Caparo kicks Veyron's butt?

Supposedly faster than the formidable 1000hp $2m Bugatti Veyron, yet offering the fuel economy of a typical family sedan, this outlandish looking contraption is seemingly a wheeled embodiment of having your cake and scoffing it too.

Say hello to the Caparo T1, a British-built, ultra-light, two-seater sportscar that made its world debut last Thursday (April 20) at the Top Marques show in Monaco. Given the location, it’s rather fitting that the space-age device was unveiled by none other than Prince Albert II.

It’s billed as a “new breed of supercar” that serves up dynamic capabilities not far short of a Formula One car. This is a claim that only regular F1 pilots will be able to truly verify, but the numbers paint a telling picture.

How does a claimed 0-100km/h split of just over 2.5sec sound? Or try 0-160km/h in 5sec. But the real clincher is the 0-160-0km/h interval of under 10sec. If the Caparo T1 does, indeed, measure up to these stats, it would firmly cement it as the world’s fastest accelerating and braking (as opposed to breaking) car.

Oh, and by the way, it’s also not too sluggardly around a racetrack, thanks to 3g braking and cornering ability, which the manufacturer claims is equivalent to a Le Mans style prototype racecar.

Okay, how does it deliver such stupefying performance? Waif-like dimensions are a significant factor, as its sub-500kg kerb weight is less than that of an F1 car in race trim. By way of comparison a Lotus Exige is positively chubby in comparison tipping the scales at around 875kg.

The folk at Caparo are playing their cards close to their chest as far as technical specs go, as the only details revealed so far are that it’s powered by a mid-mounted V8 (of undisclosed capacity) that punches out 373kW.

We’d like to tell you about the transmission and suspension layout, but we can’t, because the manufacturer hasn’t seen fit (at least for now) to divulge these details.

However, the 70-litre fuel tank supposedly provides a touring range of 800km on public highways. “And that is sufficient to tackle seven hours of driving from London to Le Mans, a distance of 544km, without refuelling, before putting in a blistering performance on the circuit,” boasts Caparo.

The T1 was ostensibly created to demonstrate the company’s ability to design and manufacture the world’s first 1000bhp-per-tonne (about 750kW-per tonne) road and track car.

And the makers claim it’s not just a flight of fancy, as plans are in place for low-volume production. Caparo says deposits are already being taken and that the hand-built car will be available to the first customers later this year. No word on how many zeros are in the pricetag…