Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

Apart from developing 325bhp, 370Nm and being mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the reason behind going with this drivetrain was to ensure that it remained easy and affordable to maintain with a ready supply of parts and servicing knowhow available from any Nissan workshop worldwide. Inspired by sports cars of the 1950s and ‘60s such as the pontoon-shaped 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa and the iconic 1962 Shelby AC Cobra, Anthony Jannarelly set about to bring pure, open-topped fun back with a car that has been deliberately stripped of advanced driver aids and creature comforts and wrapped in a fibreglass and carbon fibre composite body weighing just 810kg. Jannarelly previously styled the Lykan and Fenyr Supersport cars for Dubai supercar manufacturer, W Motors before joining forces with car lover and composite materials expert, Frederic Juillot to develop the Design-1. It has already made inroads in to the lucrative European and North American sports car markets following its international debut as the Safety Car for the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado and officially went on sale in the UK in September following its launch at the Salon Privé Concours d’ Elégance in the gardens of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, The company also has distributors based in New York, France and Kuwait in addition to local UAE distributors, Tomini Classics of Dubai. Priced fromAED230,000, the Design-1 sits on a bespoke chassis manufactured in Al Jafiliya and not only attracts attention from drivers of cars twice its price but delivers similar thrills either as a Friday morning café cruiser or track day special. Configurable in several guises depending on the customer’s order, our test car featured the full historic track look including the 1955 Jaguar D- Type-like flying buttress wing behind the driver’s head used at LeMans and a low-cut Perspex aeroscreen which added to the open-air feel and requiring goggles. If bugs in the teeth is a little too authentic, a regular windscreen with wipers can easily clip in, as can a clamshell hardtop roof with enclosed side windows for all-weather protection and air- conditioning. Aside from climate control, the other concession to the modern world is an option for Traction Control and even a six-speed automatic transmission. With most of the bodywork made from fibreglass to keep costs down and also tapping into the talents of Frederic Julliot’s boat building background, carbon fibre options for trim and some panels can also be introduced to further drop its weight, while leather and aluminium are generously used throughout the interior to give a tactile feeling when operating the switches and sliding into the seats. While Anthony is in charge of the concept and design up to the CAD modelling of the composites, Frederic supervises the process to ensure the production standards are met and the resources are available. The driving position is cosy and takes a particular technique to master. I climbed in through the shallow door and slid down the seatback into position with legs out ready for them to meet the pedals. A four-point harness strapped me in tighter than regular seat belts before I flicked the ignition switch and pressed the start button. Once in, it felt like a custom- made glove tailored to my size. The wheel was at a perfect arm’s reach, the pedals rested against my feet and the gear selector fell comfortably to hand. If you could tailor a car to your precise measurements like a Saville Row suit, this is how it would feel. Once moving, it’s best to save any conversation for later as it gets noisy with zero sound insulation and the engine right behind you so that every nuance is conveyed to the driver through sight, feel and sound instead of via computers and a high-res TFT display screen. It provides an analogue connection that becomes an extension of your body as you feel the gears slide into their gates through the palm of your hand, the raised lines in the road are felt through the seat which is bolted directly to the chassis floor and every tiny rock and road imperfection buzzes back through the steering wheel. Stab the accelerator and rather than look at the speedo or tacho for guidance, you feel compelled to change up on the sound of the engine and the tingles down your spine. The whole experience was utterly intoxicating and yet, truth be known, we were never traveling that fast. It just felt like it. I have driven cars three times faster than our swift jaunt that also cost 10 times as much but they didn’t return the same sensations as the Design-1 and when I mentioned this to Anthony after returning the keys, thinking he might take it as a snub against the car’s performance, he nodded and smiled in agreement because that’s what this car is all about, Jannarelly doesn’t get involved in the vicious circle of a numbers game, chasing fractions of tenths for superior 0-100km/h or quarter mile times even though the Design-1 will shame many other sports cars, it’s about rewarding the driver with emotions. Given where the industry is going with electric vehicles and autonomy, cars like the Jannarelly Design-1 may be the perfect Friday morning tonic to get some motoring kicks after a week of efficient but largely emotionless commuting.