Another day, another supercar. This time, our quarry comes from South Africa, a country perhaps better known to car people for building Noble trackday specials (now pronounced "Rossion") and modern-day Cobras and Ford GTs.

This latest project is the brainchild of Chris Barnard, a designer who happens to have a passion for endurance racing. The exotic is designed, sourced and built entirely in South Africa. It's simply called the Barnard and it should be quite the hypercar. Built on a high-tech steel monocoque, it looks like a Le Mans racecar, which is pretty much what it is. The chassis would probably look familiar to anyone who has seen the underside of a Porsche 962 and the bodywork looks like it's straight off the Mulsanne. Heck, it could probably compete in the next 24.

The development car is powered by a twin-turbo Porsche V8 cranking out 617 horsepower. That should be good for a 0-to-60 miles-per hour time of well under 4 seconds, with a top speed north of 300 km/h (186 mph), although the platform is said to be solid all the way up to 400 km/h (249 mph). Less road car than race car, the Barnard has a composite body with racing-derived aero trickery. The high-tech Domex and Docoal steels used in the construction are light and strong, but easier to shape as well, allowing the Barnard to be personalized to a higher degree than many other contemporary supercars. Expect spectacular performance, but don't expect power steering, traction control, ABS brakes or power windows. Deliveries are expected to start by the middle of the year, with prices starting around $110,000, which could be something of a bargain if the Barnard lives up to its billing.


[Source: Inside Line]