A lot of car manufacturers like to advertise that their cars “break all the rules. ” Sometimes they couldnt be more wrong. But, every once in a while the car enthusiast community is blessed with a vehicle that actually does break the rules. The most prominent and recent examples of this have been the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo and Bugatti Veyron. Amazing performance, amazing construction, and amazing price tags make them each utterly amazing cars; but a new car is set to knock them into the history books; the Caparo T1.
Designed by two ex-McLaren engineers that worked on everything from the mid-BMW-engined F1 three-seater to the more recent Mercedes McLaren SLR, the Caparo T1 is destined to be the ultimate supercar. Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead, those aforementioned engineers and the two brainiacs behind the T1, have designed the car around the principle that it should be a completely uncompromised sports car, with no concessions to everyday drivability or luxury, unlike one of the last cars the two worked on at McLaren; the SLR.
With that in mind, dont scroll through the photos looking for cupholders, stereos, navigation systems and the like; you wont find any. What you will find is carbon fiber. A lot of carbon fiber. In fact, most of the car is made of the stuff, beginning with a race car-like tub of it that attaches to a steel spaceframe in the rear to mount the engine. From that carbon tub sprouts the suspension arms, which act upon (once again) race car-like inboard- and longitudinally-mounted cantilevered shocks that are adjustable race units. Below, adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars keep all of the Caparos 1,025 pounds flat and stable through the turns. Even the quick-ratio steering box does its part to keep the Caparo on the road, with a magnesium case thats substantially lighter than any rivals.
Further cornering assistance comes from the most striking feature of all: the Caparos body shell. Capable of producing enough downforce at 150 miles per hour to drive upside down, the T1 uses adjustable wings (front and rear), a diffuser, and fowler flaps to increase its adhesion to the road. Coincidentally, while all these may sound uber-trick, the designers were thoughtful enough to consider that while the Caparo shouldnt smash into any walls while navigating turns (it should be able to pull over 3 lateral Gs on the skidpad! ), not all cars are as capable; so they designed the car in easily (relatively) replaced sections, should one end up in some sort of mishap.
| 
|