The Mullen M-11

This year's Association of Handcrafted Automobiles Knott's Berry Farm Show was a tour de force of kits and component cars, with 221 of the hobby's finest showing off in Southern California. But of all the head-turners on display, none was more stunning the new Mullen M-11 from the Mullen Motor Company. The car stood out enough to be awarded the Kit Car Illustrated Editor's Choice Car of the Show award, for style, class, uniqueness and all-around car performance and beauty.

The car also took the AHA Special Interest trophy, and under sunny skies the "Blurple Metallic" chassis sparkled to most of the 10,000 visitors to the show, who stared at the car and uttered such praise as: "Awesome" and "Wow, what's that...a small McLaren?" and "What a classy, sporty, street car," and "Now THAT is what kit cars are all about...a new design that doesn't look like anything else here."

Scott Allen, President of Mullen, brought the car to the event from his company headquarters in Chula Vista, California, and told us, "I wanted to offer an exotic, custom-built supercar for under $40,000."

Judging by the response it got from on-lookers, he has succeeded. The car IS exotic, and on the street or on the track, it sure LOOKS like a supercar. The Mullen M-11 may be new, but the chassis and suspension have been tested on streets ands racetracks around England for more than four years. Featuring a removable hardtop, the Mullen M-11 is hand-built to order and takes about eight weeks to complete, and as a really cool tribute to style and class, the buyer's initials are part of the chassis identification number.

It took the Mullen team more than three years to develop the car and Allen believes he got it just right. "I wouldn't change a thing on it," he said. The Mullen we saw was powered by a '00 Cougar Duratech 2.5L V-8 engine. While it may only put out 200 horses, the car weighs a light 1,800 pounds and is capable of hitting a top speed of 140 mph. And it is the aerodynamics that makes this car such a thrill to see and drive. In tests, the car has shown a lateral g-force of 1.08 in stock trim.

It hugs the ground on Nitto 555 tires--225/40/17s in front and 245/45/17s in rear, wrapped around 17x8-inch alloy wheels. The Mullen has a Ford 9-inch rear, Spax adjustable 300-pound rear springs, Spax adjustable rear shocks, Eibach 250-pound front springs, Ford spindles, a Mullen front suspension, Lincoln LS 3.0 2 1/4-inch exhaust manifold, and Renault R-25 transaxle gearing, clutch disk, and pressure plate. And Mullen eliminated the stock air box and has installed dual K&N air filters.

The chassis is a 1 1/4-inch, .090 tubular spaceframe design and its suspension employs adjustable upper and lower A-arms with coilover shocks front and rear. That chassis is covered with a sexy, aerodynamic hand-laid fiberglass body, and the door handles have been shaved for a remote entry system. The Mullen's length is a racy 143 inches on a wheelbase of 88 inches. The car's height is 43.5 inches and it is worth mentioning again that it weighs in at a light 1,800 pounds.

The interior is black leatherette throughout, and had all the bells, whistles, and options we expect factory cars to have, but which are often excluded on kits.

The standard Mullen kit features include Auto Meter gauges, five-star alloy wheels, high-performance tires and four-point seatbelt harnesses. Options include air conditioning, heater/defroster, AM/FM/CD player with four speakers, custom floor mats and a full leather interior. Cars are available either as completely assembled body/chassis units or as turnkeys. Allen's Mullen is scheduled to be seen at several race events around the nation and we believe it will begin building a reputation for handling well, while it is fast and stylish. And jetting around the streets of Southern California, a mecca for hot supercars, we believe the Mullen M-11 will compete magnificently, just as we believe it will across America.

In a word, the Mullen is: "Magnificent."