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JOSS supercar to use Mercedes-Benz engine

CarAdvice can exclusively reveal that Australian company JOSS Developments Limited, developers of the soon-to-be JOSS supercar, are on the brink of signing a multi-million dollar deal with Mercedes-Benz that will secure the rights to use a revised version of the European manufacturer's petrol AMG engine in its supercar, according to an inside source.

Paul Maric

23:0010 June 2010

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The alleged deal with Mercedes-Benz comes days after JOSS Developments Limited announced a $1.2-million partnership with Ballarat company Albins Off Road Gear. The Ballarat company is the largest high-performance transmission manufacturer in the southern hemisphere and has been tasked with designing a mid-mounted transaxle for the Aussie supercar.

JOSS Developments Limited CEO, Glenn Draffin said:

“There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes development work carried out by our engineering team and the transmission partnership with Albins is one of several exciting developments that JOSS will be announcing over the coming months,”

“This transmission will set a new standard and is a key component in JOSS’ planned 300km/h supercar.”

While not confirming the information from our inside source, Technical Director Matt Thomas told CarAdvice today:

"...we have worked very hard and for quite some time towards securing a proper and complete engine supply and support deal with this leading European manufacturer."

"The news when released will be fantastic for the Australian automotive industry as there has never been an engine agreement of this caliber structured for a local vehicle before."

The JOSS supercar was a concept first penned by Matt Thomas in 2006. Thomas' extensive experience as an automotive designer in Europe, Australia and North America has seen the project progress from a dream to reality over the past decade. The team hopes the first Australian supercar will be available in Australia from 2011.

Performance expectations for the Australian supercar are expected to see it dash from 0-100km/h in around 3.0-seconds and onward to a top speed of over 300km/h.

CarAdvice will keep you posted as more information comes to hand regarding the deal and the future of the JOSS supercar.