Feature: T1 Line
August 1, 2007
However, there are still some teething problems to sort out.
During our evaluation, the T1 suffered a minor electronic glitch that had it
static in the pit lane, while a raft of technicians furrowed their brows and
tapped on their laptops for an hour before giving the Caparo the thumbs up. But
then there’s still a few months development time to iron out any creases before
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Semi-tandem seating optimizes the limited
cockpit space. (Click image to enlarge)
Finally, it is time to experience all that power, only from the
passenger seat at the moment (no one will be allowed to pilot the T1 until it is
delivered to the first customer). The Caparo’s slender cabin swallows driver and
passenger in staggered tandem. Both seats are fixed; the steering wheel and
pedals adjust to create the perfect driving position.
The moment I am strapped in place, we are out on the track, almost
immediately moving at 100 mph, and climbing. There is no gradual buildup
of velocity, no surge of acceleration, just instant synapse-snapping speed,
accompanied by a wailing exhaust note that sounds so good it cannot possibly be
legal. The digital readout on the dash display blurs, as it tries to keep up
with the car’s prodigious pace. This is the kind of shattering speed that makes
anything—a Ferrari Enzo, a Porsche Carrera GT or a Lamborghini Murciélago
LP640—feel dull, soft and lazy by comparison. And at $350,000, the Caparo T1
makes the Bugatti Veyron look a bit overpriced.
The 3.5-liter V-8 engine (bottom) allows for a
top speed of 205 mph. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
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Cornering grip is just as jaw slackening. The T1 simply hurtles
through bends with an arcade-game level of poise and traction without the
slightest hint of body roll. At the tiniest movement of the steering wheel the
car dives into corners, moving as a single integrated piece.
The sequential gear changes are seamless. It takes less than
100 milliseconds for the magnesium housed transmission to shift between cogs,
and at speed it feels like someone is simply adjusting the volume of the
exhaust’s howling note, rather than changing gear. And brushing the brake pedal
is like deploying a tail-end parachute, as the race-spec pads grab the vast
14-inch discs at each corner.
For anyone who reckons that 100 mph in five seconds might be a
touch lethargic, Scott-Geddes assures that there will be more to come. "The
opportunity of doing more with this engine is there—it’s well within its current
state of tune," he says.
One of the early ideas is to initiate a one-make racing series,
running the participating T1s on methanol, which would push power output to
around 700 hp. The cars will not be legal on the highway but will be track
legal, where Caparo expects the majority of its customers to spend most of their
time behind the wheel.
According to Sean Butcher, the project’s commercial director,
the United States will account for at least one third of total
sales—approximately 20 cars per year—with the Atlanta-based Mann Motor Company
importing, distributing and servicing the car in the U.S. The first year’s
production run has already been sold, so interested buyers should act fast.
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