Thursday 10th March 2011

De Macross GT1 - the 800bhp Canadian Supercar

It has an odd provenance, but this fledgling supercar hides some serious tech beneath its bodywork

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This is the new De Macross GT1, a new supercar from that hotbed of performance automotive engineering, Canada.

Now, it might look like a bit of a backyard supercar, but the GT1 does actually seem to be quite a hi-tech piece of kit.

For starters, it's suspended by something called 'Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve' four-way adjustable dampers, an in-board, pushrod operated set-up developed by Multimatic from similar systems used in F1 and sports car racing.

There's also an active ride height control system that drops the vehicle's ground clearance by 28 mm at motorway speeds to provide increased downforce and dynamic stability.

Pushing farther beyond the (severely limited) reaches of the PH office team's engineering knowledge base, the GT1's chassis is made from a hybrid Carbon Fibre and aluminium monocoque structure, with integrated front and rear sub-frame modules for suspension, steering, engine and driveline mounting. The body panels, meanwhile, are made from aluminium.

Power comes from a mid-mounted supercharged 5.4-litre Roush Yates-tuned V8, which gives 800bhp and 700lb ft of torque to the rear wheels to a 6-speed manual transaxle.

That's good enough, reckons De Macross, to haul the car to 60mph from rest in 3.4secs, to the ¼ mile in 11.5secs and ultimately on to a top speed somewhere beyond 215mph.

There's no word on the price for the De Macross GT1, nor how many cars the company expects to build, but expect the respective answers to be 'a lot' and 'not very many'...

[louismchuge]

peel off that aluminium and ship the car to Bertone, quickly!

[n4aat]

Very Testarossa from the rear.

Like the front view though.

[Monty Python]

Hints of all sorts of cars - EB110, Zonda wings, Testarossa rear grille, hints of GT40.

Not a bad effort though.

[PunterCam]

It's refreshing to see a supercar that's trying NOT to be a spaceship. Looks quite a charming thing.

[Fury1630]

Tell me the designer's never seen a GT40 & I just won't believe you - but that's not necessarily a bad thing, but smooth rounded car - square angular tail lights? And as for "integrated sub-frame" either one or the other, but surely not both.

[alexpa]

Farboud GT40

[chazwozza]

Really like this, seems quite to the point

[JumpinJack]

This might benefit from a decent paint job. Not sure I like it yet... could be a grower though.

[jake15919]

That looks really good. Reminds me of an old style GT racer, very elegant and purposeful. Looks a bit more track car than road car.

[JNR77]

Not sure if i see the point of all these super cars no one will buy; the market looks to be saturated from Ascari to Zonda with all sorts of wiered and wonderful stuff in the middle for a tiny market of wealthy individuals who can afford to spend £150k plus on a super car without any pedigree.

They have obviously gone to quite a lot of effort to have got the product to a prototype stage; Why not concentrate on a simple; front engine rear drive V8 roadster that would appeal to a much wider market.

[scubadude]

Perhaps its just my eyes/monitor but for a second there I thought you'd posted up pictures of a Beige Canadian Supercar?
("Beige Canadain Supercar"... three word oddity, like "Good American Beer" :-)

Good luck to 'em... someone lend them some red, silver, black or even blue paint, anything but that stale milk colour.

[Stew2000]

I'm stunned. it looks really good.

[cookie1600]

Not unpleasant.

But like so many limited production run supercars these days, just shuffle up a pack of 'Top Trumps' and use the various panels/fittings of the top 5 cars you draw off the top of the pile......

[wackojacko]

Mosler+Zonda = Macross GT1

[spiritof'76]

Now that really is a big boys toy

[TheOrangePeril]

Can anyone figure out where those front lights are from?

I know they're not F430, Carrera GT or Farboud, but I still can't quite place them.

[MarvinManUK]

I actually quite like that. Smooth shape coupled with good spec to boot. Not sure on those rear lights, mind.

Not a bad effort at all though.

[george h]

TheOrangePeril said:

Can anyone figure out where those front lights are from?

I know they're not F430, Carrera GT or Farboud, but I still can't quite place them.

They look like the ones from the 918 Spyder to me

[V8 GRF]

Article in The Montreal Gazette' suggests anothe $1 million dollar car (not sure if that's Canadian or US)

ARTICLE

[dean_ratpac]

it looks like a giant LEGO car.