In a small,
pristine garage in North County San Diego, an unusual project is under
way. Huddled around a single steel chassis, a team of expert automotive welders
is fabricating a new high-tech supercar, dubbed the Lucra L148. It's the
brainchild of Luke Richards, a quixotic entrepreneur and former pilot, who
founded Lucra Cars in 2006. If all goes as planned, Richards and
his team of 12 full-time craftsmen hope to create one of the most
technologically advanced American supercars ever made.
Unlike most
supercar projects, which can take years, if not decades, to complete, Richards
plans to deliver the first L148 in the summer of 2014, just one year after the
initial renderings. He expects the price to be comparable to that of a new
Ferrari or Aston Martin, around $260,000. "A lot of guys try to build
a $100,000 car that's as good as a $300,000 car, but then what you end up with
is a failed, expensive, cheap car, all at once," said Richards. "It
needs the correct budget to be built right."
That hefty
budget will include a computer-designed carbon-fiber exterior, a lightweight,
super-strong chassis made from chromoly steel – the same material used on Baja
1000 Pro Trucks – mated to a 700-hp GM LS V-8 engine, and several components
Richards refer to as being "mil-spec," or military specification,
including a wiring harness typically found on most military aircraft. And
unlike Richards' first creation, the LC470, which was featured in "The
Fast and Furious 6"and on a recent episode ofTop Gear U.S., the L148 will
come equipped with air conditioning, satellite radio, and GPS navigation.
Hallelujah.
But to
understand what makes the L148 unique, and not just some cobbled-together
custom car, it's important to understand how Lucra Cars came to be.
Richards,
42, was born in England, the son of an English father and an American mother.
When his parents divorced and his mother returned to the United States,
Richards became the product of an intercontinental breakup, spending half his
time in Connecticut and the other half in London.
Along the
way, he developed a simultaneous appreciation for American muscle cars and
finely-tuned European sports cars."My dad always said you can have a car
that goes fast in the straightaways or handles well in the turns, but you can't
have both," he said. "And that was the attitude for a long time, that
you couldn't merge them together at all.”
Following
numerous stints in the car business, Richards moved to San Diego and
launched Lucra Cars, promising to build a car that would marry American power
with European precision handling. “I couldn't afford an automotive franchise at
the time, so I created Lucra,” he said, noting that prior to starting the
business, he had taken up residence on his small vintage boat docked in San
Diego Harbor. "Besides, owning a dealership would not have done anything
for my creative needs."
Interestingly,
Richards says he credits his extensive automotive expertise to an early passion
for 1:8 scale radio-controlled cars. "I learned all about aerodynamics and
I had all this gear – slicks and extra tires, different bodies and wings, fully
adjustable suspensions – it was like running a little Indy Car," he said,
noting that he holds fond memories of racing RC cars with his father at
London's now-defunct Crystal Palace circuit. "They were like little cruise
missiles on the ground – sway bars, shocks, disc brakes, gears – everything a
real car has, they have."
The early
days of the company were challenging as Richards struggled to find footing in
California's highly competitive custom car scene. But after the introduction of
the LC470, a lightning fast, Lister-inspired roadster, he was able to catch the
eye of legendary movie car designer Dennis McCarthy, who asked Richards to
consult on numerous high profile projects, including several of "The Fast
and Furious" movies.
"Profit
is kind of an equal spread between selling our own cars, helping to design
vehicles for Hollywood, and a bit of restoration work," said Richards,
adding that he has sold 57 examples of the LC470, which range in price from
$90,000 to $130,000, depending on engine options.
With
interest in the LC470 at an all-time high and the introduction of the L148 just
a few months away, Richards hopes to be selling between 100 and 200 cars per
year within the next five years. "From there I would like to see the next
stage of Lucra happen where we get a much larger level of funding and
where we go forward and build a big production car — where we move up to the
level of Lotus," he said. "Basically, everything should multiply by
10 every time you make a jump."
He's also
aware that most niche-market automotive manufacturers often struggle in the
face of heavy competition from larger brands. But he doesn't care. Richards
explained that he is out to change the landscape, instead of conform to it.
"If you're in a band, you can play cover songs all day long and play in
the local bar down the street till the cows come home," he said. "If
you want to make something of yourself, you have to go write your own music at some
point. Otherwise, you are never going to be Van Halen."
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