Weber builds world’s weirdest and fastest car
Joining the ranks of Saleen, SSC, Koenigsegg and Ultima is an unknown Swiss manufacturer called Weber Sportcars, claiming to have built the world’s fastest street-legal car. It is called the “WEBER SPORTCARS faster one”.
The two-seater “faster one” weighs in at just 2420 lbs and is powered by a 900 hp V8 supercharged engine. The mid-engine racer sprints to 188 mph in just 16.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of more than 260 mph. Retail European prices start at US$ 1.533 million.
The car body is made entirely from ultra-light yet super-strong carbon-fiber. The headlamps with integrated LED turn signals and the LED taillights were both designed in-house by WEBER SPORTCARS. There are no external door handles, but there is a roof-mounted airbox, numerous air intakes and streamlined side-mirrors. The high-tech airfoil not only creates downforce but also serves as an air brake, so depending on current speed and driver-applied braking force, the wing deploys into fully vertical position in 50 milliseconds, creating additional braking force. Apparently everything was tested in a wind-tunnel, so that loveable front-end is actually functional aerodynamically.
The supercharged 7.0L V8 is based on the Corvette LS7 engine, but of the original engine only the cylinder block and the basic design using one central camshaft and rockers for valve activation remain. The twin-supercharger engine delivers 900 hp at 7000 rpm and produces a peak torque of 774 lb-ft at 3900 rpm.
The transmission is a custom semi-automatic sequential six-speed gearbox, operated via shift paddles on the steering wheel, with a short shift time of just 50 milliseconds between gears. The “intelligent” all-wheel-drive system with dynamic power distribution to all four wheels is also a proprietary development.
The two-seater sprints from rest to 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds and reaches 125 mph after just 6.6 seconds. Thanks to its favorable power-to-weight ratio and exceptionally low drag it passes the 188 mph mark after just 16.2 seconds. Top speed is more than 260 mph.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Now that’s ugly..