Elemental RP1: Driven

Elemental RP1 wants to make its mark on the track day market, we take an early drive to see if it stands a chance

Is there really room in the market for another lightweight, minimalist track toy? Elemental would certainly be hoping so and has the courage of its conviction - and the formidable motorsport CVs of its founders - behind it. From KTMs to Ariels, Caterhams to road going Radicals and now (relative) mainstream options like the Lotus 3-Eleven there's certainly no lack of choice if you're shopping for a glitzy, minimalist track day toy.

Fierce competition - can it compete?

The market will decide on whether there's room in this mix for the Elemental; for now we've had an early shakedown test in the pre-production prototype and can report back on what it's like to drive.

With that £70K burning a hole in your pocket what would make you walk past established players like the Atom 3.5R, the Caterham 620R, the Radical SR3 SL, the BAC Mono and into the eager arms of Elemental? Impressive though they are the bare stats of a sub-600kg weight, 300hp-plus Ecoboost turbo engine, carbon construction and sequential gearbox aren't enough. In this company you need a USP to at least equal Ariel's trademark skeletal construction, Radical's bona fide 'race car for the road' breeding or the Seven's formidable heritage.

Looks like a Zenos, reality much more serious

Money where your mouth is
Putting that question to founder John Begley and finance man Alex Graham the word that keeps coming back is downforce. Begley's experience at McLaren and his collaboration with another ex-Woking man (composites expert Peter Kent) mean a race team's focus on the seemingly opposing goals of increasing downforce while minimising drag. So to the RP1's trademark feature - the 'feet up' driving position that has enabled substantial underbody tunnels to suck the front of the car to the track, a flat underside and corresponding channels at the rear to generate positive downforce from just 60-70mph with no external wings. Begley is cagey with numbers at this stage but reckons equalling the car's bodyweight in downforce at higher speeds is well within the capability of the aero package, especially if you take advantage of the adjustability and drop the ride height down from its stock road friendly 110mm to a more track biased 50mm. Camber, anti-roll and more is all easily adjustable too, the RP1 designed from the off as user friendly for one-man-and-his-trailer track dayers, hillclimbers and racers.

Indeed, a painstakingly detailed customer profile was raised when we first saw the car a few weeks back; in short though, Begley welcomes the fettlers and the fiddlers who want to tune the car's feel to their own particular tastes.

Real aero is the Elemental's USP

This in essence was the inspiration from the start, RP1 standing for 'Race Project 1' after Begley's forays into Locost racing led him to think he could build something much better. From there he admits things spiralled somewhat, to the point where he's now on the cusp of helping launch an all-new brand based around a £75K carbon fibre track toy.

At this stage you're probably looking at the Elemental and thinking 'very nice, but it basically looks like a Zenos but more than twice the price.' A suspicion likely to be fuelled by the shared Ecoboost powertrain and basic ideology. In truth - and driving - the Elemental reveals itself to be a far more serious proposition though.

Clear objectives
Which is something of a relief actually. Zenos founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards had a clear vision of the car they wanted to build and a very focused business plan dictating the engineering choices and positioning as a fast, fun and most of all affordable track toy. And they've hit the nail on the head.

550hp per tonne will do the trick!

Superficial similarities or not, clues to where that substantial extra wedge of cash goes on with the Elemental is revealed when you lift the rear clamshell. In the tried and tested race car formula the longitudinal engine, gearbox and suspension are mounted as semi-stressed members to the rear bulkhead of a tub - in this case carbon. And here is the fundamental difference between the Elemental and cars like the Zenos, Lotus Elise/Exige, Atom, Vuhl, Alfa Romeo 4C and others that adapt transverse engine/gearboxes from mainstream front-driven applications.

Mounting the engine like this means using a race sequential - in this case a Hewland - and puts it alongside more exotic fare like the BAC Mono and Radical SR3 SL. Paired with that distinctive feet-up driving position, pushrod operated suspension and features like a sacrificial plywood skid plate beneath and you have a road-legal track car that has more than a bit of LMP2 car about its general demeanour.

It's a physical car to drive too. The seating position means you have to stand and drop yourself in, as you would a single seater. Once settled it feels entirely natural though, the wheel surprisingly close to your chest and hefty to turn. The brakes need a firm prod and with the pneumatically operated sequential there's a degree of adaptation required if you're more accustomed to regular manuals or even the mechanical sequentials fitted to fancier Caterhams and the like.

Plenty on here to make note of!

Sequence of events
You feather the clutch to move away and when you come to a halt but apart from that it's tug the weeny carbon paddles and let the engine and gearbox talk to each other to deliver whip-crack flat shifts with perfectly matched revs. You sense the gear going in through the bulkhead and there's a pleasingly mechanical clonk each time you tug a paddle but there's absolutely no let-up in acceleration.

Given its road car roots the Ecoboost is no high-rev screamer but Elemental's bespoke Life Racing ECU has been tweaked to avoid destabilising low-rev boost spikes and over-zealous torque delivery and the power delivery is relentlessly strong. This thing is fast. Properly fast. Properly, properly fast. With the aero to match the Radicals and the like round the corners but the power to leave even heavily boosted road cars on the straights this thing is going to be absolutely devastating on a track day. There's perhaps less whizz-bang charisma than the comparable installation in the Zenos, the Elemental's racer focus meaning it's a much more functional sound. You'll be going so fast you won't mind though.

And it's incredibly tractable too. Though it felt short geared for the Chobham test track's open turns Begley assures us it'll run out to 170mph; what's striking is how hard it pulls even from 60mph or so in fifth or even sixth. That'll be the 550hp per tonne power to weight ratio then. Without access to a handling circuit it's hard to assess how effective the aero and mechanical grip work but as the speeds build the Elemental's stability is obvious enough and the fundamental balance of the car is there to make slower, twistier circuits fun with the aero opening up the possibilities on faster tracks like Silverstone. Suffice to say, this combination of traditional lightweight agility, proper downforce and genuinely jaw-dropping thrust is going to give the Elemental a very broad operating window on the track and the road.

There will be space for a Le Mans trip. Really

The latter hasn't been overlooked either. Creature comforts are conspicuous by their absence but as a dedicated Le Mans attendee Alex is clear it has to have enough space for tents, helmets and the other bare essentials required for an extended weekend away. To that end the vented side pods on the car you see here - originally intended to channel air through the side and engine compartment - will be sealed and dedicated to luggage stowage on the production car. Likewise the final tub will have more elbow and shoulder room for the powerfully built and more adjustment for the seat and pedals. Cosy but not cramped then, even if you're a big lad.

Final judgement will have to wait until we drive the final production car on a track with, you know, corners and stuff. But the passion of the team is infectious, the car looks great and goes like absolute stink. Is there space for another track toy then? If it's as good as this you'd have to hope so.

ELEMENTAL RP1
Engine: 1,999cc 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed sequential, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320@N/A rpm
Torque (lb ft): 332@N/A rpm
0-60mph: 3.1sec (claimed)
Top speed: 160-170mph (claimed)
Weight: c.580-600kg (ready to drive)
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Price: £75,750

Elemental RP1 - the cars it has to beat...

Radical SR3 SL
Engine/gearbox: 240hp Ecoboost 2.0-litre turbo, longitudinal, sequential
Price: c. £70,000
Good: 'Race car for the road' cliche taken literally
Not so good: It's no looker

Caterham 620R
Engine/gearbox: 310hp Duratec 2.0 supercharged, mechanical sequential
Price: c. £50,000
Good: Classic mentalism, carried off with experience and class
Not so good: Old-school dynamics no match for the aero cars; cramped

Vuhl 05
Engine/gearbox: 285hp Ecoboost 2.0 turbo, transverse, manual
Price: c. £60,000
Good: Looks smart, goes well
Not so good: Pricey, given mechanical layout

Zenos E10 S
Engine/gearbox: 250hp Ecoboost turbo 2.0-litre, transverse, manual
Price: c. £30,000
Good: Good looking, fun to drive, bargain
Not so good: Cleverly done but it is built to a price

Ariel Atom 3.5 R
Engine/gearbox: 310hp (R 350hp) 2.0-litre Honda VTEC supercharged, transverse, manual (sequential option)
Price: £54K+VAT upwards...
Good: Nothing looks or goes like it
Not so good: Hyperactive and totally unhinged, whether you want it to be or not

BAC Mono
Engine/gearbox: 285hp 2.3-litre Duratec, longitudinal, sequential
Price: c. £75K
Good: Stunning looks, stunning performance
Not so good: Pricey, only for the single-minded/unsociable

Lotus 3-Eleven
Engine/gearbox: 3.5-litre V6 supercharged, transverse, manual with sequential option
Price: £82K upwards
Good: Fastest of its type by a mile and celebrated brand heritage
Not so good: Expensive given transverse engine and lack of carbon