This is what happens when Italian automaker Fornasari decides to make a dune buggy: 610 horsepower, 552 lb-ft of torque and 0-60 in under 3.8 seconds using a modified 7.0L Corvette engine. That’s as fast off the line as a Corvette ZR-1. Fornasari calls it the ‘Racing Buggy,’ and says that it was designed “for everyday use.” 

With prices starting at just under $112,000, the five-passenger crossover could indeed be the daily grocery-getter for anyone with the funds to pick one up. With a top speed limited to 174mph, there’s better chance the milk will explode upon impact with the headliner than go sour before making it back to your house in the middle of the…Italian… desert. 

To keep all that power in line, more General Motors parts are thrown into the mix with an optional GM Hydra-matic six-speed automatic or Borg-Warner six-speed manual. Helping to hook up even more speed, the all-wheel drive system uses a central viscous coupling and a Dana limited-slip rear differential. 

If that weren’t enough to scare most VW Beetle-Buggy conversions out of their shells, the Racing Buggy is17ft long, 7ft wide and 6ft tall. All that adds up to 4,079lb, which is still 700 pounds lighter than a Porsche Cayenne. Fornasari says they will offer two different versions of the vehicle and are hoping for another Mad Max sequel. 

Sources: 
(1) http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=150989
(2) http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1033511_fornasari

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