LusoMotors LM23 rolling prototype ready for its closeup
Click image for huge high-res gallery of the LusoMotors LM 23
Last July, we told you about the latest rolling homage introduced by Portuguese car design and development house LusoMotors. While our previous post featured a gallery of naked chassis and finished product renderings, we now have pics of the rolling prototype. Dubbed the LM23, this bathtub racer is nothing sort of an updated Lotus 23B for the street. Well, it is likely to spend more time on the track, but it is ostensibly streetable.
Set to go head-to-head with cars like the Ariel Atom, Radical SR3, KTM X-Bow, Brooks Double R, et al, this featherweight flyer features a steel tube frame chassis under its shapely foam-sandwich metal body. Track-ready details include inboard-mounted coilovers and brakes, plus an integrated roll bar.
This first roller is powered by a 150-horsepower, 1.0-liter Honda CBR1000 engine mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. Weighing just 881 pounds, 150 hp should be more than enough to get this thing around a track with alacrity, but LusoMotors founder Ernesto Freitas says customers can choose a number of different engines, including a Subaru turbo boxer. Kit prices are expected to start at €15,000 (around $23,600 USD) minus the engine. The line forms to the right.
Gallery: LusoMotors LM 23
[Source: Autoblog.nl via WorldCarFans]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yago Bal 12:48PM (1/27/2009)
What a beautiful shape!!! Interesting price range, too.
...but I'm not sure it's road legal.
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Frank 1:02PM (1/27/2009)
Good luck driving over a speed hump.
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TurboPanzer 4:25PM (1/27/2009)
Thanks for the heads up, Mr. Sleeping-Policemen Police.
Alan 1:03PM (1/27/2009)
Looks great. Makes the Lotus Elise look like a fat pig. If its a kit then it would be legal as long as you jump through all of the hoops involved with any kit car.
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xpolarx 1:05PM (1/27/2009)
That thing is profoundly unattractive, but the price is right and a Subaru EJ257 would take it to 60mph in the 2-second range, so I suppose it deserves a healthy dose of respect.
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Thomas Jordan 1:20PM (1/27/2009)
I guess Autoblog doesn't know anything about Japanese motorcycles. The CBR1000 engine isn't mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. The transmission is part of the engine.
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RMN 1:48PM (1/27/2009)
Pretty sweet go-cart
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RamblinReck89 1:54PM (1/27/2009)
881 lbs.?
*holds pillow in front of pants*
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Shiftright 1:57PM (1/27/2009)
Wow, I'm all over this. Super light, very affordable and very pretty at the same time. Being able to drive it to / the track makes it a winner.
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ken_aisin 2:05PM (1/27/2009)
This could be even more fun :)
http://dpcars.net/dp1/index.htm
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TurboPanzer 4:24PM (1/27/2009)
More fun? Probably.
Looks like ass? Definitely.
kwsdurango 3:35PM (1/27/2009)
Love the light weight, minimal design... not a huge fan of the semi covered rear wheel, regardless of Lotus heritage.
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TurboPanzer 4:22PM (1/27/2009)
Doesn't look bad, but lacking originality in its design (a Lotus rip-off).
Good price and all, but doesn't really stir the soul like the Ariel Atom or the KTM X-Bow.
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cdwrx 4:50PM (1/27/2009)
It's truly beautiful with the singular exception of those ham-fisted louvers.
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Pete S 6:23PM (1/27/2009)
Cool, but a poor design for a track car, because:
1) The rollbar is just a beauty bar in that form; it must have bars going forward and or back to prevent them from bending in a crash.
2) The single body shell for the front needs to be split into individual panels so it easier to replace a single panel in the even to damage...
Hopefully they will have a track version with the above items addressed.
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Dan Crouch 6:34PM (1/27/2009)
The 23b is one of my favorite sports racers -- and this looks like a really fitting update. I'll bet that CBR powered one is plenty of fun!
dc
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