Let’s face it, we love cars of all description. We’re pretty much willing to try anything, and there aren’t a whole lot of vehicles that we wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to grab by the scruff of the neck and take for the ride of our lives.
From a personal perspective, I’ve driven a first-gen Dodge Viper, a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, a 427-powered ’27 T-Bucket, and a Mazda RX2 with a Ford 4.0L V6 from a Ranger, ghettocharged with the twin-turbo setup off a 300ZX. None of these have really scared me. None have made me second guess myself, and wonder whether or not I have what it takes.
This car, on the other hand, does.

Here’s their basic philosophy: the Formula One cars of the 1950s were okay, with their front-engined approach; but that improved in the 1960s when they moved to mid-rear engined cars. In 1967 and 68, they reached a pinnacle of design and just all-around hoontacular awesomeness with massive mid-rear engines… and very little else. From that point on, everything went downhill, due to their desire for more aerodynamics, stickier tires, more downforce. Sure, it’s safer, this company says, but where’s the fun in driving an upside-down airplane?
Unfortunately, the possibility of finding a ’67 or ’68 Formula One car is, well, slim. And by “slim”, we mean “non-existant”. Even if you did find one, the price-tag would be well into the millions. So here’s their solution: build a replica.
And what a replica it is! The car is absolutely gorgeous, as these pictures prove, but the concept behind it, and the engineering within it, are even more beautiful. Let’s be blunt: it’s as simple as they can make it. The whole idea is to use off-the-shelf parts that anyone can get their hands on, and anyone can work on easily. The car is designed for you to take to a vintage race series, or to a motor-course club and have an enormous amount of fun without worrying about destroying a multi-million-dollar machine.

So what do we have under the skin? It’s powered by a Chevrolet LS-series 5.3L V8, with proper Weber downdraft carbs, and run through either the 4-speed from a Porsche 911 or a new ZFQ 5-speed. Weighing in at just over 1400 lbs, it should have a power-to-weight ratio that is comparable with, say, an F-14 Tomcat. But without the wings. Pricing has not yet been released, but we have contacted the manufacturer for more information as it becomes available, so stay tuned.
So, what say you, Hoonigans? Are you “manly” enough to try it? I’d gladly give it a shot, but I think I’d be afraid to put my foot into it like I would with most of my other experiences. Suddenly, I feel like I should really just go have a nice cup of tea and curl up under a blanket for the afternoon. Maybe I’ll try knitting…

[Thanks to Scroggzilla for the tip! Head to the manufacturer’s site for more info, and a whole lot of construction pr0n!]