Zenos E10 R: Driven
The most powerful Zenos yet turns out to be a very effective way of brightening a dismal winter's day...
Weighing in less than an S1 Elise
If much more than 25 per cent throttle is deployed in the extent of our winter test drive it would be surprising. But here's the really shocking thing about the E10 R. Even driven at this lily-livered pace it's still huge fun. If the E10 was an impressive opening gambit and the turbocharged S realisation of what the car was really capable of this R is the moment Zenos gets serious. To put it another way, the E10 is fun, the S exciting and the R just a little bit scary. But in an entirely good way.
Got to hold on to that Alcantara wrapped wheel
In these conditions there's a constant sense of huge untapped potential. And opportunity for trouble, given sufficient extension of right foot. But even when left untapped the R is massively exciting, the knowledge you're barely scratching the surface somehow inspiring rather than frustrating.
Thank focus on the details like throttle response, pedal weights and a new, faster and slicker gearshift linkage for this. There's so much torque in the new 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine - same as that in the Mustang, related to the twinscroll turbo version in the new Focus RS - Weston jokes you don't actually need to change gear. And he's right. Third will pretty much cover all bases, at least on the road.
But the pedal position is so good, the throttle response so crisp and the gearchange now so positive you just want to stir it around, gratuitous blipping unleashing thrilling gulps of induction air and barks from the exhaust. Sure, it's a third gear corner. But it's louder and more fun as a downshift-to-second-and-nail-it corner.
Quite a crowded market now
Even in these conditions you're happy to do so without too much fear of things going a bit backwards through a hedge - an Atom's hairtrigger responses in similar conditions would be rather more of a handful, a hot Caterham wild but traction limited. Throttle response is excellent but smooth enough not to spin up the rear wheels as soon as your foot touches the pedal, there being a finely balanced combination of turbocharged thrust without any sense of lag. The meat of the additional capacity is felt in the mid-range too. It's all the more impressive when you hear Zenos only got its hands on this new 2.3-litre engine in October and the process of mapping it safely to this power output took a matter of hours. Yes, hours.
As such it's a case of the rest of the car perhaps needing to catch up a little. This development car is running a stock suspension set-up Weston reckons could benefit from a little firming up to cope with the additional forces the performance puts through the chassis. We'll have to give him the benefit of experience on that, given he's driven it in the dry and on a track with more run-off (and less oncoming traffic) than your average Norfolk B-road. It's still got an open diff too, a locker having been tested on the S but spoiling the delicate balance according to Weston. And if that sounds a familiar mantra don't be surprised - a mindset schooled up the road at Lotus clearly still inspires much of the thinking of the former Hethel men now working at Zenos.
This is a first taste of the R but from the bustling sense of activity at the factory to the much improved fit and finish of even this pre-production R you get a real sense of a company hitting its stride. The previously reported departure of co-founder Ansar Ali is an emotional blow but, from the business and product side, Zenos appears to be going from strength to strength. We look forward to another go in the R with a little more space to enjoy the upper reaches of its performance some time soon!
ZENOS E10 R
Engine: 2,261cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 350@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 350@4,000rpm
0-60mph: 3.0sec (estimated)
Top Speed: 155mph (estimated)
Weight: 700kg (dry)
MPG: N/A (NEDC combined)
CO2: N/A g/km
Price: £39,995 (£43,995 as tested for limited production Drive Edition with following options as standard - one-way adjustable Bilstein dampers; quick-release steering wheel; carbon fibre seats; six-point harnesses; 'Black Pack' inc. black anodised 'spine'; short-shift gearlever; carbon leather interior; uprated brake master cylinder; Charged Graphite body panels; Drive decal set - further options available, see Zenos website for details, all prices inc. IVA and VAT, not including OTR charges or delivery)
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Images: Max Earey
When I drive the E10 S, it felt like they'd built a car that was ready for more power.
Dan
I appreciate how difficult it is to display them on a car like this (magnetic ones won't work, no windscreens to stick them in etc) but you should, as the UKs premier online motoring site, set an example, preferably a good one!
That aside, this sounds like a credible alternative to a Caterham and cars of a similar ilk, although if I was in the market for an Elise / Exige type car then this wouldn't be a competitior for my hard-earned.
Dan
I appreciate how difficult it is to display them on a car like this (magnetic ones won't work, no windscreens to stick them in etc) but you should, as the UKs premier online motoring site, set an example, preferably a good one!
That aside, this sounds like a credible alternative to a Caterham and cars of a similar ilk, although if I was in the market for an Elise / Exige type car then this wouldn't be a competitior for my hard-earned.
Dan
Dan
I appreciate how difficult it is to display them on a car like this (magnetic ones won't work, no windscreens to stick them in etc) but you should, as the UKs premier online motoring site, set an example, preferably a good one!
That aside, this sounds like a credible alternative to a Caterham and cars of a similar ilk, although if I was in the market for an Elise / Exige type car then this wouldn't be a competitior for my hard-earned.
Dan
I appreciate how difficult it is to display them on a car like this (magnetic ones won't work, no windscreens to stick them in etc) but you should, as the UKs premier online motoring site, set an example, preferably a good one!
That aside, this sounds like a credible alternative to a Caterham and cars of a similar ilk, although if I was in the market for an Elise / Exige type car then this wouldn't be a competitior for my hard-earned.
t eh.On the subject of the LSD, I'd be supprised if it's not back on the options list for the E10 R.
Wish them lots of success, especially with the upcoming cars for the less hard core
. On the subject of the LSD, I'd be supprised if it's not back on the options list for the E10 R.
Wish them lots of success, especially with the upcoming cars for the less hard core
. For that reason I am not drawn to it like my current cars or even an Atom 3R for instance.
When I drive the E10 S, it felt like they'd built a car that was ready for more power.
As rightly pointed out we did withdraw the option of an LSD on the E10S. We found that the car really didn’t need one during our development testing and the last thing we wanted to do was to sell something as performance enhancing when, in our view, it added nothing to the experience - we actually found the car was more nervous in split mu conditions with it fitted.
With regards to the E10R, as Dan has quite rightly pointed out, we have used the E10S Track specification spring & dampers as our starting point. Our current assessment of the car on a dry circuit is that the power is not being spun away, however it does feel a little on the soft side due to the extra pace it’s achieving through corners - not necessarily a bad thing for grip levels though!! Whilst we expect to go a little stiffer for the final tune there is a risk that we get over obsessed with heavy springs when there is so much to be controlled by the damping.
So to conclude at this point; an LSD is not ruled out for the E10R, but to date with limited testing we still believe that the car doesn’t need one - I guess the ultimate test is a back to back lap time?
We of course welcome any thoughts on this and thanks for all your support and positive commentary to date
The Zenos Team
P.S. The E10R also “lays 11’s” and “doughnuts”……………
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