MELBOURNE, Australia — Specialty-car maker Bolwell of Australia has just revealed its new lightweight sports car after three years of development. The Nagari is intended as a successor to the original early-1970s sports car of the same name. What makes it special is that it is specifically designed to deliver top performance under punishing Australian road conditions.
The Nagari — the name is an Aboriginal word meaning "flowing" — was first displayed at the 2008 Melbourne Auto Show. It is a midengine sports car powered by a 3.5-liter Toyota V6 making 295 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. The lightweight, 2,020-pound car packs plenty of punch, going from zero to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.
The Nagari features a six-speed paddle-shift transmission and is made of "high impact" composites along with carbon-fiber reinforcements originally developed for the aviation industry and space programs.
Bolwell has started taking orders on the car, priced at the equivalent of $132,000, and expects to deliver the first Nagari before the end of the year.
