Bufori CS8 – RM2.19m Malaysian-made ‘UHP GT’ on final straight, 1st delivery Q1 2027; 6.4 V8, carbon-kevlar body

This is the Bufori CS8, an ‘ultra high performance GT’ that’s hand built in Kepong. Yes, the KL suburb famous for food is also home to a factory that rolls out some of the most unique cars in the world today, and the CS8 – which starts from RM2.188 million – is the latest fruit from the Bufori tree.

We’ve tracked the CS8’s development over the past decade, and some of you might remember the CS prototype that we detailed in 2019, before the pandemic (seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?). The CS8 was finally launched in August last year after 10 years of development, but the idea goes back even longer – Gerry Khouri’s company rolled out a similar looking race car with the CS name back in 2009.

Since the launch, Bufori has been working hard to put the final touches on development and a demo CS8 is now ready for test drives by high-net-worth individuals. So if you see a mysterious flash of orange zooming around the roads of northern KL, it’s probably this. We’ll never turn down an opportunity to get up close with Bufori’s creations, so we hopped over to Kepong to document the latest chapter of the CS.

The production CS8 is visibly bulkier than the prototype. The 2,609 mm wheelbase has been lengthened by 350 mm, and the rear overhangs are longer too. The longer wheelbase allows the engine to be positioned behind the front axle for a front-mid layout, and it also frees up more interior space, especially in the driver footwell area. The resulting coupe looks better proportioned, too,

The bigger body – made from Bufori’s signature carbon-kevlar hybrid composite, which it first used back in 1989 – was in the company’s plans all along. As we reported back in 2019, the extra length and more luxurious trappings are part of a move away from the prototype’s sports car origins to a ‘grand touring’ brief. Khouri calls the CS8 an ultra high performance GT – think Aston Martin Vanquish and Bentley Continental GT Speed.

The UHP part is backed up by a monster of an engine. Under that long hood lies a 6.4-litre supercharged V8 engine. The block is from a Hemi, but this isn’t a crate engine from Mopar. The original Hemi V8 used in Hellcat models is a 6.2L unit; Bufori took the block and built a blueprinted 6.4L with forged internals, pushing out 810 hp (750 of those horses are present at the wheels) and 973 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm.

Paired to a ZF eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox (if you’re mad enough, they can even do a manual) sending drive to the rear wheels via a limited slip differential, the big V8 propels the CS8 from 0-100 km/h in 3.0 seconds flat (launch control is available), while top speed is limited to 330 km/h. The eye-popping figures exceed the original targets of 3.5 seconds and 320 km/h, and they are perhaps aided by a target kerb weight of 1,450 kg, which is roughly what a Porsche Cayman weighs.

That’s low for a GT with plenty of leather and kit, never mind that monster of an engine, and the secret diet is carbon-kevlar, which the car’s entire body is made from. Everyone knows that carbon fibre is lightweight, but the black stuff is brittle. Bufori blends carbon with kevlar – the super strong material used in bulletproof vests – and the result is a light yet robust golden weave used for every Bufori. This golden anyaman is made in-house in Kepong.

This writer learns something new with every visit to the House of Bufori. We tend to think of a car’s chassis as its underpinnings, the frame, the core of its strength; but the CS8’s carbon-kevlar monocoque is its structural chassis, and Khouri points out that the stainless steel ‘frame’ that we see on the car’s floor isn’t load bearing.

Instead, the metal is there to serve as mounting points for the suspension and components – this aids serviceability, and you don’t want to mount and drill directly into the car’s exotic exoskeleton. By the way, the CS8’s roof has a roll cage fused into the carbon-kevlar panel, and owners can even request for mounting points for door braces if they want to dabble in gentleman racing.

Speaking of panels, we’re accustomed to many body parts in a normal car (for instance, bumper, grille, light housing and fenders on a typical front end), but Bufori’s pieces are huge – for instance, all of the above are a single moulded piece on the CS8. Yes, one piece, which raises the question – what if you get into a fender bender? Khouri says that unlike CF, his carbon-kevlar pieces are repairable. By the way, the CS8 has grown a pair of side intakes for extra cooling – an army of 10 radiators work together to manage heat.

The amount and level of things made in-house is staggering. We’re not talking about someone licensing a platform, buying a crate engine and components, and fusing them all in a unique shell – aside from the unique carbon-kevlar construction and custom V8, Bufori also makes its own wiring harness (by hand!), computers and PCB chips, while customising its own software. As for trim, everything is crafted by hand and anything is possible. Literally, because Bufori also outfits private jets.

“No car in the world is more hand made than a Bufori,” Khouri declared at the CS8 launch last year, and he’s most probably right. Even so, some things are best left to the experts.

The CS8’s brakes are by Brembo (380 mm front discs with six-piston calipers, 350 mm rear discs with four-piston calipers), the tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (19-inch forged alloys) and the final car will have electronically-controlled adaptive dampers. The mule you see here sits on passive coilovers that are 20 mm too high, we’re told.

The all-star cast is joined by Recaro, but Bufori does its own seat cushions, which buyers can customise to their liking. Of course, no Bufori is complete without a Snap-On tool kit (worth RM13k), a must-have for Khouri.

While this demonstrator is a good dynamic and styling preview of final customer cars, there will be significant changes to the cabin. Expect a new dashboard design to accommodate a more horizontal screen, with physical air con controls in place of the current small surface area in the vertical screen. The left airbag cover and centre console will be changed, and the rotary gear selector won’t have the existing base plate.

Bufori will also include a full digital meter and a slightly different seat design, with ventilation function. The steering wheel will come in two sizes; the one you see here is the larger option. Finally, the door cars will have an all-new design with new window controls, and there will be an option to have less visible carbon panels on the internal roof and pillars.

Kit wise, expect everything you’ll find in a family SUV. Bufori lists automatic LED headlamps/DRLs/foglamps, LED rear lights, auto wipers, keyless entry and remote start, electrochromic rear view mirror, powered steering adjustment, dual-zone AC/heating, electronic parking brake, mood lighting, a 6.1 sound system by Japanese company Phass and a wireless phone charger, among other equipment. There’s also a feature that’s very Malaysian – integrated SmartTAG.

As for safety, on top of basics such as airbags and ESC. Bufori lists adaptive cruise control, front and rear park assist, 360-degree parking camera, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning/assist and tyre pressure monitoring on the brochure. Inside the 252-litre boot is a tyre repair kit and the above-mentioned Snap-On tool kit.

The Bufori CS8 starts from RM2.188 million on-the-road without insurance and there are already multiple names on the order book, with first deliveries expected to start in Q1 2027. And most of the orders are from within Malaysia too.

That’s a lot of money, but perhaps those names were swayed by this GT’s performance, exclusivity and the high level of ‘bespokeness’ Bufori insists on. That, plus the fact that it takes over 9,000 man-hours to build a CS8 (18 to 450 hours for mass produced cars, Khouri says) – perhaps it’s not a lot of money after all…

The story of the CS is on the final straight now, with deliveries being the finish line. We’ll continue to document this fascinating car; for now, what do you think of the CS8 in its present form? It evolved from this.

GALLERY: Bufori CS8

GALLERY: Bufori CS8 launch

GALLERY: Bufori CS8 studio images, spec sheet and options brochure

GALLERY: House of Bufori