It’s not uncommon for a big automotive parts company to sponsor a project car, and Summit Racing is no exception.

Through the decades, Summit Racing has supported dozens of vehicle builds—including an LS-swapped Miata, Baja inspired Ford Bronco, and a land speed record-holding Tesla.

So, since Summit Racing is celebrating its 55th birthday in 2023, we wanted to dig deep and find its first sponsored project car.

Did we find some Pro Street muscle car, slammed Deuce Coupe hot rod, or tire-shredding dragster?

Nope—we found a fiberglass-bodied kit car, the Elite Laser 917.

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(Image/Car Craft Magazine – Jeff Smith & Dave Knapp)

Modeled after the 1970s-era Porsche 917 race cars, the Laser was a rear-engined kit car built upon the (surprise!) Volkswagen Beetle chassis. Its unclear how many Laser 917s Elite Enterprises cranked out between 1972-82, but a Google search turned up plenty of stories on 917s in varying degrees of condition.

One of the most unique aspects of Summit Racing’s build was the powerplant. Instead of the typical air-cooled four-cylinder VW engines that are common in similar kit cars, Summit Racing tossed in a Buick 231 c.i.d. V6—a feat that required significant modifications to the original kit’s plans.

Car Craft magazine featured the Summit Racing Laser 917 in its February 1981 issue, written by none other than the fantastic OnAllCylinders contributor Jeff Smith. The story is chock-full of details on the build, and the entire piece is swimming in 1970s gearhead nostalgia.

Here’s the original article. [Click images to enlarge them for better readability.]

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Page 1 of the Summit Racing Laser 917 Car Craft Article. (Image/Car Craft Magazine – Jeff Smith & Dave Knapp)

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Page 2 of the Summit Racing Laser 917 Car Craft Article. (Image/Car Craft Magazine – Jeff Smith & Dave Knapp)

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Page 3 of the Summit Racing Laser 917 Car Craft Article. (Image/Car Craft Magazine – Jeff Smith & Dave Knapp)
Keywords
50th Anniversary, 55th Anniversary, Kit Car, Summit 50th, Summit 55th
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Author: Paul Sakalas

Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.