Here is an unusual sports car: the Breckland Beira, a brand-new name, but with some solid underpinnings in the form of the GM kappa underbody. However, instead of a 260 bhp turbo four, the car gets the GM LS2 V-8 with an output of 400bhp.
The question is whether the platform is up to this amount of power, even though the suspension has been modified. Breckland is part of a group that has done a lot of work on the development of high performance cars including the Mosler, so they are not coming at this without experience.
Like the Saturn Red Sky, the Breckland Beira is a pleasant looking car, with an air intake below the bumper, faired in lamps and knife-edge fender lines. But can a sports car that looks like a mass-produced car and has the same chassis be worth over $100,000? I'm doubtful.
The nose is hardly different from the Red Sky, apart from the air intake, but the rear end has been reshaped and is pretty smart. There are also diffusers and twin circular exhaust pipes, to give a sporty line.
GM LS2 6.0 liter V-8
Beneath the hood is that well tried GM LS2 V-8, which just fits in the space designed for the turbo four. It is coupled to the Tremec six-speed manual box.
What about the suspension? It is based on the standard GM bits, but has been modified by Breckland in association with KW Suspension. The links are the GM parts, but there are uprated springs, dampers and bushes, with thicker anti-roll bars front and rear. Overall, the result is a harder ride, reduced roll, and sharper turn-in.
Special brakes, and you will need them
The brakes have been replaced with more powerful stoppers, supplied by HiSpec in the UK. Ventilated discs of 12.8 in (325 mm) diameter are used on all four corners, with six-pot calipers at the front, and four-pot calipers at the rear.
The 18-inch alloy wheels have 8.5 inch rims at the front and 9.5 inch rims at the rear, and carry Bridgestone tires.
Inside, there is a new center console, and to give the car some eco credentials, the car has been designed to run on LPG, so it has an extra tank at the rear.
Kerb weight is not too bad at 3,080 lb (1,400kg), but is only about 110 lb (50 kg) less than the larger Corvette.
Whether the Beira will handle well enough to take 400 bhp remains to be seen. Also there is a question mark over whether enthusiasts will be prepared to spend £55,000 (about $110,000) to buy a car that looks like the Saturn Red Sky.
