Equus Automotive Bass770 History

The Bass770 was the debut model of Equus Automotive, founded in 2008 by Bassam Abdallah in Rochester Hills, Michigan. After six years of development the car entered production in 2013, with customer deliveries beginning in 2014. The name is a portmanteau of the founder's nickname ('Bass') and the 770 Newton-metres (568 lb-ft) of torque cited in early development targets — though the production car ultimately quotes 605 lb-ft from its Corvette-sourced supercharged 6.2-litre LS9 V8 producing 640 horsepower.

The body is sculpted from superformed aluminium panels over a bespoke aluminium chassis with carbon-fibre linings — a construction method that allows tight compound curves evocative of the first-generation Ford Mustang fastback, Chevrolet Camaro, and Pontiac GTO that inspired the design. Each car requires more than 5,000 man-hours of hand labour, limiting output to a handful of units per year. At launch in 2015, six trim levels were offered: Accent, Accent Plus, Design, Design Plus, Edition, and Collection, with base pricing starting around $250,000.

Despite ultra-low production numbers the Bass770 attracted significant media attention as a genuine ground-up American sports car — not a restomod or kit car — with performance credentials to match its price: Equus quoted a 0–60 mph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed above 200 mph. The interior pairs heavy use of analogue gauges and machined-metal switches with modern comforts including LED lighting, parking sensors, an infotainment system, and GPS navigation.