Is it possible to build your own car in this country? And is this at all legal?
– The answer to both questions is a resounding yes, confirms the artist Steinar Thyholdt (57) from Muruvik near Stjørdal.
He has really taken it all out – and over the last seven years has built his own supercar: the Lamborghini Aventador, one of the roughest sports cars in existence. The fantastic car is white with black decorative details, and it certainly does not lag behind the original, neither in finish nor quality.
– Oh, of course! Established a radiant carmaker on his Facebook page after a successful test drive recently.
The entire construction project has been completed in the garage at home. Since the start in 2014, Steinar has put in at least 5,000 working hours (and perhaps as many hours for planning and preparation) on the project. In addition, there is considerable travel activity both at home and abroad to get all the details in place correctly.
A driver’s seat very many could surely have imagined! Photo: Private
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Fees as a new car
But what in the world was it that made the owner of a gym in Stjørdal embark on something as completely improbable as building his own Lamborghini?
– Neither my wife nor I are particularly interested in a cabin, so then it had to be a car, he states.
Such a project was in practice more or less impossible before. Until 1 January 2014, this was taxed at the same high level as new cars in this country, and the interest was then. Building a more special car at that time was practically impossible due to the large tax demands this would entail.
Spent dinner
But then the country got a Minister of Transport who wanted to stimulate the breadth of interest in cars, and with a stroke of a pen, all tax surcharges disappeared. This triggered great joy among car enthusiasts all over Norway, not least with Steinar.
– When Ketil Solvik-Olsen came up with the new rules, I invited my wife to a better dinner, because this had to be celebrated! Taxes on amateur buildings and kits disappeared with a stroke of the pen. Now it is therefore free for anyone and everyone who has an interest, some basic car knowledge, a lot of courage and a great deal of patience to be able to build their own car, says Steinar Thyholdt to Broom.
Some cars take your breath away – this is one such car
Something quite different!
But effort is required. Steinar has run Hell Treningsstudio in Stjørdal since 2005, but as the car building project developed, the combination became so demanding that he chose to hire a new general manager to have more time for the car.
He had a good knowledge of cars from before, after he had run a body and paint shop for ten years in Hommelvik. Renovation and reconstruction of cars was a well-known ground – he had done this many times before. But building your own supercar was, after all, something quite different!
Permission is required
That it would be Lamborghini did not come as a bomb to those who know Steinar. The Lamborghini dream has lived a long time, and now it is gaining momentum. After having both Diablo and Countach in mind, he was already in early 2014 with Aventador.
– Is it just to get started on your own?
– No, here it is important that people know that permission is required from a special unit in the Public Roads Administration for amateur construction of cars and motorcycles. Here, specifications must be stated, and how the construction is to be carried out. In addition, it must be listed what materials are to be used, and where the main components come from. There must also be a budget for the project, says Steinar, who spent three months only on the application process.
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Also from this angle, the car is an impressive sight. Photo: Private
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“Mighty impressed”
– During the seven years I have been working on, this process has become both simpler and easier. Most importantly, the treatment is now the same all over the country, which was not always the case before, he says.
– The best advice I can give to those who want to embark on a similar project, is that you must apply for and secure a permit before you start, he adds.
Steinar has had a lot of contact with the special unit throughout the construction process, and there has been a lot of nice feedback. One of the last came not long ago, where Steinar was informed that the unit was “powerfully impressed by the effort and accuracy that has characterized the entire project. We have nothing to add here. “
Finally, final approval remains, with test rides both on closed tracks with acceleration and brake tests, and driving in traffic both on the highway and in the city.
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– Of course, a brilliantly satisfied Steinar Thyholdt can state, seven years after he started the construction project. Photo: Private
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Cruising with STETHY
– And then there will be cake at Biltilsynet afterwards, chuckles Steinar, who tells about good experiences with the first test drives on the way.
– Everything works as it should, yes. It gears beautifully, and all temperatures are great – 90 degrees on the engine and 40 degrees on the gearbox. The engine ran at 1200 rpm at 70 km / h. Fantastic experience after seven years of intense construction, where I have been to many technical areas that most people have not heard of once. So the learning curve has also been steep, yes!
Now it’s just to look forward to the next era – to cruise, Steinar continues.
Then no one should be in doubt about who is coming. The sign says STETHY, and this “trademark” also appears on the chassis number. A logo is also needed, and it has its origins in Norse mythology. Steinar has chosen the so-called election knot, which is simply two triangles that are intertwined. He also made it himself; cast in tin, which also required knowledge he had not put on before.
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Steinar Thyholdt in his right element – behind the Lamborghini (STETHY) steering wheel. The photo was taken during a trial session in January 2019. Photo: Frank Williksen
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A million
– To take the really worn question: How do you feel now, when the construction project is completely completed and the car is ready?
– It feels very strange to be done. Almost terrified to go out and drive, but is now out and cruising a bit, then.
– What has Lamborghini cost you in kroner?
– I had originally set a budget of up to 500,000 kroner, but when I sum it all up today, I probably end up around a million. Then I have not counted all travel and foreign and domestic stays. Over seven years, this means in practice that the pocket money account has been constant at zero, a very satisfied car builder tells Broom.
During the construction period, he has worn out two drilling machines, three metal jigsaws and four angle cutters, but he has also made many parts for the car himself.
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Detail from the instrument panel. Photo: Private
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Frame of wood first
The construction process started in 2014 with obtaining complete drawings for a Lamborghini Diablo – 320 pages of details. This provided good insight into all components, with material quality and dimensions, and became the starting point for the work to be done.
For front and rear position, Steinar chose to take as his starting point BMW constructions, which have later been modified – partly with his own ideas.
“BMW’s special dual-link performance provides great stability at high speeds, and the reason for using this was the desire to transfer BMW’s excellent driving characteristics to my car,” he says.
Before embarking on the actual construction, he made a wooden frame that was completely identical to the Diablo drawing, only in terms of the Aventadors’ slightly greater length and width.
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Here it comes, built in a garage in Muruvik. Photo: Private
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Audi automatic gearbox
An engine and brakes were also needed, and then Steinar had to have a donor car. The choice fell on a 1998 BMW 750i with M73 V12 engine of 5.4 liters. It had traveled 240,000 kilometers when Steinar drove it home from Hanover in October 2014.
– The advantage of taking the V12 engine, steering and brakes from this, is that the systems were already tuned to each other, although some adjustments have been necessary, he says, and adds that the automatic transmission comes from an Audi A8 with front-wheel drive.
During the construction process, Steinar has also found a lot of support in a 1: 8 scale construction set of a Lamborghini Aventador from Pocher. The kit consists of 600 parts, and is so detailed that it is signed as “correct” by Lamborghini.
New environmental requirements may mean the end of the top model
Håndbygd i Mexico
A car must also have a body, and it would turn out to be a bit of a desert hike to get this in place:
The body and interior are hand-built by a Mexican – Carlos Munoz – who made a model in 1: 1 size over a period of just over four years before he cast the fiberglass body. It turned out well, but getting it home was another matter! When I count the paperwork and the bureaucracy around, it was a nine-month nightmare to get it all home to Norway, says Steinar Thyholdt, who himself was in Mexico once while the process was going on.
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Center console. The large screen is a Lenovo PC. Photo: Private
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28 liters of varnish
The Lamborghini Aventador, now completed in Muruvik, is 4.70 m long, 2.16 m wide (2.36 with mirrors) and 1.14 m high. The tire dimensions are adult: In front is a 255/35 ZR 19; rear 335/30 ZR 20. Net weight including Steinar and full tank is 1,650 kilos.
The engine is measured in bench to 286 hp and a torque of 410 Nm from 1500/2000 to 5300 rpm.
The car is painted in Lamborghini color Balloon White – white mother of pearl. The painting itself is the only part of the process that is not done in the garage. Here, Steinar received good help from a local car paint center and paint importer Sikkens Norge. It went with 28 liters of paint over two days, so some layers have been! And before it got this far, Steinar himself had used 35 liters of primer in the garage.
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The gear selector is located on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel. Photo: Private
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Around the country
Steinar Thyholdt and his Lamborghini Aventador have already attracted a lot of attention. These days, German TV and the renowned car magazine AutoBILD are visiting. NRK has already stopped by, and Danish TV is also coming.
A little further in time, Steinar has said yes thanks to an invitation to participate in the trade fair Unique Hand Built Cars in Denmark, as one of about 30 invited. The event is often referred to as “Goodwood in Miniature”.
– I am honored – it is fantastic what attention the project has received, Steinar concludes.
He also reassures all curious sports car enthusiasts around the country:
– We are coming! The car will eventually be seen around the country in collaboration with one of the major retail chains under the slogan “Do it yourself”. For this, a special semi-trolley is also being built for transport.
The article was first published by broom.no.
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