Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. You Can Now Build Your Own Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 008
The SCG 008 is a road-legal endurance off-road race car you can build by yourself.
Fancy a car that can take you down to the shops, and at the same time cross a desert? A car that isn’t scared to go airborne a little? A car which you can thrash around and have an absolute blast when you go off-road? And, to top it all off, a car you can build pretty much to your own desired specifications? Well, you’re in absolute luck! Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has just taken the covers off the SGC 008, a road-legal off-road endurance racer that combines the best of what the company has on offer. And you can build for yourself! So let’s not waste time and dive straight into it!
I’m sure we’ve all dreamed about building our own car at one point in life, as I’m pretty sure most have envisioned the same when it comes to watches. What would your perfect car look like, and what engine would be in it? Would it have rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, would it seat two people or more, would it have a coupe-style body or rather something else? It’s that sort of question car nuts try to answer in their mind, with only a few people actually ending up answering in real life.
For those who try to create their ultimate dream machine, there are a number of ways to go about this. One is to buy a car in stock form and start modifying it. Another is buying a kit car and assembling it just the way you want it to be. Then there’s the option of buying something rare or perhaps even unique from an established manufacturer. And lastly, there’s the James Glickenhaus way: getting asked the question “If you could build any car, what would it be?” by Andrea Pininfarina of Carozzeria Pininfarina. And then going about building that very vision of his dream car.
James Glickenhaus
The man behind Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is American film producer, director and financier James Cameron Glickenhaus. He’s worked on more than 15 movies, with his first one (The Astrologer) launched in 1975, and his last one (The Art Thief) in 2015. Next to his cinematic work, James Glickenhaus is an avid car guy and owns a rather spectacular collection of cars. The list includes multiple rare and unique cars including the wild Ferrari Modulo, but also an extremely rare Ferrari P3/4 and the oldest Ferrari in existence, the 1945 Ferrari 159 Spyder Corsa.
But the car that perhaps stands out most, is the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina. The very car was the result of Andrea Pininfarina asking what car James would build if given carte blanche. This car ultimately kickstarted what was to become Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, a low volume race- and hypercar manufacturer based in Sleepy Hollow, New York. So far, the company has introduced 7 different cars, all revolving around on- and off-track driving experiences.
Building Dreams
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus claims to not build cars, but rather build dreams instead. And looking at some of the work that’s being done I can fully relate to that claim. Ever since that very first project, the Ferrari P 4/5 by Pininfarina, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has dedicated itself to building specialist cars to be used (and abused) in some of the toughest races in the world. Cars built by SCG have competed in the Nürburgring 24 hours, the Baja 1000, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and more. Following that, the dedicated race cars are transformed into road-legal counterparts for those with deep enough pockets to be enjoyed.
The 2006 Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina is a remarkable achievement by the way, as it is an officially Ferrari-licensed car. This is quite extraordinary as it is a car that was custom built outside of Ferrari’s control. Based on the iconic Ferrari Enzo, James Glickenhaus commissioned Carrozzeria Pininfarina to build a modern-day version of the P-series of prototype racers Ferrari built in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous of these cars is without a doubt the Ferrari P 3/4, which provided most of the styling cues in the P 4/5. It’s no coincident either, as James Glickenhaus owns a Daytona 24 Hours winning P 3/4 from 1966, as well as a 412P endurance racer from 1967. Following the build of the P 4/5, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus also built a one-off racing version, the 2010 SCG P 4/5 Competizione, using a Ferrari F430 Scuderia as a basis.
The cars built by Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus all share styling elements of endurance racers, prototype cars and sports cars from the golden age of racing, but with a modern twist to them. Except for the bonkers SCG Boot perhaps, which is based on the 1967 Baja Boot prototype off-roader built by GM (also part of James’ collection). Every car has proven itself in some form of racing, often on the highest level possible.
SCG has competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and the Baja 1000 and is entering Le Mans for the second time this year. The team entered the SCG 007 LMH in the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hour race and completed the gruelling endurance race with both cars. And SCG sets its goals high, as it aims to one day win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, something an American built car hasn’t achieved for over 50 years. The SCG 007 looks the business and uses a 3.5-litre V8 engine specifically for the SCG007. In race trim, it is capped to 690bhp but when you opt for the road-legal SCG 007 this can go up to 1,400bhp if you want.
The SCG 008
But let’s focus on the all-new Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 008, the next chapter in SCG’s already impressive story. What the SCG 008 does is combine the gracious styling of the SCG004 hypercar with the downsized underpinnings of the bonkers SCG Boot off-road racer. A sort of best of both worlds, in a mad way. Without an engine and gearbox though….
That’s the genius behind the new SCG 008, as Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus offers you the chance to purchase a complete kit minus the engine and gearbox, for you to finish at home. This leaves you with a lot of freedom to choose the desired powerplant and register it as such for yourself. It is prepped for a General Motors 2.2 litre 4-cylinder crate engine but other engines are also possible. In theory, you could go from a high-strung 4-cylinder unit to a monstrous V8, providing it all fits into the tightly packed chassis.
So what do you get in return for your hard-earned cash then? Well, a custom-built rock-crawling and off-roading tubular chassis for starters. You also get independent front and rear suspension and geometry, capable of scaling even the most daunting terrain. Brakes are also sorted in advance, as s the steering rack and all the plumbing for the cooling and fuel system. The electrical harness is provided as well, together with all the lighting fixtures, turn signals and whatnot. The chassis is also fully prepped to receive the engine and gearbox of your choosing, so you just have to slot them in and hook everything up.
And to top it all off, you get that unique looking carbon fibre body of the SCG 004 to be draped over the chassis. This has a three-seater layout with the driver seated in the middle, and a glass canopy provides excellent visibility. The body includes an integrated front aero-spoiler, top-mounted exhausts, butterfly doors, a roof-scoop, a large rear spoiler and space for spare tires. Off course, the body is altered here and there to accommodate the large off-road wheels and tires it needs, but it still looks the part!
In essence, the SCG 008 is a properly impressive kit car. One you can build yourself, in your home garage in your downtime. Perhaps even with a son or daughter who loves cars as much as you do. And after it is completed and registered, you end with a road-legal off-roader that’s will be a ton of fun off- and on-road. You could even, potentially speaking, drive it down to New Mexico, enter the Baja with it, and drive it back home when you’re done! And the cost? The base kit goes for a smidge under USD 100,000, but Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus gives you multiple options to quickly blow up that number to much more.
For more information, please visit GlickenhausRacing.com
