MMS Goshawk R 1000+: Australia Strikes Back
15 years ago, Brisbane-based Mason Motor Sports (MMS) launched its first-ever car, the Goshawk. It was fitted with a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged version of Albury Motors’ 6.2-litre New Universal V8, and was hailed as a spiritual successor to the Ferrari F40 due to its analog feel and blistering performance, enough to go toe-to-toe with contemporary rivals such as the Macale Mantella.
The current Goshawk R superseded the original in 2013, and to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the company’s establishment, it has replaced all prior variants with the most extreme version yet, the 1000+. Now packing well over 1000 horsepower from its 6.4-litre, direct-injected V8 (hence the name), it is one of the few old-school hypercars still in production, dispensing with new-fangled components such as bulky hybrid hardware or a complicated sequential gearbox.
Included in the production run is a 15th Anniversary edition, of which only 15 examples will be built. These cars are distinguished by their six-spoke carbon-fiber wheels and the option of an exposed carbon-fiber body, but all of them have been spoken for well before Goodwood 2017, as has much of the current production run. With most other Australian manufacturers sourcing their models from overseas, the Goshawk will be among the best specialist cars developed, engineered and assembled exclusively in Australia for years to come.