Beradino: A Sportscar for One Man, by One Man
Johannes P. Paulussen’s life has played out like a gearhead’s wildest dream. JP is known for the Paulussen Beradino, a one-off sports car that he designed and built with his own hands. As a teenager in the early ’60s, JP was obsessed with the exotic cars of his time, but seeing as they didn’t have money the elder Paulussen told his son that the only way he’d have a supercar was if he built one himself. I’m sure his dad didn’t see this coming.
According to The Amazo Effect and Goodwood, JP enrolled in Automotive Technology and in 1967 started designing what would become the Beradino. After working on it for about 7,000 hours, JP completed the car and had it officially deemed street legal in 1975.
The Beradino’s body – which appears to have been inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Ford GT40 – is made from fiberglass, while its chassis is made from steel. JP used parts from a Porsche 356 and a Beetle for the powertrain. The engine is a 110bhp 2L Porsche flat-six that has a custom-made instrument panel mounted on top of it.
As if it wasn’t unique enough, JP also gave the Beradino two removable hardtops, though if you ask me it looks best as a roadster.
JP drove the car for about 8,500mi until the late ’80s, when it broke down and JP didn’t have the time to work on it. It wasn’t until 2009, when JP retired, that he was able to restore and upgrade his baby with about 3,000 more hours of work. He’s currently looking for investors and potential customers for a limited run of a successor to the Beradino. If he pulls that off too, JP’s Cinderella story will be complete. But even if he doesn’t? JP went from a kid with a handful of sketches to a man turning heads at a Concours event. I’m guessing he’ll just brush his shoulders off and take a ride in an exotic car that no one else in the world owns or has built. No biggie.