Well the Caparo project is still alive and well.
On Saturday I was fortunate to be invited out to Ascari to see the Caparo T1 up close and personal.
After the recent Top Gear review and Jason Plato's 'incident' last year I was prepared to be disappointed.
Anyway first up for the day was the usual track briefing, for the morning we were to use the short track then the full track would be opened in the afternoon. So off we go to meet the car in the 'Carbon' so to speak. All I can say at this point is the pictures do not do the T1 justice, it purely is a work of art. Caparo managed to have 3 cars available for the day to ensure there were no issues getting track time.
Anyway, now onto the sighting laps in a Volkswagen Sharan, driven by a famous Dutch Le Mans driver who I cannot remember his name. (Ideas anyone, verges or something similar)
Then we are given the keys to a Lotus Elise to familiarise ourselves with the track as a driver. From what I can tell the Elise was the low powered version, or at least I hope it was, the photo's may reveal the answer ??
The thing about Ascari is that the track has been made up from elements of other famous tracks so at times it doesn't flow as well as it possibly could, however this makes for some interesting lines and learning all the way. So after trying to get used to a LHD Elise and realising that you cannot change gear with the window winder I start to learn where the track goes.
Then no sooner than I was getting used to the track, the Caparo beckoned.
For anyone who has not seen the reviews or pictures, it simply is a road legal 2 seater variation on a Formula 1 car. Caparo themselves don't like to give the car a category or sportscar / supercar / hypercar they simply refer to it as the next level.
So out we go onto the track. Over the first crest and my stomach is in my mouth, by the 3rd corner I remember that I have to breathe........ the performance is that mind blowing. The acceleration is like I have never felt before, the cornering, the levels of grip, the brakes. All are pretty much perfect, a few were complaining of slight under steer, however we were told this has been built into the car on purpose and can be dialed out if required although the car may then have a propensity to be too twitchy.
All too soon it was time for lunch, so do I take it easy and just have a snack as I know the afternoon will be far quicker or....... as our host Klaas Zwart has generously laid on a full 4 course lunch it seemed rude to turn it down.
So back to the track and out in the Sharan again... so on this corner you will be braking from 150mph then on the exit accelerating hard up to 180mph before you go round the next banked corner...... what have I let myself in for I thought.
But the 4.5km lap came to an end all too quickly in the Sharan and now it was time to go out again in the Elise. The usual learning curve was again very steep, however the track was coming together in my mind so I felt prepared for whatever the Caparo could throw at me.
Again out of the pits and over the stomach churning crest, the track sweeping with the car not showing any signs that we were on anything other than a straight road, well of course except for the forces being exerted on you from every direction and the immense feeling that at any second the car would stop defying the laws of gravity....
Anyway to wrap the car up, it does what it says on the tin, it has 95% of the performance of an F1 car, 'could' be driven on the road if you really were a suicidal maniac and has the ability to scare you to within an inch of your life. Would I buy one, I don't think so, at the moment I think it is just a track car that can be driven on the road at a push, I'll wait for the T2 that can deliver a more rounded package, if they ever make one that is.
Oh and 1 final point, yes I did get to 180mph all be it with Phil Bennett driving though.
:biggrin:
