Kit cars are a curious thing. Even years after their relevance has faded away, you still find them for sale and plenty of people who seemingly want to scoop them up. Kit cars were a definite force to be reckoned with on the marketplace in the 70s and 80s, offering mere mortals a way to own a supercar without having access to supercar funds. The Laser 917 kit was clearly an attempt to resemble the iconic Porsche 917 racer in miniature, and while it did an admirable job, most owners still relied on a VW Beetle powerplant for propulsion. Find this Laser kit car here on eBay with a suggested opening bid of $7,500.

I will give the Laser kit creators somc credit for not skimping on the details like other kit car manufacturers did. The proportions were decent, at least giving the car some sporting pretensions, and when painted in Gulf livery with a decent set of wheels and an engine that was more powerful than a basic spec 1600, these were among the better looking tribute cars. The one used in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo actually looked like a legit race car, even if its scenes of blistering acceleration were heavily sped up. The plexiglass headlights, deep dish wheels, and gullwing doors all added a dose of exotica to a car with very humble underpinnings.

The interior wasn’t bad, either, as it at least attempted to make it seem like it wasn’t completely ripped off of a Beetle. You didn’t have to stare at an interior from a Bug; instead, the Laser got its own cockpit which, admittedly, looks incredibly cramped. The seller notes that he finds it incredible someone can actually drive this car, considering the steering wheel placement and where your arms and legs end up based on the seat location. The Laser was meant to be assembled at home, so perhaps the doctor who owned this car previously (the seller has listed the Laser on behalf of his estate) didn’t quite read the instructions carefully.

Here’s a problem: where do you find replacement glass for the driver’s side gullwing door? Sadly, the company known as Elite Enterprises, which built the Laser, is no more. Founder Gary Knapp died not long after its big screen debut alongside Herbie, and while others attempted to keep the company alive, it ultimately dissolved in the early 90s. Just under 700 Lasers were made, which is a decent run by kit car standards. The asking price on this car seems ambitious, but perhaps its just an effort to entice someone who wants it badly enough for $5,000 as-is. What would you pay for this long-dormant kit car?