New British firm Elemental plans to unveil its lightweight sportscar, the RP-1, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month.
The RP-1 is a track-focused two-seater that according to the Elemental Cars website will offer exceptional performance and easily adjustable dynamics. A company representative had the following to say: “But once we had begun to design it, we realised we could incorporate some major material and design advances and make the car not only track-capable but road legal. And not only compete but be class leading and offer it for sale.”
The concept is certainly not a foreign one, with the likes of Ariel Atoms, KTM X-Bows and Caterham Seven’s still largely popular, so what makes the RP-1 special?
It’s powered by Ford’s 2,0-litre, four-cylinder Ecoboost engine, which has seen a few upgrades to coax approximately 206 kW and 400 N.m of torque from the powerplant. That’s not much, but in a vehicle that tips the scales at just 450 kg those figures should translate to fairly high performance potential.
The RP-1 is also equipped with a fully adjustable suspension system for maximum tuning, as well as a sequential transmission with paddle-shift function. Aerodynamic aids adapted from motorsport will also allow the RP-1 to produce 200 kg of downforce at 160 km/h.
