Mexican brothers Guillermo and Iker Echeverria finally took the wraps off their new super car, the VUHL 05, at the Royal Automobile Club in London yesterday. The 05 is a lightweight, two-seater, mid-engined supercar for road and track. It rivals cars like the BAC Mono, Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow.
This is the second time Mexico tries to build a supercar, and if we’re honest, given their first crack at it with the Mastretta, we weren’t expecting anything good. But the VUHL 05 seems like a serious bit of kit. Then again, it is not really a Mexican car. It is assembled in Mexico, but the body panels are made in Canada, it is powered by an American engine, and the whole thing was designed and developed in the UK.
It doesn’t matter where this car comes from though, as long as it proves to be as good as its makers claim. Things look pretty good on paper. The VUHL is incredibly lightweight, sitting at 695kg. That is mainly thanks to a three-section bonded tub constructed from aluminium extrusions and aluminium honeycomb. behind the passenger sell there is a chrome-moly steel subframe onto which the engine and rear suspension are bolted.
Being a track car, the 05 features race car-like aerodynamics with flat underbody, front and lateral splitters, rear diffuser and rear spoiler. The body panels are made from RTM reinforced plastic, but carbon fiber is an option.
The engine powering the 05 is a 2.0 liter Ford DOHC turbocharged EcoBoost engine, tuned to make 285bhp and 420Nm of torque. That may not sound like much, but considering the car weighs only 700 kg, it offers more satisfying performance. 0 to 60 mph takes 3.7 seconds and the top speed is around 155 mph (250 km/h). You can have plenty of fun with that.
Other notable features include a six-speed manual gearbox, double wishbone suspension, four-pot brakes, and OZ alloy wheels shod with Michelin tyres; the sizes of which are 205/45 x 17 front; 235/45 x 18 rear. Inside you get carbon bucket seats; 330mm quick release water-resistant suede-covered steering wheel; electronic data acquisition dash; integral HD camera; and water-resistant Dinamica suede trim.
The best thing about the VUHL though is its price tag. It starts from £55,000, and you can go up from there upgrading and customizing it.
