It's a familiar story. Fledgling British sports car maker announces its homegrown 911 rival. Teaser images are released.
A magazine or two publish breathless scoop features proclaiming its brilliance. And then nothing. And it looked like that might be just the case with the Farboud GTS, a hardcore mid engined number designed by supercar nut Arash Farboud.
But Farboud has handed the project over to a new company. Renamed the Farbio GTS and now in the hands of ex Marcos man Chris Marsh, the aim has to been to refine the GTS concept into viable production form. Or, to put it another way, make it affordable and profitable. So the expensive pushrod suspension and other racecar features have been shelved and more conventional and cost effective solutions found. The original Audi V6 - since discontinued - has also been replaced with a Ford Duratec V6, similar to that used by Noble. The spaceframe chassis and carbon fibre bodywork remain though, as does the flat floor and rear diffuser to boost aerodynamic stability.
It's certainly very light, the 1048kg kerbweight meaning it weighs 192kg less than a Clio 197 and is 347kg lighter than a 911 Carrera. The 262bhp on offer sounds modest but with so little mass performance is formidable, with Farbio claiming 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds. And if that really isn't quick enough for you there is also a supercharged version with 348bhp and 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds. AP Racing brakes and Eibach springs on adjustable dampers will offer more than designer label racing cred too - this is all proven kit and used by race teams the world over.
But unlike British rivals the Farbio GTS has no pretensions of being a trackday special. "Obviously you can use it on the track but that's not really what it's about," says Chris Marsh. "Indeed, people seem to be more interested in the normally aspirated version at the moment because the performance is more usable." And while he doesn't rule out a more track focused version in the future he points out that the GTS is intended to be as comfortable and user friendly as possible.
A magazine or two publish breathless scoop features proclaiming its brilliance. And then nothing. And it looked like that might be just the case with the Farboud GTS, a hardcore mid engined number designed by supercar nut Arash Farboud.
But Farboud has handed the project over to a new company. Renamed the Farbio GTS and now in the hands of ex Marcos man Chris Marsh, the aim has to been to refine the GTS concept into viable production form. Or, to put it another way, make it affordable and profitable. So the expensive pushrod suspension and other racecar features have been shelved and more conventional and cost effective solutions found. The original Audi V6 - since discontinued - has also been replaced with a Ford Duratec V6, similar to that used by Noble. The spaceframe chassis and carbon fibre bodywork remain though, as does the flat floor and rear diffuser to boost aerodynamic stability.
It's certainly very light, the 1048kg kerbweight meaning it weighs 192kg less than a Clio 197 and is 347kg lighter than a 911 Carrera. The 262bhp on offer sounds modest but with so little mass performance is formidable, with Farbio claiming 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds. And if that really isn't quick enough for you there is also a supercharged version with 348bhp and 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds. AP Racing brakes and Eibach springs on adjustable dampers will offer more than designer label racing cred too - this is all proven kit and used by race teams the world over.
But unlike British rivals the Farbio GTS has no pretensions of being a trackday special. "Obviously you can use it on the track but that's not really what it's about," says Chris Marsh. "Indeed, people seem to be more interested in the normally aspirated version at the moment because the performance is more usable." And while he doesn't rule out a more track focused version in the future he points out that the GTS is intended to be as comfortable and user friendly as possible.
GALLERY: Farbio GTS
It's a nice little sports car that you can go for a spin, to impress your mates, or take down the town and bring your shopping back in, without having to change into the family saloon.
Labels: News
