Bruno Laffite, the nephew of six-time Formula One champ Jacques Laffite, is attempting to carve out an “all-terrain supercar” segment with a dune buggy-like monstrosity dubbed the Laffite G-Tec X-Road.
It has direct ties to the very similarly styled SandRacer 500 GT from Dubai’s Zarooq Motors. Autoblog reports that Laffite, who previously served as operations manager of Zarooq, left the company after it became clear that the vehicle wouldn’t spawn a dune racing series. Instead, he continued working on the SandRacer 500 GT at his company, Laffite Supercars, with seasoned Formula racing engineer and team owner Philippe Gautheron as a partner.
The resulting Laffitte G-Tec X-Road boasts a tuned-up power plant fans of Chevy Camros and Corvettes will be familiar with: GM’s LS3 6.2-liter V8. An optional supercharger takes output up from 405 to 700 horses, which makes for a plentiful power-to-weight ratio in a car that tips the scales at just 2,866 pounds. An all-electric version is also reportedly in the works.
A buyers’ choice of race-worthy sequential five-speed or six-speed with paddle shifters sends power to the rear wheels, which is very supercar-like. The G-Tec chromium steel performance chassis and suspension’s 17-inches of travel and are the type of components you’d expect in a true off-roader, while the luxe carbon fiber-, leather- and polished metal-clad interior look like something you’d see in a high-end Mercedes G-Wagen.
Just 30 X-Roads will be built in a Los Angeles factory. Prices start at $465,000 for the naturally aspirated version, and a price for the supercharged version isn’t immediately available. Visit Laffite Supercars’ website to inquire.