Born in the new SA: The Barnard, a Porsche-based hypercar, is coming to life in a small factory near Bloemfontein

The finishing touches are being made to South Africa's first hypercar in a secluded factory near Bloemfontein - a Porsche-powered ultra-performance machine expected to be capable of way beyond 300km/h and 0-100km/h in less than four seconds.

It's called the Barnard and it was a local idea taken to development and built. Its inspiration was the designer's passionate love of endurance racing and Chris Barnard's car is based loosely on machines which dominated races such as Le Mans.

It's not a sports car. It is an LMP-inspired road car and a racing car for the road. It doesn't have power steering It doesn't have power-assisted anti-lock brakes. It doesn't have traction control. It doesn't have power windows.

What it does have is a monocoque chassis made from high-tech steels such as Domex and Docol, which are light and very strong and can be bent and shaped in a way which ordinary metals can't. The layout of the chassis resembles that of the Porsche 962, perhaps the seminal sports-prototype endurance racer.

The front suspension attaches directly to this rigid structure while at the rear a sophisticated tubular steel cradle accommodates the engine, gearbox and rear suspension. The car has been designed to accept a number of different powerplants, specifically high-output overhead camshaft V8's sourced from the European premium brands.

The development car is powered by a twin-turbo Porsche V8 rated at about 460kW but that number can be upped significantly. The Barnard has the potential for 400km/h.

With this in mind, it is cloaked in a composite body with aerodynamics which, like the chassis and engine, are inspired by competition. A flat under-tray, rear diffuser, and dramatic cutouts in the front wheel-arches generate a low-pressure cell below the car and suck it against the tarmac.

"This is a car which has been built with the objective of breaking barriers and no expense has been spared to make it into what I believe is the most single-minded performance machine yet from South Africa," Barnard said.

  

Through his other business interests is able to tap into a pool of engineering expertise around the globe.

"This is a piece of art, but it is functional art. It is designed to be driven in an enthusiastic manner and appeal to the senses of the performance aficionado."

Engineering expertise

Barnard's other love is aviation and the car's interior, while still in the development phase, is inspired by the cockpit of an fighter jet.

"There is no question that South Africa has the engineering expertise and production skills to build a low-volume hypercar such as this," says Barnard.

"I think when potential customers examine it closely - whether it be the suspension layout or the fact that the windscreen and side glass have been made locally specifically for this car - they will realise that it is designed to offer not only a very special motoring experience, but also exceptional quality."

The Barnard can be built to an individual's requirements and preference in terms of drive-train, the only constraint being the budget.

However, the car is expected to retail for around R1,1-million, with the first deliveries to customers scheduled for the middle of 2009.

Source: www.motoring.co.za 

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