REPORT: Australia's Joss supercar on its way with dreams of Le Mans in its eyes

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AUSTRALIA'S HOME-GROWN Joss Supercar is just a little over two months away from making its debut, with potential buyers and investors alike lining up at Joss's door.

Ten solid orders have been locked in thus far, and Joss has been reorganised into an unlisted private company to fully exploit growing interest from investors.

The Joss Supercar has been five years in the making, but now its creator Matt Thomas should soon see his project come to fruition and give Australia its first real competitor to the likes of the Ferrari Enzo and Lamborghini Murcielago.

"This is now not just about producing an Australian first and world-class supercar, but ensuring the business is resourced adequately to meet pent-up production demand," Mr Thomas said.

"We have been refining the mechanics of the business model and the car and are now satisfied that we have the right product and systems in place to move forward."

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A V8 of unannounced origin will generate over 373kW and propel the Joss to 100km/h in a lightning-fast 2.98 seconds. Top speed is claimed to be over 340km/h

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Joss expects to build 25 of the supercars at its Victorian facility in its first year, and anticipates all of these will be sold in very short order. The asking price is estimated to be around $600,000, but considering the rarity - and sheer speed - of the Joss Supercar, it should make an enticing buy for super-wealthy car buffs.

Joss also plans on taking its Supercar racing, with the eventual goal being a place on the grid at Le Mans.

www.themotorreport.com.au/



Side Notes:

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.

Click the first picture in this post for a PDF of the brochure.