A new open-top car has arrived in the UK for the first time after more than a decade of development in Australia – and it’s legal.
Called Spartan, lightness and simplicity are at the heart of the car. The carbon fiber bodywork, similar to the Can-Am race cars of the late 1960s, weighs less than 20kg.
It hides a tubular steel frame that defies current FIA safety regulations, with double wishbone suspension controlled by pre-programmable semi-active tractive dampers at each end. In total, and depending on options, a Spartan weighs just 670 kg.
While fundamentally uncompromising in concept, the car is UK-legal and offers a degree of configurability. Honda’s K24 four-cylinder engine is mounted transversely in the middle and produces 275bhp naturally aspirated, but can be fitted with a Rotrex centrifugal supercharger that takes power up to ‘400bhp-plus’.
It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox supplied by Honda, although a six-speed sequential gearbox supplied by Quaife can be fitted for the full motorsport experience. The Spartan offers a choice of brakes, and all cars are fitted with carbon fiber tillet seats and six-point seat belts.
Fitted with semi-slick tyres, the 700kg supercharged Spartan is said to hit 62mph in just 2.5 seconds, compared to 3.3 seconds for the naturally aspirated car. Top speed is 155 mph, at which point the car generates almost 470 kg of downforce thanks to its front splitter, rear diffuser and substantial wing, all of which were created with the help of CFD.
In addition, adjustable front height, five settings for rear wing attack and the orientation of the gurney flap can be adjusted to manipulate the car’s aerodynamic balance depending on track layout, weather and handling preferences.
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