FERDINAND GT3 - The world`s slowest Porsche Sculpture

FERDINAND GT3 RS - A Mobile Mimicry Art Object On the outside, Ferdinand is a 1:1 copy of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. What is hidden under this cover, however, is a true to scale bicycle construction. The car body is built on this construction using conduits and adhesive tape. The construction is fabricated using the ULC (Ultra Light Construction) technique, thus making in tremendously lighter in weight than a “normal” car. No original vehicle parts are used. A motor is left out for ecological reasons. The vehicle is fully functional and legal to use (in Austria) in public street traffic. What is especially interesting about the vehicle is that it is not perceived as an art object at first glance. Its true nature usually only becomes evident at a closer look, for instance due to its extreme slowness in traffic, or due to the absence of a motor, which is obvious with a glimpse through the windows. This kind of appearance can be compared with the principle of false signals – mimicry – that also occurs in nature (e.g. a fly mimics a wasp to scare away competitors for food). It is a strategy to increase the chances of survival for the mimicking species. Ferdinand involves so-called Peckhamian mimicry (after G. W. and E. G. Peckham, 1889), also called aggressive mimicry. It does not result in driving attackers away, but rather lures other species instead. A video shot with Ferdinand at the Salzburg Ring was posted to the Internet platform YouTube and received a million clicks within a month. This led to Ferdinand being invited to the BBC “Top Gear”, according to insiders one of the most famous motor sport programs. There Ferdinand met it`s new friend, the Bugatti Veyron - World Record Edition with 1200 HP, currently the fastest production vehicle in the world.