wanted to do something strange, crazy and ridiculous. One day, he was at a gas station and came across a banana, the perfect shape for a vehicle - not too curvy and just flat enough that the driver would be able to see out the front. That was his initial inspiration. After that, with the help of some friends, the "Big Banana Car" was born.
As turns out, the "Big Banana Car" doesn't live permanently in Orlando. It has traveled all through the United States. Some of the most notable places he's taken it are New York, the "big banana in the big apple" some might call it, Burning Man, the iconic annual festival of expression in Nevada, and even to Slab City in California, the abandoned city without laws, where he also made a stop at the International Banana Museum. The car has even attracted attention from major celebrities and TV producers; Steve and his banana car were featured on a TV show with T-Pain.
A quote that motivates Steve is: "When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done."
He hopes his endeavors will encourage more people to do more crazy and ridiculous things.
Steve's ultimate plan for his car is to take it overseas, which is all part of his master plan: "The World Needs More Whimsy" Grand Tour. If you are interested in seeing the "Big Banana Car" for yourself, you can keep up with Steve's location on his calendar page:
