Former McLaren designer targets Lotus with new sportscar
It turns out that the McLaren F1 project was a point of departure for its creators. Gordon Murray, the chief designer, went his own way and is preparing to revolutionize the city car. Several of his colleagues stayed at McLaren's road car division to develop the Mercedes SLR, while others presumably returned to the racing division. A few former McLaren engineers went on to work on the Caparo T1, and now another one of the designers, Jim Dowle, has revealed plans for his own sportscar.
Although the car is just entering the clay-model stage and doesn't even have a name yet, PistonHeads has some preliminary details. Dowle's sportscar will reportedly carry a £35k price tag and will target the Lotus Exige but be more usable. The target weight is 870kg, and while the definitive powertrain has yet to be determined, the package calls for 200 horsepower mounted in the middle of the aluminum/carbon chassis. We'll have to keep our eyes pealed, because if the project ever makes it to even limited production, it promises to be one hell of a ride.
[Source: PistonHeads]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
refugee7 11:08AM (2/21/2008)
... *CRAVES*
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ArtJDM 11:08AM (2/21/2008)
They mean "targets" right?
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cory 11:19AM (2/21/2008)
targest?
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TrueDis 11:16AM (2/21/2008)
No, targest is totally a word... hooray for editing!
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Razor1973 11:18AM (2/21/2008)
I'll try my darn targest to ignore it.
Ligor 11:24AM (2/21/2008)
eeds some work,
i don't like so much
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Ligor 1:03PM (2/21/2008)
oh I just checked this is supposed to be a few pounds under 2000, adn hav a 200HP engine
now i can understand the ugliness as long as the 2000lb is true, and i'll work on that engine to tunie it up to ~225HP which should run this in the 4sec 0-60
John Johnson 11:25AM (2/21/2008)
His... his what? His f-farger? What's farger?
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kiff 11:29AM (2/21/2008)
peeled, not pealed.
Main Entry:
1 peal
Pronunciation:
\ˈpēl\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, appeal, summons to church, short for appel appeal, from appelen to appeal
Date:
14th century
1 a: the loud ringing of bells b: a complete set of changes on a given number of bells c: a set of bells tuned to the tones of the major scale for change ringing2: a loud sound or succession of sounds
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mk 11:31AM (2/21/2008)
The design looks unrealistic, and unimaginative.
It looks like someone would draw that for a comic book, not to say that is a bad thing.
But it doesn't seem to be purposeful, or even particularly graceful as sports cars go. It is merely a slightly different variation on the basic framework of a mid-engined sports car.
From someone who helped create what I think was a watershed car, and one of the single most original car designs in the last quarter century, at LEAST; the McLaren F1, this effort seems quite unoriginal on the surface.
Lines just to have lines, shapes just to have shapes, and the whole thing is not conveying any passion.
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Kevin 11:37AM (2/21/2008)
Oh god. Someone teach this guy to edit before he publishes to the site.
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Alex 11:42AM (2/21/2008)
i realize that i am nit-picking here, and this is just a sketch, but how do you open the door when the window goes well into the rear quarter panel?
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ArtJDM 12:40PM (2/21/2008)
Magic
Bob 12:15PM (2/21/2008)
The designer got inspired from Dukes of Hazzard, you have to climb in and out of the car.
blackstripe77 11:57AM (2/21/2008)
Supercharged 2.0l K20 Honda Type R engine please! Easily 300bhp.
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Torrent 12:08PM (2/21/2008)
The grille looks too much like the Kia Kee concept.
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Devin_mm 12:14PM (2/21/2008)
That's not a Lotus, where is the Lotus 'smile'? I love the fact that when I see a Lotus on the road it looks like it's smiling at me.
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Bob 12:16PM (2/21/2008)
This one looks pissed.
mk 12:40PM (2/21/2008)
This is not a lotus concept.
this is someone's idea of a lotus competitor.
Maybe if the headline was correctly spelled, as "TARGETS LOTUS", then the fact that this ISN'T a lotus, but rather a theoretical competitor, would be clearer.
jbaratta 12:59PM (2/21/2008)
Uh...Gordon Murray DID work on the SLR.
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