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The mid-engined exotic, which starred at the Melbourne Motor Show back in 2004, is well into development with an on-sale target date next year. The Joss crew in Melbourne are well into chassis engineering, have chosen a gearbox supplier, and are also working towards a European engine installation on the mid-engined exotic.
"We're aiming to be on sale in the middle or end of 2011. We're factoring-in an 18-month development program," says Matt Thomas, technical director of Joss Developments. We are well into the engineering test of the chassis. The aim is to have two production prototypes by the early months of next year. They will be call the JP1, for the Joss Prototype 1."
Joss has recently chosen Albins, an Australian transmission specialist, to create the gearbox for the car. It's a seven-figure investment but one which will make the car unique. "What drew us to Albins was reports from the US about a gearbox that was handling outrageous power and torque in off-road racing. Then we discovered the company was just up the road," Thomas says.
"Our aim is to develop a bespoke gearbox, which will take us to a level we couldn't believe. It's about getting the centre of gravity down and the weight bias forward. "It's all done in Australia. How good is that?"
The one remaining question mark on the Joss project is the engine. The obvious choice is a Chevrolet V8 but Thomas says Joss is aiming for something better from Europe.
"We are still talking to a couple of companies. Our hope is to go for eight cylinders or less. That's a typical Formula One layout. "We are in talks. We haven't finalised anything yet. We've got a bit of interest from a European manufacturer but we haven't finalised everything yet."
The test cars cannot be built until the engine is settled but Thomas is already setting ambitious targets. "We want to get them onto the track and eventually the road. We also want to send one to Europe for testing as well. We need to function like the big boys," he says.
"We want to break the shackles of being a tiny little Australian company. "We're not about a one-off supercar. We want a viable long-term supercar company. We want to include a lot of smart thinking."
He admits there has been a lot of talk without much visible progress, but promises much more through the back end of 2010. "The motor show in 2004 seems like a lifetime ago," Thomas says. "We're not going out and sprouting. We're just working to achieve our goals. And we're on target.
The Joss supercar is already up and running in one of the world's most popular computer games. It is included in the 2010 edition of Microsoft's Forza 3. The Joss JT1 is part of a line-up of the world's most exotic sports cars, including Ferrari and Lamborghini.
"Car enthusiasts are looking forward to the unveiling of the JD1 production car, which is currently in development, and which will no doubt appear in future Microsoft Forza editions," says Glenn Draffin, CEO of Joss Developments.
“Only the most respected, most desirable cars... are included in the game and the fact that Microsoft sought our permission to include the original JT1 prototype demonstrates just how much people want this car."
