This 500bhp V8 Aussie supercar weighs less than a tonne Bolwell Nagari 500

Bolwell Nagari 500

 

 

Bolwell Nagari 500

 

A mid-mounted 6.2-litre Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine. 500bhp. A six-speed manual gearbox. Rear-wheel drive. 0-62mph in under three seconds. Less than 1,000kg kerbweight. It appears that all the good boxes have been ticked on the unofficial How To Make A Driver’s Car checklist.

The images above are our first look of a new, carbon-tubbed Australian supercar known as the Bolwell Nagari 500. If you’re Australian yourself, or your obscure car company knowledge is up to scratch, you might recognise the Bolwell moniker from the 1960s and 70s. If not, here’s a quick background.

 

 

 

The company was founded by Campbell Bolwell, who built his first fibreglass sportscar at the age of 16 and ended up making a small business from car sales, but an even larger one from the manufacturing of composite materials.

The original Nagari was built between 1970 and 1974 – right after Campbell’s brother Graeme had returned from a spell working under Colin Chapman at Lotus. That car featured a lightweight body inspired by Chapman, but with a stonking great Ford V8 plumbed in.