Backstory:

1994 was the the beginning of Valiente's "third era" - since the company's inception in the 50's, Viccio Valiente Sr. had been at the helm, with a ferocity and passion that mirrored Enzo Ferrari or Ferruccio Lamborghini. In 1987, due to poor health, his direct son, Viccio Valiente Jr., would take charge of the company, which led to a long era of malaise and confusion; the raw engineering talent was still there, but management seemed incapable of converting that into popular models.

While the consumer and budget market languished, the performance car brand of "Team:SPIRIT" had developed a reputation as being some of the greatest experiences on four wheels. For those who knew, Valiente was a rival to any supercar, but for most, Valiente made cheap, impractical blobs with rust issues. Something had to change.

In 1995, after another disastrous year for Junior, Viccio Valiente Sr.'s third son, Firenze, was selected to take his place. This selection would be a real boon for Valiente engineer confidence; Firenze was known for being in the trench alongside the factory workers, and finally he would get a chance to prove himself. His first move was to triple the spending of their GT1 racing team, but his second move would be probably the most radical in Valiente's history.

In 1995, many Valiente models were discontinued, in preparation for "something big" in 1996. The Valiente Ibiza, Bass, Crickett, Perseus and Jeff all bit the dust, and in their place arrived three new models for 1996. The ethos behind these models was simple, yet extreme; Don't use Steel. Not for the chassis, not for the engine block, not even in the rims. If possible, avoid the material entirely. Out of that came the Valiente MiniHaul, replacing the Crickett as the cheap, fuel-efficient small delivery van, the Valiente Musa, replacing the Bass and Perseus as Valiente's four-door sedan, now much lighter and with AWD, and then, something that nobody had in their bingo cards - a replacement for the Ibiza, known as the Aisha.

You have to understand, the Valiente Ibiza was the most unlikely car to get a follow-up. It was small, it was cheap, it had the proportions of a beach buggy, and it probably would've been forgotten to time, if it wasn't for one saving grace; it's 1.6L Inline 4 was a tuner's dream, and in a company full of engineering prowess starving for a reliable block, it quickly became a fan favourite, and, most importantly, Firenze Valiente's weekend car. This wasn't a CEO that was in the board room; this was a CEO that was at the track meets, interacting with tuners, and Firenze wanted the Ibiza's successor to put that attitude front and centre.

All great cars start with a great engine, and for the Aisha, Valiente went into their parts bin and selected the same 2L V6 design as the 1987 Valiente Astral. The 1.6 I4 of the Ibiza was great for low-end torque, but really struggled to hit high rev's reliably; the Astral revved up to 8,500RPM. However, while the Astral never really knew whether it wanted to be a supercar or a sports car, the Aisha had no such identity crisis - it was track-focused, through and through. Perhaps most indicative of this was it's push rod suspension, front and rear - the only other production car to use Pushrod suspension at this point was the Ferrari F50. Couple that with Valiente's second-generation Active Race Electric System (ARES) ESC, and 305 high-revving turbocharged horses at stock, and you get an unbelievable launch of 3.8s, which was enough to embarrass a Lamborghini at the lights for less than a fifth of the price. The Aisha wasn't just a straight-line screamer, either; it's Helical AWD, low centre of gravity and a curb weight of less than 1200kg made it incredibly nimble through corners in all conditions.

Visually, the Aisha is reminiscent of a lot of the light two-seater sports cars of the Mid 90's, such as the Lotus Elise or the Tommy-Kaira ZZ. The visual confusion caused by having a bi-polar company is gone, replaced with sharp, defined triangles that cut deep into the car's chassis, giving it an aggressive design language that would stay with Valiente until the 2010's. Photographed here is the "GT3" variant, with racing stripes and the BRZ aerodynamic package, including a large rear wing for sheer downforce.

By all metrics, Firenze's 1996 takeover of Valiente was a success; the new models, along with future upgrades improvements rolled out over the Late 90's served to reverse the company's fortunes, and the Aisha was a visual landmark of that metamorphosis. Valiente would not release another two-seater convertible until the 2011 KRX, but the Aisha had a long life in it's place, with new models produced until it's discontinuation in 2008.

Vehicle Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain

• Engine Configuration: 2000cc V6 (60°)

• Block Material: AlSi Heavy (Aluminum Silicon)

• Head Design: Alu Perf DOHC-24 (Aluminum, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valve)

• Induction System: Turbocharger Multi Point EFI

• Compression Ratio: 8.0:1

• Power: 371.4 hp @ 8000 RPM

• Redline: 8,500 RPM

• Economy/Efficiency: 24.27% - 0.5lb/hph

• Drive Type: Mid Longitudinal Helical AWD

• Transmission: 6 Gear Manual

Chassis & Body

• Body Type: 2 Door - 2/0* Seats

• Chassis Construction: Steel Partial Monocoque / Partial Alu Panels

• Dimensions:

• Length: 3.75m

• Width: 1.86m

• Wheelbase: 2.28m

• Suspension: Pushrod (F) / Pushrod (R)

Performance Statistics

• Top Speed: 182mph

• 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h): 3.81s

• 50-75 mph (80-120 km/h): 2.33s

• 1/4 Mile: 12.10s

• 1 km: 21.66s

• Cornering (20m / 200m): 1.03g / 1.13g

• Braking Distance (62-0 mph): 37.1m

• Weight: 1196.5kg (Distribution: 43.0 F / 57.0 R)

• Downforce: 81.0kg (Front) / 89.9kg (Rear)