Wanted: builder for 4.0-sec sports car

Thursday, January 12, 2006

  • British-designed two-seater seeks builder
  • Prodrive P2 powered by 2.0-litre flat-four engine
  • Likely cost of around £40,000

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An all-new, British-designed, two-seater sports car, which is capable of 0-60mph in just 4.0 seconds, has been unveiled today.

The P2 is the work of Banbury-based automotive engineering consultancy Prodrive, and is a fully-working model ready to be pressed into production.

Prodrive says it will have meetings with manufacturers over the next few weeks to discuss the possibility of building the car, which would cost around £40,000.

Styled by ex-MG Rover designer Peter Stevens, the P2 is based round a modified Subaru chassis and uses tweaked versions of the 2.0-litre engine and all-wheel drivetrain from Subaru's Impreza STi.

A light weight of just 1100kg helps the car achieve that super-fast acceleration and a top speed of nearly 175mph. Even so, it's no stripped-out racer – it features all the creature comforts you'd expect in a common-or-garden Ford Focus, such as power steering, a six-speaker stereo system, and electric windows.