Fancy a sports car offering Elise levels of performance and handling for half
the price of the Lotus? Then take a look at the GTM Libra.
If you haven't heard of GTM I'd better tell you that they're one of Britain's
longest established and most respected kit car companies, with present directors
Paddy Fitch and Peter Beck running it since 1979. Their previous model to the
Libra, the K3 Rossa, was the first car to use Rover's K-Series engine
mid-mounted, and people from both Rover and Lotus visited GTM's factory to
inspect it while developing the MGF and Elise, which should give you some idea
of how highly regarded GTM are.
The Libra also uses a mid-mounted K-Series, though it's a different animal
from its older (and still available) stable-mate. Whereas the Rossa is a
practical fun car designed to take all it's parts from a single donor car
(Rover's loveable Metro:)) to provide a simple and economical build, the Libra
was designed from the outset as a no-compromise driver's car to cater for the
growing number of enthusiasts who want a car that will deliver both on the track
and the road.
The core of Libra is a tub-like chassis weighing just 98kg and yet has a
torsional stiffness of 14,000Nm/degree, which compares with 68kg and
10,133Nm/degree for a bare Elise chassis. The suspension mounted to it was
specially designed for the Libra by specialist engineer Bryn Davies.
At the front this is conventional double wishbones with adjustable coilover
dampers and urethane bushes. The rear end though is decidedly unconventional,
employing four Y-shaped trailing arms (two per side naturally) each of which
pivots from the monocoque's rear bulkhead using track rod end ball joints rather
than bushes. Completing the set-up are special long coilover dampers running
diagonally from the uprights to a high point on the bulkhead.
In keeping with the Libra's road racer ethos, the entire front and rear ends
can be removed for easy access to the mechanicals and the engine is visible
beneath the Perspex rear screen. Any K-Series engine can be fitted, but
realistically anything less than the 103bhp version of the 1.4 litre 16-valve
unit isn't worth even considering. The 111bhp 1.6 and 120bhp 1.8 (as fitted to
GTM's demonstrator) engines are both more worthy, though naturally the one to
really go for is the 143bhp 1.8 VVC unit. And if that's still not enough, GTM
even produce a special version of the Libra to take the 2.5 litre 177bhp KV6.
Negotiating the high sills necessary to give the monocoque its strength
inevitably makes getting in and out of the Libra trickier than with your average
saloon, but it's still easier than installing yourself in an Elise. Once you're
in there's plenty of space with ample legroom and headroom, and in fact GTM say
the Libra will accept drivers up to 6' 8'' tall - so if you're a pro basketball
player looking for a sports car you know who to see.
Intrusion of the wheel wells means the pedals have had to be offset towards
the centre of the car, putting the accelerator where you'd normally expect the
brake pedal to be - just like in a Ferrari F355! Naturally this is something you
soon get used to, and apart from that the driving position is good with plenty
of lateral support from the lightweight Sabelt seats.
The minimalist interior continues the road racer theme, being all visible
screw heads and no padding (apart from the seats of course) though as a bare
fibreglass floor would look pretty naff the Libra does sport carpeting.
Looking out from within, the Libra's low nose gives a good view of the road
ahead, even if it means you can't see any of the car forward of the windscreen.
The high tail produces the opposite effect at the other end, but the short
overhang means there's no bodywork behind what you can see, so reverse parking
shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Heavy steering when parking certainly isn't a problem due to the use of a
left hand drive Metro rack (mounted upside down) with a leisurely 3.7 turns lock
to lock. Something nearer the 2.5 mark would be better suited to the car's
handling capabilities, but it isn't commercially viable to get special racks
made in the small quantities GTM produce so it's something Libra owners have to
live with.
Sadly, insurance restrictions meant I could only sample the Libra's on road
performance from the passenger seat. To compound matters, a glut of roadworks
and heavy traffic made it impossible to find enough clear road to really
demonstrate the Libra's performance beyond a couple of bursts of flat out
acceleration. These showed that even with a bog-standard 1.8 K-Series the Libra
gets up to 90mph or so pretty quickly. For the record, this engine hustles the
Libra up to 60mph in a little over six seconds while the VVC does it in about
five and a half.
Inevitably, cornering at speeds that wouldn't worry a Reliant Robin did
nothing to demonstrate the Libra's handling abilities, though the general
consensus seems to be that the special suspension combined with its light weight
(750kg) and 45/55 f/r weight distribution makes the Libra a very nimble good
handling machine. I can at least vouch for the fact that it has a comfortable
low speed ride...
I can also vouch for the fact that the Libra is impressively rattle free, and
while the combination of no sound deadening and an engine just behind you does
result in louder than average levels of noise, it's not much louder at 90mph
than it is at 30mph.
The Libra's glassfibre body (designed by Richard Oakes of 1970s Nova fame)
isn't just pretty, it's pretty aerodynamic too as the Libra didn't suffer the
buffeting from the strong winds present that day. The slippery shape also helps
towards the claimed 50mpg on motorway runs.
That brings us onto the Libra's practical aspects, which like its performance
aspects are pretty much on par with those of the Elise - namely practical enough
to use on a daily basis just so long as you don't need more than two seats and
aren't in the habit of transporting bulky objects. Actually, for a road racer
the Libra's carrying capacity isn't too bad, boasting enough room behind the
seats for a suitcase or two plus a boot in the tail. This doesn't have much
height or length but it is full width and will take a set of golf clubs - though
I expect Libra owners can think of better things to do on a Sunday morning.
Being a hardtop also helps make the Libra more practical from the security
and weatherproofing points of view, while open top motoring for sunny days is
available courtesy of the lift-out roof panel.
Of course there are some for whom only a full convertible will do, and to
cater for them GTM have introduced the new Spyder which debuted at the Donington
Kit Car Show in September. This was still being worked on at the time of my
visit but production is due to commence at the beginning of December.
As you can see from the photos, rather than simply chopping the roof off the
Libra coupe, GTM have opted for a complete rear end re-style along with a
slightly changed front. Consequently they're treating it as a new car in its own
right and call it simply the GTM Spyder rather than the Libra Spyder, even
though mechanically it's identical to the Libra coupe (apart from shorter rear
dampers and the fact it can't take the KV6).
If you don't mind getting your hands dirty and do all the work yourself,
including stripping all the mechanical parts from their donors, GTM say you can
build a 1.4 Libra from around £10,500, with a VVC-engined car costing about a
grand more. GTM estimate that a competent DIY mechanic should be able to build a
Libra in around 150 hours (once donor parts are ready) and thanks to the
comprehensive nature of GTM's kits and the use of coloured gel coat for the
body, it's basically a straightforward bolt together exercise.
Alternatively, if stripping scrap cars doesn't appeal then GTM can supply
complete packages of either used or new parts ready for you to install, and if
the thought of having to pick up a spanner at all is too much then GTM can also
supply complete turnkey cars.
For more information contact GTM: www.gtmcars.co.uk
© Copyright Graham Bell 2001