RideLust

2009 Breckland Biera

Available for purchase is a new, low volume convertible from automaker Breckland called the Beira. Similar to the Mallet conversions reported on several months ago, though disguised with new front and rear styling, the Breckland Beira is born through the marriage of GM’s 6 liter LS2 V8 to the Kappa platform used with great success in the Pontiac Solstic and Saturn Sky convertibles. Unlike the latter two, however, the Beira produces nearly 400 horsepower.

The Beira is a hand-built, two-seat roadster with an attractive redesigning of the front and rear Solstice fascias by Breckland with lightweight composite materials that not only helps free the vehicle from the Miata-esque cuteness that tends to be indicative of diminutive convertibles, but help keep curb weight under 3,100 pounds. Beyond the aesthetic differences, the most significant upgrade of the previous Solstice is the swapping-out of the four-cylinder Ecotec engine for the V8, which produces more than twice the power of the original unit. Naturally the doubling of horsepower necessitated an upgrade to many other areas in order to manage the engine’s significant power increase. Some of the new features include a six-speed Tremec manual gearbox, reprogrammed ECU, larger ventilated disc brakes from HiSpec and 19-inch wheels. To improve ride and handling, the fully independent suspension was entirely re-engineered by Breckland in association with KW Suspension, with upgraded springs, dampers and bushes, plus thicker anti-roll bars front and rear. Top speed is, unfortunately, governed at 155 mph, but 0-60 can be obtained in less than 5 seconds. And really, isn’t torque more important than top speed? As a sign of the times in which we live, the Beira is also designed to run on both regular and liquid petroleum gas, the combination of which not only reduces harmful emissions but extends the driving range of the sports car to nearly 700 miles.

Breckland also has customized the interior, which is fitted with hand-stitched leather and alcantara seats and trim, power windows, air-conditioning and a Clarion multimedia system with a 30 GB hard drive and navigation system. Orders are already being taken for the limited-production sports car which goes on sale next month. Depending on customer-selected options, prices start from around $108,000.