This is a completely bespoke, custom-built car based on the design of the Turbo Interceptor from the classic 1986 car film “The Wraith” starring Charlie Sheen. It was built on 986 Porsche Boxster running gear with the original Porsche drivetrain still in place.
The original car used in the film was the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor, this was a pace car built by Chrysler and it never went into production, however a total of six replicas were made for use in the film, four of which were blown up during production.
Fast Facts: A Porsche-Based Wraith Interceptor
- This Wraith Interceptor recreation was hand-built by enthusiast Jay Winne and his team, using a 2001 Porsche 986 Boxster S as its base. The chassis was lengthened by four inches to match the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor’s proportions, while keeping the Boxster’s 3.2 liter flat-six and 6-speed manual transmission for genuine road drivability.
- The body is a custom composite structure modeled closely on the 1986 movie car. It has scissor doors with Lamborghini-style hinges, a Ferrari 512 BBi windshield, perimeter accent lighting, and a plasma-glow rear plate. The car’s design carefully balances movie accuracy with road-legal practicality, creating what is believed to be the only street-registered Wraith Interceptor.
- The interior combines modern Porsche elements with some theatrical design cues. It has Audi R8 seats reupholstered with Chrysler emblems, an AutoMeter digital display, fiber-optic “starlight” headliner, backup camera, and climate control retained from the Boxster. These touches give it a futuristic but comfortable cockpit that nods to the film’s themes.
- Listed for sale on eBay from East Peoria, Illinois at $500,000, this car offers a one-off combination of movie homage and sports-car usability. The original Wraith vehicle was a Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor pace car built by Chrysler, of which six were made for the film, with four destroyed during production, making this faithful, road-going tribute a singular collector’s opportunity.
History Speedrun: The Porsche-Based Wraith Interceptor
This is a Wraith Interceptor recreation, it’s a fully functional car based on the 1986 movie car from The Wraith that was built by Jay Winne, a lifelong fan of the film. The original film car was based on the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor, a Chrysler-built PPG pace car. Since no production version ever existed, Jay developed his own using a 2001 986 Porsche Boxster S as the donor platform – chosen for its mid-engine layout and readily available parts.
Above Video: This episode from The Topher is dedicated to the Wraith Interceptor shown in this article. It discusses the car in great detail and includes a test drive out on the road.
The Porsche’s unibody chassis was stretched four inches ahead of the firewall to match the M4S’s 100.3 inch wheelbase while keeping the Boxster’s 3.2 liter flat-six engine and 6-speed manual transmission in place.
The custom body carefully replicates the M4S’s shape using composite panels, it has scissor doors with Lamborghini-style hinges, and illuminated Aston Martin-style door poppers. The windshield comes from a Ferrari 512 BBi, and the lighting includes perimeter accent strips and a plasma-coil rear plate that glows at night.
The interior of the car combines the original Porsche layout with some movie-inspired additions. It has diamond-stitched Audi R8 seats now wearing Chrysler emblems in the headrests, an AutoMeter digital gauge cluster, backup camera, and fiber-optic “starlight” headliner all come together to help modernize the cockpit.
The car keeps its working air conditioning, heat, and power windows can be added if required, making it daily drivable in theory. Currently, this is the only street-legal Wraith Interceptor in existence, and it’s now being offered for sale on eBay by the builder.
The Wraith: A Quick Film Synopsis
Editor’s Note: The following film synopsis contains major spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the film it would be better to avoid reading further until you have – lest you ruin a classic 80s car film.
Above Video: This is the original theatrical trailer for “The Wraith” starring Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, and Randy Quaid.
The Wraith is set in a small Arizona town where Packard Walsh and his gang control the area by forcing locals into pink-slip drag races, taking their cars by intimidation or violence. A mysterious stranger named Jake Kesey arrives one day and strange things begin to happen after a black, futuristic car called the Turbo Interceptor appears out of nowhere.
The Interceptor’s driver is clad in black armor and is seemingly unstoppable, he begins hunting down Packard’s crew one by one. Each deadly race ends in a fiery explosion, leaving the police baffled and the gang terrified. Keri Johnson, Packard’s unwilling girlfriend and the former love of murdered local Jamie Hankins, becomes the emotional center of the chaos.
As the town unravels, it’s revealed that Jake and the Wraith are one and the same – Jamie returned in another form to avenge his death, free Keri, and restore a sense of justice. In the end, he leaves his brother Billy the Interceptor before disappearing with Keri into the desert.
The film has elements of supernatural revenge combined with 1980s car culture, an unusual combination to say the least, with high-speed chases, synth-heavy atmosphere, and the unmistakable presence of a young Charlie Sheen.
The Porsche-Based Wraith Interceptor
The Porsche-based Wraith Interceptor shown in this article is now being offered for sale on eBay. As noted above it was built on a 2001 986 Porsche Boxster with the 3.2 liter flat-six producing 247 bhp, capable of reaching 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds in the original car when equipped with the manual transmission – as this car is.
The Porsche-based Wraith Interceptor shown in this article is now being offered for sale on eBay. As noted above it was built on a 2001 986 Porsche Boxster with the 3.2 liter flat-six producing 247 bhp, capable of reaching 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds in the original car when equipped with the manual transmission – as this car is.
There’s no denying that this build is impressive, with excellent attention to detail throughout, and the fact that it’s fully road legal is impressive – it’s not always easy to get custom cars like this road registered and insured.
The car is now being offered for sale on eBay out of East Peoria, Illinois with an asking price of $500,000 USD. This valuation will likely be debated in the car community, however if you want a street drivable Wraith Interceptor you can visit the listing here to make them an offer.
Images courtesy of The Topher + Jay Winne
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
