Feature: T1 Line
08/01/2007
"The Caparo T1 is set up for performance and performance alone," says Ben Scott-Geddes, operations director at Caparo Vehicle Technologies. "That’s what we think a supercar should be about." The laconic Brit has an exemplary track record—as a key player in the creation of the McLaren F1, he was also involved in the development of the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR. In short, Scott-Geddes knows what he’s doing.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();) |
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Combine a handful of talented, speed-obsessed technicians, plenty of Formula One technology, and a huge helping of world-class engineering skill, and the result may be the most extreme supercar ever built. Pared down to the essentials, the Caparo T1 takes the basics of speed—high power and low weight—and wraps them in an aerospace steel and composite shape that is more rocket than road car. Like a fighter jet shorn of its wings, the aerodynamically tuned T1 makes every other supercar look flabby, overwrought and, frankly, dull.
The underlying principle behind the T1 is its low mass, which is achieved with the use of a carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb chassis, Nomex body panels and alloy suspension components. Even the power plant features all-aluminum construction, titanium valves and a carbon-fiber intake system. The result is a car that barely tips the scales at 1,213 pounds, or less than a third of your average family sedan.
Slung out behind the two-seat jetfighter cockpit is Caparo’s bespoke 3.5-liter V-8 engine. Designed, developed and built in-house, the motor delivers 575 hp at 10,500 rpm and 310 ft-lbs of torque at 9,000 rpm—which gives the T1 a power-to-weight ratio of 1,045 hp per ton. Technically, that sort of performance may put it in a class above supercar.
The results of such racecar-like ratios are astounding. From rest, the T1 can catapult to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, and touch 100 mph in five seconds flat. Stand on the brakes, and it will slow from 100 mph to a standstill in 3.5 seconds. Top speed is an eyeball-flattening 205 mph, and it will pull 3.5 g under braking and during cornering.
Scott-Geddes and his team have gone from scale wind-tunnel model to 99 percent complete running prototype in less than 12 months, which is about the same time it takes Ford to design a cup holder. He looks tired. But behind his exhaustion sits a burning pride and pleasure in seeing the T1 in action. "It’s the best thing I’ve ever done," he grins as the Caparo blurs past on the track. The project’s credence was further boosted when motorsport legend and McLaren F1 boss, Gordon Murray, joined the team as an advisor.
"He moved us away from the initial plans for a supercharged engine to a naturally aspirated power plant, and he played a key role in the car’s aerodynamics," says Scott-Geddes. The T1’s adjustable front and rear wings, air diffuser and low-drag body design suck the car to the track. Tweaking its aerodynamic package will either boost downforce or increase top speed, depending on the sort of circuit you feel like tackling, and its aerodynamic shape cleaving through the air is key to its phenomenal handling and agility.
At 150 mph, the T1 generates a massive 1,765 pounds of downforce—more than its skimpy 1,213-pound curb weight—which means you could drive it upside down through a tunnel. Try explaining that to the police.
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 the T1 is unleashed.
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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.
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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.What is Caparo?
Caparo is a U.K.-based industrial giant that specializes in the manufacture and supply of steel and engineering products. Founded by Lord Paul in 1968, the company posted a group turnover of $1.2 billion last year and is one of the automotive industry’s fastest-growing suppliers, with turnover predicted to top $3 billion by 2012. It employs 5,670 staff in the U.K., India, China, Dubai, Spain and America, where it owns the Bull Moose Tube Company.
"We see transport as a key role in Caparo’s portfolio," says Caparo Chief Executive Angad Paul. "Our goal is to help carmakers create a new generation of more fuel-efficient and lightweight family cars with significantly lower emissions more in keeping with the needs of the 21st century." Which explains why the company has invested around $10 million in Caparo Vehicle Technologies, the team behind the T1. "Think of it as a very fast moving billboard for our business," says Paul.
Caparo Vehicle Technologies
www.caparo-t1.com