And if you can't wait for one of the test drives just on the horizon, maybe consider a piece of House dé Stains merch?

The electric powertrain – if you’ve forgot or aren’t familiar, “Thunder-Volt”-equipped HF-11s will be “powertrain-agnostic,” capable of swapping from the aforementioned gas-fed 4.5L six to an 800-hp EV motor, if you give a properly trained mechanic an hour or two – underwent initial testing earlier this year, but the Bridans note the weight of the batteries in that variant make the engineering targets harder to hit.

Oilstainlab is also still working on making said electric motor scream at 110 decibels without using any artificial noise, and the proprietary tech that will make that possible is in its third iteration.

Finally, the firm’s second, wider-production sports car – now code-named Project GRIN; “that seemed like an appropriate style of smile for a ‘maniac,’” as Oilstainlab fans are known, says Nikita – also continues development, with both internal-combustion engines and electric powertrains still on the table, and cost being the deciding factor as to which of those makes the cut.

Meanwhile, Oilstainlab’s Half11, the mid-engine hot rod that inspired the HF-11, has for the past few weeks been on a “European Vision Tour,” which included the car making a pass at Italy’s popular Tutto Bene hillclimb event; it’s also been to Poland and Germany, and is headed next to Portugal, then the Netherlands. After that, the Half11 will make its Middle-East debut, around November 19; the Bridans note there’s been a lot of interest in the HF-11 from that market, and that the prospective customers love that the car is Canadian-built.

If you’re feeling the HF-11 hype but aren’t in a position to shell out US$1.85 million (CDN$2.5 million) on a weekend toy, Oilstainlab’s merchandise brand, House dé Stains, might sate your appetite without busting your budget. Besides the chic wool hats, sneakers, and hoodies, you’ll find in store a few pieces inspired by the HF-11 itself, including a CDN$3,434 composite-shell “Maniac chair” patterned loosely after the bucket seats in the supercar. Iliya also just finished design on a CDN$585 aluminum-and-wood coffee tamper that mimics the shift knob in the HF-11; it’s due out in November.

Several Canadian firms have over the past few decades attempted to launch a locally manufactured supercar—and failed. But all signs point to Oilstainlab being the ones to finally pull it off. We’ll keep you posted as production continues to draw near, and off-the-wall powertrain-agnostic prototype supercars start rolling out of a garage outside of Quebec City.

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