Initially Charlie Strickland had the intention to build a classic Countach replica, as he has a trademark for that name, but he made a sharp U-turn into the future after coming across a modernized version of the car. Rendered by Flavio Adrianni, an architectural illustrator by trade  but a car designer after hours as a hobby), it has a very forward-looking shape while still showing some influences from the past.

In keeping with its cutting-edge style, Strickland has come up with a chassis that employs an aluminum composite monocoque design that’s much more cost effective to build. He dubbed it an “origami car”, since it’s cut out aluminum panels on a CNC machine, folded together. He makes a groove where the panel bends into the desired form, and adds a bead of structural adhesive to minimize the need for welds. 

Suspension pieces are custom-fabricated uprights with A-arms front and rear, and double-adjustable shocks, along with Corvette C5 hubs. The Smeding 383 stroker engine is backed by either Porsche transaxle or a Griffin unit. Rated at 420 hp, the output doesn’t need to be excessive since the car weighs a feathery 2300 pounds.

Both the chassis and fiberglass body are being tooled up as of this writing, and Strickland plans to have the first production vehicle delivered by early 2016 to Russell Uhlig of Orlando, Florida. Called the Chupacabra (after a mythological creature), it will feature butterfly doors supplied by Fran Hall at RCR. Pricing is targeted at somewhat less than $100K.