The American Hypercar with a Split Personality? I'm Listening
Image Credit: Oilstainlab.
Did you really think the automotive world had traded its soul for sensible crossover SUVs and eerily silent electric pods? I did. Until an American company with a name that sounded like a garage floor mishap came along and slapped me awake with a shot of pure madness. The company is called Oilstainlab - no, I'm not making that up - and their creation, the HF-11, is the kind of glorious lunacy that makes me think there's hope for us car enthusiasts after all.
Launching a new supercar company in 2025 is like trying to start a career as a town crier. The market is tiny, the established players are titans, and the level of engineering required is astronomical. Yet, these plucky Americans, rather than just gently dipping a toe in the water, they're cannonballing into the deep end, splashing water in the faces of giants like Gordon Murray and his sensational T.50.
Image Credit: Oilstainlab.
First, that name: Oilstainlab. It sounds less like a purveyor of multi-million-dollar exotica and more like a place where you'd get your vintage leather jacket repaired. But it hints at a certain gearhead credibility, a love for the mechanical, the greasy, the oily bits that make our hearts flutter. It's a name that says, "Yes, we build hypercars, but we're not afraid to get our hands dirty." I can respect that.
And what they've built is a stunner. The designers say they were inspired by a mix of the Porsche 911 and the Aston Martin Valkyrie. My initial reaction was, "You what now?" That's like saying your new puppy is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Great White Shark. One is a timeless, beloved classic; the other is a terrifying apex predator. But look at the HF-11, and somehow, it works. You can see the classic, rear-engined proportions of the 911 in its silhouette, but it's been shrink-wrapped, sliced, and vented with the aerodynamic aggression of a Le Mans prototype. It's beautiful and brutal all at once.
Beneath that wild bodywork, nestled inside a carbon fiber passenger cell, is where the real drama unfolds. This is a car with a full-blown identity crisis. Oilstainlab is offering customers a choice of powertrains, starting with what they hilariously call the "entry-level" option. This is a 4.6-liter flat-six engine pumping out 600 horsepower. In a car that weighs just 2,000 pounds - less than a Mazda Miata - that "entry-level" setup is enough to make you think twice about every, even the slightest, movement of your right foot. It's the "sensible" choice if you're the kind of person who considers juggling chainsaws a relaxing weekend hobby.
But why be sensible when you can be completely, certifiably unhinged? For those who find 600 horsepower a bit pedestrian, there's the main event: a 5.0-liter flat-six. This engine is a shrieking, howling banshee of a motor that produces 1,200 horsepower. And the redline? Oh, you'll love this. It revs to 12,000 rpm. That's a Formula 1 engine from the glory days, strapped to a chassis that weighs nothing. The noise alone will likely be enough to frighten birds out of the sky a county over.
Image Credit: Oilstainlab.
To channel this biblical fury to the rear wheels, you get a choice of a proper six-speed manual gearbox - Hallelujah! - or a seven-speed sequential for those who prefer to shift with the speed of a lightning strike. Can you even begin to imagine what driving this thing will feel like? A 1,200-horsepower, 12,000-rpm stick-shift hypercar that weighs 2,000 pounds. It's a recipe for pure, unfiltered, adrenaline-soaked terror and joy. I want one. Desperately.
By now, you are probably thinking I've gone mad and gone back to the days of gasoline-infused fun. No, I have not. I haven't forgotten that I was supposed to write about the quiet and calm electric motors that soothe your soul and save polar bears. I haven't forgotten because the plot thickens from here onwards.
Image Credit: Oilstainlab.
What if you wake up one morning and think, "You know, today I feel like being green. I want to save the pandas and dolphins, but I also want to obliterate every Tesla at the stoplight." Clearly, Oilstainlab has thought of you, you wonderfully conflicted individual. The HF-11 is also available as a fully electric vehicle. The EV version chucks out the flat-six and replaces it with an electric powertrain good for 850 horsepower. It's the silent-but-deadly option, offering face-melting acceleration without the operatic soundtrack.
Here's the absolute masterstroke, the party trick to end all party tricks. The powertrains are swappable. The entire engine or electric motor assembly is housed in a subframe that can be swapped out. So, you can have your screaming 1,200-horsepower flat-six for a weekend track day, and then, if the mood strikes, you can switch to the 850-horsepower electric setup for a quiet cruise. It's the ultimate automotive two-for-one deal.
Image Credit: Oilstainlab.
Of course, this level of engineering genius and bespoke craftsmanship comes at a price that would make a Saudi prince blush. The "standard" car, with your choice of one powertrain, will set you back about $1.85 million. If you want the complete set - the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde package with both the ICE and EV powertrains - you'll need to find $2.3 million down the back of the sofa. And you'd better be quick about it because Oilstainlab is only making 25 of the HF-11. This car is an invitation to one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet. For that kind of money, I'd want it to make me breakfast, too. But for a car that offers two souls in one body? Maybe it's worth it.
