Dany Bahar is at it again: The flamboyant former Ferrari exec and ex-Lotus CEO is the main investor behind a new tuning house called Ares, and some former Lotus managers form his core team. While Bahar’s ambitious lineup of proposed Lotus models were aimed to take on Ferrari directly, Ares—named after the god of war—could be an even broader undertaking.
Okay, so Ares will start out adding body kits, enhanced interiors, and more horsepower to high-end metal, following a strategy similar to Mansory, the glitzy German tuner that teamed up with Lotus under Bahar’s watch just two years ago. Ares will launch with more or less tasteful variations of the Aston Martin Rapide S and Vanquish, the Bentley Continental GT, the Range Rover, and the Range Rover Sport.
The team charged with birthing these creations is Ares’ top designer, 26-year-old Mihai Panaitescu, who said he helped with four of the five stillborn Lotus concepts unveiled at the Paris motor show in 2010; former Lotus R&D chief Wolf Zimmermann, originally of Mercedes-AMG, serves as Ares’ chief technical officer. Dany Bahar himself is pulling the strings. And would you be surprised to learn Ares is located in Modena—right in the lion’s den? It seems someone is still out to teach Ferrari a lesson.
Down the road, will be more cars: “There are a lot of new cars and new ideas that we already have in the pipeline and Ares is also looking forward to building its own cars in the future,” says tech honcho Zimmermann. The company’s next moves include modified versions of the Lamborghini Huracán, Rolls-Royce Ghost, and Rolls-Royce Wraith.
Among the most ambitious projects communicated so far are “shooting brake” versions of the Aston Martin Rapide and the Bentley Continental GT. The Rapide Shooting Brake faintly resembles the ill-fated Fisker Surf, while the Bentley proposal’s chiseled looks sharply contrast with the elegant 2011 Touring Flying Star concept. Both are Photoshop designs right now, but there is little doubt Ares will put them into production. An Ares promotional video shows a somewhat nondescript, mid-engine supercar—perhaps hinting at further things so come.
- 2013 Morgan Three-Wheeler Tested: Three for the Road
- Honda Mean Mower Driven: A 109-hp, 130-mph Lawn Tractor
- 2015 BMW M4 Manual Driven: Three Pedals is a Clutch Move
Ares will launch in China, Russia, and the Middle East first, but the U.S. is definitely on the company’s radar. “We are currently working with a very experienced, successful, and well-respected partner in the U.S. and we will be making a formal announcement about our partnership shortly,” Ares told us today. The American-market launch will happen in early 2015.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1m8N9Y0
via IFTTT
