There’s no shortage of sports cars coming out of Lo Stivale (The Boot), but that doesn’t mean that this new Milanese artisan manufacturer isn’t going to follow its dreams of building a sophisticated, custom-built sports car for the world to see - and hopefully buy. Juliani Automobili, a recently launched Italian maker, has revealed the first details on their first ever sports car: the Veela. This model was built with the amount of passion it takes to take on Italian foes such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, and that passion is clearly illustrated in the look of the Veela.
Built on a space-frame chassis, the Veela is powered by a 6.2L V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. This combination delivers a total of 520hp at 6300 rpm, which isn’t too shabby considering the company’s short time in business. But is it enough to challenge the Italian sports car veterans? Probably not, but it will be interesting to see them try.
Hit the jump to read more about the Juliani Veela.
Exterior
The Juliani Veela’s space frame chassis with honeycomb composite panels is held together with an epoxidic fiber glass body. These materials aid in lowering the weight of the car and increasing its performance. The car is 4.5 meters long, but only 2 meters wide and 1.2 meters tall, making it a very compact sports car. The Veela is said to be a 2+2 sports car, but we’re guessing the passengers in the back will have to be extremely thin and short to fit comfortably.
Up front, the car gets full LED and front bixenon lights, while the rear gets multi LED lights. The car sits on 19" alloy wheels wrapped in 265/40 19" front and 305/30 19" rear tires.
Engine
Under the hood of the new rear-wheel drive Italian sports car is a 6.2 liter V8 engine that delivers a total of 520 HP at 6300 rpm. This engine is combined with a manual 6 speed + R gearbox, a carbon fiber driveshaft, and GT2 performance LSD differentials. Aiding in the acceleration of the Veela is progressive traction control and launch control.
With its 520 HP, the Veela will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and from 0 to 100 mph in 7.6 seconds, while not stopping until it hits 192 mph.
Stopping power for the Juliani Veela comes from a Brembo brakes, 355mm 4 pot calipers in the front and 330mm 2 pot calipers in the rear.
Prices
Juliani has yet to reveal pricing for their new baby, but we’re guessing details will be revealed soon enough. Juliani will have to come up with a reasonable price tag for the Veela to stand a chance against its competitors.
Competition
We are going to go out on a limb here and say that the Juliani Veela is set to take on works from Ferrari and Lamborghini, namely the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera. Now, before everyone goes up in arms about such a loony comparison, let’s put aside the long and successful history of both Ferrari and Lamborghini and compare the specs of the vehicles themselves.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is one of our favorite new cars at the moment. It is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine producing 570 HP at 9000 RPM. This enables the Italia to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 202mph. When comparing the Ferrari to the Juliani, the specs are only slightly tilting the scales in favor of the Ferrari.
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera has a 5.2 liter V10 engine that pumps out an incredible 570 hp, matching that of the Ferrari 458 Italia. Other similarities to the Ferrari are the 0-60mpg sprint time of 3.4 seconds and its top speed of 202mph. Again, better than the Juliani, but not by boatloads.
Of course, once we add in the prestige and luxury of the Italian veterans, Ferrari and Lamborghini can probably walk away with the sale while laughing at the industry newbie. But anyone willing to take a chance on a new, hot car may find themselves pleasantly surprised.
Light and compact
Gorgeous exterior
0-60mph sprint time matches competitors
Less powerful than its competitors
Competitors’ status is tough, if not impossible, to beat
Anyway, I’m impressed with the detailing of this Veela.
but well, I have to agree that’s it’s pretty awesome on its looks!
Posted on
10.5.2011 @ 02:04