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Barnard BTR7 looks lioke a Le Mans endurance racer, and that is intentional.

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Let's face it, Bloemfontein is famous for roses, not supercars - but that may be about to change, because a locally-grown sports prototype has just successfully completed its shake-down run at nearby Phakisa Raceway.

The BTR7 (Barnard Track Racing; the 7 stands for 700 horsepower) looks like a Le Mans endurance racer - and that's intentional. It's not street-legal and is aimed primarily at the European and North American market, where a strong track-day culture already exists.

Exported price is $250 000 (about R2 million) ready to race.

That gets you 524kW of thundering seven-litre V8 in a tough monocoque chassis with proven components from the big names in international motorsport. It's a big car, 5.7m long with a wheelbase of almost three metres; even the rear tyres are almost 400mm wide!

“You won't find any driver aids here”

It'll hit 100km/h off the start-line in considerably less than four seconds and top 300km/h on the back straight, although it's been set up for all-rounded track ability rather than straight-line performance, with fully-adjustable suspension courtesy of either Penske or Bilstein dampers, Brembo brakes and a beefy six-speed manual transaxle from Tremec.

This is a big car, 5.7m long with a wheelbase of almost three metres; even the rear tyres are almost 400mm wide.

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Designer and company founder Chris Barnard explained: “We've deliberately steered clear of complex electronics such as traction control; you won't find any driver aids here - even that 524kW V8 can run on normal 95 octane pump fuel.”

AUTHENTIC SPORTS-RACING CAR

“The idea is to offer enthusiasts an authentic sports-racing car that's easy to use, requires little maintenance and minimal set-up time.”

In fact, now that the prototype is a runner, Barnard has enlisted four-times SA champion (and sometime Nascar driver) Grant van Schalkwyk for on-track development work.

A more powerful BTR11 (920kW thanks to a supercharged V8) and a more affordable BTR3 version are also in the pipeline.

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