Former McLaren F1 engineer Steve Nichols has designed and built a roadster that outputs over 700 horsepower to the wheels while weighing under a metric ton. It’s currently headed for production, although plans exist for fewer than 150 examples.
The car is known as the Nichols N1A. Sporting an exterior inspired by many retro racers, materially it’s still a very modern vehicle with an aluminum-carbon chassis and carbon bodywork.
Power can be supplied by a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated Chevrolet V8 tuned to deliver 482 PS (475 hp / 355 kW) and 637 Nm (470 lb-ft) of torque. Those who need more may request an upgrade to a 7.0-liter LS7 eight-banger producing 710 PS (700 hp / 522 kW) and 813 Nm (600 lb-ft) of torque without any kind of forced induction. The latter option is enough for a 3.5-second launch from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph).
The announcement puts a strong emphasis on a lack of modern driving aids and electronic stability features. The N1A uses a conservative six-speed manual transmission to send torque to the rear end. The suspension is independent on all four wheels and uses a double-wishbone design. Drivers can fine-tune it for a particular track, but that’s it.
All production will take place in the UK. The entry-level Nichols N1A costs from £450,000 (U.S. $595,000), but there will also be a special edition called Icon 88, dedicated to McLaren’s racing triumphs of the ’88 F1 season. The first 15 examples delivered will be Icon 88 roadsters priced from £500,000 ($661,000).