Evanta Barchetta (2014): first sight of Kahn's new roadster

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

10 July 2014 16:30

You're looking at the new 2014 Evanta Barchetta, the first fruits of a collaboration between famed tuning company Kahn and specialist manufacturer Evanta, whose boss starred in Channel 4’s For The Love of Cars.

Due to be unveiled officially at the Goodwood Revival in September, the Evanta Barchetta has been made by Ant-Kahn, the name for the surprise new partnership first revealed by CAR magazine earlier in summer 2014.

It's a retro-styled roadster with seats for two and a wardrobe inspired by 1950s motorsport.

Designed and built in Britain around a tubular chassis and clothed in a kevlar bodyshell, the Evanta Barchetta uses a GM-sourced 6.2-litre LS3 engine tuned to produce 450bhp.

No performance figures have been released yet, but it promises to be head-jerkingly rapid for anyone brave enough to buy.

Ant-Kahn says it will build no more than 20 Evanta Barchettas per year.

The new set-up claims it wants to start manufacturing specialist vehicles exclusively in the UK, using the low-volume expertise of Evanta and the engineering and design skills of Bradford-based Kahn.

'We are already working on exciting future plans that extend from coachbuilt special editions to series manufacture of motor vehicles, and you will see a number of models come to fruition in the coming weeks and months,' said the eponymous founder Afzal Kahn.

Ant Anstead, founder and managing director of Evanta, and presenter of For The Love of Cars, added: 'Together, we are dedicated to continuing and building upon the historical excellence of British vehicle manufacture and the traditions of hand finished coach building are at the heart of the company's ethos.'

A restyled Aston Martin WB12 will follow later in 2014, say the company's founders, while the Flying Huntsman will also be produced in 2014. It's a new take on the classic Land Rover Defender with all the rudeness, tough styling and outrageous performance we've come to expect of Kahn.

The Flying Huntsman uses the same GM V8 as the Barchetta, tuned for 550bhp in the 4x4, and has an extra 400mm of bodywork inserted in the nose of the 4x4. Sounds like one of the most unruly Defenders imaginable!

By Tim Pollard