Seven years of hard work, countless hours, and a collection of parts from unexpected places, including IKEA. That’s what it took for one Norwegian man to bring his dream car to life. He wasn’t just building any car; he was crafting a Lamborghini Aventador.
Steinar Thyholdt, now 57, first dreamed of owning such a machine after watching the movie “The Cannonball Run.” That film hit theaters back in the early 1980s, sparking a desire that simmered for decades. He finally turned that vision into reality, dedicating a huge part of the past seven years to his garage. This workshop sits in Malvik, a town right outside Trondheim, in Norway.
Thyholdt’s dedication paid off. He built a sports car that car lovers would immediately recognize as a Lamborghini Aventador. During its first trip, testing the car out to Hellsenteret in Stjørdal, Thyholdt shared his joy with NRK. He admitted, “I almost fainted when I sat in the car.”
Building a Dream Lamborghini in Seven Years
Finding the right body for the car was a journey in itself. Thyholdt traveled to Bulgaria, Thailand, and the United States without success. His search finally led him to Mexico, where he discovered what he called a “true enthusiast.” Language barriers were big, but they found a way to communicate. Thyholdt proudly stated, “Even though we had big language problems, we managed to understand each other, and he made me an excellent body.”
The car’s frame started as wood, then became welded steel. For many essential components, he used a BMW 750, imported from Germany, as a donor car. Like the Aventador, the BMW had a twelve-cylinder engine.
As his project grew, Thyholdt got creative with parts. A window lift came from a Volvo V70. The gearbox was from an Audi A8, and the frames were from a Volkswagen.
The exhaust system presented a special challenge. The pipes needed covers. Thyholdt explained his solution: he bought “a kitchen sink from IKEA and another from a used goods dealer in Stjørdal.” He then said, “I screwed them on and mounted them over all the pipes.” However, some parts had to be genuine. Both the front headlights and the windshield came from Lamborghini, making them some of the most expensive items in the entire build.
While Thyholdt was busy building, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration kept a close eye on his progress. They made regular visits to ensure his homemade vehicle met all the strict rules.
Handmade Car Earns High Praise
Harald Skjøldt, who owns several Lamborghinis and leads the Lamborghini Klubb Norge, praised Thyholdt’s work. “I am very impressed with the work he did,” Skjøldt stated. “The Lamborghini is an advanced supercar, so it’s not an easy job.”
Skjøldt recognized that Thyholdt built a replica. Still, he deeply respected the effort and the 57-year-old’s passion for Lamborghini. He also understood the dream’s origin in the “Cannonball” movies. Skjøldt explained, “The Lamborghini appeared in the opening scene. And for all boys of a certain age back then, this was the dream car. Not least because of the legendary scissor doors that open upwards.”
A true Lamborghini Aventador can cost hundreds of thousands of euros. Thyholdt’s homemade version, however, came in at about one million kroner. This is roughly 86,000 euros, not counting the untold hours of labor he put into it.