Homegrown Spartan supercar to be launched this weekend
Ariel Atom watch out! Ultra-lightweight, Honda-powered, Australian-made track weapon already setting lap recordsWhat weighs 700kg, produces 343kW (460hp), can accelerate to 100km/h in 2.3 seconds and is priced from $300,000?
The Australian-made Spartan supercar, that’s what.
Designed, engineered and built in Sydney, the wild new roadster will have its ‘hard’ launch this Saturday (March 2) at the inaugural Festival of Speed in Canberra.
Spartan Motor Company was founded by Sydney engineers Nick and Peter Pap, who have confirmed only 300 of the high-revving Spartan roadsters will be built, with two buyers already confirmed in the UK and several pre-orders received in Australia.
Powered by a heavily modified supercharged 2.4-litre K24 Honda four-cylinder petrol engine driving the rear wheels through a Honda six-speed manual transmission, the Spartan is claimed to deliver hard-core and reliable performance for the road and racetrack at a competitive price.
“Designed to deliver uncompromising performance, the Spartan accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 2.3 seconds,” said Nick Pap, co-founder of Spartan Motor Company.
“It’s faster than the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale and is designed to allow the driver to test the limits of racing performance.”
He said the ultra-lightweight sports car delivers “exhilaration through a pure driving experience” thanks to its low centre of gravity and an absence of driver aids.
In 2023 the Spartan set a new lap record of 1:14.14 at the Rockingham circuit in the UK.
Showing off a sleek and smooth exterior design inspired by ‘iconic race cars of the 1960s’, the Spartan is the culmination of 15 years of research and development.
Cutting-edge performance technologies include AP Racing brakes, unequal-length double-wishbone suspension and ACE active dampers from Tractive Suspension – all of which is bolted to a tubular spaceframe chassis concealed beneath fibreglass bodywork.
“We aimed to create a race car that is not only exhilarating to drive but also accessible, lightweight and easily maintainable,” added fellow co-founder, Peter Pap.
“The Spartan is built to transcend the ordinary, it’s the ultimate driving machine and it looks great.”
The company said the Spartan had to look good and be serviceable, which is why the Honda K24 engine was chosen. It’s been completely rebuilt with forged internals and, together with the Rotrex supercharger, can be tuned to customer specifications and deliver up to around 373kW or 500hp.
It’s understood the company managed to reliably get 700hp out of the engine, which uses the Honda ECU with remapped software and is matched to a completely rebuilt Honda six-speed manual transmission with exposed linkages.
The Spartan will take pride of place at the Festival of Speed on the weekend, when orders for the Australian market will commence and customer test drives will begin.
Initially built as a track car, the Spartan is already street-legal in the UK and is currently going undergoing modifications to be road-registerable in Australia, including the addition of headlights and tail-lights and regular seatbelts replacing the six-point racing harnesses for the Tillet B6 carbon racing seats.
Spartan Motor Company spokesperson Matt Deahm told carsales that Spartan production would be strictly limited to 300 units to ensure its exclusivity, but that the Aussie car-maker won’t be a one-hit wonder.
“Future models will be different again – there’s definitely some big stuff in works,” he said.
“The founders have no interest in stopping building cars, but the Spartan will be limited to 300.
“There is some secret stuff in the works. I can’t say too much, but we won’t release another 300 when this runs out.”
Buyers can request minor customisations that will increase the price and Deahm explained that carbon-fibre bodywork will be one of the extra-cost options available, complete with hand-woven herringbone patterning.
Stay tuned for more.
Spartan specifications:
Price: From $300,000
Engine: Supercharged Honda 2.4 litre four-cylinder
Power: 343kW
Weight: 700kg
0-100km/h acceleration: 2.3 seconds
Top speed: 280km/h
Gearbox: Honda six-speed manual
Suspension: Double unequal-length wishbones
Damping: Tractive Suspension active dampers
Brakes: AP Racing
Wheels: Advan RZ lightweight race wheels
Wheel size: 16x7.0-inch (f), 17x9.0-inch (r)
Track tyres: Yokohama AO50, 205/50-16 (f), 255/40-17 (r)
Road tyres: Yokohama AO52, 205/50-16 (f), 255/40-17 (r)
Seats: Tillet B6 carbon racing seats, six-point harnesses
Chassis: Tubular spaceframe
Body: Fibreglass panels or carbon-fibre
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