Canadian who got the perfect license plate for racecar he built tells us it's working and cops leave him be
Published on Sep 02, 2025 at 7:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Sep 02, 2025 at 8:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Earlier in 2025, we covered an incredible-looking car from Canadian Tim Neil, the Nemesis R1, with the perfect license plate. This was a racecar he built from scratch.
The car had the perfect license plate to tell the cops to leave him alone, as it made it clear to law enforcement that the racecar was road-legal.
Tim very kindly recently agreed to an interview with Supercar Blondie, where we spoke about the car, how it came to be, and what lies under the hood.
During the interview, Tim revealed the inspiration behind it, and whether the cops had pulled him over or not!
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How Tim’s Nemesis R1 racecar came into existence
In terms of the inspiration for the road-legal racecar, Tim had always wanted a car like the Aerial Atom or the BAC Mono.
These are two, back-to-basics, lightweight sports cars that are all about handling, lightness, and a raw driving experience.
In his province in Canada, single-seater looking cars like those can’t be bought or driven legally.
So Tim decided that if he can’t buy one of those, why not just build one instead?
That is what led him down the path to creating the Nemesis R1, with its angular design and open cockpit very similar to both the Mono and Atom.
In fact, its likeness is so good that Tim gets people coming up to him at car shows, thinking it is one of those.
Some even think it is a three-wheeler, until Tim points out that it is, in fact, a four-wheeler!
As well as the Atom and Mono, Tim also drew inspiration from the likes of F1 and Formula E for the car’s looks.
Hence, the angular and pointy front-end.
What sits under the hood of the R1?
In terms of power, rather than elect for a massive LS V8, the Canadian decided to go for something else.
“I’ve got a Version 9 JDM STi engine in it, EJ207, twin-scroll fun little package,” Tim told us.
While it doesn’t produce 500hp, as the car is so lightweight, it doesn’t need to make so much power.
“It has close to 300hp, and it weighs 2,000lbs, so it’s plenty,” he continued.
One bonus of this power level is that the car can still run the stock ECU.
With no upgrades to the power, the electronics still think the engine is inside a Subaru STi, rather than a bespoke single-seater!
The story behind the perfect license plate on the Nemesis R1
The big question, though, is why that choice of license plate?
As cars such as the Mono, Atom, and KTM X-Bow are not legal in Canada, Tim felt he was going to get pulled over.
Inspiration for the license plate came from someone out West in Alberta, who builds replica, vintage-style Ferraris.
A handle of his on the car read ‘it can’t be legal.’
“I felt that was a pretty good idea for a license plate.”
“Knock on wood, I haven’t been pulled over yet!,” Tim told us. So clearly, the license plate is working.
It truly is the perfect license plate.
The Canadian also revealed that the chassis was almost all custom-built, with only the central section pre-purchased.
Ironically, it is easier for Tim to build a racecar from scratch and register it than import a car from America and modify it.
The R1, however, is not the only car Tim has built.
The Canadian has built a Michael Keaton Batman-style Batmobile and is currently building another Batman-inspired car.
That, though, is a tale for another time!
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
