Drew Scott builds and renovates homes on HGTV's "Property Brothers," but he also has a love of cars and decided to try building a set of wheels instead. The result, which was featured in the latest episode of "Jay Leno's Garage," is certainly unique.
Called the Lanark DS, Scott's one-off build is an electric roadster inspired by classic European sports cars. Scott explains in the episode that the car is a tribute to his father, who stoked his enthusiasm for those cars. Along with the retro styling, the interior is upholstered in tartan, reflecting the Scott family's Scottish heritage. And the name Lanark comes from Scott's father's hometown in Scotland.
Despite a mashup of styling elements including Corvette-inspired side scallops and headlights from a modern Mini (including the headlights), the design is fairly cohesive. Underneath the bodywork is a Tesla motor and a custom chassis. The car weighs about 2,200 pounds—not bad for an EV—but still has enough battery capacity for an estimated 300 miles of range. Scott said he was pressured to skip power steering for the sake of "authenticity."
Like the houses he renovates, Scott wanted to combine vintage looks with modern technology. So the spartan interior features a touchscreen that also serves as the instrument cluster. Shifting is via pushbuttons below. The seats are bolted directly to the interior's rear bulkhead. And in true European roadster tradition the trunk is quite small and the roof nonexistent.
Drivability can be an issue in a car built from scratch, but Leno praised the Lanark's linear throttle response. It also has adjustable regenerative braking like many factory-built EVs.
While this was a very personal project, Scott isn't too attached to it. He's considering auctioning it off for charity, which would save some future owner a lot of trouble. The only other way to get a car like this is to build one.