Elemental represents a business concept we’ve seen before. The idea of a tiny British sportscar manufacturer from a small town has been seen many times over the decades and has become somewhat of a cliche.
This particular one is based in Hampshire and its creation, the Rp1, is expected to make its first official appearance at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Rp1 is a very aggressive-looking track speedster making use of a carbon-fibre tub chassis. It boasts massive speed, impressive downforce and respectable dynamics after being in its production stages for the past four years. It has no roof or windscreen, meaning that a helmet will be advised at all times. Practicality comes in the form of 100-litre storage binnacles behind the rear bulkhead.
The tub alone weighs just 65 kg and sports a noticeably low driving position not too different from a Formula One car. With all the bits and pieces bolted together, the speedster is expected to weigh in at just 580 kg. Thanks to this unique seating position, Elemental was able to fit the Rp1 with a diffuser under the front half of the car. This is able to generate 400 kg of downforce at 240 km/h.
Customers will have the choice of speccing the Rp1 with either a 134 kW 1,0-litre three-cylinder or a 240 kW 2,0-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, giving it a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3,2 seconds and 2,8 seconds respectively, while connected to a Hewland paddle-shift 6-speed sequential gearbox.
