As children we are always taught to take up hobbies; some of us picked up books, others opt for guitar and some choose outdoor sports. However, it is never too late to start a hobby. These hobbies are what lay the foundations for DIY projects. We will be talking about one such man who started a DIY project and spent a decade completing it. Mr. Antti Rahko, a 72 year old chauffeur from Finland, dedicated his time and efforts to his project and emerged victorious. He has named his project ‘Finnjet’ and the specs are as follows; it weighs over 7,000 pounds and has a length of 29 ft. Still guessing what Finnjet is? Guess no more, it is a Limousine made completely from junk scraps! Mr. Antti Rahko emigrated to US in 1984 and now resides happily in Palm Beach, Florida. Let’s look at the basic composition of this Limousine; initially it started off as a merger of two Mercedes Benz station wagons, some parts from 1962 Chrysler Imperial and then came various components from various vehicles. However, the beginning of this majestic vehicle is hardly visible anymore because of continuing addition of parts from more and more vehicles. In the words of its creator’s; ‘The process of building it was never really complete. I kept adding parts when and however I could manage. I had my own car shop; I bought and rented cars’.
The idea for Finnjet was born when our interesting creator thought that if he could succeed in welding two cars together he would have to work to sell one car (combination of both cars) and not two cars. If this article didn’t have any pictures or video link (Thank God, we have that), you may have questioned about the aesthetics of this car. We would have responded with the fact that this car has been appreciated at more than one occasion and has won prizes at the Art Car Parade competition in Houston, twice. The car was recently taken to Europe to be displayed at the Essen Motor Show. Transportation, insurance (worth a million dollar) was paid from the wallet of organizers. Let’s have a look at what this car has to offer; a tasteful design that is odd yet you would get used to it quite easily, an exterior with 86 lights and 36 mirrors, two jet engines housings which provide route for exhaust, a spacious interior that can accommodate 10 people while providing them with microwave, television, freezer and some air conditioning units, a sauna fitted in the passenger cabin and it runs on three batteries and three alternators. Despite all these features, you would be surprised to know that the car is quite economical when it comes to mileage. As per the creator, the limo can achieve almost 25 mpg.
The vehicle has eight wheels to ensure proper suspension and tire management. Also, the ingenious thinking of the creator has made turning corners with this limo quite a piece of cake. The car has been used in everyday matters by Mr. Rahko and he traveled all the way to Canada on it, quite a number of times. Apart from one incident where twelve road patrol police cars and helicopter stopped Mr. Rahko, he hasn’t had much trouble from the police. However, after all this time that he has spent with his dream project, he is willing to sell it. Willing to buy? Think again, the price quoted a couple of years ago was $950,000.
