Christened the Mad Creation 2, it boasts a naturally-aspirated 3.5 litre V6 engine made in France and cloaked in a Peugeot 208 body.
It was a two-year labour of love for the 22-year-old. Everything from the chassis, to the engine, the wheels and suspension, have been designed to fit into the completely custom car.
Hardly surprising then that its first two outings, at the Rally of Hawkes Bay and then the Rally of Wairarapa, resulted in early withdrawals as Kelsey considered not everything was functioning exactly as it should.
He did, however, have a successful test at the Taupo 2WD Tarmac Rally two weeks ago, where he acted as the 0 (safety) car and experienced no faults all day.
While Kelsey's car garnered huge attention both around New Zealand and internationally when it was launched in May, it will have its biggest fan-base on the back doorstep for the Gold Rush Rally of Coromandel today.
''The people around Coromandel have been absolutely amazing.
"When I drove the car for the first time on the road, people specifically came to see what the noise was all about.
"And whenever I go to town now, people always ask me where the best spots to watch the rally will be and stuff like that.
"I can't wait to show people here what the MC2 can do on a closed road,'' Kelsey said.
While it might be a case of local knowledge working in Kelsey's favour, the 60 other entries are facing an all-new challenge for round five of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC).
The Whitianga-based event is a new addition to the calendar and will be contested over nine stages and 135km of gravel roads.
Top seeds are the already-crowned 2014 NZRC champions Richard and Sara Mason.
The Masterton couple have taken victories at all four rounds in their BNT Subaru Impreza.
With only two events remaining, the prospect of a clean sweep - a feat never achieved in national rallying history - will be one step closer if the Masons can continue their form today.
Second to start is Nelson's Ben Hunt and co-driver Tony Rawstorn in their Subaru Impreza.
They have been the only team to threaten the Mason's dominance in 2014, and the tight, twisty nature of the Coromandel stages should suit Hunt's car and driving style.
Third seed and third in the championship is Tauranga Mitsubishi driver David Holder and co-driver Ben Hawkins.
An impressive debut season in the outright 4WD class has seen them net three consecutive podiums.
Also expected to feature in the battle for podium honours are Canterbury Subaru driver Matt Summerfield, Te Aroha's Lance Williams and spectacular Auckland driver Andrew Hawkeswood in his Mazda 2.
Leading the class battles are Hawkes Bay's Max Bayley (2WD), Kaiapoi's Marcus Van Klink, who heads the BNT Historics in his Group B Mazda RX7, Timaru's Darren Galbraith in the Gull Rally Challenge 4WD and Auckland's Jeff Torkington in the Gull Rally Challenge 2WD.
