Lamborghini Lends Aventador to Father and Son Building 3D Printed Replica

While most people have Christmas presents under the tree, the Backus’ real gift was the Lamborghini in the garage.

byRob Stumpf|
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Building cars is a passion that many people around the globe share. With it comes a sense of ownership and accomplishment the makes a project truly feel like it's yours. A father and son duo have taken the word "build" quite literally after they decided to construct a replica Lamborghini Aventador by 3D printing it. Word traveled to Italy where the automaker itself learned of the family's feat and showed up to their doorstep in Colorado with the real deal for Christmas

In the dead of night, Lamborghini's team made their way to the home of physicist and adjunct college professor Sterling Backus to swap out his 3D printed project car for a real Aventador. The next morning, he happily revealed the secret to his 12-year-old son, Xander, who is helping him build the project, joking that he "finally got it done".

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When we first reported on Backus earlier this year, his hard work was just starting to make its way around the internet despite being a project for nearly two years. The idea was birthed by Xander after playing Forza Horizon 3 and simply asking his father if they could build their own version of the car.

For months, Xander and his father worked tirelessly to design, 3D print, and assemble a scale replica of the Aventador. They learned how to join and encapsulate the 3D printed parts in carbon fiber to strengthen the body, placing it on a custom tubular chassis that would become the structural frame for the project. In place of a 6.2-liter Italian V12 sits a heart plucked from a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette – a 5.7-liter GM LS1 equipped with twin turbochargers to give the car a bit more power. Even the transaxle from a Porsche 911 makes an appearance in the build.

While Backus and his son reportedly only have the Aventador to enjoy for two weeks (which ends on December 26th), they have been using the time wisely. The engineer jokes that he has "a lot of work to do" while the car in his possession.

Historically, Lamborghini hasn't had the most positive view of people making replicas of their supercars. In fact, over the summer a father and son pair from Brazil were raided after they were accused of selling unlicensed copies of the vehicles. But Backus says that the luxury automaker was happy to see his family's passion.

"They just like the project." wrote Backus on Facebook, "The fact that we are not badging it a Lambo, or selling parts, is part of why they liked it."

Sterling and his son still quite a way to go before their project is finished, but that just means more time to bond over the creation. Perhaps by the time Xander has his learners permit, he will be able to scoot around in his family's homemade creation.

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