Skip to main content

Why a Brit turned his Volkswagen Passat into a garden shed on wheels

What’s the top speed of your garden shed? The normal answer to that question is something along the lines of “it doesn’t move, it’s firmly attached to a slab of concrete in my backyard.” A British man set out to disrupt the centuries-old shed industry by building one capable of setting a land speed record, and he’s doing it for a very good cause.

Kevin Nicks will attempt to hit 100 mph in his wooden garden shed during the Straightliners Wheelie & Top Speed event taking place on August 19 and 20 in England. Yes, you read that right; talk about reinventing mobility! He’s going flat out to raise money for charity, and he’s able to do it because his shed is based on an older Volkswagen Passat.

Recommended Videos

Nicks explains he bought a Volkswagen Passat 4Motion with 190,000 miles on the clock to use as a parts car in 2014, but he couldn’t bring himself to take it apart. He held on to the car until he finally figured out what to do with it.

“I thought about it for a few months then had a ‘eureka’ moment when I was walking past a log store I’d built,” Nicks told British magazine Autocar in an interview.

After removing the Passat’s bodywork, he welded a steel frame to the chassis and dropped the shed right over it. The Passat’s 2.8-liter V6 engine, the five-speed manual transmission, and the 4Motion all-wheel drive system were all retained, giving the shed 193 horsepower and optimal traction in slippery conditions. Anyone who has ever sat in a fifth-generation Passat will immediately recognize interior parts like the steering wheel, the dashboard, and the instrument cluster.

World’s Fastest Shed Can Reach 88mph

The shed is fully street-legal in the United Kingdom, and photos posted on Facebook show Nicks has been driving it around since he finished it up in 2015. He’s tried to set speed records in the past, but he’s never managed to break the 100-mph barrier; the highest speed he’s managed to reach so far is 99.766 mph. His determination to finally reach his goal led him to install a nitrous oxide injection system similar to the ones found on high-performance cars like drag racers. It boost the V6’s output up to about 265 horsepower, which isn’t much grunt in a vehicle that weighs nearly 5,000 pounds. Still, it’s quicker than it sounds.

“It drives amazingly well, comfortable, quiet, so spacious, and reasonably fast, too. It really isn’t what you would expect,” Nicks told Digital Trends.

Nicks explains his biggest problem is that the shed has the aerodynamic properties of, well … a shed. Becoming the first man to hit 100 mph in a garden shed will be a considerable challenge if he’s racing against headwinds.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more