Geneva

Tata brings its mighty, mini, mid-engine Tamo Racemo to Geneva

Only 250 will be built.

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The Geneva auto show is typically a hot spot for supercars and hypercars, many of which have mid-mounted engines. This year, this category spans all shapes and sizes thanks to the newly introduced Tamo Racemo and Racemo+. The Racemo is a two-door, two-seat coupe from Tamo, a sub-brand introduced by Indian automaker Tata Motors. The company has a mission described with many buzzwords, but the gist of it is that it's a proving ground for new and innovative ideas, and we like this first idea.

This Racemo has all of the proper sports-car basics down. It's rear-wheel-drive, the engine is in the middle, and it's small. Size-wise, the closest thing to it in the US is the Mazda Miata. It's 3 inches shorter than the Mazda in length, but the Racemo is also 3 inches wider. Presumably it's lightweight, too, considering the size, but no official weight is given. The little frame is perched on double-wishbone suspension at every corner, too.

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The Racemo is also pretty peppy, according to the numbers. The mid-mounted engine is a tiny turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder that makes an impressive 187 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. Power goes through a 6-speed automated manual transmission with paddle shifting. The result is a car that can get to 60 mph in a claimed 6 seconds flat.

The performance is backed up by a very sporty appearance. A plunging hood, double-bubble roof, big air vents, and a center-exit exhaust all say "mini supercar," as do the butterfly doors. Inside, fabric door pulls, bright red switches, and massive shift paddles maintain the look. These are all amplified on the Racemo+ which gets more vents, an adjustable front splitter, and a massive wing on the back. It also receives racing seats, harnesses, and a steering wheel without an airbag. Just behind the wheel on both versions are an interesting instrument panel consisting of three rectangular LCD displays. They're nothing particularly special, but it's probably affordable and effective.

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Only 250 Racemos will be built, and don't expect any to show up here in the US. However, you will have the opportunity to try one out in your living room. As of this writing, the Tamo Racemo is available as a free download in Forza Horizon 3. Until we can somehow convince Tata and Tamo to build more and bring them here, this will be your only way to drive this tiny sports car.

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