Inside one man’s quest to build America’s next great supercar

In a small, pristine garage in North County San Diego, an unusual project is under way. Huddled around a single steel chassis, a team of expert automotive welders is fabricating a new high-tech supercar, dubbed the Lucra L148. It's the brainchild of Luke Richards, a quixotic entrepreneur and former pilot, who founded Lucra Cars in 2006. If all goes as planned, Richards and his team of 12 full-time craftsmen hope to create one of the most technologically advanced American supercars ever made.

Unlike most supercar projects, which can take years, if not decades, to complete, Richards plans to deliver the first L148 in the summer of 2014, just one year after the initial renderings. He expects the price to be comparable to that of a new Ferrari or Aston Martin, around $260,000. "A lot of guys try to build a $100,000 car that's as good as a $300,000 car, but then what you end up with is a failed, expensive, cheap car, all at once," said Richards. "It needs the correct budget to be built right."

That hefty budget will include a computer-designed carbon-fiber exterior, a lightweight, super-strong chassis made from chromoly steel – the same material used on Baja 1000 Pro Trucks – mated to a 700-hp GM LS V-8 engine, and several components Richards refer to as being "mil-spec," or military specification, including a wiring harness typically found on most military aircraft. And unlike Richards' first creation, the LC470, which was featured in "The Fast and Furious 6" and on a recent episode of Top Gear U.S., the L148 will come equipped with air conditioning, satellite radio, and GPS navigation. Hallelujah.

But to understand what makes the L148 unique, and not just some cobbled-together custom car, it's important to understand how Lucra Cars came to be.

Richards, 42, was born in England, the son of an English father and an American mother. When his parents divorced and his mother returned to the United States, Richards became the product of an intercontinental breakup, spending half his time in Connecticut and the other half in London.