Nice Price Or Crack Pipe?

"McMike" (mcmike)
06/05/2015 at 11:31 • Filed to: None

PORSCHE 917 RACE CAR LOOK-ALIKE - $7500

More or less 10 years ago, my brother and I came across a Laser 917 kit car body in very nice condition at an auto swap meet. (Laser 917s were used in the 1977 “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” movie.) We couldn’t help ourselves. We bought it. The body sat around for about a year. One afternoon, we decided, “What the hell, let’s have a go at building something from it.” The result, after another couple of years, is the car you see in the pictures above.

We chose, since it’s based on a VW chassis, to make it “interesting” rather than slick, fast or trying to mimic exactly the Porsche 917 that it’s based upon.

If you like being the center of attention, you’ll love this car!

We bought a ‘64 VW with a 1600cc dual port motor and a 12V electrical system that was in amazingly good condition. This became the mechanical basis for the car.

Then we added the following features:

Flame thrower - We developed a propane-based flame thrower that sticks up from the roof at about 45 degrees. While less spectacular than having flames come out the exhaust pipes, it’s also much less dangerous.

Taser hood ornament - We spotted a guy selling “stun guns” at a Tucson swap meet. Impressed by the 2” spark and the ripping sound it made, we bought one and made a hood ornament out of it.

Rear view TV camera - Since the back windshield is small, the TV camera lets us keep on eye what’s creeping up behind.

Fender skirts on all the wheels - Since using stock VW wheels and tires puts them considerably inside the fenders, we can turn the front wheels lock to lock without hitting our front skirts. A great look!

Hovercraft look - In addition to the skirts, we hung a fringe of outdoor carpeting totally around the car making it look a bit like a hovercraft. We protect the carpet where it might scrape the road with foam, tubular pipe insulation that can be easily replaced when it becomes too frayed.

It’s street legal. We often drive it around it with the doors propped open, sort of a “bird of prey look.” Lots of people pass us with their cell phones out the window taking our pictures.

If you like being the center of attention, you’ll love this car!