DIY speed fiend: Racing fan builds 170mph F1 lookalike car out of motorbike and banger parts (and it's road legal)



It looks just like a Formula One car but you can drive this mean machine to the office or on a trip to the dentist.

Motor racing fan Russ Bost leaves motorists and shoppers open-mouthed when he ventures out in this 170mph custom-built kit vehicle.

He made the car entirely from spare parts and it can legally be driven on public roads.

Not blending in: Russ Bost leaves shoppers and other motorists open-mouthed when he ventures out in this 170mph custom-built car - a spitting image of an F1 machine but legal to drive on the road

It runs on a Kawasaki motorbike engine and many of the parts, including gears and brakes, are taken from an old Toyota MR2, which he picked up for just £300.

Mr Bost, 54, of Benfleet, Essex, has dubbed the vehicle Furore F1 and it is capable of 0 to 60mph in three seconds.

Russ, 54, from Essex, said it 'really tickled' him when an old lady waved and smiled at him in the car

And there is even room for a passenger or groceries in the two-seat creation.

The car designer has built a handful of the cars for enthusiasts with some shipped as far a field as Canada and America.

And unlike a real Formula One car, which costs millions, Russ's machines will set you back about £10,000.



Mr Bost said he attracted a lot of attention while driving the vehicle around town.

'I get so many funny looks when I am out and about in it and I often get people asking me if it is a real Formula One car.

'To anyone who knows a fair bit about F1, they would know that it is not but to the everyday person in the street, they are none the wiser.



'It puts a smile on people's faces. I pulled up at some traffic lights a few days and there was a little old lady walking across the road with the aid of her son.



THE FURORE ONE - SPECIFICATION

Seats: 2

Top speed: 170mph 0-60mph: 3.5secs Fuel consumption: 30 miles per gallon Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox

Weight: 550kgs Engine size: 1400cc Kawasaki bike engine Max power: 190 brake horsepower



'He nudged her and pointed out the car - she had a big smile on her face and turned around and waved as I drove off which really tickled me.'

The F1 cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button only get about four miles per gallon but the Furore F1 is capable of an impressive 30 miles to the gallon.

'I have had the occasional boy racer in a supped up Fiesta who has come alongside me at the lights and started revving their engine, wanting to race,' Mr Bost said.

'But to be honest, I don't even bother with them - I let them drive off - then I pass them a second or so later anyway as I don't want to encourage bad driving.

'The car is actually quite docile until you drop a couple of gears.

'I thought it would be better to build it as a two-seater as what's the point in scaring the life out of yourself when you could be doing it to a passenger too.'

Safe on the road: Russ says he has boy racers in souped-up Fiestas trying to race him at the lights but he refuses