Faster than a Bugatti Veyron and more economical than a Ford Mondeo diesel – this is the IFR Aspid! The new sportscar was unveiled at the British Motor Show and it’s gunning for other high performance two seater roadsters such as the Caterham CSR 260, Donkervoort D8 and the KTM X-Bow – but with more pace and lower fuel consumption.
The brainchild of Spanish automotive engineer Ignacio Fernandez Rodriguez (hence IFR), the mean-looking machine features a bespoke lightweight aluminium honeycomb chassis, lightweight double wishbone suspension and twin disc front brakes.
Together with liberal use of carbonfibre, the Aspid tips the scales at just 700kg and thanks to a 400bhp supercharged 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol engine derived from Honda’s Civic Type-R, the Aspid does 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds, 0-100mph in 5.9 seconds and has a top speed in excess of 160mph. Incredibly, the company also claims 50mpg – although this has yet to be fully verified.
The Aspid also features sophisticated electronics, allowing the driver to tweak the responsiveness of the steering, throttle and traction control from a touchscreen centre console display – or via the F1-style removable steering wheel.
Inside, the cabin is clad in leather and carbonfibre and gets luxury features like Bluetooth and wi-fi internet access. There will be two versions – a £75,000 normally aspirated model, while the supercharged version will start at £107,000. Auto Express will be driving the newcomer before sales start at the end of the year.