Retro Rocket: The 2015 EQUUS BASS770

2015 EQUUS BASS770

The American musclecar; a beast known for its high horsepower, straight-line acceleration, and ability to turn a pair of rear tires into a pile of rubber, was long thought to be extinct after the gas crisis of the 1970s. Restrictive emissions controls, the quest for better fuel economy, and front wheel drive seemed to be the death knell for this once mighty breed of performance vehicle. Then a funny thing called Moore’s Law happened. This law states that transistors on integrated circuits will double almost every two years. What this meant for the automotive industry, powertrains in particular, was that eventually computerized engine control systems would advance to the point that they could not only make a vehicle more economical, but also more powerful. By the late 1990’s American V8s were routinely putting out over 300 horsepower again in rear wheel drive platforms.

Then, what was old, became new again. VW unveiled the new Beetle in the late 1990’s. Mini, now owned by BMW, released a new generation of the Mini Cooper in 2001. American manufacturer’s soon picked up on the trend. Ford unveiled the next generation of Mustang in 2005, Dodge followed suit with the Challenger in 2008, and Chevrolet revived the Camaro from an 8 year hiatus in 2010. These cars not only paid homage to the lean and mean lines of the 1960’s muscle, they had the power as well. In naturally aspirated configurations Fords “mod motor” V8, Dodge’s HEMI V8, and Chevrolet’s LS series V8 engine all put out in excess of 400hp. The musclecar came back with a vengeance.

At the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Michigan’s Cobo Hall, in the basement, past the press room, past a spattering of Lingenfelter and other miscellaneous performance vehicles, across from the Michigan State Formula SAE team, and diagonal to a company showcasing some handicapped accessible vans, was one of the most intriguing yet most sparsely attended press releases of the entire show.

EQUUS BASS770 (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

It was in this small out of the way area that EQUUS AUTOMOTOVE, Inc., a start-up automotive company based out of Rochester Hills, Michigan, unveiled the 2015 BASS770. This car was less a modern looking throwback to the muscle cars of the 1960’s and 1970’s, than an actual, honest to goodness from the ground up modern redesign and rebirth of the American musclecar. There was only one small hitch in this pony’s giddy-up. The cost. At a starting price of $250,000 (they even offer a bespoke option with your own designer that starts at $300,000) this car is definitely not marketed to your typical Joe Six-Pack American. This car was built to appeal to a high end clientele of car aficionado’s. Someone who wants the looks, power, and comfort, but doesn't want to spend every weekend tearing down a Holley carburetor or trying to figure out if they want to install chrome or yellow slapper bars on the rear mono leafsprings. Also different is how the car is made. Not on a mass produced assembly line, but by hand, and in America no less.

The outside of this car definitely conjures up images of musclecars of yore. Mainly, the mustang fastbacks of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. However, a closer inspection reveals design cues in the front and rear of the vehicle from a variety of Mopars of that era as well. After the unveiling, more than one person has commented that the design seems to so blatantly rip off the Ford Mustang couldn't Ford sue? Well the answer is simple: No. EQUUS holds a United States Design Patent for the bodystyle of their car.

EQUUS BASS770 (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

Despite the horse emblem there is a hint of old Mopar in the front lines

The interior is simple, functional, and beautiful. Clad in leather almost everywhere, the interior colors can be as subtle or as loud as you want depending on the configuration you choose. What isn’t covered in leather is covered in brushed metal or chrome. A speedometer and tachometer are the only prominent gauges in the center of the console. Off to the left a small digital display resides, controlled by toggle switches. Additional gauges reside in the center console to keep the driver informed. GPS, radio, cd/dvd, and automatic climate control fill out the rest of the center console. This definitely bucks the current trend of covering every square inch of a vehicle in buttons, gadgets, screens, and any other technology you can think of. It’s simple, and we like that.

EQUUS BASS770 Interior (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

EQUUS BASS770 Interior (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

EQUUS BASS770 Interior (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

Despite the fact this car has a 116” wheelbase (almost 2” longer than a Ford Crown Victoria and 7” longer than a Ford Mustang) it is extremely lightweight. Utilizing an aluminum chassis, aluminum body, and carbon fiber inner liners, the vehicle comes in around 3,640 lb., around the same weight as a current Mustang GT. The layout is a front mid-engine arrangement that makes for a much improved front-rear weight balance over older front engine, V8, rear wheel drive cars it is trying to emulate. Magnetic selective ride control, traction management, and active handling systems are standard to help keep everything comfortable and reined in. The Brembo brakes are ventilated, cross-drilled, carbon ceramic matrix discs on all corners with 15.5” 6-piston front and 14” 4-piston rears. All of this sits on Michelin Pilot Sport 255-40-ZR19 front and 285-40-ZR19 rear tires. This car will whoa as quick as it will go.

255-40-ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport wrapped around a 15.5" 6 piston Brembo brake system

Speaking of go, the heart of this beast is a supercharged GM LS9 V8 that pumps out a massive 640 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 605 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm. This is enough to propel the BASS770 to a factory claimed 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 200 miles per hour. Power is sent rearward through a six speed manual dual clutch transmission mounted in the rear of the vehicle.

In closing; a handmade car with the best design cues of the original musclecar era stuffed with the best technology the 21^st century automotive industry has to offer, that can be custom tailored just for you.

Carbon fiber body liners can be seen underhood (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

Underhood the LS9 sits behind the front axle for improved performance (Image courtesy Gary McFarland)

This is one horse we can’t wait to get under saddle.