How To Build A Car By Hand

This isn't your average car .

It didn't come from a factory .

It's never seen an assembly line and it doesn't have your typical paint job .

While most car enthusiasts get excited by horsepower handling and other performance metrics , the most impressive thing about these cars is that they're handmade Meet Chris Runge of run cars .

His bespoke automobile company operates out of his small workshop in Minnesota .

Chris uses various metal shaping techniques to build his cars to customer specifications .

Engine options vary based on customers desires , but most of the mechanical components are repurposed from older Porsches .

Each car takes at least 2000 hours to build .

Currently run cars are valued at $275,000 .

Chris will show us how he takes sheets of aluminum and turns them into drivable works of art .

This is how run cars are made .

So I start my build process with a concept and usually that starts with a sketch .

Once I have the body designed down , I then build a wood buck like the one you see here .

Now the buck acts as a guide for the body panels that are going to be made later on the wood buck can take up to three weeks to make and it's a crucial part of the design process .

Chris builds the buck from scratch around the chassis of the car .

It's ultimately responsible for the shape of the vehicle though customers can still make changes at this stage .

Once I have the buck designed , I then start building a tube buck .

Like the one you see down here , the aluminum tubes stay in place on the finished car and the aluminum body work that you see actually gets bonded to it .

After the tube book is complete , Chris builds the internal paneling and integrates a steel safety cage into the frame of the car .

Now he can begin his metal shaping process for the exterior .

Chris uses four tools to shape the metal , the English wheel , reciprocating hammer , radius brake and the bossing mallet and shot bag .

He uses these tools to shrink and expand the metal .

Chris uses the tube book as his guide for shaping the metal .

Here you can see him carefully lining the raw aluminum to the body of the car .

He marks off the point where the metal should bend .

Then he uses the radius brake to get the desired bend .

He cuts off any excess metal and uses cleo or temporary rivets to temporarily hold the panel in place .

Then he moves on to the fenders .

Chris starts by laying out paper and cutting it into the shape he wants on this particular model .

He uses the English wheel and reciprocating hammer to match the aluminum with the paper template .

These steps are completed for every inch of the two buck until the body of the car is complete .

He then removes the Clios and bonds the panels to the tube buck .

Finally , Chris dresses the metal dressing means to smooth out welds and rivets , then polish the car to a perfect shine .

Now it's time for a test drive .

Would you get behind the wheel of this metal masterpiece ?