Cooking with gas: The Breckland Beira

Little-known specialist car builder Breckland have announced their newest creation: the V8-powered Beira. Breckland are normally known for building specialised mid-engined sportscars like the ASL Garaiya, Mosler MT900 and the Tommy Kaira ZZ, however their latest car appears to be a much more street-friendly design. Based on the same chassis that underpins the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Beira sports a 6-litre 400hp LS2 V8 rather than the inline-four that normally resides between the frame rails. Plonking an LS-series V8 into the Solstice/Sky/GT chassis (otherwise known as the Kappa platform) isn't a new trick with several US companies offering the conversion, but what Breckland do differently is clothe the new motor in bodywork that's as beautiful as it is unique.

The headlights and rear quarter panels are the only throwbacks to the Opel GT donor car, with the rest of the bodywork being unique to the Beira. It's not all about good looks: many of the steel panels have been replaced with lightweight composites and Breckland say that with its 1300kg body and 400hp engine, the Beira is capable of sprinting from 0-98kph in under 5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 250kph.

"Beira carries on from where Marcos and TVR left off in terms of providing maximum performance for money spent, and real individuality. We wanted to showcase Breckland’s design and engineering capabilities and produce an exciting driver’s car, with excellent handling dynamics, terrific performance and great looks,” said Breckland Director Mike Rawlings.

Interestingly, Rawlings then went on to say that the Beira is also LPG-compatible, meaning that if you can find a space for the tank you'll be able to enjoy drop-top motoring without getting robbed at the bowser. Unfortunately, it all comes at a hefty cost. £55,000 is the expected retail price when it goes on sale in the UK this November. Then again, 400hp convertibles are pretty scarce at that price point so in that way, it's kind of a bargain. Too bad we won't be seeing it here in Australia.

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