Inside INdiana Business is reporting that the England-based manufacturer of a car billed as the fastest street-legal vehicle on the road has selected the Discovery Park District at Purdue University for a showroom and assembly facility. Keating Supercars LLC will produce its first model to be sold in the U.S., the Viperia Berus coupe, which is capable of reaching speeds greater than 230 miles per hour.
The company is slated to cut the ribbon on the showroom late next month and eventually ramp up production at Purdue to around 100 cars per year. The Berus, a fifth-generation Keating supercar, is powered by a Chevrolet LS series V8 engine and the U.S. model is slated to retail for between $180,000 and $250,000 each.
Chief Executive Officer Tony Keating says “I take pride in this collaborative effort with Purdue University and I’m excited to be able to take advantage of the vibrant Discovery Park District. As an organization, Keating Supercars have the courage and the capability to design and build cars for the American sportscar market, where high performance is a must.”
The collaboration will extend beyond the company and the school and include a Purdue partnership with the University of Bolton in the United Kingdom.
Last week, Purdue unveiled a master plan for the public-private district, which could include an estimated $1 billion in investment. Pullman, Washington-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. also recently announced it was locating a 100,000 square-foot research facilityon the massive property in West Lafayette. The development follows construction on the inaugural development in the district, the 835-bed, privately-developed Aspire apartment complex.
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