ON THE ROAD- IAN LYNAS ON A NEW HYPERCAR, THE GP1

There is a new hypercar on the motoring scene and a very exclusive one with a production run of just twenty five. The GP1 from British marque Garagisti & Co has been penned by former Bugatti and Rimac designer Angel Guerro. Built around a carbon monocoque and powered by a normally aspirated V12 engine; this a completely new 6.6 litre power unit which has been developed by Italian company Italecnica Sri, this company is well known for producing engines for motor sport. Power output is 800bhp and the manufacturers have given this engine a mechanical soundtrack, memories of engines of a bygone era. The power is to the rear wheels through a longitudinally mounted six speed transmission from Xtrac; with the promise of a rewarding drive.

Worthy of note the GP1, according to the manufacturer it is not simply for the race track, but is a true GT Tourer; one for the open road and a car to be noticed in. First glance and you’ll  see echoes of the Lancia Stratos and the Lamborghini Countach; I had the latter for just under a week; one of the highlights of my motoring career. Despite this, the GP1 design is very much its own. This newcomer for the fast lane is pure engineering with motor sport grade aerodynamics and the GP1 features some of the largest diffusers ever fitted to a road car, which gives true ground effect performance. It’s no great surprise to discover that the interior has been inspired by motor sport and earlier supercars, the twin cockpit is without distraction. Ventilation is integrated into the design eliminating ducks and clutter and every control is placed exactly where it should be, a further aid to delivering a truly satisfying drive. Thankfully there are no oversized screens; today so many cars are fitted with screens the size of an iPad or larger and I find them mostly a total distraction. With this car there are no gimmicks, it is a true driving machine. Comfort level is more than reasonable and there is measured cabin noise and for those weekends away just enough luggage space in grand touring style.

This lightweight car (1,000kg) comes at a price in the region of £2.45 million. Mario Escudero of Garagisti & Co, his vision was a simple one, what if the golden age of analogue supercars had never ended; the company brought together some of the best minds in the world to answer that question with passion. Shall we further see cars like the GP1 from this manufacturer, without a doubt the passion is there and a mission to put soul back in to the driver’s seat and this certainly gets my vote.

Far too many cars are missing one vital ingredient – passion. I will answer a question, that I am sure to be asked- what is a hypercar? A high performance sports car that surpasses supercars in terms of performance, technology and rarity.

Ian Lynas