The Equus Bass 770 Is The Muscle Car Everyone Forgot Existed
If the Equus name sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of the big luxury sedan Hyundai produced between 2011 and 2016. This Equus is absolutely not that Equus. Bassam Abdallah, an interesting character with a rather wild story, heads Michigan-based Equus Automotive. In some circles, he's characterized as a "Paris-based businessman and 'Citizens of the World' financier" (via Jalopnik). Whatever that may mean, the Bass 770 uses part of Abdallah's name. And if you're curious, Equus means "horse" in Latin, which explains why the brand's logo looks so similar to Ford's Mustang. It resembles Ferrari's prancing horse too.
In fact, Equus' entire existence seems to center around honoring — some would say replicating, but then imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — American-made muscle from the 1960s and 1970s. For instance, the Bass 770 looks nearly identical to the 1968 Ford Mustang GT from the movie "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen, while the Throwback model resembles a Chevy Corvette. The company website not only has a famous quote from McQueen on prominent display, but verbiage laced throughout makes its love for Detroit steel obvious.
This entirely hand-crafted car takes anywhere from 4,500 to 5,000 man-hours to complete. For comparison, a typical mass-produced vehicle takes anywhere from 18 to 35 hours to make (per JVIS USA), but that's over the course of multiple shifts operated by hundreds of people. So when Equus says bespoke, they definitely mean it.
This aluminum muscle car is fast, ferocious, and expensive
The 770 (which denotes the engine displacement in cc's, according to Jalopnik) comes with an aluminum supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, kicking out 640 horsepower and 605 pound-feet of torque (per Top Gear). The "front mid-engine" (via Equus) is mated to a six-speed manual rear-mounted dual-clutch. With a reported top speed of 200 mph, it zips from zero to 60 in a blistering 3.4 seconds.
The aluminum chassis holds up a superformed aluminum body of carbon fiber panels and aluminum skin, reports Motor Trend. With a curb weight of 3,459 pounds, the 770 screeches to a halt via an ABS braking system fitted with carbon ceramic matrix Brembo rotors. Handling of this rear-wheel-drive is taken care of by variable-ratio power steering and an independent magnetic suspension system with adjustable shock absorbers.
While Equus' 770 may resemble Ford's '68 GT fastback, it's roughly 10 inches longer, 5 inches wider, and 3 inches taller. The longer wheelbase and wider stance give it excellent stability at speed. The high-tech interior is masked with period-accurate toggles and switches, and a touch-screen Alpine system powers the radio. USB slots, satellite navigation, and standard safety equipment round out the features.
Equus lovingly continues the legacy of the American muscle cars, but all the hand-built goodness comes at a price. When it debuted in 2014, the initial price point hovered between $230,000 and $250,000, while a full-blown bespoke model jacked it up another $50,000.