Independent Slovakian car maker Brutal has just launched the S1, its road legal, tuned-for-performance super sports car. The project was realised with the support of Color Centrum Vráble s.r.o., Spies Hecker’s Slovak distributor.

The heart of Marian Lušpai, the founder of Slovakian car manufacturer Brutal, belongs to unusual sports cars. He came across the Ariel Atom on a visit to England, home to many small-scale manufacturers of sports cars. The radical cross between a go-kart and a Formula OneTM car is so light that it can beat other cars with far greater horsepower. Lušpai was immediately won over. "I wanted to build a car just like it – extremely light, extremely fast and completely unique," he says.

300 Horsepower for Rapid Acceleration

Back in Slovakia, Lušpai, a trained engineer, began planning and building. Today, almost ten years later, the result of his labours can be seen in his workshop: the Brutal S1 is a light two-seater with a fibreglass, carbon and Airex special foam body over a tubular frame. It is powered by a 300hp two-litre turbocharged Subaru engine that is positioned behind the driver. The car weighs less than 900kg and can reach 100 km/h in less than four seconds.

For the design, Lušpai relied on the Academy of Art and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia. The result: a flat, wedge-shaped body with sharply defined edges, gull-wing doors and a distinctive rear. The design is the work of Jakub Štarman – a student at the time who now works for Škoda.

An Inspiring Vision

Lušpai had been in touch with Spies Hecker distributor Color Centrum Vráble s.r.o. in Michal nad Žitavou in the south west of Slovakia in the development stage, so when he was ready, he entrusted the professional refinishers here with the painting of the car. 

Marián Pecho, Sales & Technical Manager at Color Centrum Vráble s.r.o., says, "We were captivated by Lušpai’s vision right from the start and were happy to support him.” Pecho and his team developed a tailor-made solution for this special project.

The most important aspect was to avoid unnecessary weight due to the paint. In order to achieve the required minimal coating thickness, the refinish professionals from Color Centrum Vráble s. r. o. used products that can be applied extremely efficiently in 1.5 spray passes, which helps to save material. 

Pecho explains, "We worked with Spies Hecker’s Permasolid® HS Vario Primer Surfacer 5340, Permahyd® Hi-TEC Base Coat 480 and Permasolid® HS Optimum Plus Clear Coat 8650."The team chose the colour for the prototype for pragmatic reasons. Pecho says, "We deliberately picked a solid white and not a metallic or pearlescent white because we didn’t want any special effect pigments as that makes later adjustments to the prototype easier. Sponsors’ decals also stand out better on the solid white background." 

The result is impressive: the snow-white Brutal S1 is a real eye-catcher that has already attracted a lot of attention at trade shows and exhibitions, including the car show in the western Slovakian town of Nitra.

Thoroughbred Road Legal Race Car 

Lušpai says, “Of course, the Brutal S1 is not a car you would take to the supermarket; it is a racing machine engineered for high performance. That’s its essence. Many of the parts come from motor racing, such as the brakes and sections of the suspension. It is basically a thoroughbred racing car that is licensed for use on public roads."

Lušpai is confident that the Brutal S1 will find a niche in the super sports car market. He has already received enquiries from interested parties. He says, "Given the level of demand, we assume that we can produce a maximum of six vehicles per year." he says. 

His partners at the Color Centrum Vráble are also quite excited: Pecho concludes, " The makers of the Brutal S1 have done a great job: it is a fabulous car, and we are ready to paint more in other colours."

About Spies Hecker

Spies Hecker, one of the global refinish coating brands from Axalta Coating Systems, develops optimum and practical paint system solutions that can make bodyshop work easier and more efficient. With 135 years of success behind it, Spies Hecker’s high-quality product systems, customised service and targeted training demonstrate its partnership with the refinish industry. Based in Cologne, Germany, it is one of the world’s leading vehicle refinish brands, and is available in over 76 countries worldwide. www.spieshecker.com.au

Spies Hecker – simply closer!