What #252 - Spiron Motor Holdings' "Phoenix" / Ben de Klerk & Julio Alcorto

[Allemano]

6 cyl.?

[Otto Puzzell]

The scant information available doesn't give a cylinder count, but that's quite possbile

[Allemano]

any relation to Lotus?

[Otto Puzzell]

I sure looks like it was inspired by Lotus, but no other direct connection of which I'm aware.

[Allemano]

European engine maker?

[Otto Puzzell]

European engine maker?

Yes!

[Arunas]

Is the car made in Europe?

[Otto Puzzell]

No

[Arunas]

American?

[Otto Puzzell]

No

[Allemano]

Oz?

[Otto Puzzell]

No

[jotage21]

African?

[Otto Puzzell]

Yep

[Wendax]

Alfa Romeo based?

[Otto Puzzell]

Alfa bits were originally part of the plan, but that changed later.

[Allemano]

South Africa?

[Otto Puzzell]

Yes

[Allemano]

The Phoenix sports car.

The Phoenix was supposed to be South Africa's answer to sportscars like Ferrari and Porsche during 1987. The project came to a screeching halt when the owners, Spiron Motor Holdings and their mother company Turf Holdings were involved with many Risk Capital Projects that embezzled millions out of investors which meant the end of the South-African dream

The Phoenix was the brainchild of Pretoria businessman, Ben de Klerk who already started with the project in 1982. The Fibreglass clad body was to be made at the Koedoespoort plant and assembled by hand by the 70 string workforce. Originally it was decided to incorporate a twin-turbo Alfa Romeo engine, but due to Alfa Romeo's demise from the South Africa, due to the political situation, it was decided to use german mechanicals. They promises performance of up to 360kw that would have pushed the Phoenix to 300km/h.

Designed by Argentinean born mechanical engineer Julio Alcorto the Phoenix would have had a chassis similar to Formula-1 cars at the time and would have utilized locally sourced parts in it's construction. Alcorto would later also be involved with the design of Mazda's answer to the Nissan Sani, the Mazda Kalahari 4x4 vehicle.
The Managing director of Spiron, Nic Deetlefs and his son in law Zirk Engelbrecht were notorious for fly by night investment companies and Engelbrecht in to this day operating similar schemes in the US.

Except of the Audi rear lights not such a bad looking car:

[grobmotorix]

 

[Otto Puzzell]

That was some mighty fine sleuthing. That's all the info I had, plus more pics than I had previously seen.

[Carnut]

The finished article: