Zenos E10: Driven

We've followed the Zenos from the start - now we get our first drive

It doesn't seem that long ago Ansar Ali dropped by the PH offices to pitch an ambitious new affordable lightweight sports car inspired by his experiences working at Lotus and then running Caterham. Clearly if anyone knew the challenges of such an enterprise Ali was that man. And yet here he was, ready to start again from scratch.

Fast, forgiving and fun too - impressive start

The list of promising looking British sports car start-ups is sadly a lot longer than those who've actually made a success of it. Into this world steps Zenos, the E10the first of a three-car line-up based on an intriguing and distinctive engineering premise that brings exotic tech like carbon tubs and pushrod dampers to an eye-catching price point.

From CAD drawings to driver's seat of the E10 doesn't seem to have taken all that long. But since we first met Zenos founders Ansar, Mark and Chris - all ex-Caterham and/or Lotus - they've gone from wooden sizing bucks in a small industrial unit next door to Hethel to their own production facility in nearby Wymondham. Which, as chance would have it, will be hosting a PH Sunday Service just this weekend. What a coincidence!

Quick blat on the road show E10's fun side

Starter's orders
Zenos customers are now being offered test drives and shakedown sessions in prototype E10s on road and track, involvement in the development process correctly identified as an attractive brand building USP. It's a brave move but a canny one. Meaning if there's something about the car you don't like on delivery it was your fault for not letting them know on the test drive!

PH gatecrashed one of these customer clinics at Brands Hatch last week, jumping in the E10 for a few laps of the Indy circuit on a busy track day plus a quick run on the local lanes during the lunch break. And make no mistake, this is a proper prototype. Switchgear hangs loose off its wiring, the gearshift linkage is exposed in a trough in the trademark central spine (actually quite cool - maybe they should leave it like this!) and the feel is definitely that of a hardworking development mule.

As driven the car has the normally aspirated 200hp Ford 2.0-litre engine - basically a non-turbo Ecoboost rather than a Duratec - with the six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential options that can be added to the basic E10 package.

Protoype bears patina of intense test regime

Set the bar
First impressions count and are entirely favourable. For starters it looks brilliant and immediately distinctive, even among the Caterhams, Ariels and Radicals prevalent on any British track day. We've already discussed the functional inspiration behind the design - easily replaceable coloured 'wings' over recycled carbon tub - but at an aesthetic level it's both purposeful and eye-catching and far more exotic looking than its price point might suggest.

Jumping in the next thing that strikes you is the amount of space in the cockpit. Even in SV form a Seven can be a squeeze for the more powerfully built track day fanatic - ditto a Radical - and not everyone is going to dig the uniquely thrilling sense of exposure you get in an Atom. The closest comparison is the Lotus 2-Eleven, which isn't entirely surprising given the backgrounds of the blokes who built it. Indeed, the mechanical layout and 2,300mm wheelbase matches that of the Elise platform, the Zenos broader in front track and a substantial 160mm wider than a 2-Eleven - more or less the width of that trademark extruded aluminium spine.

Zenos corners flat and with real poise

That generous footprint means plenty of space in the footwells - can we request a bolt-on rest for our clutch foot please! - and there's no need to be rubbing shoulders with your passenger as there is in a Seven or Radical. Sturdy side protection tubes lining the carbon tub's skin add reassurance too.

Footloose
The space allows for a properly stretched out driving position and room to work, pedals perfectly placed with a wonderfully solid feel to the brake and perfect alignment with the accelerator for fancy footwork. The spine means the gear shifter feels unusually high but its position, rally car style, at the same height as the wheel quickly feels natural. Prototype patina or not you get the sense the fundamentals have been thoroughly thought out.

The motor fires with a thrum, stabs of throttle revealing pleasing schlooops of induction noise that, for the occupants, provide more feedback than the exhaust. Clanks from over your shoulder as the gears slot home add a further sense of mechanical interaction, control weights all light and immediately inspiring confidence.

So it plays out on the track too. First impressions are of easy-going accuracy and the kind of willingness to change direction you only get from lightweight cars. Wide and low, the Zenos corners flat, though the suspension is supple enough to let you play with weight transfers to try and offset a degree of inherent understeer on the street tyres fitted for the changeable track conditions. Ali accepts that the limited-slip diff - such an anathema to his former colleagues at Lotus - plays a part this. But there is mechanical adjustability in the dampers (super easy on the inboard front ones) and front anti-roll bar to match the dynamic options presented in the handling balance.

'Floating' panel look really stands out

Tune it in
In the diff equipped car a trailed brake into the corner and early application of power out of it keeps the front end where you want it and it's quickly apparent the Zenos encourages you to carry speed through the corners. The steering is fast, light and communicative without the hair-trigger pointiness of an Ariel or arm-straining weight of a loaded up Caterham, the whole package safe without being inert and fun without losing the feedback more experienced drivers will crave. Again that 2-Eleven comparison comes to mind, before realisation that even a used one of those will set you back £10K more than the base price of a new Zenos.

The induction boom signals the bit of the power band you want to be working in, though the rev limiter does cut in quite early so you need to stir the gears a fair bit. Shift lights in your line of sight would be a useful addition but the light, positive shift, crisp throttle response, easy clutch and excellent calibration between them makes this a pleasure rather than a chore. Even from this quick go it's easy to appreciate the car will comfortably take a lot more power, the newly confirmed turbocharged E10 S the one to go for if you crave a bigger performance hit. As it stands it'll have a pragmatic 250hp or so for starters but as Ali accepts there is an established market for tuning the Ecoboost engine to considerably more.

Headgear of some sort handy, even on the road

Sunday Service
On the road that approachability and suppleness would suggest a natural B-road blaster, in keeping with the target audience Ali laid out for us in that original presentation. He predicts a typical Zenos owner wants a car they can enjoy regularly on the road with the occasional track day thrown in, rather than the other way around. You can tip the balance more towards track use with options like four- or six-point harnesses and Avon ZZR tyres or go the other way and enjoy heated seats for a toasty backside on those early morning back-road blasts. You'll probably want to wear a helmet wherever you're driving though.

Opting for a middle way between banzai performance and the pure racer's focus of a downforced, paddle-shifting junior LMP car gives the Zenos a broader remit; the attractive £24,995 starting price makes it a more viable proposition for a wider range of buyers too.

It's still work in progress but the fact this living and breathing prototype matches so closely the original pitch suggests even from the beginning Ali and Edwards knew exactly what they wanted. And if success is to be measured by achieving your original objectives the E10 is off to a flying start. Of course, it won't count for anything unless the business model stacks up. But that was at the heart of the plan from the start too and you get the feeling this is one start-up with proper foundations beneath it.

Onboard in the E10 prototype round Brands

ZENOS E10
Engine: 1,999cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual (6-speed manual optional), rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 200@7,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 155@6,100rpm
0-60mph: 4.5sec (claimed, TBC)
Top speed: 135mph (claimed, TBC)
Weight: c.700kg (dry)
MPG: N/A (NEDC combined)
CO2: N/A g/km
Price: £24,995 (Before options, including VAT and IVA but not including registration - see here for further details)