The Ben-Dera: A Bizarre Homemade Car from the 1980s

Garage Surrealism - Building your own car sounds like something only seasoned engineers or big-name companies dare to attempt. But every now and then, someone outside that circle gives it a shot—someone who trades blueprints for dreams and CAD software for pure determination. Back in the quirky corners of 1980s small-town America, a man named John Bender did just that. In Hilliard, Ohio, far from the glitz of Detroit or the test tracks of California, Bender—a local mechanic, part-time electrician, and full-time imaginative soul—decided to create his very own ride. The result was something nobody saw coming: the Ben-Dera.

The Ben-Dera, shown here as the first prototype, was a unique car built by John Bender—a Hilliard, Ohio mechanic and part-time electrician—using the humble mechanical components of a Ford Pinto in his home garage. (Picture from: QuirkyRides in X)

If a spaceship and a jet had a ground-bound cousin, this would be it. The Ben-Dera didn’t just roll out of a garage—it looked like it had crash-landed from another timeline. Designed with a fiberglass body mounted over a hand-built tubular space frame, the car wore its aviation influences proudly. It had faux jet turbines, stylized wings, and a profile that suggested liftoff was an option. 

John Bender poses with his unique creation, the Ben-Dera—shown here as the first prototype—which, according to some sources, was built around 1988 and took about three years to complete. (Picture from: Blog.1aAuto)

Underneath all the flair, however, sat the humble mechanical bits of a Ford Pinto. The front and rear axles, as well as the 2.3-liter inline-four engine also from the Pinto—a surprisingly practical choice for such an outlandish vehicle. Interestingly, Bender didn’t position the engine up front like in the Pinto. Instead, he moved it to the center of the car, giving the Ben-Dera a mid-engine layout—a decision more common in exotic sports cars than small-town experiments.

The Ben-Dera featured a cockpit-inspired interior with alarms, toggles, and an altimeter, making it feel more like a launchpad than a car. (Picture from: AutoRevuecz)

The interior took inspiration from cockpits rather than dashboards. Alarms, toggles, even an altimeter adorned the panel, giving the illusion that the driver wasn’t just shifting gears but preparing for takeoff. The rest of the cabin was draped in long-pile fabrics and suede, blending retro luxury with homemade charm.

The Ben-Dera, shown here as the first prototype, featured a fiberglass body over a hand-built tubular space frame with faux jet turbines, stylized wings, and an aviation-inspired profile that looked ready for liftoff. (Picture from: QuirkyRides in X)

But John Bender wasn’t content with just one car. After the white prototype came a second creation—this time in gold. It lost the wild wings and turbines but gained some modern comforts like air conditioning. The gold version ran on a 2.8-liter V6 engine borrowed from the Mercury Bobcat, giving it a bit more grunt than its predecessor. With the molds already made, construction was faster and smoother.

The Ben-Dera, shown here in its second gold-painted version, dropped the wild wings and turbines in favor of modern comforts like air conditioning, ran on a 2.8-liter V6 from the Mercury Bobcat for added power, and was built more efficiently thanks to pre-made molds. (Picture from: QuirkyRides in X)

Fuelled by passion, Bender briefly considered taking the Ben-Dera into small-scale production. He priced the car at $19,750, a bold move in a market flooded with polished mass-produced vehicles. Yet despite the ambition, nobody was ready to sign the check. Part of the hesitation reportedly came from Bender himself—concerned that selling a home-built car could lead to lawsuits. Whether those fears were justified or not, the dream never shifted out of neutral. 

Unfortunately, few contemporary photos exist of the Ben-Dera in good condition, with most showing the worn white version missing its signature wings and distinctive front light bar. (Picture from: Klonoa in Flickr)

Photos of the Ben-Dera are scarce today, and most that surface show the white version missing some of its flair—no wings, no signature light bar on the nose. It’s been spotted occasionally, sometimes near fast food joints or outside what used to be Bender’s workshop home, quietly hinting at its creator’s dream. As for the golden version, its current whereabouts remain a mystery. | 52UE_jnh3R8 | 

What makes the Ben-Dera so fascinating isn't just how it looked, but how it came to be. With limited tools, modest resources, and loads of imagination, John Bender carved out his own space in automotive history—not with speed records or commercial success, but with creativity, grit, and a spark of madness that made the 1980s just a little bit weirder. And for that, the Ben-Dera holds a special kind of legacy—one that refuses to be forgotten. *** [EKA | FROM VARIUS SOURCES | STORY-CARS | BARNFINDS | BLOG.1AAUTO | FLAVIENDACHET | AMINOAPPS | AUTOREVUE.CZ  | KLONOA IN FLICKR | CLASSIC AND RECREATION SPORTSCARS IN FACEBOOK | ARAMISAUTO IN FACEBOOK | QUIRKYRIDES IN X ]

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