About Caparo
The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat car built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, former engineers involved in the development of the McLaren F1. The T1 was inspired by Formula One design, and intended as an affordable street legal race car. The T1 is scheduled for production in mid-2007 for a price of GB£235,000 (approx. US$480,000 or €328,000, c.2007).
Overview
Exterior
The exterior of the T1 closely resembles that of a racing prototype or Formula One racing car. It features a carbon fibre aerodynamic low drag body design, composed of individual sections, with an adjustable twin element front wing, single element rear wing, and fowler flaps, and a ground effect diffuser, allowing it to create 875 kilograms (1929 lb) of downforce at 240 kilometres per hour (150 mph). The wings are replaceable with road and track variations.
Interior
The interior of the T1 is a two-seat configuration, lacking any amenities and luxuries to reduce excess weight. The passenger's seat is set back from the driver's seat slightly, allowing the seats to be placed closer together, thereby reducing the overall width of the T1. Offered are a head protection system, six-point harnesses for the driver and passenger, compatible with a HANS device, and is designed with a central safety cell made of a high-strength steel roll hoop with a fire system. The dashboard is multi-function with race data logging and speed sensors for traction control and launch control.
Chassis
The chassis of the T1 is composed of a carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque with a front composite crash structure and a rear tubular space frame construction. The suspension is of a double wishbone design with tunable anti-roll bars, front and rear, and five-way adjustable race dampers. The braking system is composed of 355-millimetre (13.9 in) steel brake discs, with six-piston and four-piston calipers front and rear, respectively. The brake bias pedal box is fully adjustable and brake pads are available in various compounds.
Powertrain
The T1 sports a bespoke 3.5-litre, all-aluminum, naturally-aspirated V8 engine, lubricated via a dry sump system. The design of the engine has gone through several changes, previously including a smaller 2.4-litre supercharged unit. It generates a maximum power of 575 brake horsepower (583 PS/429 kW) at 10,500 revolutions per minute and a maximum torque of 310 pound-feet (420 N•m) at 9,000 revolutions per minute, giving the car a power-to-weight ratio of 1,045 brake horsepower per tonne. The engine is controlled via a fully tunable Pectel engine control unit and the throttle is controlled via a throttle-by-wire system.
