Zebra-painted car turns heads on Saskatoon's roads
Moira and Mark Willems painted their car to have fun and get people to smile.
Many people wander parking lots looking for their vehicle, but a Saskatoon couple's car always stands out.
When Moira and Mark Willems get behind the wheel they are sitting inside their very own zebra-mobile.
The white car with black stripes has been turning heads in Saskatoon and has its own Facebook page called ZebraCar with a few hundred followers.
Mark said there's one reason to join the herd, "Just because it's fun. No other reason."
"Just to make people smile," Moira added.
The current car is actually the couple's second zebra vehicle. Around 15 years ago, the Willems were given a white car.
"We were like 'oh my goodness, look at all the white cars and trucks and things everywhere in the parking lot. We can't even find our vehicle'," Moira said.
The car needed a paint job anyway, so the Willems thought they'd have some fun with the design.
"We settled on the zebra because, hey it was easy," Mark added.
That car eventually broke down and the Willems went back to a "plain, ordinary car." When they bought another white care a few years ago, they thought it would be easy to do the zebra again.
Moira said their son, who is a graphic designer, drew up the pattern which she later painted. Mark bought a broom and bolted it to the top. They had ears custom made, which will be painted when the weather is more amenable.
"It's so easy to do," Mark said. "You just go to a hardware store and you get some paint and you get a brush and you paint it."
The couple figures it cost a few hundred dollars to do the whole project. Although, Moira admits it probably isn't a great plan if you are looking at resale.
"The cars that we own we usually own them until they are dead," she said with a laugh.
The couple is used to receiving notes on the car from appreciative passersby, which is why they started the fan page online.
The sometimes get asked if it's a marketing campaign for a store, but most of the time the Willems said they just get giant smiles.
