This Mind-Blowing Slot Mods Porsche 917 Le Mans Is Such a Dreamy Thing

Ever dreamed of having your very own automotive-inspired man cave or she shed? If you did, then there’s a chance you might have thought about getting a centerpiece, something to keep the magic of motoring fascination going and show off to those few special people who might be allowed inside the special room. The Slot Mods Porsche 917 Le Mans could play that role because it’s just an amazing thing to behold, which can always serve as a conversation starter. But let’s see what’s so special about it.

First thing first, you cannot buy this marvelous piece of craftsmanship anymore because it already found a new home. But what we can do is admire it and discover what makes it so special that someone decided to spend Porsche 911 Turbo money on it.

Secondly, slot car raceways are popular with people who like to experiment with the thrill of racing, but at a miniaturized scale. In the U.S. and Europe (most notably, in the UK), dedicated fans even participate in official races that have the same rules as real-world ones.

For example, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is recreated annually, and these tiny cars are raced for a full day! The event has multiple drivers per vehicle, stewards, and harsh rules that must be respected by anyone involved. Granted, it does not feel like a real thing, but it is a hobby that can help anyone forge new connections and keep alive a passion that connects the adult with the child inside.

However, don’t be mistaken – this is a very serious hobby! Another thing that attracts men and women here is the sheer time and skill invested into making all the tiny elements feel like the real deal. The track, the cars, the seating locations, the liveries, the pits, the supporting vehicles, and the auxiliary infrastructure are all there to bring the magic of motoring madness everywhere 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 exhibit a marvelous slot car raceway cleverly packed into a Porsche 917K shell that opens automatically?

Something that brings out the kid in nearly everyone

After all, it’s a 1:32-scale slot car raceway done with an impressive amount of attention to detail. But don’t get too excited because the shell is not sourced from a defunct 917. It’s just a very good replica that resembles the well-known racecar that came with a turbocharged 5.4-liter V12 engine capable of 1,000 hp (1,014 ps).

But instead of producing mind-numbing sounds while the driver puts the engine through its paces, the shell serves as a decorative piece until the owner activates the lifting mechanism by using a remote. Its creators made sure to make it resemble the model appearing in the ”Le Mans” movie as much as possible, which is why it may look like the real deal at first glance.

If you find someone who might need some convincing regarding the origin of the shell used here, just tell them that a real 917 can cost upwards of $18.5 million or even more. They will most likely start believing after learning this little piece of information.

The entire slot car raceway is six feet (1.8 meters) wide and 13 feet (3.9 meters) long, which tells us that it can occupy most of the interior room of an average-sized he or she shed. This being a very expensive miniature set, it would most likely fit best in a living room or in a place where very curious kids or clumsy adults cannot get a hold of it. After all, you wouldn’t want all the exquisite manual labor to be damaged.

Especially since this slot car racetrack comes with nearly every period-correct detail, even the Esso oil man or the Martini barn.

Pricey for a reason!

The track is made out of wood, and everything you see in the photo gallery is hand painted. Since the 24 Hours of Le Mans puts race drivers through their paces at night too, the circuit is illuminated. Just plug it into a socket, and you're good to go! But the creators made an interesting decision about racing on this wooden track – just two miniature power cars can compete against each other. If the new owner plans on using it right, then they’ll need to take out rivals one by one. The other guests can join the spectators in the grandstands, and cheer for their favorite player.

But once you get closer, the entire assembly becomes even more spectacular thanks to the mind-bending work done by the creators of this slot car raceway. There are trees, a lighting tower, hay bales, shrubbery, workshops, garages, and even ads that reflect the way the track used to look like back in 1970, when Steve McQueen was spotted at the helm of a Porsche 917K. The magnificent race machine was also made in long tail form and was known as the 917 LH, but the 917K was the most popular and ended up being the 917 collectors deeply desired.

The slot car raceway also features 19 miniature cars that have the right livery, and there’s even a Ford GT40 that serves as the ideal camera car. It was commissioned in 2013 and featured as the gift of the year back then by a retailer and catalog company from Illinois. It originally retailed for $125,000, which may seem a tad bit pricey at first. But the effort to create such a mesmerizing product is rarely met nowadays.

The Michigan-based company that created this amazing piece is also known for meticulously handcrafting other custom slot car raceways like the Globo Rojo, Thermal Club PP, Quadrophenia, and Lord’s Spirit of Sears Point. They’ve 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 that the other 142,126 auction watchers cannot own now. The company that created it said the slot car track was a unique project and another one like it won’t ever be made again, which may explain the 84 bids that led to this final offer. The selling party had the track in their collection for nearly 10 years.