DESIGN

DESIGN Dropped Alfa

We all know the story of the Dropped Alfa don’t we. Don’t we? Well if you have missed the story, here’s a quick replay.

I recently caught up with Iliya Bridan who is one half of this project, along with his twin brother Nikita. Born in the Ukraine the brothers first moved with their parents to the East Coast of Canada before eventually after college ending up in LA where amongst other things began the Dropped Alfa design project.

Both Iliya and Nikita knew from an early age they wanted to be car designers and worked towards their goal and dream destination and now several years later both are working on really innovative projects through their company, ’Oil Stain Lab’.

The idea and name Dropped Alfa might not be what you first think, that maybe it was lowered to provide the name. No this was far more complicated and a much better story.

The car itself was in pretty good shape until one day it was literally dropped off the back of a tow truck and totalled. During the insurance claim process the brothers came up with a few ideas for their little Alfa. One was to produce a low crazy race car and the other was to produce a lifted safari Alfa. After a few sketches and taking it to CAD, they decided safari was the way to go. “It just seemed to match the damage on the car, with a kind of battle scar vibe”, Remembers Iliya.

The car itself is a 1974 105 GTV 2000 and has been completely reworked with

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numerous upgrades, a complete engine rebuild and race springs and shocks to provide what is now the famous safari Dropped Alfa.

The Dropped Alfa is still an internet sensation and continues to be used, but now the brothers are onto other things and enter stage left - OilStainLab.

Founded in 2019 and led by Iliya and Nikita, OilStainLab is an automotive design studio. Providing services for both brand and individuals with their focus on innovation and bold solutions. A reflection of the brothers professional insights and a no nonsense approach to their product design. These guys offer a full one-stop-shop from concept, research, design and completion.

These guys are passionate about what they do and as they put it; “We are described as visionaries, disrupters, dreamers, artists and makers. In the end we are just people with passion. We are Canadian, we love hockey and we put maple syrup on everything, and yes we are also twins. We love humour, goofy ideas and laughter. We are opinionated. We are also design nerds, happy to discuss any subject from architecture to future technologies, and maybe why those wheels just look wrong! For us it started in the Canadian wilderness as kids scribbling cars in our notebooks, this then grew into an obsession with design, a constant chase for perfection, a journey of learning which has taken us across the world. We studied hard in Italy and California, gained new skills and knowledge while working globally and while absorbing automotive culture. We never lost our hunger to stay curious, constantly expanding to our abilities. We never settle and this has been our receipt for success. Our designs have won championships, inspire brand identities, changed the future and have sold in the millions. What is next? We humbly say our next project will be even better. Let us prove it”.

Their latest project is the Half11.

“The Half11 started as our vision for a dream project. It serves as a way for us to showcase our creation and branding skills, flash a spotlight on people who work with us and to build a community of like minded enthusiasts. The car is also a real world test of our unique process and approach. Amazingly the response to the car and our services has been extraordinary and it motivates us to build the raddest 911 on the planet. It has also moved the goal posts for what we want to achieve”.

“We have been quietly approached by a few people who would like to purchase

one and we have looked into what we would need to make a production run happen. Each car will be unique, with a full race “history”, bespoke bodywork to reflect where it raced and other unique touches. A limited run of 25 will be built to reflect how many were needed to be built for homologation back in 1968”.

They are currently developing the first prototype, at the same time they are also in discussions with potential clients on what specs they would like to see developed. If you would like to be part of this early development, get in contact on Instagram with Iliya or Nikita @oilstainlab and of course don’t forget to check out @dropped_alfa

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