Photo by David W. Smith/Daily NewsAl Karlowitsch of Hickory, N.C., drives around Thursday on his motorized recliner during the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Campground. Some attendees bring odd and sometimes funny vehicles. The recliner, Karlowitsch says, can go up to 35 mph.

People staying at the Beech Bend Campground for the annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion this weekend aren’t just drooling over cars – there are some other vehicles drawing stares and even laughs.

Al Karlowitsch’s two motorized recliners are this year’s additions to the unique vehicles that hot rod lovers bring to the reunion. Some others include a toilet, bar stools and a lawn chair with a big yellow smiley face, all of which sit on go-cart frames with engines to propel them.

“It’s more of a reaction thing, just to see what people say. It’s not something you’re gonna get crazy and wild on, you’re just scootering around,” said Karlowitsch, a grading contractor from Hickory, N.C.

He said people who build hot rods usually enjoy making things the “old school” way, so they get an idea and experiment.

That’s how his comfy go-carts came about, he said.

He made the recliner vehicles with his son a few days before coming to Bowling Green for the reunion. They found the idea on the Internet and bought the go-cart frames from a friend and the chairs on Craig’s List and at a thrift store.

Karlowitsch said his camel-colored leather chair was the prototype and his black leather chair, which can go about 35 mph, is his favorite – it’s more comfortable.

“It’s just like sittin’ at home in one, you can just pull the throttle and go down the road now,” he said.

Tim Kreilein of Jasper, Ind., has a campsite next to the entrance of the campground, so he sees all the creations as they roll by. He said he likes the recliners best.

“You could have a million bucks, and if you’re not in that recliner, you’re not having more fun,” Kreilein said.

Other campers give Karlowitsch the thumbs up almost every time he zooms past their campsites, and Tom Schmoyer of Macungie, Pa., gets a lot of smiles when he’s in his homemade go-cart.

His cart and its trailer both feature bright yellow smiley face lawn chairs. This is the first year he’s brought them to the reunion.

Richard Lawson, a welder from Vandalia, Ohio, said that even though he had his toilet go-cart at the reunion last year, it still gets some reaction from other campers.

“Everyone thinks it’s neat. How often do you see a toilet going around, riding around a campground?” he said.

He added that there’s more to the toilet than its funny appearance. Lawson said that it has a trick starter that makes water squirt up from the bowl onto riders who aren’t familiar with its operation.

Lawson and his grandfather, Tom Cunningham, built the toilet go-cart about three years ago. It was the popular creation at the reunion last year.

But this year, it’s not the most unique, Lawson said.

“Last year, everybody had go-carts or (motorized) barstools and then this year we come down with it and there’s guys riding around on easy chairs, so we’ve been out-done,” he said. “We’ll have to go home and think of something else to do for next year.”

Cunningham said they might rig a golf cart with a V-8 engine for next year’s reunion.

Karlowitsch said he doesn’t know what he’ll create next year, but he enjoys his recliners.

“You just make weird stuff and it’s ‘wow,’ ” he said. “Next year these probably won’t be ‘wow’ because you had ’em. This year, they’re cool because nobody’s got one. Next year, the whole place could be full of recliners.”