Gifted hands! Great mind! What I want to hear is that some corporation has signed this guy up for a 6 figure salary. What do you think?; any exec's out there with the right stuff?!
I'm impressed first, by the engineering skill & detail, second, by the time & dedication that was expended on its development. .......& third, that his wife didn't make him sleep out there with it:)
Mike Villasenor could do a MUCH better job! HE'S A CREW CHIEF! and knows how to put on tire warmers, take them off, put fuel in the tank, and how to put a motorcycle on the rear stand!!
That is insane! From looking at the pictures I get the impression that he only decided to build a garage after he had the car built! I like to think he put the last touch on i, turned around and then thought, "Wait a minute, how the hell am I getting this out of here! Aw man, I knew I was forgetting something!" Hero!
BAHHH! this guy worked for Lamborghini for 25 years as one of the head design people. Thats not even his house that's his buddies house where they built the car and he just helped the guy in the picture is Fred Dilmassio , Google him he worked with Lamborghini for so long that's why he knows how to form a body ...duhhhh people!
so to all the haters hating on this guy. this guy had a dream and he made it true. it is outstanding what he has done. the paint. the body come off the frame. as on most cars. and to all the trollers saing oh it lookes like this car or this one. i rofl you.
As a wife I have carried many motors down to the basement in my 19 years of marriage and have left my husband rebuild them on the kitchen table if it was going to be a short project. I love helping rebuild the motors and putting back in. I am car girl and love working on them.
I did a ground-up 1970 LT1 Corvette rebuild. This is quite a step-up from that. Is it drivable? Where is the video? The wood is only used for mockin up the body parts, right?
The car was built by Ken Imhoff, and he has NOTHING to do with Lamborghini nor has he ever worked for them. Check out the original story on jalopnik.com from a few years back, along with Ken's hour long interview on NPR...
These are the -real- facts, not some half-baked conjecture like the crap I'm seeing posted above.
Talent,Equipment and Materials. What a beautiful combination. I wish I had that much experience and money. You idiots that are snide would be lucky to build a plastic model let alone a car from scratch, ya scratch, duh. Oh yeah, that would be easy if you weren't idiots and would realize what it takes to build anything of this magnitude.
didnt see all your tools you used to fabricate the metal. how did you get all the equipment to the basement? did you put a ramp and door in the basement wall so you could creat another vehicle?? ive got friends who do the same quality of work, only on home built airplanes... same dedication to perfection... junkman
awesome job great skills i am impressed. from one car builder to another you have great skills follow your dreams. people will always think you are crazy, but i think you have a great mine.this is something that you are born with. god gave you a dream and hell tells us that your dreams does not have a experation date, and you have just proved that god .bless
Wow - you are a fabricating HERO! So much talent, skill and brains! I imagine it cost a LOT to put it together!! You've motivated and amazed many thousands of people.
(Too bad so many of todays net-watching losers are do-nothing morons, as evidenced by some of the comments above...)
I towed a replica 66 FordGT for a guy. It took him 9 years to build. He took me for a ride in it a couple of months back. There are no words to describe the dedication to one's dream when you see these types of cars. http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb420/Ken_Christensen/1966%20FORD-GT/
People like you "the creator" are so hard to find nowadays. A machinist and visionary with patience is a rare combination. I thank you for building your dream and showing it to us.
this is a real lambo, with a real lambo engine, he rebuilt everything... this guys hes talented and he prolly got a contract with lambo, since all lambo are made by hand
The reason you bild it in the basement, is that you don't have to worry about some jerk trying to steal it when your at work.Thank God,the American Spirit is still alive.Just think it wasn't made in China. Well done sir.
I've built a few cars in my time, But nothing to detail as this, absolutely beautiful. This man has a LOT of talent, enough money, and way too much time on his hands. I admire a person of this talent.
I would be pretty sure that, when all was said and done, there is a substantial cash component to this car - although nowhere near what a person would have laid out to buy a factory built one!
I don't understand the naysayers on sites like this though!...as - OF COURSE a skilled metal worker can build a car like this!... Like, do some of you people think that a person has to be a specially trained professional to do work like this?....How to build a Lamborghini (or any other car for that matter) from scratch at home in your spare time is not taught a schools.... but ALL of the metal working skills are taught!.... and all person has to do is put the skills together and form the metal for the body, bend, cut, cope and weld the chassis, make up the "zillion other little pieces" designed purely by what they need to be used for and in the end, you have a car. It is how my Bonneville Land Speed cars have got built over the years!
What an incredible job. It is good to see there are still some talented folks out there that have not been dumbed down by todays society like the simpletons leaving the downer comments. I doubt that any of them are capable of creating anything more than dirty dishes laying by the tv or computer
This guy has so much money to put into this car yet he didn't build a Garage first what a crock of bs and his house looks like s**t..that's all i have to say
Nothing of this caliber, however I built a hot rod in my basement 40 years ago with a big block chevy. Made black marks on the basement floor then disassembled it and took it out in pieces to reassemble in the driveway. (no garage). Dragged the engine up the stairs with a tow rope and a truck. Just a 'lil redneck snow how.
MY FAVORITE COMMENT WAS, "WHY BUILD A COPY? WHY NOT BUILD AN ORIGINAL?" MY QUESTION IS, HOW DID HE EVER SPEND THE 1000 HOURS IN A BASEMENT WITH A LOW CEILING. IS HE A DWARF???
niiice, if he was really smart he wouldve spent acouple hundred on a shed instead of some ridiculous amount to dig up his basement, destroy part of his house and then rebuild it
Sometimes a middle age guy (like myself) says "why not?". Doesn't matter how he did it, it's the fact he built it. This is Field of Dreams for the car lover in all of us. Cuddos!!
For all the money he spent on materials parts tools digging out a drive way and his time we probaly been cheaper to go to a dealer to buy one... None the less very cool.
Well i think taking down that wall was least of his problems, if he can build that and be such skillful with his hands, i think he could put plaster and stack a couple of bricks. There really wasn't a lot of anything else down there in the basement than bricks. And mabye also really needed a extra door down there any ways
This guy is an amazing fabricator,machinist,welder I have only one problem with this whole project is that a ford engine if it is it ruined the whole thing ford in fine print spells "absolute junk" you have to look real close they don't want anybody to know !
Gifted hands! Great mind! What I want to hear is that some corporation has signed this guy up for a 6 figure salary. What do you think?; any exec's out there with the right stuff?!
This is incredible! A couple questions come to mind though. How much did this cost? And, did he really fabricate as much as it looks like? I mean tracking down the parts is one thing, but making them yourself is unreal!
There were so many places where corners could have been cut. but he has gone the extra miles to ensure it is perfect inside, outside, underneath and in places you can't see. That attention to detail, patience, commitment, and carftsmanship isn't seen too often any more. Im delighted people still create, build,and strive for perfection. Its nice that the internet allows us to see what others do in their spare time.
I just dunno what to say...Countach was one of my fav of all times..and to see someone build a Countach out of nothing ......this is the craziest yet the most beautiful thing I ever heard of..or seen..don't want to sound cocky..but would have been even better if he managed to bolt a V-12 into that...with 12 independent throttle bodies...man.! that would be so awesome...!!!
Beautiful work, yeah... garage door was just an upgrade that came along when needed.... And to all the fools that made negative comments, It's sad that there are so many idiots in this world ! Oh well! As far as the U.S. - V-8 ... I'm sure it will run and sound beautiful ! M. Young
Who needs a basement anyways? It's only the foundation that's holding up the house. I'm sure city regulations has a statute that says that it's okay to destroy a house for any vehicle with a at least a V8 in it.
i built a go-cart in my garage once did everything right but for one thing forgot toput the motor in had to use pedel power it was a scream,my wife then put me in a nut house for awhile hee-hee so there -------------------------------------------------------------
Its called a "clone" you can find them on ebay. What you wont find is a lambo like this. Countache sell at jackson barrett auctions for 300k you have to have a trustfund to afford an old Lamborghini if anything this is a omage to the spirit of lambo. That vintage supercar we went to sleep dreaming about. It doesn't need to have that big v10 or 12. It accomplishes that visceral lust all the same. Im 25. For me it was the diablo VT. Id build one if I could...RESPECT
What amazes me more than the fact that this guy is as close to 'superhuman' as any one person can be, are all of the small-minded people out there so anxious to dispel the man's achievements. Regardless of his life's work, training or help he may have received, it has been made clear by the photographs that an amazing amount of time, thought, energy and talent went into this project. I'll never completely understand why some people find it impossible to enjoy and share things like this in a positive way and, instead, choose to denigrate, insult, and demonstrate their inability to do so. Great job to whoever you are for creating an amazing piece of craftsmanship.
Well said. this is an amazing amount of pure awesome, this man has spent years of his life perfecting a piece of art. In my book, this man stands above 98% of the population, most of which will never accomplish anything on their own.
Probably built in basement so every nosey S B in the country wouldn't be bugging him. We built a 17 foot hovercraft from scratch. Foam core fiberglass from plans from Sevtec in WA State. Took 2 months each year for 3 year. 1,100 hours and $7,000. We were on a farm 1/2 mile off the highway. Had countless visitors every week. No where near as complex as this car, but we know what it's like tackle a project and see it through. This guy has guts.
I saw this when it was originally posted in 2008, but have always wondered......why the hell wouldn't you build the garage first and then build the car in there? I mean even if you didn't finish the car, you have a nice garage!?!?
And in b4 clive
+1 for punching a hole in his basement to get it out of there. hahaha
.......& third, that his wife didn't make him sleep out there with it:)
click my name for a funny site
speechless.
timetable?
I am a woman!!!!
this guy is the perfect worker
dedicated
hard working
skilled
very well done
Time.. Dedication.. Money!
I'm sure this is one of your greatest achivments!
Well done dude!
(:
This is quite a step-up from that.
Is it drivable? Where is the video?
The wood is only used for mockin up the body parts, right?
These are the -real- facts, not some half-baked conjecture like the crap I'm seeing posted above.
Respect !
Can you make me a fiat uno turbo i.e. Please?
You've motivated and amazed many thousands of people.
(Too bad so many of todays net-watching losers are do-nothing morons, as evidenced by some of the comments above...)
Thank you for showing it to us!
http://s1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb420/Ken_Christensen/1966%20FORD-GT/
(pay no attention to those derogatory comments....as E-tek Restorations said: they're "do-nothing morons")
Congratulations to this great lamborghini-fan !!!
I don't understand the naysayers on sites like this though!...as - OF COURSE a skilled metal worker can build a car like this!... Like, do some of you people think that a person has to be a specially trained professional to do work like this?....How to build a Lamborghini (or any other car for that matter) from scratch at home in your spare time is not taught a schools.... but ALL of the metal working skills are taught!.... and all person has to do is put the skills together and form the metal for the body, bend, cut, cope and weld the chassis, make up the "zillion other little pieces" designed purely by what they need to be used for and in the end, you have a car. It is how my Bonneville Land Speed cars have got built over the years!
Wow!!!
Just kidding. That is an amazing bit of fabrication!
congratulations its a beauty
Geno.
Maybe he could repair this Ferrari!
http://youtu.be/8RNbbDRdvBw
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Well said. this is an amazing amount of pure awesome, this man has spent years of his life perfecting a piece of art. In my book, this man stands above 98% of the population, most of which will never accomplish anything on their own.
from Sevtec in WA State. Took 2 months each year for 3 year. 1,100 hours and $7,000. We were on a farm 1/2 mile off the highway. Had countless visitors every week.
No where near as complex as this car, but we know what it's like tackle a project and see it through. This guy has guts.
looks better as original !