As the sun beamed down, we pulled into and started ascending what looked like a typical multi-storey car park, deep in London’s Brentford area. Slightly confused and doubtful that it was the right place, we continued our journey skywards, carefully avoiding the narrow walls and high kerbs. However, as we reached what felt like the upper floors, the cars began take on a different flavour entirely, far more typical of Duke of London’s signature style – we were in the right place! Mustangs, R107 Mercedes-Benzes, Range Rover Classics, you name it, Merlin has it neatly parked, ready to welcome the guests. As we shuffled passed the fabulous array of classics and headed up to the rooftop, we encountered the reason we’re all here: Oilstainlab’s otherworldly Half-11. A car unlike any other Porsche, or any other automobile, that we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Meeting the twins behind the madness, Oilstainlab founders Nikita and Iliya Bridan, it becomes clear it’s a name with far deeper meaning than just three cool sounding words, and the pair’s infectious passion for what they’ve created is immediately apparent. After all, it’s been a labour of love for over five years, and one we’ve followed closely since our man Remi Dargegen caught up with them back in February.
So, what exactly is it that we’re looking at? Nikita was more than willing to give me a whistle-stop tour, pointing out that the front half of the car is where the ‘Half’ in the name comes from, and the rest is a space-framed love letter to Porsche’s craziest racers from the golden era of Le Mans and Can-Am motorsport. Every single element of the car has been carefully considered, from the hand-made aluminium body right through to the 917-inspired 15-inch wheels, shod in some of the widest tyres imagineable. Its cockpit is minuscule, with gullwing-style window flaps replacing the conventional doors once found on a Porsche 911.
Nikita laughs “If you’re under 5 foot 7 inches, you’ll be okay, but 5 foot 5 is the ideal size, and thankfully being twins we are the same height!”. Nestled directly behind the driver’s right ear is Oilstainlab’s party piece, a thunderous 5.5-litre V8 mounted to an upside-down gearbox from a 996 GT2, producing 650 horsepower while incredibly running on regular pump fuel. Flowing across almost the entirety of the car’s rear end is what Nikita describes as his favourite part, the 3D-printed, Inconel-coated, 180-degree crossover exhaust, giving the Half-11 a fierce rumble that was likely heard right across the Brentford Riviera. It’s still sporting some of the Duke of Richmond’s lawn on the side – just last weekend the Half-11 stunned crowds as it blasted up the hill at Goodwood Festival of Speed – prompting a passing comment from Nikita that we’re still trying to understand even now. “The car is on a tourist visa, and is road registered for California, but means we can also drive it here in the UK. We drove it straight from Goodwood to Oxford, and drove it here to London today, the motorway cops drove right by us all sporting huge grins!” – These guys really do take the ‘no trailer queens’ statement seriously!
With the temperature showing no signs of dipping even as the sun began to drop, the steady stream of gorgeous classic cars and eager attendees flocked around the Half-11. A brief wander around the sky-high parking lot showcased London’s car culture at its best. A stunning Green Over Tan Volvo P1800 was neatly parked alongside a 991.2 GT3 RS and a sleek silver Ford Mustang, proof that Duke of London’s events always bring together an eclectic array of machines and attendees who share the passion for all things retro and stylish. Tico’s hot dogs were on hand to provide food and refreshments, bringing together the Anglo-American collaboration into culinary form, which went down a storm and were cleared out just as the sun dipped below London’s skyline.
For Nikita and Iliya, the journey of the Half-11 will likely never reach a true conclusion. It is a car that is constantly evolving, a car that they as a creative and passionate pairing don’t want to ever stop working on and improving, which is clear to see even now when the car is in its most-complete form. While the Californian streets are for more accustomed to the sight of a rolling artwork like the Half-11, here in the UK it’s practically unheard of, and so seeing this crazy machine nestled amongst conventional classic G bodies and Turbos made for an unforgettable sight. As the pair heads off to Barcelona and the car makes its return back to the US, we’re already excited to see how the Half-11 has evolved by the time of our next encounter!
Photos by Jonny Lau for Classic Driver
