Have you ever dreamed of having your own automotive-inspired man cave or shed? If you did, you may have thought about getting a centerpiece, something to keep the magic of the engine’s fascination and show them off in front of those few special people who may be allowed into the special room. Slot Mods Porsche 917 Le Mans could play this role because it is an amazing thing to see, which can always serve as a conversation starter. But let’s see what’s so special about it.
First of all, you can no longer buy this wonderful piece of craft because it has already found a new home. But what we can do is admire it and find out what makes it so special that someone decided to spend Porsche 911 Turbo money on it.
Second, slot car tracks are popular with people who like to experience the thrill of racing, but on a miniaturized scale. In the US and Europe (especially the UK), dedicated fans even participate in official races that have the same rules as the real world.
Photo: fiminod at Bring a Trailer
For example, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is recreated annually, and these little cars are raced for a whole day! The event has several drivers per vehicle, marshals and strict rules that everyone involved must respect. Sure, it doesn’t look like the real thing, but it’s a hobby that can help anyone forge new connections and keep alive a passion that connects the adult to the child inside.
However, make no mistake: this is a very serious hobby! Another thing that attracts men and women here is the sheer amount of time and skill invested in making every tiny element feel like the real deal. The track, cars, seat locations, livery, pits, support vehicles and ancillary infrastructure are all there to take the magic of motoring madness wherever people want it to be.
So why shouldn’t it be in your living room or any other space in the house you can sacrifice to display a wonderful slot car track cleverly packaged in an auto-opening Porsche 917K shell?
Something that brings out the child in almost everyone
After all, it’s a 1:32 scale slot car track made with an impressive amount of attention to detail. But don’t get too excited because the shell isn’t from a defunct 917. It’s just a very good replica that resembles the well-known racing car that came with a 5.4-liter turbocharged V12 engine capable of 1,000 hp (1,014 hp).
Photo: fiminod at Bring a Trailer
But instead of making mind-numbing sounds while the driver puts the engine through its paces, the shell serves as a decorative piece until the owner activates the lift mechanism via a remote control. Its creators have made sure that it resembles the model that appears in the movie “Le Mans” as much as possible, so it can look like the real deal at first glance.
If you find anyone who needs a little convincing about the provenance of the interpreter used here, just tell them that a real 917 can cost upwards of $18.5 million or even more. Chances are, they will start believing after learning this little piece of information.
The entire slot car track is six feet (1.8 meters) wide and 13 feet (3.9 meters) long, which tells us it can take up most of the interior room of a shed medium size Since this is a very expensive miniature set, it would probably be best suited for a living room or somewhere where very curious children or clumsy adults can’t get to it. After all, you wouldn’t want all that exquisite handwork to go to waste.
Especially since this slot car racing track features almost all the correct details of the era, even the Esso oil man or Martini’s barn.
Expensive for a reason!
The track is made of wood and everything you see in the photo gallery is hand painted. Since the 24 Hours of Le Mans also tests drivers at night, the circuit is illuminated. Just plug it into an outlet and you’re done! But the creators made an interesting decision about racing on this wooden track: only two miniature cars can compete with each other. If the new owner plans to use it properly, it will have to eliminate rivals one by one. Other guests can join the spectators in the stands and cheer on their favorite player.
Photo: fiminod at Bring a Trailer
But once you get up close, the whole montage becomes even more spectacular thanks to the mind-blowing work done by the creators of this slot car track. There are trees, a light tower, hay bales, bushes, workshops, garages and even advertisements that reflect what the track looked like in 1970 when Steve McQueen was seen driving a Porsche 917K. The magnificent racing machine was also produced in long tail form and was known as the 917 LH, but the 917K was the most popular and ended up being the most sought after 917 collectors.
The slot car track also features 19 miniature cars that have the right livery, and there’s even a Ford GT40 that serves as an ideal camera car. It was commissioned in 2013 and presented as the gift of the year at the time by an Illinois retail and catalog company. It originally retails for $125,000, which may seem a bit pricey at first. But the effort to create such a fascinating product is rarely fulfilled today.
The Michigan-based company that created this incredible piece is also known for painstakingly crafting other custom slot car circuits like the Globo Rojo, Thermal Club PP, Quadrophenia and Lord’s Spirit of Sears Point. They have been in business since 2009.
Finally, the Slot Mods Porsche 917 Le Mans Slot Car Raceway found a new home after a Bring a Trailer member decided they can spend $205,000 on something the other 142,126 auction watchers can’t have right now. The company that built it said the slot car track was a one-off project and one of its kind that will never be done again, which could explain the 84 bids that led to this final bid. The selling party had the track in its collection for almost 10 years.
