Ventnor has always held high esteem among the public as a sophisticated luxury brand. Over the years they had produced many exceptional models, the ultra high end Chieftain, the Monarch which managed to weather the CAFE and emissions standards of the 1970s, the Sovereign which pioneered the automatic transmission which would later spread to other Petoskey models.
Not all were successes however. The Regent (first gen) held controversy due to it no longer offering a Ventnor engine plus having a long production run after its popularity severely declined, the Fortescue which was just a rebadged Rebel with a jacked up price, and the Emissary, which was a good car, but aged poorly due to plain styling.
In all the history of Ventnor is pretty solid, many reflect upon the Bambino and Bambino GT which were among the fastest cars of their day. But there was one model which left them all behind. It was such a radical concept that was completely over the top. I’m talking about the legendary Ventnor Speedster, the fastest car in the world in 1945. With only ten ever built it is also one of the rarest cars in the world. It was this car that represented such an abstract approach to automotive design. It is this model that I speak of that the staff at Ventnor turned to for inspiration for their next design. Something they haven’t done in over sixty years, make a true hyper car.
It is here where I announce in the Year of our Lord 2012, the newest vehicle from Ventnor: The new Speedster!
At a first glance, the Speedster looks like some kind of hotrod. In some respects that is true. But inside lies the true nature of Ventnor, an uncompromising luxurious interior complete with the latest in electronic entertainment. The carbon fiber body kept weight down while a 404 cubic inch V12 rockets the car to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on it’s way to a top speed of 216.6 mph. The sequential transmission in the Owosso Sport served as inspiration for the 7SR6 transmission used in the Speedster. Ventnor concedes that the speedster is not the fastest car in the world, but their goal was never to be the fastest, only to be the most luxurious and exclusive driving experience ever made. With the 2012 Speedster, Ventnor has achieved their goal in what they view as the ultimate Ventnor, the perfect grand tourer. With a price of nearly $479,000 it does not come cheap, but will be more readily available than the original as Ventnor plans to build 100 Speedsters.