Lightweight Jannarelly Design-1 Blends Retro-Race Beauty and Power
Jannarelly Design-1 is inspired by vintage sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s, and it drives as good as it looks.
Speed and horsepower seem to to be easier to get these days. With an increase in aftermarket products and modifications; as well as an increasing fleet of supercars, power is just easier to come by.
“Everything is easy these days. You can have pretty much whatever you want whenever you want it,” says Carfection host Alex Goy in their video on the Jannarelly Design-1. “With cars a 300 horsepower hot hatch means it’s never been easier or more accessible to drive fast. There’s even a 1000 horsepower production Ferrari that is somehow a thing that people can just buy.” What is missing though is the satisfaction of putting effort into something, he says. This is where a car like the Jannarelly Design-1 becomes something really special. Says Goy, “The tiny Jannarelly is a look back at the old school. A take on ‘row your own gears’ and driving for the sake of it.”
Made by Dubai-based Jannarelly, the Design-1 was penned by car designer Anthony Jannarelly. He’s the designer behind the W Motors Lykan Hypersport and Fenyr Supersport. Two incredible rides that easily made waves.
But where these cars seemed a view of the future, the Design-1 has its heart in race cars of the past.
“For new cars out there in 2020, there’s nothing like it,” says Goy. Though the Design-1 is technically a roadster you can order it with a roof that tilts up and forward to allow you to enter and exit the little sports car. Pretty cool.
Goy had equally good things to say about the car’s interior. “The interior is sparse but oddly plush. It’s also super tiny in here,” hardly a surprise with this kind of sporty ride. .
A big part of the Design-1’s charm is it’s weight, or lack thereof. At just over 2,000-lbs. the car has very little to lug around. Available carbon fiber options can remove another 100-lbs.
“So, it’s small and it’s light,” says Goy. “But that’s not everything. Behind me is a 3.5-liter V6 provided by Nissan.” The engine is normally found in a 350Z but, does a terrific job of powering the Design-1, producing about 325 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Jannarelly says the Design-1 will do the 0-to-60 run in under four seconds. That’s a believable figure when you factor in the car’s weight. “This isn’t a car about outright top speed and bragging to your mates in the pub,” says Goy. This is about the joy of driving.” The Jannarrelly Design-1 is a breath of fresh air in a world of increasingly heavy and complicated cars. “Everything about it is so raw,” says Goy. “The throttle response is just amazing.”
Check out the video to see Goy’s road test impressions, and hear the tasty engine roar.