Like many 17-year-olds, Johannes Paulussen dreamed of driving his own exotic car. A Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford GT40, it didn’t matter what it was to him, just as long as it went like a scolded cat and turned heads.
Paulassen’s father, a down-to-earth carpenter, said ‘if you want to have such as car, you will have to build it yourself!”
So, unable to afford a Ferrari, and taking his father’s advice, in 1967 young Johannes set about designing and building his own sports car. With a head full of ideas, but no experience in drafting or design work, the German automotive engineering student began to sketch out and build his vision. 
Named Beradino, after a 1950s cowboy movie star, eight years on Paulussen had his stylish coupe creation certified for road use in 1975. However, it wasn’t until 2011, after 10,000 hours work, that he was able to finally put the finishing touches to the car.
Now displayed at Essen in its complete and drivable form, the Beradino is a remarkable achievement for a one-off home-built car, with a high level of build quality workmanship and engineering that would embarrass many mainstream manufacturers.
The styling of the Beradino takes its cues from contemporary mid-1960s Italian coupes, but the mechanicals are pure German, using tried and trusted Porsche 911 running gear. An ingenious feature of the car is the entire roof section, which can be removed to create a convertible, or a hardtop notchback.
Photography: Tom Shaxson http://tomshaxson.com
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