Micra R
Nissan finally make a desirable Micra!
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Do you speak Micarrrgh? Nissan GB has at last created a desirable Micra. The Micra R can hit 60mph in less than five seconds and can reach 150mph!
The Micra R started its life as a concept car at the last Geneva Motor Show. Its designer, Christopher Reitz, didn’t want it to stay that way – he wanted his creation to be driven. And Nissan Motor (GB)’s managing director, Brian Carolin, in conjunction with Ray Mallock Limited (RML) has made it happen. RML ran Nissan’s super successful British Touring Car Championship campaign in the late Nineties.
How does it reach 150mph? Thanks to a mid mounted 265bhp BTCC engine. In full touring car specification it features high-lift cams and has a bespoke racing plenum to enable as much air to be fed into it as possible. There are two choices of engine mapping, both of which are governed by the engine’s MoTeC M4 Electronic Control Unit to enable the driver to choose the most suitable power delivery for prevailing conditions.
The R started life as a three-door Micra 1.4 SX. Most of the body was removed so that RML could match the dramatic styling of the Geneva concept car including its 100 mm stretched out wheel arches and Nissan Motorsport Flame Red and Blade Silver paint job. Care was then taken to adapt the aerodynamics and air intakes to suit its mid-engined layout.
Power is transmitted via a Hewland six-speed gearbox with sequential shift. The short racing exhaust exits centrally at the rear through a meaty looking big bore pipe. But an even more noticeable change over the standard car are the R’s 18 inch, 18 spoke alloys specially machined for the project by Image Wheels. Toyo supplied its highest specification road car tyre, the Proxes T1-S with a ‘footprint’ that’s nine inches wide.
Behind those wheels lie enormous drilled disc brakes front and rear with four-pot callipers. Measuring 350 mm at the front and 330 mm at the rear, these brakes were naturally supplied by Brembo – the same company that stops Nissan’s 350Z and Skyline GT-R. There’s commonality with other Nissans in the R’s radiator (Almera dCi 136) and suspension (also Almera).
Seated low down in Alcantara upholstered racing seats, the driver is faced with a suede rimmed Sabelt racing wheel. The standard dashboard, door panels and centre console have been flocked to give them a velvety, non-reflective finish. And behind the normal Micra instrument binnacle is a MoTeC digital data screen. There’s no carpet on the floor of this Micra, instead RML thought aluminium sheeting more appropriate matching the integral roll bar. There’s no air conditioning but the R retains its electric door mirrors and three cupholders even though the car can only seat two…
Sadly few will get the chance to drive the Micra R, just some lucky journalists and customers but Nissan will be exhibiting the R at various shows around the country starting with the Japanese Performance Show at Santa Pod.
Sadly, the R is strictly a one-off designed to give the model a bit more cred. Public access will be limited to viewing it at motor shows.
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I agree with the above tho, at least when VW did the £50k beetle they sold them...
Isnt the R simply unnecessary.
Not trying to be a stick in the mud, but this idea that a high spec/powered model has a trickle down effect towards the attractiveness of standard models only goes so far - Im sure if Nissan tried they could manage a 1000bhp Micra but why?.
"The outrageous Astra Coupe X-Treme concept, based on the car currently competing in the German Touring Car series, could hit British roads next year.
The Opel Performance Centre (OPC), a subsidiary company responsible for Opel’s European motor sport and the development of high-performance versions, has developed and built the car following eight wins from 16 starts in the German DTM in 2000.
The X-Treme engine produces a maximum power output of 444bhp at 7350 rpm – enough to propel the car from a standstill to 62mph in just four seconds. Top speed is over 187mph.
The X-Treme delivers its vast power to the rear wheels through a carbon-fibre reinforced clutch, a sequential six-speed, transaxle gearbox and a mechanical-action limited-slip differential.
Some details of the road-going car’s suspension are shared with the racing car, although bespoke double wishbone suspension is used at front and rear. Drivers of the Astra Coupe X-Treme can emulate the DTM racers by selecting their own personal suspension set-up, as the stabilisers and the shock-absorber bump and rebound settings can be varied to suit.
The Astra features the same ventilated, carbon-fibre reinforced brake discs and six-piston aluminium callipers as the DTM car to provide stunning stopping capability.
Some development work has been carried out on the front and rear spoilers of the body to make the Astra Coupe X-Treme a little less radical than the DTM car.
More rounding-off work has been performed at the body panel joints, the outside mirrors and the side panels, while the two twin exhaust tailpipes add symetry to the design.
A specially created bright red eight-coat paint finish is complemented by 20-inch wheels which feature central fastenings and which replace the 18-inch wheels demanded by the DTM championship.
On the inside, the Astra Coupe X-Treme’s interior is trimmed with Alcantara and brushed aluminium to convey a strong impression of high-grade technology and reflect its performance credentials.
Seat shells are reinforced with carbon fibre and upholstered to a much higher level of comfort than the racing original. The driver and front passenger are provided with a five-point seat belt harness while the steering wheel is the same as that used for the VX220.
Rumours are that the car will enter production next year, with a price tag of over £300,000. Regardless of the car's sporting credentials, this will make the Vauxhall even more expensive than some prestige brand supercars, including the forthcoming Porsche Carrera GT and Mercedes SLR."
I am rather doubtful if any of these ever got made far less sold - especially at that price tag!
Phil
>> Edited by mannginger on Wednesday 15th October 21:15
edited because I've had a few beers!
>> Edited by mannginger on Wednesday 15th October 21:16
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