Split-Personality Redefined: The Madness Behind The Oil Stain Lab Half 11

Find out the incredible story behind one of the most sacrilegious 911-based builds ever conceived

by Amrit Balraj on June 25, 2024, 06:00

The Half 11 is a Le Mans-inspired prototype built from scratch by designer twin brothers Iliya and Nikita Bridan. They are the founders of L.A. Shop: Oil Stain Design Labs and have over a decade of experience working with the largest automobile brands, including Honda and General Motors. The Half-11 is so called because its chassis is from a 911 which had to be cut before being integrated with its body. The brothers jokingly call their project the "Last Bad Idea", but every aspect of the build was done with detailed precision. The idea’s genesis, which eventually became the Half-11, began with a sketch by Iliya, combining the front end of a Porsche 911 with the rear of a Porsche Indy racecar. They immediately met with a team of fabricators, welders, and designers to get this project off the ground. The duo have big plans for their project car and want to make a limited number of models based on this prototype.

The Half-11 gets its name from the cut-up 911 chassis which the project is built on.
The design kicked off with a sketch that combined the front end of a 911 with the rear of a Porsche Indy race car.
The exhaust system alone, took 18 months from design to fabrication.
The designers took a lot of inspiration from the Porsche 917 prototype racecar.

The Body Is Hand-Beaten Aluminium

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The body of the Half-11 is composed of a single piece of aluminium which has been hand-beaten using traditional tools like the English wheel and planishing hammer. This body sits on top of a cut-up $500 911 chassis and a custom tubular steel frame designed by master fabricator Joe Scarbo, who owns Scarbo Performance. The front end consists of fenders and a hood unmistakably derived from a Porsche 911. The rear suspension was built with a pair of high-performance Indycar TTX 40 coilovers. The brothers wanted to build their version of the legendary Porsche 917 prototype race car.

The entire exhaust system is a centerpiece of the build, and it is a gorgeous, custom 3D-printed unit that was made of Inconel, a high-end metal used by F1 teams for making their exhaust system. The entire process took 18 months from design to final form and was designed and extensively tested on CAD. The way it makes the Half-11 sound and feel is the cherry on top. The final look is an exhaust system that mimics a "bundle of snakes"

What’s Powering The Half-11?

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	Oil Stain Lab Half 11
Engine	LS-V8
Horsepower	650 Horsepower
Torque	650 lb-ft
Transmission	6 Speed Manual
Drivetrain	RWD
0-60 MPH	2.5 Seconds
Top Speed	200 MPH
Weight	1,850 lbs.
Asking Price	$600,000

A mid-mounted Chevy LS V8 channeling power through a tight 6-speed manual from a 996-generation 911 GT2. This engine makes 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. The brothers decided to go with an LS instead of a Porsche motor due to its compact dimensions and incredible torque figures. The powertrain is RWD and the Half-11 sits on chunky racing tires which complete the 1960 Le Mans racecar-inspired look. This powertrain helps the car accelerate from 0-60 in a mere 2.5 seconds, which in part is thanks to its impressive curb weight of 1,850 lbs.

This engine with the bare bones set-up of the car makes the experience of driving it quite visceral and ear-drum-shattering. In the future, they want to create 25 versions of the Half-11 and plan to make them more capable with a coupe body style and even gull-wing doors. The Half-11 was made so the team could learn to push the envelope in design and performance. The team also recently put it up for auction, with the asking price sitting around $600,000.

Half11: The twins ripping up Porsche’s history | Oilstainlab | Goodwood Masters S3 E2 by Goodwood Road & Racing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBq7ey89yHc

Amrit Balraj

When not reading up or watching videos about obscure and rare automobiles, Amrit spends his free time planning imaginary road trips on some of the best driving roads in the world, preferably in an old truck with a motorcycle strapped to the bed. Read full bio