REPORT: Australia's Joss supercar on its way with dreams of Le Mans in its eyes
In 67 days, the Joss supercar will be revealed. The brainchild of Matt Thomas, an aerodynamicist with the short-lived Stewart F1 team, the car has been wholly designed and engineered in Australia. The details revealed so far might not make one immediately think "super" status applies since the car has "only" 469 hp and 479 lb-ft. of twist.
But the carbon fiber, mid-engined car with a home-grown 6.8-liter V8 weighs just 2,068 pounds, which means its acceleration runs should be enough to leave the driver singing "Let's Do the Time Warp Again." However, The Motor Report says that the supercar's 0-100 kmh (62 mph) stat is listed at 3.7 seconds. That's only a shade faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo, which weighs 1,400 pounds more and has about the same power numbers. Elsewhere, it's been mentioned that it will do the run in 2.5 and 2.98 seconds, which seems much more likely if all else comes to pass.
As you've doubtlessly already noted, the rear deck is bereft of a spoiler. TMR says that's because a rear venturi will create enough downforce not to need one (and the vortex-generating doors don't hurt), a trait the car shares with the McLaren F1. It also makes room for the top-exiting twin exhaust. And also like the McLaren, Joss is planning to run a version of the car at Le Mans sometime in the future. In two months, we'll begin to see how its chances rate.
[Source: The Motor Report]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DiRF 6:09PM (6/17/2009)
At first I thought it was a Nissan R390, then I thought it was a Mosler MT900... not exactly a unique-looking supercar...
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JM 6:20PM (6/17/2009)
Not very unique, but not unattractive either. At least it's purposeful and clean looking design
DayShifter 7:59PM (6/17/2009)
I agree...Nice, clean design, keep it simple.....
Superhands 10:34PM (6/17/2009)
We Australian's are a lazy breed..
Dru 6:21PM (6/17/2009)
While it does look good, it looks like the cookie cutter supercar form. The front end and headlights look exactly like the factory five GTM, which isn't a bad thing but I'm sure this is going to cost a whole lot more than the GTM.
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adam1drift 6:28PM (6/17/2009)
yeah... McLaren, Saleen, Nissan.... looks like its just a wanna be super car... you can have great aerodynamics and good looks in a modern super car.. look at what zonda and others have done!
This shape just really isn’t appealing to me anymore…
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Andrew C 6:55PM (6/17/2009)
Bear in mind the concept shown was an intitial prototype that was unveiled at the Melbourne Motor Show about 4 or 5 years ago. I'm sure the design will have changed somewhat since
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Paul 7:39PM (6/17/2009)
Just what the world needs, yet AN-OTHER V8 powered supercar!
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BMWsRock 8:55PM (6/17/2009)
the latest 911 turbo (w/ triptronic transmission) can do 0 - 60 in 3.4 seconds :)
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Joan of Arc 5:29PM (6/18/2009)
Okay... did nobody see 2098lbs... rear-wheel drive... almost 500hp?
Seriously, this will destroy any muscle, and possible out-corner it. That motor has got to be nearly half the weight though. It'll be interesting, and great fun too, albeit quite uninspiring aesthetically...
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Kiiks 6:20PM (6/18/2009)
Race at Le Mans? If he can build and sell one every month and build at least 25 of them total, he'll be eligible. Who knows about homologation, though. The ACO won't homologate the MC-12 but did certify the S7-R... the design and construction sounds closer to the Maser though.
Murph11 10:32PM (6/17/2009)
It could be a fake car from any driving sim/ video game that couldn't get a REAL supercar company's likeness approval...
can you say "Clichéd"?
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AutoCritical 11:31PM (6/17/2009)
I hope they update the look. It doesn't look aggressive overall. However, it's clean look does make it look quite functional.
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Robert Ryan 7:03AM (6/18/2009)
He had his Mother handing out T-Shirts at the Sydney Motor Show 4 yrs ago. Good to see he stuck to his project.
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Mistry 9:37AM (6/18/2009)
"I are serious cat"
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Hubbo 9:33PM (6/18/2009)
Well its about time!
I thought the company fell off the planet. Looking forward to seeing some major changes as it was suppose to be almost finished 4-5 years ago.
Oh, if it helps, just say its a 'hybrid' and the Australia government will pass a few extra bucks ($millions) your way!
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