a day ago
How One British Firm Will Hand-Build Your Perfect Supercar
These days, some of the biggest luxury and performance marques make big bucks not just on the six-to-seven-figure cars they sell, but also on the long list of customization and personalization options they let their customers add on top.
Services like Porsche's Sonderwunsch, Bentley's Mulliner, and Ferrari's Atelier and Tailor Made programs are living examples. Last year, Ferrari sold just 13,752 cars but made around €1.3 billion ($1.35 billion) from personalization, accounting for about a fifth of its overall revenues. In addition, Rolls-Royce has been hard at work making £300 million ($376 million) worth of upgrades at its U.K. Goodwood factory to accommodate more of its "bespoke" cars.
But while the world's rich can configure supercars to have weird paint colors or have interiors and seats upholstered in exotic skins, they are usually restricted to the few models in the brand's portfolio and their particular body style and engine. There are a few exceptions, like Ferrari's Portfolio Coachbuilding Program, which has made special one-off cars for a select handful of its deep-pocketed and loyal clientele. One particular example is Eric Clapton, whose custom 70s-inspired Ferrari SP12 EC was rumored to cost nearly $4 million.
However, a British advanced engineering company wants to change all that. Dash CAE is launching a new division called Dash Bespoke, which is dedicated to end-to-end complete vehicle programs. In short, it will make you a custom supercar from the ground up, from your ideas, without most of the risk and engineering headaches.
Dash is able to create this sort of program in part due to its engineering experience and its in-house carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the TR01. Dash first released the TR01 back in 2023 as an off-the-shelf solution meant for racing teams, individuals, and firms that want to build their own low-volume production two-seater road cars. According to Dash, the TR01 platform is lightweight, stiff, and fully Euro NCAP compliant, which means it is road-legal in Europe. Additionally, they say it is a "highly adaptable platform" for race cars as well as the production of supercars and hypercars.
By using this 'blank-slate' chassis, individuals can approach Dash with an idea and dream up anything, regardless of what engine powers it or what kind of body style it'll have, because all the most challenging engineering work has already been done. In a statement, Dash CEO Tim Robathan noted that there has been customer demand for a turn-key solution to small-batch performance vehicle builds, and that this would eliminate most of the hangups that prevent some cars from being made.
"Bringing a bespoke or low-volume performance vehicle to life is a monumental undertaking," Robathan said. "Whether it's an OEM motorsport project or a niche hypercar, the engineering, manufacturing, and assembly challenges and associated risks are high. For many brands and visionaries, these obstacles can halt progress and project viability. That is why we have established Dash Bespoke."
If you're not familiar with Dash Bespoke, it's a spinoff of Dash CAE, an engineering firm that has been working in racing since 2006. It has provided parts and various engineering and prototyping services to teams competing in Formula 1, MotoGP, IndyCar, and other aerospace, automotive, and defense solutions.
Dash Bespoke has already made its first customer-built supercar, which will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this summer. It calls it the "SlipStream" and it will have a mid-engined V8 built by New Zealand-based bespoke and racing engine manufacturer Hartley, along with bespoke carbon fiber subframes, a light alloy suspension system, and hydraulic dampers from Nitron.
Dash doesn't have a price tag on its website for how much a custom-built supercar solution would cost, but it is taking inquiries from interested parties. Personally, I believe in the "built, not bought" mantra; however, I could imagine this being a very effective solution for startup performance or supercar companies to get the ball rolling with their own unique creations.
Theoretically, if I had the funds to commission Dash Bespoke for one of these creations, here's how I'd do mine: Honda HR35TT mated to a dual-clutch seven-speed under a body that looks like a first-generation Toyota MR2, pop-up headlights and all.
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