Dream into Reality: PF1 formula driver's club
Not just anyone can get behind the wheel of a modern F1 car and drive it, you know (Witness Richard Hammond trying to drive a Renault F1 car). But PF1 is aiming to change that.
The new company buys recent Formula One racing cars and retunes them for usability before selling them to wealthy – although not necessarily super-rich – customers who receive instruction and have the opportunity to drive them at dedicated track days around Europe. The service is offered by Cars International Kensington Ltd., a showroom in London that deals in racing cars and exotics. (Despite the similarity in name, PF1 appears to have no affiliation with the P1 supercar club, also based in London.)
The first three cars acquired for the launch are late-model Jordan, Jaguar and Super Aguri F1 cars, refitted with Avon slicks and Cosworth V10s that turn out 875 hp. Instruction is provided behind the wheel of a Lola Formula 3000 car at the hands of Marc Hynes, who used to train the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. The cost of admission: £300,000 for the car, plus £2,500 for membership in Club PF1, which organizes the track events. Not chump change, to be sure, but it's a far cry from the millions it costs to independently own and operate a contemporary F1 car. Closer to the price of a supercar, actually... and that's exactly the idea.
[Source: ITV via Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Alex 6:43PM (12/17/2007)
if i had the money... in a heart beat.
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R 6:55PM (12/17/2007)
Uh, after watching Hammond do it, looks pretty hard. You're f'd if you go too slow, and you're f'd if you go too fast.
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Tom 9:32PM (12/17/2007)
£300,000 seems like a bargain considering the millions of dollars (pounds, euros, whatever) that go to develop them. The only problem is, as Top Gear has proven, these things are incredibly fragile. Hopefully the new engine and the so called retuning for usability means you won't need to hire yourself an entire pit crew just to keep the thing running.
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Phil Perman 8:22AM (12/18/2007)
Wow, if the detuned Cosworth is throwing out 875 hp, it makes you think just how monstrously powerful a fully tuned engine from one of the top teams must have been back in the V10 days.
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Thanh T. 6:29AM (12/19/2007)
I think the PF1 formula driver's club program is a great idea. (Cars International Kensington Ltd)
The potential for advance driver techniques and engine-chassis development are tremendous. Great learning curve...for those (privateers/sponsors/time share) who have a passion for designing, racing and so on.
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