This trend-setting, exotic design pays homage to the great sports racers of the 1950s. These are not kits. This is the Barchetta 3500. They are award-wining, high performance, limited production automobiles. And it's custom-built to your desire.
Our creations have been expertly examined, receiving glowing endorsements by several aerospace and race car engineers, such as Gary Wheeler who was Dan Gurney’s chief engineer for 6 years, and now a good friend.
4 of the first 7 have gone to very serious car collectors. Each car takes between 4 and 6 months to build, and we typically only build 1 car a year. Our cars are very accurate in spirit and looks, except that you have 100 extra BHP than the cars of that era.
Let us custom build a car to your desires. What ever you can think of, we can build. Do you want a 450S? We can do that. Do you want it with a Maserati DOHC V-8? We can do that. Do you want an aluminum body? We can do that.
What have you always fantasized about driving? Let us build that fantasy for you.
Price for the Barchetta as pictured: $100,000 USD
Outrageous performance and upgrade options. Read all the specifications below.
Stunning vintage looks. All of the aluminum is worked by my two hands.
Each car is built to show-car standards. They have won trophies every time they’ve been shown or raced. Approximately 1000 hours goes into creating each car. There are about 1000 rivets in neat little rows. With the exception of the drive train, all the components used in the car are brand new and custom designed for the application.
Our first customer Dr. Enrique Saurez of Caracas, Venezuela (a world renown expert on LASIK eye surgery), was very pleased to add #002 to his sports car collection which also includes a Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari 512 TR, and a Porsche 911 Turbo.
The fact that Mr. Ron Tonkin, the well-known Ferrari dealer and exotic car collector, has added #004 to his personal collection which now numbers 44 cars – and the fact that he displays his Barchetta 3500 at his Gran Turismo dealership next to with Ferrari, Vector, and Lotus – speaks to the quality of these rolling works of art.
With perfect 50/50 weight distribution, race quality suspension components, and low vehicle weight, the Barchetta 3500 is a very potent road race car.
Any race car driver will tell you that what makes one car out-perform all the rest on any given track is lightness. Weight is the number one enemy of any race car designer.
Weight and horsepower are interchangeable – if you have more of the first you need more of the latter to maintain the same acceleration numbers, not to mention bigger brakes (more weight), a heavier chassis, transmission, differential, etc.
Before you know it you have a 3000 lbs “sports car” that needs a 400+ BHP to perform at all. This is a lesson taught well by Lotus, McLaren, and Porsche.
The Barchetta 3500 at 1600 lbs with the small motor (270 BHP) gives a HP to weight ratio of 5.9 lbs. per HP. Compare that to a Porsche Turbo at 8.1 lbs per HP, or even a Porsche GT2 at 6.2 lbs per HP.
Ask yourself what does a Porsche GT2 cost? The Barchetta 3500 with the big Rover V-8 (4.6 L), will make around 330 BHP. This equates to a weight ratio of 4.8 lbs per HP, which compares quite well to a McLaren F1 at 5.2 lbs per HP, or a Ferrari F50 at 5.6 lbs per HP.
Keep in mind, these are million dollar machines we are talking about. Car #003 was built with a small block Chevrolet that dynode at 455 BHP and 505 ft lbs. of torque. This car weighed 1800 lbs due to the iron block which gives it an incredible HP to weight ratio of 3.9 lbs per HP. Its owner Mr. Lon Packard claims he can do 0 to 60 MPH in around 3.2 seconds, and the performance of the car still shocks him!
We’ve taken 1st place in two different autocross, slalom events in our prototype –with street tires and a borrowed helmet– against full-blown race cars with slicks and experienced drivers.
From an Alfa DOHC 4, to a Maserati DOHC 6, to a Chevrolet small block, there are a multitude of engines that may be utilized.
The motor that we typically use is the 3.5L to 4.6L aluminum V-8 of Rover and B.O.P. origins, not to mention TVR, Morgan, etc. This engine was widely used in the 60’s racing scene by the big names of the era: Lola, McLaren, and Chevron. This same motor in Repco form, with SOHC heads bolted on, won the 1966 Formula 1 Championship for Jack Brabham.
In more modern times, it was used very successfully by Rover with TWR to dominate the RAC British Saloon Championship for 6 years. As you can see, it has earned its place in a sports car. We dress the motors with black wrinkle valve covers to look the part. We custom-make low profile oil pans and stainless steel headers, and with all those Webers, it makes sounds that will give you chills!
The contact information of the following references are available upon request.
Engine: Mild Rover V-8 3.6 L (approx. 220 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
Doug drives his car extensively when the weather allows. “Once you see it, no other car will do.” To quote his wife: “If it’s dry, I know he’ll be gone until dark.”
Engine: Built Rover V-8 3.6L (approx. 270 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
Dr. Suarez is a world renown eye surgeon, having performed more LASIK procedures than any one in the world. People travel from all over the world to have their surgery performed by him.
As a serious car collector, his sports cars include a Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari 512 TR, Porsche 911 Turbo. Enrique tells us that the Barchetta 3500 gets more attention than any of his other cars.
Engine: Built 383 cu in Chevrolet (approx. 455 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
Mr. Packard is a very serious lawyer who works with the Federal Justice Department to prosecute large contractors who defraud the Federal government ($600 Hammers and so forth). Lon tells us he has serious scratches in the aluminum dash board, from his partners hanging on for dear life, when he takes them for a “little ride.”
Engine: Built Rover V-8 3.6L (approx. 270 bhp)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
Mr. Tonkin is a well known car dealer with 11 dealerships in Oregon and California including one of the oldest Ferrari dealerships in North America. As former president of the N.A.D.A. and a very serious car collector, his personal collection numbers 44 cars, of which 25 are Ferrari’s.
Mr. Tonkin displays his Barchetta 3500 in his Gran Turismo showroom (with Ferrari, Lotus, and Vector) as it attracts peoples attention and gets them in the door. We’re told by his salesmen that “the Barchetta 3500 is the first car that people want to look at once they walk in.”
To quote Tonkin: “The Barchetta 3500 is a beautiful work of art, that looks like it should be put under glass.”
Engine: Built Rover V-8 4.6L (approx. 330 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red) with twin white stripes
Mr. Gaites is an avid exotic car enthusiast and the founder of Sportworx, North America’s premier sports-risk prize insurer. They organize, promote, and then insure the prize, at hole in one (golf) or half court free throw (basketball) contests, and the like. Visit sportworx.com to learn more.
Sportworx does a lot of trade shows all around the country (Baseball Owners Assoc., N.A.D.A., Golf Course Owners Assoc. etc.), and they use their Barchetta 3500 in their booth attract attention. It’s not uncommon at some of these shows to have a couple of thousand different vendors all trying to get the attention of the shows spectators. Vendors use everything they can think of, free stuff, gorgeous models, celebrities.
Trent tells us that his Barchetta 3500 “stops them dead in their tracks,” then all he has to do is reel them in. In fact, he’s thinking of starting a side business of renting out his Barchetta 3500 to vendors at other trade shows; Trent was approached by someone who saw the success of having his car at the trade show, and then rented it out for $8,000 for a 3-day show in New York. Talk about a show stopper.
Trent’s car was extensively optioned to his wishes, including:
Engine: Built Rover V-8 3.6L (Approx. 270 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
Car #006 is available to be seen by potential customers, contact D & B Enterprises.
This automobile was optioned to its owners wishes, including:
Engine: Built Rover V-8 3.6L (Approx. 280 BHP)
Color: Ferrari Rossa (Red)
To quote the Anderson’s: “This car is an adrenalin rush to drive, it’s like a P-51 for the road!”
#007 was optioned as follows: