Banana car spotted in Monterey County: Here’s why it’s here — and how to get a ride
By Ricardo Tovar
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SALINAS, Calif. (KSBW) — If you’ve been on social media in recent days, you’ve likely seen photos and videos of a banana car around Monterey County.
It has many wondering: Who is driving this potassium-powered pickup? Why is it here? What is it promoting? When did it arrive? And where will it pop up next?
KSBW 8 has answers.
The driver, Steve Braithwaite, 65, who lives on a farm in Michigan, said he’s in Monterey County because it gets cold this time of year back home — and his “Big Banana Car,” as he calls it, has no heater.
He makes a living — “not much of one,” he said — driving people in his fruit-themed vehicle. He said he makes enough money for gas and food, but relies on the kindness of strangers for places to stay as he pursues his dream of taking the banana car around the world.
Braithwaite said he received a couch-surfing offer in Salinas from someone who shares his love of hot rods. He said he traveled up Highway 1 through Big Sur to get to Salinas and has already spent time in Castroville and Cambria. He said he loves downtown Salinas because it feels like stepping back in time.
Braithwaite, originally from Oxford, England, immigrated to the United States 40 years ago. He said he got the idea to build the banana car after watching the British version of “Top Gear” and seeing vehicles such as the “fastest garden shed” and a couch car.
He said the final inspiration came after he left a gas station, saw a bowl of fruit and decided to model the car after the shape of that very banana.
Braithwaite said he started building the vehicle in 2008, finished it in 2011 and has been driving across the United States ever since. He said he has been to every state except Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. He has also traveled to parts of Mexico and to Toronto.
Braithwaite said he planned to take the car overseas, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans. He said he was unable to make money for two years and used his savings to get by. Now, he said, he hopes to take the banana car to other countries soon and is looking for someone who can record and edit video to document the trip online.
Braithwaite said the Big Banana Car will offer rides this weekend at The Power Plant Coffee 1 in Moss Landing.
Rides are scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, and Sunday, March 1, weather permitting.
Braithwaite said the rides help fund his travels and are pay-what-you-like. Riders must bring car seats if required by law, and the car can take up to three riders at a time.
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