ERIE, CO — While playing Forza Horizon on his Xbox, Xander fell in love with the Lamborghini Aventador. The 11-year-old asked his dad, Sterling Backus, if it would be possible to build a real one. While most parents would offer a kindhearted pat on the head and perhaps a toy car down the road, Backus, a physicist and U.S. Army veteran, wasn’t about to back down from such a challenge. The two got to work doing the unthinkable — building a 3D-printed Lambo.
Using basic 3D printers that cost a few hundred dollars each, Backus and his son made plastic car parts, one by one, and coated them with carbon fiber for strength. The two then attached the pieces to a space frame that they made from steel-box tubing. Their car includes a steel frame, suspension and drive train. The final product includes a few used Lamborghini parts, but its V8 engine is from a 2003 Corvette.
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Many scientists, physicists, entrepreneurs, architects and other innovators around the world have been using 3D printing to build some remarkable products. A Colorado team used 3D printers to build a real, working Iron Man suit for TV star Adam Savage earlier this year. Israeli researchers 3D-printed a heart, using a patient’s cells to create blood vessels, ventricles and chambers.
Backus has chronicled their ambitious project with photos and videos on Facebook. The latest video was the most exciting of all — taking their car for a test drive on their property in Erie, Colorado.
“The first drive was nerve-racking, since we designed and built the frame and suspension. Get these wrong, and even at slow speeds it can be disastrous,” Backus said. “It actually drove quite well considering!”
Backus decided to strip off the shell of the car before the preliminary test-drive so that they could see and fix any issues immediately.
“The journey has been a little unreal, but now that it has quieted down a bit, we are getting more done,” Backus said. “The biggest challenge was certainly the carbon fiber encapsulation. We are still learning there, but I think we have it good enough for our application.”
In a month or so, the pair plan to do a “fully dressed” test drive.
Backus, a physicist, is an adjunct professor at Colorado State University and the chief scientific officer at the firm LaserFocusWorld. He’s also a U.S. Army veteran.
Backus and his son want to inspire STEM students and other innovators to keep pursuing their dreams, even when things get tough.
“If you have an idea, or passion, keep with it!” Backus said. “Solve the problems one at a time, and success will eventually come.”