Last issue we previewed the Rapier Superlite Coupe, a new supercar on the market born in Boston. Competing against the heavy-hitters in the luxury automotive market – and such familiar foreign icons as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche – the question of the vehicle’s origin remains: how did Boston give rise to this supercar?
See more of the Rapier Superlite Coupe on our YouTube page.
Amr Hafez and Billy Mead, Vice President and President of Client Relations for Rapier Automotive, respectively, took different paths to the automotive industry. Hafez, originally born in Egypt, came to Boston in 1998 to attend Boston University. With a background in international management and accounting, Hafez worked as a consultant for 10 years with clients in the United States and the Middle East to aide foreign construction companies to acquire licenses, staffing, and jobs in the UAE, Egypt, and other countries. “As interesting as it was and as many great people as I met, my passion has always been cars,” states Hafez. “Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on about cars.”
Hafez spent much of his free time hanging around local modification and auto mechanic shops in Cairo to learn more about cars and the auto trade. The more he learned, the more he admired finely tuned and crafted vehicles. “I would talk my mom’s ear off about suspension settings, coefficients of drag, aerodynamic lift, and chassis configurations,” he recollects. “I did it so much she would often just laugh and zone me out after a while.”
Mead came to the industry with a very different history. A native of Western Mass., Mead entered the entertainment industry working in pyrotechnics alongside rock and pop legends such as Judas Priest, Roxette, and Debbie Gibson. Transitioning to film, Mead spent time in Orlando collaborating on several film and television projects before heading to Los Angeles. Out west he became involved in the agency side of print and broadcast production, skills Mead took back to Massachusetts to work with Boston’s Irma Mann advertising agency. In 2001 Mead opened 48hourprints.com, a custom web-to-print company that reached profits of $20 million in 2006. Despite his various travels and transitions throughout the entertainment and production industries, Mead remained an admirer of luxury cars. “I had this Lamborghini Countach poster when I was a kid,” he recalls, “and I would spend hours sketching it.”
Mead had the chance to feed his love for cars when he met with Fran Hall, a former employee of GM Motorsports with years of experience in the racing industry. Hall designed the Superlite as a strict race car built in Detroit using all American parts. Mead and Hafez shared a dream to bring the prototype racer to the streets as a true American supercar. With this vision, Rapier Automotive was born.
Now in full production, manufacturing for the Superlite Coupe takes place in a Detroit-based facility. Rapier assembles the vehicle components – including the suspension arms, chassis, engine mount and body – in a Winchester shop owned by an experienced race mechanic, though the company plans to open a dedicated location this fall. This local manufacturing process allows Rapier to provide unparalleled customizations for the Superlite. “With the exception of the wheels, dash, steering rack, and shocks, everything is bespoke,” explains Hafez. “The ride height, seating position, interior finishes, and other options can be individually ordered by our customers.”
Building every car to strict tensile standards using only the highest quality materials, Rapier Automotive promises an extremely reliable, high-powered sports car. “We wanted to create an exotic that wasn’t as temperamental and delicate as most others on the market,” Hafez affirms. “We wanted to give our customers a formidable mid-engine platform using all American parts.” Aside from the patriotic vision, the Superlite’s use of GM components means any GM specialist worldwide can service the vehicle. “We want to provide a sports car that looks and handles better than most exotics at a fraction of the price,” states Hafez. “We’re tied to motorsport and we’ve realized that building a car that continues to excel on the track but can be driven on the street is the secret to our success.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Rapier Automotive
