Past Press
Bullet hits bullseye
The Herald Sun 23 November 2001
While Ford and Holden muscle car builders bicker about a
power war, another Australian supercar company has trumped
them.
The Bullet Roadster, a droptop based on Mazda MX-5, has been
launched in Melbourne.
And it has a 325kW supercharged V8 engine capable of shooting
it to triple figures in under four seconds.
The company behind the project, Advanced Engine Components
(AEC), says the Bullet is faster than any Ferrari, Porsche
or even Lamborghini but is a fraction of the price.
"This car will knock off any supercar at the traffic
lights," AEC chairman Peter Malone says, "and it
is a very sophisticated car."
AEC took over the Bullet project this year from its original
owners and transferred manufacturing from New South Wales
to Queensland.
The car is undergoing final certification to meet Australian
Design Rules standards, but orders are being taken.
AEC expects to build 50 Bullet Roadsters each year, with
the car customised mechanically and inside.
There is a two-model line-up: the naturally aspirated Bullet,
costing $98,000; and the supercharged SS, starting at $118,000.
Both are virtually the same underneath, with a spaceframe
chassis forming the backbone.
The engine is a modified 4.0-litre, 32-valve V8 from the
previous Lexus LS400 limousine.
In standard trim it pumps out 225kW, but the SS with AEC's
patented twin-screw supercharger, churns out more than 325kW
and an unofficial 550Nm of torque.
The drive is sent to the rear wheels through a heavy-duty
five-speed manual gearbox to an equally tough Borg-Warner
differential.
The car is easily identified as an MX-5 variant, but Bullet
says there is not much of the original Mazda.
The windscreen frame, the doors, bootlid and dash are the
only major Mazda parts. The rest of the car, including the
composite fibre, front-opening bonnet, the flared rear guards
and the space frame chassis is hand-built by Bullet.
The naturally aspirated version comes with race-tuned and
fully adjustable suspension, power-steering, electric windows
and a limited slip diff.
The SS version, apart from the supercharger, adds leather
trim seats, massive cross-drilled Brembo brakes, an immobiliser
and an Alpine CD sound system.
A hard top, air conditioning and an alarm system are available
as options on both models.
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