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Man builds $9.5m McLaren supercar from scrap | video


Polish car nut Jacek Mazur has snubbed the old warning “don’t touch what you can’t afford” by building his own backyard version of the famed – and rare -- McLaren F1 supercar.

The amateur mechanic has built himself an impressive likeness to the highly collectible machine, which has increased in value tenfold in the 22 years since its introduction.

“The McLaren was such a great car that when I saw it the first time I decided to build it,” Jacek says in a video covering his creation (below).

Using just scrap and spare parts, the 48 year old spent eight years and just zl100,000 ($36,500) to build his replica, 250 times less than the US$8.47 million ($9.5 million) commanded by a genuine example at a US auction earlier this year.

“I have been creating cars for the past 20 years now. I have built many types of cars previously, including a Porsche 911 and a Lamborghini Countach,” he says.

Jacek is a health and safety advisor by trade, but still managed to construct his replica’s tubular chassis from scratch, along with expanding on the F1’s unique three-seat cabin layout.

“The most difficult part of the building process was the construction of the frame and the positioning of the driver’s seat. I managed to squeeze in a fourth seat that I called the ‘Hammond-seat’.”

The fourth seat is crammed behind the driver’s seat, leaving enough room for a passenger of similar staure to the pint-sized Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.

While Jacek chose not to use the F1’s 486kW 6.1-litre BMW V12 and, his replica’s Audi V8 engine and Mercedes brakes maintain some performance pedigree.

While it may not be capable of the real McLaren’s record-breaking 386.5km/h top speed, Jacek claims the fruit of his labours will hit a credible 320km/h.

“Many people will literally stop and stare and take a proper look at it. They will ask what model the car is. Even if it’s just a replica, it looks like the real deal.”

On that basis, those who missed out on buying one of the already sold-out new McLaren P1 or LaFerrari supercars might be tempted to get onto Jacek…

This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn