Tuner dad turns son’s Lightning McQueen into real electric runner

"Cars" may not be the most well-liked Pixar movie among adults, but it's got a healthy following among the booster-seat set. So when Sean Burgess' five-year-old son wore out his Lightning McQueen Powerwheel, Burgess did what any experienced car tuner would do: took it into his shop and gave it an upgrade into a mini electric race car.

Burgess, the co-owner of the FFTEC tuning shop in Union City, Calif., reworked the toy with the addition of race-quality parts, starting with a 0.66-hp, 500-watt electric motor, a disc brake and real steel-and-rubber wheels in place of the plastic originals. All of this tech bolts into an aluminum subframe, linked to a 24-volt pack of race-car batteries, that adds far more power but not so much as to make Lightning too dangerous for a preschooler.

Burgess' son Evan can be seen below giving the home-tuned McQueen a full workout, including time on an oval track. Remember this one when the voting for cool dad of the year comes around.