The recent news around the potential overhaul of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and the dream of hosting a Formula 1 race on home soil has ignited the passion of many South African car enthusiasts. While only a privileged few will ever grace the iconic track in a high-performance vehicle, the dream of owning a supercar often feels just as out of reach for the average petrolhead.
But what if you could get the thrill of a high-performance machine without the multi-million Rand price tag?
That’s exactly what Chris Slix, an ingenious car enthusiast, set out to prove. Like many, Chris harboured a dream of owning a McLaren, but faced the harsh reality of its prohibitive cost – often starting at around R4 million for even a used model. Adding to the challenge, some exclusive car brands have stringent purchase history requirements, effectively shutting out new buyers, regardless of their financial standing.
Undeterred, Chris embarked on a unique project, demonstrating that with ingenuity and smart sourcing, a supercar dream can become a reality for less than one-tenth of the price, thanks to online marketplace, Temu.
Chris realised that most limited edition McLarens share parts with the base-model cars of the brand. So, he took one of McLaren’s most affordable cars and DIYed it into a premium version with budget parts from Temu. While the original car costs nearly R10 million and buying branded parts is equally exorbitant, Chris was able to buy the parts for around R600 000.
“I had four criteria when I was hunting for pieces – harder, better, faster, stronger; five, if you count ‘cheaper’.
His purchase was a made-to-order McLaren 650s – 675LT Full Dry-Carbon Conversion Kit, which formed the body of the car and gave it the look and feel of a dream car. It is this body and the unique tangerine paint that set the car apart from other McLarens and made it look truly premium and unique.
“The product arrived in a massive box and was completely worth the wait and the excitement. The piece itself was very well-made with no imperfections at all!”
The final product, with the body, paint, and parts, was truly a beauty, to the point that nobody would have been able to tell that this cost less than a quarter of the original car. Looks like you really don’t have to be a billionaire to shop like one; or for that matter, even drive like one.
For South African car enthusiasts, it’s a clear signal: you don’t need a multi-million Rand budget or exclusive brand connections to pursue your ultimate automotive vision. With the right research, a bit of DIY spirit, creating your own version of a dream car is now more within reach than ever before.
