Raffo's beautiful beast

Posted by John Mellberg February 05, 2021

Raffo's beautiful beast

Introduced in 1996, the Raffo Belva was the creation of an Italian born restauranteur in Lancashire England named John Raffo. He was lauded for his Lasagna and was said to have "the best Pizza in Preston". While he enjoyed success in that business, his true passion was the automobile.

John Raffo began racing a Chevron B8 in the early seventies and eventually got into building kit cars. At first he created a modified GTM and then started producing his own Raffo range of cars ('Tipos') with a focus on track use. As it turned out, he was a talented engineer in addition to his culinary skills. The zenith of these efforts was most definitely the Belva.

The Raffo Tipo 12

Of the name, Raffo said, "Well we were watching television one night, one of Richard Attenborough's programs was on, about Tigers. The wife sat there and this Tiger went past on screen and she said 'que bella belva', what a beautiful beast. That's what belva means, and I thought, 'what a bloody good name'!"

After that epiphany he set about designing this beast, "The design was a little retro in certain aspects... A bit like a P4 Ferrari at the front", he recalled in an interview. Other inspirations were found in "Aircraft and 50's single-seater cars with that barrel shape". Raffo also had specific intentions about the mechanicals as well, "I wanted it to be small. 6-7 inches longer than a Mini, obviously wider than one. I find small cars easy to drive on 'b-roads'".

The Raffo Belva prototype

Construction of a prototype began in the early 90's, starting with a scale model and progressing to a buck and molds. The full size article would feature a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder sourced from the Vauxhall Calibra and, unlike later iterations, had conventional doors and a removable roof. Subsequent Belvas were gullwing coupes with a closed roof and small vents built into the side-glass of the doors. The bodywork was in GRP, mounted on a box-section steel frame, with the engine mounted transversely in the mid-rear of the chassis.

The production article was sold in kit form and utilized the Zetec engine and transaxle from the Ford Mondeo, instead of the Vauxhall unit. The steering rack was also from the Ford parts bin, coming from the Sierra. Disc brakes were employed at all four corners, connected by steel braided lines.

The Raffo Belva, interior

The body was a single piece tub molding, with separate hood and trunk lid, as well as double skinned gullwing doors. The windshield was a bespoke item and the side-glass was Perspex. The kits shipped with the doors and gas struts installed, and glass pre-mounted.

The chassis consisted of a multi-tubular 16 gauge, box-section, steel frame with heavy sill bars and integral roll-over protection. The whole assembly was powder coated at the factory. The front suspension was fully independent, with cast aluminum uprights, nylon bushed wishbones, anti-sway bars, and adjustable coil spring dampers. The rear arrangement was of a MacPherson type with steel uprights and adjustable dampening.

Despite the modest 135bhp delivered from its Ford motor, the Belva was a spirited performer because the whole package only weighed 1680lbs. Handling was crisp and the steering quick, by virtue of its short wheelbase of just over 7ft. Thanks to its light weight and slippery aerodynamics, the Belva delivered a 0-60mph time of under 6 seconds and a top speed of 145mph.

The Raffo Belva, owned by Tony Rogers

Ultimately 7 Belvas were made, in addition to the prototype, as well as a one-off roadster version called the "Belvetta" (Belva + Barchetta) which was built in 1997. A few years later John Raffo retired with his wife to Italy and handed the project over to Harlequin Autokits. It is unclear whether they produced any further examples and by 2005 the project changed hands again. The current owner, Mike Phillips, intends to re-launch the car in an enlarged form to accommodate bigger motors and more passenger space.

Sadly, John Raffo passed away in January of 2016, at the age of 79. Time will tell if his 'beautiful beast' will make a return. Regardless, it is a fine legacy for a vibrant and creative man who touched the lives of many.