Juliani
Veela
The
Veela is the first sport car to emerge from the new Milanese manufacturer
Juliani. Juliani describes the Veela as; "an Italian supercar made by
Italians". Added to that it's handbuilt to the specifications of each
customer. That means it'll either be really good; or it'll be really bad. Until
the first prototypes and pre-production cars start rolling around there's no
guarantees either way.
One
thing is for sure, Juliani intend to stuff the Veela with premium parts.
Including Brembo brakes, a carbon fiber driveshaft, superlight 19" wheels,
plenty of CNC machined aluminum parts, Ohlins shocks, a limited slip
differential with customizable ratios, Recaro seats, bespoke leather trim,
Hella LED headlights, and perhaps most impressively of all - if you're a Steve
Jobs fan - the Veela features an integrated Apple iPad 2 system capable of
controlling the radio, navigation system, multimedia system, internet and phone
connections and an optional 5 camera onboard video recording system.
All
that technology and high-grade parts and materials obviously puts the Juliani
Veela into serious supercar territory. So the engine is suitably large and
powerful. Mounted up front is a 6.2 litre V8 which produces 520 horsepower.
Mated to that is a 6-speed close ratio gearbox.
Curiously,
despite the attention to detail with the gadgets and expensive components,
Juliani state that the Veela will feature a steel spaceframe chassis and
fiberglass bodywork. No aluminium and carbon fiber?
Then
again lightweight an nimble performance isn't what Juliani are after with the
Veela. In their own words: "This car is not created for the circuit, it
has been created for the total pleasure of driving, for everyday driving with
the family, with a spacious boot able to carry a full set of golf clubs."
If
it manages to make production then the Juliani Veela will bring a unique fusion
of style to the road. There's a lot of TVR in the lines of the car, and at the
rear there's a hint of Lotus. Looking from the front Marcos is the brand that
springs to mind. But then it's all brought nicely together with some Italian
flair.