We always wanted to have a car like Caterham, but the one and only thing that came to our minds by looking at it was that this car would have been better with roof, 400 horsepower and more luxury. So all the prayers have been answered and the IFR has come up with an all-new Aspid with roof in which two engines will be available and a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter producing 270 hp, or a 400-hp turbocharged version of the same mill. This light weight carbon fiber structure whose power will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential to get that 400 horsepower.
Known as the Aspid, IFR has sought to create a track car with everyday levels of usability and, importantly for cars like this – reliability.
It’s also a technology showcase for demonstrating the company’s design and engineering capabilities.
Aspid prototypes feature a 2-litre engine; either naturally aspirated to deliver 270bhp or supercharged to 400bhp.
Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a manual 6-speed gearbox and limited-slip differential.
Use of aluminium and carbon fibre has resulted in weight of just 700kg and the resulting 570bhp-per-tonne power-to-weight ratio enables 62mph (100km/h) in 2.8 seconds and 100mph (160km/h) in 5.9 seconds.
“The Aspid has been engineered to deliver a high level of driving pleasure,” says company founder, managing director and automotive engineer Ignacio Fern?ez Rodriquez, whose initials give IFR Automotive its name.
Formerly with Prodrive, Rodriquez subsequently joined the Mitsubishi World Rally Championship team as race engineer for Alister McRae and Fran?s Delecour.
Rodriquez founded IFR Automotive in 2003 and began work immediately on the new sports car project, while handling confidential car and commercial vehicle assignments from industry clients.
With a long list of options, and each one tailored to the precise needs of each individual customer the anticipated base price is £75,000 and upwards per Aspid.
The car will be displayed at the British International Motor Show in London docklands from Wednesday 23 July to Sunday 3 August 2008.
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