Is Argentina’s Bucci Special supercar nothing more than V12-powered vaporware?

Argentina isn’t know for building fast cars, which might explain why the country’s first supercar looks like nothing we’ve seen before.

The Bucci Special, which will debut this week in concept form at the Buenos Aires Auto Show, is the dream of the late Argentinian Formula One driver Clemar Bucci. He started work on the car in 2011 but passed away before it was completed.

Bucci’s nephew, Paul Bucci, has taken over the project and hopes to start production soon.

While it’s always hard to gauge the potential success of new car ventures, one thing is certain: the Bucci Special will stand out. It’s speedster body makes the Lamborghini Aventador look like a Honda Accord Coupe.

The V-shaped windscreen looks like something from a Star Wars airspeeder, and the pointed nose is reminiscent of a Formula One car. The whole car looks otherworldly.

The performance should be otherworldly, too. Those massive side vents feed a 7.3-liter V12 built by Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division. It’s the same engine used in the Pagani Zonda, and Pagani is rumored to have supplied the Bucci’s transmission as well.

It’s appropriate that Bucci is using Pagani hardware, because when it first started, Pagani’s chances of success seemed as slim as Bucci’s do now. Plenty of people try to start car companies, but only a few can actually make it work.

Bucci won’t just be entering the arena of establish supercar builders like Pagani, Lamborghini, or Ferrari. It will also have to compete with a gang of upstarts like Holland’s Vencer and Slovenia’s Tushek.

The whole project could also turn out to be vaporware. Remember the Vector Twin-Turbo, or the Dagger GT? Neither does anyone else.

The Bucci Special’s sci-fi styling will definitely help separate it from the rest of the pack, and if it drives as good as it looks, Bucci might just have something. Check back here for more information as the Bucci Special moves closer to production.