A Man Spent 17 Years Building a Perfect Lamborghini in His Basement

Movies have the power to inspire people to do some pretty interesting things. Some of those things can be totally bonkers or dangerous stunts. But sometimes the right inspiration can push people to create something marvelous.

Just ask a Milwaukee man named Ken Imhoff who saw the 1981 film “The Cannonball Run” and was inspired to build the perfect Lamborghini in his basement…

There Was a Lot of Trial and Error

Despite his knowledge and fierce determination, Imhoff discovered that building a car was a learn-as-you-go kind of experience and he made a few mistakes here and there, like when he warped the panels by accident. And once the panels were done, it was time to build the frame.

He Built a Frame for the Chassis

The next thing Imhoff built was a frame out of five-and-a-half-inch blocks so he could hold the chassis in place and ensure that the height remained consistent. This was a very important step that needed to be done before Imhoff could work on the vehicle’s body.

He Installed a Sports Car Engine

In the car, Imhoff installed a Ford Cleveland engine, which is the same engine used in a DeTomaso Pantera, a popular mid-engine sports car produced from 1971 to 1993. He also installed a transaxle, the component in a car that performs gear-changing functions, under the hood.

Getting Everything to Align Was Important

He managed to build the oh-so difficult body and upper frame on the support with the chassis. But getting everything to align perfectly was often a nightmare. Fortunately, he was able to make it work and he couldn’t have been prouder with his end result.