'Bintang Benetton': Bali Man's F1 Car Replica Is The Ultimate Lockdown Success Story

Or perhaps more accurately... a Seminyak Schumacher.

'Bintang Benetton': Bali Man's F1 Car Replica Is The Ultimate Lockdown Success Story

Not project cars, clearly. Image: WTF1

The last twelve months have been tough, but one silver lining has been a shot in the arm for car culture.

The last twelve months have seen a renewed interest in car ownership and modification around the globe, as bored gearheads have sunk their time and money into cars instead of travelling or going out.

The result? Used car prices are booming and new cars are in short supply, with dealers unable to meet demand. The speculation on some cars is just insane – take the Suzuki Jimny, which is now selling on the aftermarket for almost double the dealership MSRP (in Australia at least).

So what’s a revhead to do if you can’t find a new or a used car to play with? Simple: build your own car. And if you’re building a car from scratch, you may as well go big or go home – which must have been the mindset of this enterprising motorsports fan in Bali, who built his very own Ferrari Formula One car replica after being laid off from his cruise ship job thanks to the pandemic.

It might look like a Ferrari (if you squint really hard) but its performance is anything but: the custom-made bodyshell is powered by a wimpy 125cc engine from an ATV and can only manage a top speed of 40km/h.

While it’s a bit rough around the edges, the 43-year-old from Buleleng in North Bali only spent 30 million Indonesian rupiah (~2,700 AUD or ~2,100 USD) on the project car – that’s not a lot of money for something that’s attracted so many eyeballs.

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The car’s not actually road-legal but the crazy bastard plans to build another one with a bigger engine from a ‘real car’ so he can register it and drive it across Bali, The Bali Sun reports.

He’s not the first Indonesian to have a go at making their own F1 car. Back in 2014, another Ferrari fan in Lombok crafted his own replica powered by a 550cc engine from a 1980s Daihatsu Hijet microvan, Carscoops relates.

These guys certainly give Italy’s tifosi a run for their money: Benetton may not have ever run Ferraris (they were all about Renault engines, actually) but they would definitely need a Bintang or two after seeing this project car…

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