Connaught Type D: exclusive
PH brings you first photos
    Connaught Type-D Syracuse |
Connaught rolled out the Type-D GT Syracuse for the press yesterday, although the car itself is not yet a runner.
When it is, the supercharged V10 will deliver some 300bhp in a car weighing 875Kg. This will be the first product to market and customer deliveries start in April - May 2006 - there are already many orders, according to Connaught.
This car is not a hybrid. It uses the Connaught 22.5 degree V10 with a twin-intercooled, scroll-type supercharger, its aim being to bring some exposure and early revenues to the company. Joining the range after this will be the hybrid V10 version, without supercharge initially but with the supercharged engine offered later; as well as a normally-aspirated V10-engined car. This last car would come in at around £42,000.
The car appeared exquisitely engineered and looked much tidier than the early model in red, which has polarised opinion. In the skin, this rolling chassis, production number 1 and likely to act as a show car, has real presence, with wonderful finish and a compact yet aggressive stance.
As yet there are no running prototypes, although the engine has been spun up and according to those who have heard it sounds fantastic, even on tickover. Although the engine was designed in house and finally assembly takes place at Connaught, it uses as many existing (therefore available and cheaper) parts as possible - the connecting rods for example apparently come from a "readily available Japanese engine".
Contrary to rumour, there are no motorcycle parts, the pistons from each 200cc cylinder being manufactured in Italy and based on those in the Smart.
No car has yet had the conventional drivetrain linked to allow it to start running for chassis setup, but Connaught expects this to happen soon. It will handle "as well as any other production car", said the company, and be fully capable of being used every day, clearing speed bumps with four people onboard.
The list price is expected to be £62,000. Only 100 will be made at the rate of around one a week, running up to a maximum of three a week.
The team seemed enormously excited, were all very focused and knowledgeable on the industry as a whole -- and even chief exec Tim Bishop had grime under his fingernails.
But look at the bhp/tonne and it's on the money - that's GT3/TVR territory!
I fear, though, that TVR's may be it's undoing (and Marcos, Wiesmann...) - the £50k+ market has a lot of very good looking entrants with loads of power already...this will need to handle like a Lotus and have Jap-level build/reliability to command that price, IMHO.
Hope it does though...'cause I'd love to hear/see/feel that engine in real life, the spec of it has me drooling already!
GingerNinja said:
I like the looks of that thing - although the front wheel looks too small.
Yeap, completely agree - I have just taken a closer look again and the size of the wheels are exaggerated by the height of the bodywork above the wheel arches. It looks a bit "heavy" above the wheels, and even with blinging wheels they will look small - what they need to do is reduce the height above the wheel arches and put some bigger wheels on it - should improve it considerably.....
off_again said:
I like the looks of that thing - although the front wheel looks too small.
Yeap, completely agree - I have just taken a closer look again and the size of the wheels are exaggerated by the height of the bodywork above the wheel arches. It looks a bit "heavy" above the wheels, and even with blinging wheels they will look small - what they need to do is reduce the height above the wheel arches and put some bigger wheels on it - should improve it considerably.....
How do they do that? Criticism is easy, but how do you suggest they make the wheels look bigger and/or reduce the height above the wheels?
By the way, this thing looks a stack better in the skin.
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