Enter the Bufori CS. This is a preview of the
company’s upcoming production GT sports car that is set to debut in the first
half of 2020. The cars you see here are fully-functioning prototypes of the
Compact Sports that you can actually buy next year. The company rolled out a
similar looking race car with the “CS” name 10 years ago, but styling aside,
there’s nothing in common with the car you see here.
The CS prototype you see here is 4,555 long and
1,950 mm wide, with a 2,620 mm wheelbase. As a yardstick, the latest 992
Porsche 911 is 36 mm shorter and 98 mm narrower. As you can imagine, the CS has
good stance and proportions, and that’s before you take into account the
voluptuous body and unconventional details.
Those curves look serious in pictures and
sensational in the metal as they hug the CS’ 19-inch alloys (235/35 front,
255/35 rear), which look just about right, size-wise. It’s likely that the
Bufori’s slinky dress won’t be the first thing you’ll notice, but its face,
which looks unlike any car in production today. Those small eyes, the
“moustache grille” – it’s like a Guy Fawkes mask staring at you. Looking at the
car from distance, TVR comes to mind. Love or hate, you can’t deny that this
car has presence. Depending on whether you like how this prototype looks, Bufori’s
decision to lengthen the production car’s wheelbase by 350 mm can be a good or
bad thing. The plan is to make the production CS a proper grand tourer with
improved cabin ergonomics.
Less severe, and a matter of getting used to, is the
CS prototype’s high cowl and “sporty” feel (read: not very plush) of the Sabelt
CF-shell racing seats. All the amenities we demand from a modern car are
accounted for, and there’s a 7.0-inch colour touchscreen in the middle along
with a colour multi-info display between the chrome-cowled ice blue twin dials.
Of course, the Bufori CS is also powered by Mopar.
FCA’s 3.6 litre V6 with 320 hp sits under the long hood of these prototypes,
and the naturally aspirated Pentastar is mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic
transmission. We’re told that the production CS will start with a supercharged
version of this engine with 500 hp being the target.
The V6 will sit under the flagship CS8 model with a
6.4 litre supercharged Hemi V8 under the hood – the purpose-built motor with
forged internals will be good for a hefty 750 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque. An
eight-speed auto will send drive to the rear wheels, via a limited slip
differential. A Kepong-made car that does 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and a top speed
of 320 km/h (est) sounds like a joke, except that it’s not.
Matching those big figures are Brembo six-pot brakes
in front and four-piston units at the rear. You’ll also find fully adjustable
double wishbone suspension at each corner. All off-the-shelf safety and driver
assist functions have been included – ABS, EBD, ESC, adaptive cruise control,
lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and rear
cross traffic detection are all on, plus a minimum of two airbags and a reverse
camera. Holding all these together is a full carbon-kevlar monocoque;
although the prototypes have carbon-kevlar bodies on a stainless steel chassis,
the production car will feature the complete version Bufori’s signature
underpinnings, which blends strength and lightness. Speaking of that, the
target kerb weight for the heavier CS8 is below 1,400 kg.
The production CS will have its
wheelbase extended by 350 mm to free up more cabin space and improve ergonomics
(Bufori is also promising a more driver-oriented cockpit). The final design
will boast a more aggressive front end and even more emphasis on the car’s
“muscles”. The larger body will be able to accommodate 20-inch wheels (for the
top CS8), which looks a bit of a push with the prototype body. There will also
be quad exhaust tips, at least for the V8-powered CS.
How much do you think such a car – hand-built,
carbon-kevlar body, muscle car V8, modern electronics and features – would
cost? Bufori is choosing to keep mum for now, but how does RM 850k for the
supercharged 3.6L V6 and RM 1.2 million for the full-fat supercharged 6.4L V8
sound? A 992 Porsche 911 Carrera S (3.0L flat-six, 450 PS, 530 Nm) is priced
from RM 1.15 million here, by the way.
