It is safe to say that the Caparo T1 road car has not had the easiest development period. Firstly there was the suspension failure whilst giving passenger laps to assembled journalists, then Jason Plato was badly burned on the hands and face whilst testing the car for Fifth Gear. Finally, to top it all, Jeremy Clarkson called the car undriveable at low speeds during its debut on the Top Gear television programme.
It is not surprising that such stinging criticism has hurt Caparo, however in their defence these early tests used pre-production prototype cars, and with hindsight Caparo would have actually waited a little longer before letting journalists loose with their new vehicle.
The Caparo T1 has been called a Formula 1 car for the road, however as Ferrari discovered back in 1995 when it used the same phrase to launch its F50 model, creating such a road car is easier said than done. However anyone who encountered a T1 on the public road with its enormous rear wing, open cockpit and overhead air box could be forgiven for thinking they were actually at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The key to the Caparo's success is its lightweight design, as the lighter you can make a car the better it will accelerate, stop and handle. Certainly this was the mantra of Gordon Murray when he was designing the Mclaren F1 and that supercar tipped the scales at over 1000kg, whereas in contrast the Caparo weighs just 670kg.
The combination of low weight and a 3.5 litre V8 engine that is capable of producing 610bhp gives the T1 an all important power to weigh ratio of 922 bhp per ton, which easily trumps the Bugatti Veyron, however the Veyron will certainly carry you in significantly more style and comfort. By contrast, whilst the Caparo T1 does have two seats, the passenger side is very cramped and set slightly back from the driver's side so you will definitely need to choose your passenger wisely.
When it comes to the performance figures they are nothing short of mind blowing, with the car wearing slick tyres it will reach 60 in 2.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 mph, with a low downforce set up on the front and rear wings. These figures are all the more astonishing when you consider that the T1 has all of the requisite features including wing mirrors, number plates, indicator and car headlight bulbs, that allow it to be used completely legally on public roads.
The Caparo T1 is a tremendous engineering achievement that pushes the design and construction boundaries, and just like any pioneer when you are pushing the limits accidents can and do happen. With the full customer versions of the T1 now on sale its safe to say that Caparo has ironed out those early teething troubles, however with a price tag of £225,500 don't expected to see one on your high street any time soon.
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