A Chrysler Hemi V8 sits under the shapely snout of Melling’s Wildcat Speedster – a one-off special built for a German customer.
With six cars customer cars under its belt already, Melling Sports Cars is keen to stress the ‘bespoke’ possibilities of its Wildcat chassis.
The Speedster pictured here was custom built with a new body designed for an owner who wanted to evoke memories of the Mercedes SLR and Ferrari Testarossa. The design includes a low fly screen which sits closer to the driver than the normal windscreen, and a pair of faired in roll-over humps. It’s also a left-hand driver, as the car is going to the Continent.
With the new Melling V8 (formerly the TVR AJP8) only just available as an option, all the Wildcats built to date have featured meaty American V8s including Chevy LS2/3s and the aforementioned Chrysler Hemi - which in the Speedster transmits its power through a 1000hp rated Tremec five-speed gearbox.
Due to the way the Wildcat is designed, Wildcat bodywork changes are a relatively simple matter says Melling. All the panels come off in less than an hour, leaving a rolling chassis that can even be driven.