- One of 10 W Motors Lykan HyperSport stunt cars used in the Fast & Furious 7 film are being auctioned as a physical object and its non-fungible token, or NFT, together.
- Early bidding starts May 6 at $100,000.
- The Lykan HyperSport stunt car is drivable, but its 770-hp powertain has been replaced by a smaller Porsche flat-six with a manual transmission.
The W Motors Lykan HyperSport seen jumping between Abu Dhabi skyscrapers in Fast & Furious 7 is headed to auction. The winner at auction will receive both the actual car and its non-fungible token (NFT), which is a type of digital cryptocurrency (sort of). The live auction starts on May 11 at RubiX. Pre-bidding starts today at $100,000. Of the 10 Lykans used in filming, this is the only one remaining, and it still has its battle wounds.
This particular Lykan, used as a stunt car, is of course not at all street legal. The steering-wheel airbag was removed for filming, as were the gauge cluster and the infotainment system. All that crazy Furious 7 stunt work wasn't completely computer generated, and if you look closely, you'll notice some bumps and bruises. Its mirrors, rear wheel center caps, and even part of the engine intake were all torn off during filming. If you think that's crazy, you should see the Lykan they dropped from 60 feet. That one is also missing a few pieces.
The 780-hp twin-turbo flat-six tuned by RUF has been replaced by a smaller 245-hp flat-six, likely from a Porsche Boxster or Cayman. A manual transmission was also added. It's still a pretty kickass piece of movie memorabilia, and creative minds could modify the actual car into one of the most unique sim-racing rigs ever. You can't funge with the NFT, however.
If you’re confused about NFTs, you aren't alone. Think of an NFT like a digital Hot Wheels car. Say there's just one. It's packaged inside a proverbial encrypted box of sorts, you can only access it digitally, and no, you'll never get to play with it. You aren't given any physical object, just a code with a bunch of numbers. It's part virtual art, part bragging chip, which can be sold later as cryptocurrency on a digital ledger, better known as a blockchain.
NFTs are similar to bitcoin, only the value of each NFT grows independently. So, while each bitcoin cryptocurrency is worth $57,500 as of this writing, the NFT that is the NBA highlight of Golden State Warriors player Steph Curry sinking a three-point shot is currently worth $45,000, whereas Chicago Bulls player Zach LaVine's dunk on Oklahoma City is only worth $1000. Sorry, Zach. Sure, you can watch these clips on YouTube for free, but you'll have to pay big to own the officially licensed NBA original. It all sounds crazy, but consider how much imagery and art you've already encountered today exists only in a virtual cloud.
So why would anyone buy an NFT? For starters, an NFT of a car isn't something you have to wash, gas, find replacement parts for, or worry about an Uber driver in a Kia Soul trading paint with. It never rots, but you'll never drive it. And to be fair, there are plenty of car collectors that don't daily-drive each car they own. Sure, Jay Leno has nearly enough cars to drive a different one each day for a year, but it's highly unlikely you'll ever catch Jeff Gordon's 1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Burger King drive-through. It's sponsored by Pepsi, after all. That being said, we'd still take the car over the expensive GIF.
Unlike most NFTs though, this auction wins both the actual car and the NFT together. Which one do you think will last longer, the internet or the stunt car?
Austin Irwin
Technical Editor
Yes, he's still working on the 1986 Nissan 300ZX Turbo project car he started in high school, and no, it’s not for sale yet. Austin Irwin was born and raised in Michigan, and, despite getting shelled by hockey pucks during a not-so-successful goaltending career through high school and college, still has all of his teeth. He loves cars from the 1980s and Bleu, his Great Pyrenees, and is an active member of the Buffalo Wild Wings community. When Austin isn’t working on his own cars, he’s likely on the side of the highway helping someone else fix theirs.
