A new retro-styled two-seat sports car will make its debut at the Goodwood Revival in September.
The as-yet unnamed model is described as a barchetta, and will be launched under the Ant-Kahn banner. The firm is a collaboration between Kahn Design and Ant Anstead, who runs the niche vehicle manufacturer Evanta.
The new car is described as an ‘imagined’ open-top version of the ultra-rare Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. The model is based on a tubular spaceframe chassis and powered by a detuned version of the 6.2-litre V8 LS3 engine. The body panels are made from a carbon composite material.
A single example of an earlier version of this barchetta, based on Jaguar running gear, was built in 2013 under the Evanta badge, and is currently on sale for £120,000.
Although the new Ant-Kahn may offend purists, the final car is claimed to be a close replica of a period Aston but with robust, modern mechanicals and will cost about £96,000.
This barchetta will eventually be joined by a related coupé, which will have unique styling inspired by Italian designs of the period.
Those models will be followed in 2015 by a completely restyled Aston Martin, which uses a bespoke aluminium body. Although it is still at the design stage, company founder Afzal Kahn told Autocar that his design has been greatly influenced by the Vanquish. He hopes that his reworking of a modern Aston has the kind of brutal, stand-out character that, he feels, the current line-up lacks.
Kahn told Autocar that the company’s first stand-alone model would be a ‘long-nose’ Land Rover Defender powered by a V8 engine driving a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Dubbed the ‘Flying Huntsman’, the Defender has an extra 400mm of bodywork inserted into the nose, just ahead of the windscreen. Under its bonnet is a 550bhp 6.2-litre General Motors LS3 V8.
This engine, which is mounted close to the Defender’s bulkhead, drives a six-speed auto operated by push-button controls. The first prototype is currently being completed at the company’s Bradford HQ.
Additional reporting by Darren Moss, 11 July 2014
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Defender Disaster
The turning circle will be interesting too.
re-invention of a different kind....
Love them or loathe them...
Having said that..'Ant-Khan' - come on think again; terrible name.