2009 Barnard Racer Prototype

2009 Barnard Racer Prototype
(South Africa)


It's been over 50 years since South Africa has produced a home-bred supercar. This is excluding the Shelby Cobras and Noble cars assembled in that country but basically originating from elsewhere. A chap by the name of Chris Barnard wants to change all that by introducing a car he simply calls the Barnard.

The Barnard is powered by a twin-turbo Porsche V8 engine with a power rating of 617bhp (460kW). It should deliver a sub-4 second 0 - 60mph time and a theoretical top speed of over 240mph (386km/h). Only the driver really holds those horses back because the Barnard is missing some equipment namely power steering, ABS brakes and traction control. Even the windows require manual manpower to operate. It's a contrast to the cockpit which is inspired by one of Barnard's other interests, aviation.

Built on a monocoque chassis that's made from lightweight hi-tech steels like Domex and Docol, the car is more race road car than anything else. It's designed to accommodate buyers' interests and can be personalised to a great extent, depending on budgets offered. The engine itself can be uprated to suit the buyer's desires.

"This is a car which has been built with the objective of breaking barriers, and no expense has been spared to make it into what I believe is the most single-minded performance machine yet from South Africa," Barnard said.

To help keep it on the road are things like a rear diffuser, a flat undertray and cutouts on the front wheel arches that generate larges doses of downforce.

Customer deliveries of the Barnard will begin in the middle of the year at a cost of about R1.1 million (about US$110,000) a pop.

'Emerging' Tattoo Design

This is my most recent tattoo design. It is based on a song I wrote called 'Emerging' which is about the human soul emerging from a state of hopeless addiction, and darkness, into the light, and a sublime spiritual state of being. This would be a very large tattoo, most likely a back, chest or side body work......

This work is still in progress, and the versions you see here are relatively 'rough'

Psychotrio Tatto Design

This artwork represents three aspects of 'self', in this case, myself. The centre character being the main 'me', the self image with which we generally identify. On the left is the dark, dangerous, ego driven male dominated side, and on the right is the warm, and yet potentially destructive (like fire) female aspect.

I love the idea of creating these types of alter ego designs for someone looking to get a unique tattoo that very much describes who they really are, deep down inside. Each individual has his or her unique vision of what makes them tick, after all....

This style of artwork draws heavily on ancient Mayan and Aztec designs, as well as Egyptian. A lot of the really fine tattoo art work I see in the world today, I feel is a modern day reflection of the ancient culture's 'spirit' art.....Something sadly missing in much of our so called 'culture' today. I feel as a culture, as a race, Western man has lost his roots, and tattooing is a profound and meaningful way of connecting with our ancient tribal roots.

Tattoo Frame Design

I designed this frame of twisted branches, that could work well to frame whatever image someone might want to have tattooed. In the first example I've framed an illustration of a medieval castle scene, and the second is a female portrait.

The Goblin

This is a design that I drew, a very long, long time ago. So long ago that I would rather not say. It could use a little finessing as a design, but there is something about it I like a lot, and I think it would make an excellent tattoo design.

Nuclear Burn

I designed this monstrosity quite a long time ago. Surely there is someone out there twisted enough to get this as a tattoo! A big part of my artwork back then was concerned with the dangers of nuclear proliferation. I still think we are playing with fire, regardless of all the talk of 'safe' nuclear energy! Nuclear Burn anyone?

Elemental Magic

Over four years ago I started working on my book 'Elemental Magic'. One of the first things I designed for the book, was the cover artwork. I was sure that my publisher, Focal Press, would ask for changes to the cover, as it is very organic and clean, in sharp contrast to most of their book covers, which are far more 'textbook' in style. But they LOVED the design and stuck with it. I think it would make a bitching tattoo, and I am considering getting it done, large on my back between the shoulder blades...

Scott's Biomechanical Dragon Tattoo

My good friend Scott asked me to design, a 'Biomechanical Dragon' tattoo design for his left shoulder. Initially I designed a dragon that was not 'biomechanical' but distinctly not a traditional Chinese dragon either. I did a rough colour version of it, before I moved on to redesigning the dragon as the fully biomechanical version seen in black and white above. Scott loves it, and is probably getting it done right about now, down in Cabo San Lucas at Baja Tattoos, where I recently had a beautifully stylized Aztec Sun God tat done on my inside left forearm. Carlos and his tattoo artists at Baja Tattoos are fantastic, and I know that carlos will do a beautiful job on Scott's dragon.....

Smoking Skull Tattoo Design

While on a short vacation recently to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I drew this macabre smoking, flaming skull while sitting at my friends Michael and Collen's dining room table, in their beautiful desert castle. While they played cards, I sketched away with my blue Colerase pencil, and came up with this. Back in Vancouver, I cleaned it up in black graphite, and added the red flames in photoshop. Not sure which way I like it best, but it would definitely make a killer tattoo for someone who is into the skull thing.....

Val's Rose and Koi Pond Tattoo

Recently I was asked to design a tattoo for a good friend of mine, Val. All she told me was that she wanted a large white rose, and a Koi pond, with two or three fish in it. She also wanted to see some blue or purple Iris flowers in the design. The tattoo is intended to go across Val's back, spanning her shoulders and hooking up nicely with the colourful tattoos that she already has on both shoulders.

24 hours later I had come up with this design, and Val is delighted with it. Of course there is still room for the tattoo artist to embellish the colours and design. I hope Val finds an excellent artist to complete this tattoo. I would love to ink it myself, but I think I will need at least a couple of months to master the tattoo gun.....



Here is Val's tattoo, with the line work completely finished!

Spirit Head and Yin Yang

Just like my Yin Yang design further down the page, I drew this one in my journal, sitting on the beach in Guadeloupe, one of the French Caribbean Islands that I visited during my 6 week long travels through the Caribbean in 2002. Although the way it is drawn, with a kind of wood engraving look, would need to be changed to be more shaded rather than cross-hatched, I think the over all design would make a stunning tattoo.

Celtic Cross Tattoo

I designed this Celtic Cross for my own right shoulder, in early 2008. I had the tattoo done by Michee, a Japanese woman who does beautiful tattoo work at Sacred Heart Tattoos in Vancouver.

The design incorporates several elements important in my life. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, Elemental Magic, are portrayed. The center circle and triangle design represents my recovery from addiction. Above that there is also a Yin Yang design, which is central to my life's philosophy.

Yin Yang

I drew this Yin Yang design in my journal, sitting on a beach on the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe, about 6 years ago. I think it would make an outstanding tattoo design.......

Portait Tattoo Design

This portrait was originally done in Montreal, way back in the early eighties. It was my girlfriend at the time, Manon. Almost thirty years later, Manon and I got in touch on Facebook, and she sent me a hi-res scan of the original drawing, that was very worn out and dirty, but still a beautiful drawing. (I had given it to her at the time) I cleaned it up and retouched it heavily in Photoshop, and this is the final result. I would love to design and create portrait tattoos. Many portrait tattoos that I see, seem to lack a real artistic flair, and I think I could provide that extra special touch.

Sea Turtle Tattoo

I designed this sea turtle tattoo, while sitting at the dining room table with my friends Michael and Colleen Johnson, at their beautiful home in Cabo San Lucas this April. It was a reflection of where I was at the time. Although I did not see any sea turtles during my visit, they are a common symbol seen around the Cabo area.....I suspect a good number of female tourists would love to get a sea turtle tattoo done while they are vacationing in Cabo San Lucas!

(OOOPS! I left out his tail!!)

Mary Anne's Hummingbird Tattoo

When my dear friend Mary Anne Shelton, passed away last year, her girlfriends and I decided to get a tattoo to remember her by. This humming bird design was found by someone, but I changed it substantially, smoothing out the lines and flow of the design, and adding the sphere, intended to portray an eclipsing sun, or moon, as Mary Anne's life was eclipsed. The lettering, "Memento Vivere" is latin for "A remembrance of life" and that was added to my tattoo, for another biker lady friend, Josie, who has been battling cancer for many years now. Over a dozen of her friends have tattooed these words on themselves in her honour. I have not heard form her in several months now, and I fear she is passed as well......

I had the tattoo done on my left shoulder, but decided to leave out the colour and just add black and grey shading instead. It looks beautiful. I am planning to add a subtle blue shading to the center of the circle, and leave the bird in black and white. The tattoo was done by Sean Cox at Millenium Tattoo in North Vancouver.

(this photo illustrates well, the long term damage that was done to my left shoulder in a motorcycle accident over 6 years ago. My tricep's nerves were badly damaged, and the muscle has never been able to grow back!)

The Zagato Perana- Z-one

The Zagato Perana- Z-one
(South Africa)

The Perana Z-One is a South African supercar styled by the famous Italian design firm Zagato.

The Perana name is well known amongst performance car fans in South Africa as the name was given to a range of Ford vehicles tuned by Basil Green Motors in Johannesburg back in the 70s and 80s.

However unlike the old Perana vehicles the Z-One is powered by a GM sourced engine, a 6.2 litre LS3 V8 to be exact. Mounted up front this engine should give the coupe fantastic performance while also being easily serviced and long lasting.

Each curvaceous body of the Perana Z-One will be individually created by Zagato before being sent to South Africa where it will be joined to the chassis and drivetrain.

The body itself manages to be both classically proportioned and contemporarily styled. It also incorporates a number of Zagato trademark styling details like the double bubble roof and hidden 'Z' built into the b-pillar.

In total only 999 examples of the Perana Z-One are due to be built.

The Perana Z-one will be produced at the world renowned Hi Tech Automotive Manufacturing Facility. Located on the outskirts of the Friendly City of Port Elizabeth, this manufacturing facility is considered to be one of the world's foremost low volume specialist sports car manufacturers.

The allure of the Perana Z-one is complimented by its hand-built manufacturing processes leading to unrivaled craftsmanship and finish. This leads to cars with a build integrity that allows them to be accepted as classics in their own right.

From the computerized drawing office to the paint shop, where the entire paint shop is pressurized and not only the spray booths, our attention to detail allows for unrivaled quality and finishes.

All this can only happen through experienced management, employing craftsman and adherence to rigorous quality controls to meet the discerning demands of an unforgiving international market.

The Joule

The Joule
(South Africa)

Optimal Energy, a privately-owned South African company based in Cape Town, has unveiled Africa's first all-electric vehicle. Appropriately named Joule, the zero emission car is a six-seater multi-purpose vehicle.

Designed by Optimal Energy in association with legendary South African born automotive designer, Keith Helfet, the ultra sleek Joule is scheduled to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show this month.

"The world's finite energy sources are being used inefficiently and urban transport plays a major role in energy wastage and climate changing pollution," says CEO of Optimal Energy Kobus Meiring.
SA Good News
"Joule is Optimal Energy's solution to change that. We have capitalised on the opportunity presented by the exponential increase in oil costs and the dramatic improvement in battery price, life and performance."

Joule's interior and exterior was styled by Keith Helfet who has a long and illustrious history as chief stylist at Jaguar and, who was responsible for such iconic designs as the XJ220, the XK180 and the F-Type.

"Optimal Energy was searching for a world class designer, the fact that Keith is South African born and has strong South African roots matched our criteria perfectly," says Meiring.

Joule's chassis has been designed to accommodate two large-cell lithium ion battery packs which employ chemistry similar to that used in mobile phones and laptop computers. This chemistry is inherently safe; lithium is found in many medicinal applications and the batteries do not contain any heavy metals.

Using a normal 220 Volt home outlet and Joule's onboard charger, it will take approximately seven hours to recharge Joule's battery for a 200km driving range, with two packs providing 400km in total.

Eskom, the country's sole electricity provider, has confirmed that the South African grid has enough capacity to supply electrical energy to millions of cars without affecting its customer base or requiring any additional infrastructure. Eskom has vast amounts of excess energy between 11 PM and 6 AM (GMT +2); this will be the recommended recharging time. Electric cars only require about 20 percent of the energy that conventional cars require; this means that the total emissions are much less, even if Eskom's coal dominated electricity is used. With the global trend of electricity generation becoming more renewable and cleaner, total emissions caused by electric cars will continue to shrink.

The South African Province of Gauteng is currently being evaluated for Joule's first assembly plant. Joule will be sold in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban and will be available towards the end of 2010. Joule was developed for the international market and sales and exports will follow shortly after the South African launch.

Laraki Fulgura Concept 2007

Laraki Fulgura Concept 2007

The Laraki Fulgura was the company's first car model. Originally unveiled as a concept at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show then redesigned in 2005 and unveiled in the same year. Now for the latest development which is dubbed the 2007 concept vision of the Fulgura.

The Laraki Borac

The Laraki Borac

(Morocco)Manufactured by the Laraki group.

It was originally unveiled as a concept at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. The car is planned for production, although a final design has yet to be unveiled.

The design of the Borac is that of a GT, with a front engine layout and seats 4 passengers. The 2 rear seats are small, probably for children instead of adults. The Borac is a totally independant design from the companies first model the Fulgura.

A Mercesdes 6.0L V12 powers the Borac, with a impressive 0 - 60mph in 4.5 seconds.

The Laraki Fulgura 2004

The Laraki Fulgura 2004

(Morocco) The Laraki Fulgura: The Moroccan supercar company, named after its founder Abdeslam Laraki, unveils the 2004 model Fulgura.

Buyer this time around have the option ofV8, or a V12 Mercedes- engine.

The Laraki Fulgura

The Laraki Fulgura

(Morocco) The Laraki Fulgura: This Moroccan supercar concept, named after its founder Abdeslam Laraki was based on the world famous Lamborghini Diablo. It was offically unveiled at the 2002 Geneva motor show.

The Shaka

Shaka
(South Africa)

The Shaka Nynya, Shaka named after the founder of the Zulu nation, Chaka. Nynya is an anglicized Zulu word meaning Prowler.

The Shaka design drew inspiration from many sources including the Plymouth prowler and Lotus 7. It can be said that the Shaka is to a Lotus 7, as a Viper is to a AC Cobra. The 'floating fenders' came from Bertone's "Toy Car". There is a bit of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Viper etc. thrown in for good measure.

The performance criteria was to out-perform any production car in any performance category up to 135 mph. The Shaka was designed to beat any production car in any Autocross.

Weight and chassis rigidity was of primary importance. This determined the final dimensions of the Shaka. An all aluminum 6 Liter, 405 HP engine is used with a 6 speed transmission.

The Shaka is designed for the consummate road racing enthusiast.

Drive to the events listed below and bring home the winner's trophy. A very stiff chassis allows for soft springs and a comfortable ride, unlike replica cars of the 60's.

The wallys

The wallys
(Tunisia)

"Wallys Izis" is the first car built entirely in Tunisia. This was done in secret in a workshop at La Marsa, north of Tunis. Zied Guiga led this 18 month long project which gave birth to a prototype which was unveiled at the Paris auto show (2008), where it recieved alot of attention.

The only part that was out sourced for the project was a Peugeot 1.4 litre petrol engine. Apart from that the rest of the car was made using Tunisian made car parts (cables, body, joints, chassis, and mechanical parts). The build team behind the project were all Tunisian.

It was inspired by the original American Willy's Jeep.

They will also offer both a petrol and an electric version of the 'Wallys Izis' , at a starting price of 10,000 Euros, and a 4 door version of the car is set for 2009 June launch in Tunisia.

A very great start for Tunisia's first production car.

The Punda

The Punda
(Uganda)

First made-in-Uganda vehicle takes to the road

Martin Ssebuyira Kampala

After several false starts, the first “made in Uganda” vehicle dubbed Punda 1, made its maiden road test recently to the amazement and interestingly, amusement of onlookers. The rickety three-passenger vehicle with a carriage is the work of a resiliently patient lecturer, Eng. Samuel Semulimi, of Kampala Polytechnic Institute in Mengo who confesses holding a childhood dream of making a car.

Eng. Semulimi told Smart Money that the vehicle has been undergoing construction since 2006 with support from the government, Makerere University Faculty of Technology and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

After more than two years of workshop activity, Punda 1 that gets its name from the Swahili word for donkey, made an unlikely emergence for a three-hour road testing with Eng. Semulimi at the steering wheel driving from Victor Machinery Ltd in Katwe into the city center.

Eng. Semulimi said the vehicle has been made from locally sourced materials –making up 75 per cent - including scrap metals metals. “The cabin tray was made using mild steel plates, hollow section pipes while the chassis was made using tubular sections, h-angles, steel bushes, bolt and nuts, flat bars among others that can be got from steel manufacturing companies like roofings, steel rolling mills, Hardware World and others,” he said. He said the vehicle has reached a point where he wants other partners to help him develop it further for commercial production.

“The vehicle would be ready for commercial production when various stakeholders pattern with me to develop it [vehicle] further,” he said as he drove.

Eng. Semulimi’s vision is to make a vehicle cheap enough and useable by rural folks such as farmers. And to state that vision, he conveniently inscribed the words; “Rural Transport Vehicle” in place of the registration number.

As it journeyed through the city bystanders including traffic police marvelled and laughed, and occasionally joked about its viability and looks. Eng. Semulimi refused to be drawn into the roadside jokes.

“The vehicle is easy to sustain. It can easily be maintained by most Ugandans especially those in rural areas who want carrier cars because of its simple technology,” he said unwaveringly. He said after extensive research from 1998, he found out that most economical cars in Uganda use about one litre of fuel for every 10 to 12 kilometers.

The Punda 1, he claimed, would use about half that fuel for the same distance or better still achieve up to 25 kilometers per litre of fuel, compared to the 10 kilometres most saloon cars on Ugandan roads achieve on average. Eng. Semulimi who is the director of Victor Machinery Ltd said he employed just five semi-skilled artisans; crafts men, metal fitters and a welder to construct Punda 1.

Victor Machinery also makes other vehicles products and services like car batteries, agriculture machineries, metal fabrications and electrical installation among others. For now though, the vehicle is to undergo mechanical scrutiny by various standards departments and agencies.

First, is a requirement of a mechanical audit by the Ministry of Works and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

“Let him write a letter officially to enable us inspect the car and give him a mechanical audit,” an official at the Ministry of Works only identified as Omara told Smart Money.

UNBS publicist Moses Sebunya said they cannot certify such a product because they do not have any set of minimum standards for vehicles made in Uganda.

“We even don’t have machines to test the car quality, we cannot certify it,” Mr Sebunya said.

On a more positive side, the Principal industrial Officer at the Ministry of Trade and Tourism, Mr Joshua Mutambi said the ministry would be willing to support such an innovative Ugandan. He said the ministry has plans of constructing an industrial center in Luzira to bring under one roof such people and easily provide them with necessary machines to boost their innovations. “The place would help the engineers get machines they couldn’t access to improve their products,” he said. He said the government would sponsor Eng. Semulimi to display his vehicle in various exhibitions in various countries to get possible partners.

Late 2008 a new development team together with Eng. Semulimi have come together to see the project develop into a production ready vehicle, namely the Punda 2.