Iliya and Nikita Bridan are designers and car fans who set out a few years ago to make their ideal dream car project. It was built on the Porsche 911 and was influenced by race cars from the 1960s. Because of its hazy 911-like look, tubular steel race chassis, and JMS race Chevy LS engine, it is known as the Half11. For years, the Bridan brothers worked on and tested their prototype. Now they’re ready to sell it. If you’re brave enough and have an extra $600,000 sitting around, you can buy it. It started as a rebuilt Porsche 911, but it quickly changed into something very different. The only parts of the 1960s 911’s front end that are still there are the bare frames and the floor of the trunk. That’s the end of it. The rest is made of tubular steel that was carefully created to look like the chassis of an old Formula One car. It’s more like a Tenth11, so calling it a “Half11” is too much of a stretch. The only thing that makes the build look like a “911” when it’s done is the way the headlamps look hazy since the body is made of hand-crafted metal. A JMS Racing Chevy LS V8 engine with 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque is located in the middle of the car. Bro. Bridan says that their business, Oil Stain Lab, can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and hit 200 mph. That can only be shown once someone buys it and tests it themselves. It makes sense, given that Oil Stain Labs says it has 650 horsepower, a lightweight tube chassis, and huge race slicks. Oil Stain Lab’s Instagram photos aren’t going to fool you, though. This isn’t a race car with a long past, and it wasn’t based on one. Instead, the Half11 is the Bridan brothers’ idea and passion project. They’ve made something truly unique by drawing inspiration from endurance race prototypes from the 1960s. That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun to drive, though. The Half11 chassis was created by Joe Scarbo of Scarbo Performance in California. It has rear-wheel drive, a huge Chevy LS engine paired with a 996-generation 911 GT2 six-speed manual transmission, and Ohlins dampers that are controlled by pushrods. Like the car it was based on, it is definitely wild to drive, but that’s about all the connections between it and cars like the Porsche 917, Ferrari “P” series, and Ford GT40. The first Half11 version is for sale at The Arsenale and costs $600,000. That’s right, 25 of these will be made. After this proof-of-concept without a windshield, Oil Stain Lab is pointing to coupe and speedster models. Why is it 25? Oil Stain Lab says this is the number needed for “homologation rules,” which means to keep the mood of mid-century racing fan fiction. For many, this is their only chance to dress up as a street driver in a pricey Le Mans car.
