Canada man builds custom V8 race car in garage with zero experience and reveals the final result

Published on Oct 10, 2026 at 5:59 AM (UTC-4)
by Alessandro Renesis

Last updated on Oct 10, 2026 at 5:59 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by Mason Jones

Canada man builds custom V8 race car in garage with zero experience and reveals the final result
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This YouTuber built a custom DIY V8 race car in Canada starting from scratch.

With no mechanical experience, the YouTuber somehow pulled it off and unveiled a V8 beast.

As you can see, there’s still a lot that needs doing, but it’s definitely a great start.

But there’s one thing about this build that’s a bit confusing.

How the creator pulled off the impossible

A couple of years ago, YouTuber Markus Rubba decided to build a custom race car with a V8.

He started with components he scavenged here and there in Canada, and more importantly he started with zero experience.

“Over two years ago, I started building this car in my garage with literally no experience,” he explained.

The V8 was from a Lexus, the transaxle was borrowed from an Audi A4, and several components were hand-built or somehow adapted with a lot of DIY ingenuity.

So many bits were 3D-printed, including several components linked to the manual gearbox.

Rubba also spent hours welding all suspension brackets, brake calipers, and chassis joints that were previously only tack-welded.

It wasn’t easy, but he got it done and, a couple of years later, the end result is spectacular.

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Unveiling the custom DIY V8 race car

As you can probably see, what we have here is just the skeleton of the car.

There are wheels, a steering wheel, a chassis, an engine mounted in the middle, and that’s about it.

The car is drivable, but only just, and it’ll take a while to make it street-legal in Canada.

It’ll still need seats, a dashboard, a center console, and body panels at the very least.

Especially when you find out this car is supposed to look like an iconic car.

This is supposed to be a replica of a very famous vehicle

According to Rubba, the whole point was to build a vehicle that looked like a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR.

Unveiled in 1997, the GTR was a street-legal CLK-based sports car that Mercedes only built for homologation reasons.

Back then, Mercedes wanted to compete in the FIA GT Championship, which meant they had to produce a certain number of road cars to meet homologation standards.

Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to race.

Like most ‘afterthought’ cars that almost didn’t happen, the CLK GTR ended up becoming an icon, and it is still one of the most coveted Mercedes vehicles in the secondary market.

Depending on a few different factors, this car can easily end up costing up to $10 million.

Clearly, this skeleton of a car doesn’t look like a CLK yet.

But it’s certainly a great start.

“The car actually just moved under its own weight for the first time in two years. I can’t even describe the feeling that I have right now,” he said, before explaining why he decided to build one.

“Being someone who doesn’t just have $10 million laying around, the next best option for me was to build it.”

Even though he’s spent the last two years on this project, he’s just getting started.

We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.