The Porsche 911 is a dream car for many enthusiasts. Yet, a lot has been done with vintage 911s over the past decade that moves beyond what came from the factory, despite how purists may feel. Forget all that, though, because the Half11 is a 911 project like we've never seen.
In a Thursday report, Autoweek caught up with the firm Oil Stain Lab, and the man behind the Half11, Nikita Bridan, to understand what inspired the radical open-wheel build.
Bridan said the goal was to create a 911 in an alternative universe—one where Porsche focused on the sports car as its only machine for motorsport. Oil Stain Lab decided to bring the idea to life after asking, what would the 911 have been like if cars like the 917 hadn't come along? That conjured ideas of a top-level race car based on the 911. It's a remarkably creative process, as the firm aims to tell a story with its work.
Oil Stain Lab Half11 project car Photo: Oil Stain Lab
The donor car was quite literally half of a Porsche 911. Bridan explained the company purchased a 911 chassis for about $450, which inspired the idea of the Half11. The images shown are renderings of how the final car will look, something of a cross between a Formula One race car at the rear with a massive wing and a regular 911 in the front. We have to admit, the Frankenstein sports car looks pretty cool.
So far, Bridan said the car has been cut up and the roll cage is partially built. Other parts have been purchased to get the project moving full-steam ahead. However, the finer details still need to be worked out with the aid of CAD. All told, he estimated the car is probably six-to-nine months away from being drivable. When it does hit the streets, we have a feeling Oil Stain Lab will have accomplished its main goal of shaking up the world of classic cars, and maybe ruffling a few purists' feathers along the way.
