Wednesday 26th October 2011

Der Supersportler CustomGT

An ultra-light 'dream car' with 550 hp from Germany (via the USA)

---

When this lean green machine plopped into our in-tray (or did it ping?) we thought it looked familiar. Turns out it's a German TUV-certified version of the Factory Five GTM kit car from the good 'ol USA.

The basis for the project is a powder-coated tubular space frame that is made in the USA then re-engineered (homologated) and fine-tuned in Germany, says the company behind it, CCG Automotive.

The outer skin is made from either fibreglass- or carbon fibre-reinforced composites, and CCG has added various tweaks for the benefit of German bureaucrats.

The result is a pleasingly low vehicle weight, which, depending on the equipment, weighs in at as little as 960kgs. There's a 7-litre Corvette V8 producing up to 550hp with a manually-operated 6-gear transmission, and the car also comes with an LPG conversion fitted - which makes it a bit more of a novelty.

'Countless' kilometres of testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and Hockenheim have been claimed as part of the programme to Europeanise the experience. So at around £150k is it worth it? You tell us!

[Supertoadylight]

So It's essentially a kit car, tubular space frame, lightweight, Fibreglass, Chevy-powered car:

So it's a more expensive, less powerful and almost certainly slower Ultima GTR.

It's a good looking car - but in the market it's in it is too expensive for what it is,

J

[RevOne]

All looks pretty quality... though 150 large for a MR American supercar id rather a GT40 Hennessy

[Dagnut]

looks shabby if I'm honest ..the wheel arches especially..I seen better arches on a F430/406 coupe mock up

[Twoshoe]

Fab colour, but it looks dated and unoriginal imho (and also very long?)

[TommyBuoy]

Looked stunning imo, until I saw the 3/4 view.

Everything from the rear wheel back looks a bit shoddy - the rear lights and tail pipes especially!

I'd still have one though...

[Stig]

Looks like an RCR (which is not a good thing)

[Garlick]

Works for me, not sure why but I like it a lot.

[Stu R]

s'ok. Love the colour. The style looks like one person designed the front, another the rear, and they met in the middle. Sadly the one at the front was much more skilled.

[thewheelman]

Hell yeah! What's not to like?

Big American power in a light car, isn't this what people seem to demand on PH? Then when it arrives it gets flamed.

[Dagnut]

thewheelman said:

Hell yeah! What's not to like?

Big American power in a light car, isn't this what people seem to demand on PH? Then when it arrives it gets flamed.

Just commenting on the body work, I'm sure it goes like sh!t of a shovel but for 150k I'd expect the finish to be a bit better..and that's at a distant from a photo, I wonder what it's like up close

[Stew2000]

Needs the (insert word) rims removed.

[thewheelman]

[madal]

love it maybe because its a chevy but it would be look nice in black or red

[Schmeeky]

I like it, very pretty car - apart from the back and rear 3/4 views, the way they've done the arse end really does it no favours..

The rest's great though, front end vaguely GT40-ish, nice profile, good wheels, cool interior, big old lump of Chevy engine... Nice!

[The Angry Gopher]

So essentially 'Der Superportler' are taking the American GTM kit, building the kit to their own spec and selling the car for £150k?

I'd have thought a home build along similar lines would cost less than half that, and at £70k would make an interesting alternative to a number of cars.

Edited by The Angry Gopher on Wednesday 26th October 12:10

[alexpa]

I would rather have a GDT70 or Ultima. In fact you could have both factory made with 'great' spec for that price.

Hmm... An LS7 in the GDT70, lightly tuned to say 600hp and an LS9 in the Ultima, 'lightly' tuned to say 800hp.

[ellisd82]

Quite like that. Prefer the Red one in the link. Almost looks like a modded Mitsi 3000GT, if you kind of squint a little and squirt lemon juice in your eye and...well you get where I am coming from (or not...).

[Mr Gear]

I'm sure it's great fun, but at that price, it's a bonkers buy. Absolutely bonkers waste of money for something that looks like it was made in the neighbors garage.

[PJ S]

Very passé/average looking, with an unispiring interior - that's another one off the lottery-win list then!

[thewheelman]

The Crack Fox said:

Its OK, I suppose, but £150k is a lot of money for (yet another) yank v8, plastic bodied sportscar, from someone we've never heard of with no pedigree.

Ultima for me please.

"Pedigree" Now there's an overused word, they've all got to start somewhere.