AbgTutor dot Com: 2014 Equus Bass 770 – supercharged 6.2L V8 homage

Wednesday, 25 September 2013

2014 Equus Bass 770 – supercharged 6.2L V8 homage

Here’s something that should stir your soul – I know it does mine. Just looking at it evokes memorable moments in a 1967 Charger and a couple of ’68-’69 Mustangs (one a 4.9 litre Windsor V8 example, the other a 7.0 litre Cobra Jet, the same mill as in the Shelby GT-500). This one is thoroughly modern though, and it’s called the 2014 Equus Bass 770.

The Bass 770 is American boutique manufacturer Equus Automotive’s homage to the pony and muscle cars of that era – you’ll see familiar cues and elements in its lines. There’s no whimsy design language being expressed here, just a lot of meat and grunt, and one look at that wedged nose easily tells you that.

It’s powered by a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 with 640 hp at 6,500 rpm and 820 Nm at 3,800 rpm, with performance specs being a claimed 321 km/h top speed and a 0-60 mph (or 96.5 km/h, if you prefer) time of 3.4 seconds. And, you can only have it in six-speed manual transmission form.

Not just a beast with no finesse or tech, the Boss 770. The 1,650 kg vehicle features a full aluminium bespoke frame and body, the latter lined with carbon-fibre inners, with a black leather-wrapped interior.

You even get a number of mod cons, though don’t be expecting Lexus or Infiniti levels of kit – standard equipment includes a GPS navi system and a CD/DVD player with USB connection, a tyre pressure monitor and cruise control.

Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, are to be found, and the Bass 770 rides on 19-inch wheels, wrapped with 255/40 front and 285/40 rear Michelin Pilot Sport donuts.

Driver-assist aids include traction control and variable-ratio power steering as well as Magnetic Selective Ride Control and Performance Traction Management, and the Boss 770 is equipped with front and side-impact airbags for the front occupants.

Ten exterior shades are available for this modern muscle car, which isn’t going to be a cheap proposition, as you’d expect. A fully-equipped 2014 Equus Bass 770 goes for US$250,000, with enhancements taking it up to the US$290k mark, and we haven’t gotten to going bespoke yet. This and a 1967 Dodge Charger 426 HEMI 7.0 litre V8 would be thrillsville though, so hell, yeah, I like. A lot.