Australia’s own answer to the world of high performance Supercars – Rear wheel drive, fully ADR complied, Supercharged V8 convertible – Bullet Roadster.
With a shortage of Rover V8 engines to fulfill orders, the decision was made to change to the Toyota 1UZFE 4.0 litre V8. This engine was originally found in the Toyota Soarer and the Lexus LS400. With an aluminium block and heads, 6 bolt mains, 32 valve and quad cams, these technologically advanced engines were renowned for their reliability and smoothness.
Naturally aspirated 1UZ cars were built using the original idea of the standard MX5 body on the Bullet chassis. With the idea of supercharging on this engine and the increase in Power and Torque, an upgrade of the drivetrain to include a Borg Warner Limited Slip Differential and heavy duty clutch/gearbox was needed. At this stage, the decision was made to move away from the original MX5 body styling and shape new rear guards and side skirts.
This was the start of the “wide body” cars. From this point on wards, the Bullet idea grew into a venture that was more than anyone could have dream about.
The move to new premises signalled the start of the process towards full Australian Design Rules (ADR) compliancy. The Bullet Roadster and Roadster SS were completely redesigned with:
The new Bullet achieved full ADR compliancy in early 2003 which meant that it was the first low volume Australian built vehicle to achieve this. The Bullet Roadster was sold for $98,000 and the Bullet Roadster SS was $120,000.