Brutal launches S1 supercar

Slovakian start-up car-maker Brutal has launched its S1 supercar and expects to deliver up to six examples a year.

Inspired by the Ariel Atom, weighing less than 900kg and powered by a 221kW (300hp) Subaru STI-sourced 2.0-litre turbo boxer engine, the S1 is claimed to hit 100km/h in less than 3.9 seconds.

That’s not terribly quick by today’s supercar standards, there’s no word on right-hand drive production and Brutal founder Marian Lušpai is yet to announce exact pricing.

What buyers get, however, is a hard-core, mid/rear-engined compact coupe complete with roof-hinged gullwing doors and a paintjob by renowned German automotive paint specialist Spies Hecker.

A decade in the making, the two-seat S1 rolls on a tubular-frame chassis and wears a body constructed from fibreglass, carbon-fibre and special ‘Airex’ foam.

The low-slung, wedge-shape body was designed by Jakub Štarman, who was a student at the Academy of Art and Design in Bratislava at the time, but now works for Skoda.

There is no power steering, power windows, anti-lock brakes or, we suspect, any advanced driver safety aids.

Lušpai, a trained engineer, has received a number of expressions of interest in the car, but admitted the S1 is not for everyone.

“Of course, the Brutal S1 is not a car you would take to the supermarket,” he said. “It is a racing machine engineered for high performance. That’s its essence.

“Many of the parts come from motor racing, such as the brakes and sections of the suspension. It is basically a thoroughbred racing car that is licensed for use on public roads.

“Given the level of demand, we assume that we can produce a maximum of six vehicles per year,” he said.