Delander GT

[fpv_gtho]

http://drive.com.au/editorial/MotorS...x?id=9404&vf=3


Delanda lands in Melbourne


By Chris. Gable

Wednesday March 9 2005

The Queensland-built Delanda GT was a late starter for this year's show but has since made up plenty of ground.




The mystery has been solved. The unheralded supercar that's become a homegrown star of the Melbourne International Motor Show is the Queensland-built Delanda GT.

The builders of the rakish mid-engined Delanda stepped in at short notice to replace the Rosso-Italia V10, which didn't make it to the show. They'd already displayed the hand-built car at this year's Brisbane motor show a few weeks earlier, and jumped at the chance to also showcase it in Melbourne, especially during Grand Prix week.

Interest in the 253kW, 4.2-litre V8-engined Delanda has been high, and hugely encouraging for the men behind the ambitious car, Lawrie Howlett and Darrell Barnett. And at the relatively bargain price of $150,000 plus on-road costs – together with its knockout looks – there's every reason why interest in the car should be high.

Both men have been involved in motorsport – Lawrie Howlett as a designer of open-wheelers and Procar Series exotics – and that experience shows in the car they've built in their Nerang workshops.
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"We're extremely pleased with the reception the car's got in Melbourne," says Howlett. "We're able to build it now as a low-volume car, and we'll soon have full compliance. We'll then be aiming for a world market."

Fellow managing director, designer and fabricator of Delanda Sports Cars, Darrell Barnett says the company is looking for investors to help it take the car – originally called the Demon GT; hence the plates and stickers on the car pictured – to the next level of production. "With the right investment we can design and produce every component specifically to suit this car and not rely on donor components from other production vehicles," he says.

"We already have a source for our engine, transmission and engine management from a large European manufacturer that can supply us with state-of-the-art technology in our new high performance 4.2-litre alloy V8 with five valves per cylinder head and six-speed manual and auto/tiptronic transmissions."

Although Howlett and Barnett insist they can't name the drivetrain supplier, enthusiasts will easily be able to shortlist the candidates.

That Lamborghini-like body is hand-made from sandwich construction biaxial carbon kevlar, we're told, and was vacuum-formed with a high temperature resistant resin gel coat finish.

The chassis, again hand-made, is a race-car-style tubular steel spaceframe. It's said to have massive torsional strength. Suspension is a fully-adjustable double wishbone set-up at the front, while the rear is a combination alloy upper wishbone with triple link lower set-up, again race-style fully adjustable.

Yes, they're scissor doors, which swivel upwards, rather than gullwing-style. And the side windows are at this stage fixed, with opening windows planned for the full production car. To answer your question about how you pay bridge and freeway tolls, you lift your scissor door ... much to the amusement of drivers queued behind, we'd imagine.

[whiteballz]

i dont know about the "knockout looks". its just like an ultima GTr.

but good on those two guys doing this. inspirational

[fpv_gtho]

Im interested in the engine, 4.2L, V8, 5 valve per cylinder.....Im thinking maybe Audi or Jaguar based?

[whiteballz]

i dont really know all that much, but it sounds familiar from somewhere...

[Ginja Ninja]

4.2 litre, 5 valves.....jaguar don't make 4.2 litre v8s only audi

[SlickHolden]

Not bad this one. Wonder what it goes like? It does look like a clone lambo

Hasn't jag made a 4.2L In the past might be based on a older donk?
I was just looking and seen a 4.2L and Supercharged. But i think they are only 4vpc.

http://www.jaguar.co.uk/uk/en/vehicl...ce_economy.htm

[2ndclasscitizen]

its an audi motor, slighty more powerful version of the one in the S4/6/A8

[crisis]

Not bad really for the price. I suppose you go for a "classic" supercar look or go nuts and try to design your own incarnation. Probably a little generic but I wouldnt like to have to design soemthing that everyone was gonna like.

[clutch-monkey]

yeah this was at the brissie motorshow, being sold as kit cars. i have some pics, its quite wide. looks a touch plasticky too, but then the kits are quite cheap.

[Esperante]

I'm sorry....




































It's really ugly.

[my porsche]

Originally Posted by Ginja Ninja

4.2 litre, 5 valves.....jaguar don't make 4.2 litre v8s only audi

jaguar makes 4.0 and 4.0 sc i think, and they carry over to the land rover range

[Blue Supra]

i cant see the fudgin pics!

its just gray rectangles! WTF!!

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by my porsche

jaguar makes 4.0 and 4.0 sc i think, and they carry over to the land rover range

Well actually they changed from the 4L NA and SC motors a few years ago that gave just over 200kw and just under 280kw, to the current 4.2 motors which are good for just over 220kw and almost 300kw. The Land Rover motor is a 4.4 version modified for SUV use

[Delmaster]

is it the same engine used in the Spyker C8? I think they use an Audi V8

[Esperante]

Originally Posted by Blue Supra

i cant see the fudgin pics!

its just gray rectangles! WTF!!

You're not missing anything.