The fun of driving Jeep vehicles may make all of us feel like little kids inside, but we have to be licensed to (legally) drive them. For actual boys and girls who love Jeeps but are too young to get their licenses, there’s the Jeep Revolution BFR-3 pedal kart from BERG.
Children ages five and up can move their seat to one of six positions, adjust the steering column to their liking, and take off. According to BERG, the BFR-3 Hub “allows the rider to pedal forward, coast with the pedals remaining static, switch gears pedal back slightly to engage the coaster brake or use the hand brake to stop, once stopped pedal backwards to go in reverse!”
When the neighborhood streets end and the dirt trails begin, there’s a swing axle to respond to the terrain and 15-inch air-filled tires with off-road tread to get over it.
Like a real Jeep, the Jeep Revolution BFR-3 can be upgraded with a variety of parts. Those include a passenger seat, an off-road rollbar, a spare wheel/tire, and even a light set, which comes with a headlight, red rear LED light, and two reflectors.
The price for this junior Jeep coolness is $1,299.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
