The Barabus TKR: It's Faster, But Uglier

[harrytuttle]

http://www.barabus.info/

Designed, engineered, certified and marketed by Barabus Sportscars Limited, TKR was conceived to combine more power than a Formula one racecar with the driving pleasure of a road car.

Right out of the gates, I think they failed on their design spec. I can't imagine a turbo V8 with 1,000HP is going be tractable on the street. They've also aped the Ultima GTR on "world's fastest kit car". Pieces of Ascari, Pagani, and Saleen, all slapped together on what seems like a rather small car. Almost MR2-sized. Not much room for the "creature comforts" of your average supercar.

Perhaps that explains why it's so fast off the line with the same power output as the Veyron. And doesn't the Veyron's massive weight put enormous pressure on the tires? Wouldn't having such a lightweight car put that much less stress on the tires, allowing an extra 20MPH top speed?

 

[Dave A]

Nope, at thoes speeds the weight of the cars is almost irrelevent, the pressure on the car created by the air is much, much greater than the extra 4, 5 or 600kg's the Veyron will weigh over this. There will be an effect due to the lighter weight but it will be minimal.

 

[McLaren]

In all honesty, I think SSC's Ultimate Aero has a better chance with their Chevrolet engine than this company.

 

[Tornado]

Are you sure? I've read somewhere that both the Veyron and SL AMG twins were limited in top speed because there isn't a tire compount able to take the weight of the car past "X" speed, in the Veyron being 253 and in the SL65 and 55 being 203.

 

[Dave A]

At 203mph the weight of the actual car will have a much greater effect than the weight of the car at 253mph. A lot of people don't understand that as speeds increase, the pressure on the car multiplies, the pressure is adding weight all the time, every mph faster you go you're adding more and more weight to your car. By the time you get to 253mph, the kerb weight of the car will be a small fraction of what the car weighs with the pressure on it. The Veyron was limited to 253mph becuse the tyre's wern't good for any speeds faster, but the weight alone doesn't determine how hot the tyre's get, it's a big factor, but the size and tread of the tyre's plays a part too, and VAG spent a lot of time and money getting thoes right for the Veyron.

 

[Pebb]

Barabus TKR takes over as world's fastest car

The Bugatti Veyron may no longer be the world's fastest car. Today — following a number of teasers and leaks — Barabus officially unveiled the TKR: a new 1005 horsepower supercar the automaker says is capable of doing zero to 60 mph in 1.67 seconds. What's more, the car reportedly has a top speed of 270 mph — nearly 20 more than the Veyron. Power comes from a 6.0 liter V8 twin-turbocharged with dual intercoolers. Details remain sparse, but the automaker says it will sell the car for £360,000, which should translate to around $500,000, using typical automotive market conversion rates.

It's worth noting that Barabus sometimes refers to the car as being able to hit 60 mph in "under 2 seconds," rather than the stated 1.67. Even so, there is still some doubt among enthusiasts if such a figure is even possible. Nonetheless, the car is on display at the 2006 British International Motor Show, and we expect to get more details in the near future. The TKR is said to have been in development for the last 10 years. The car is to be made in Italy and the power plant is built in the United Kingdom. Worldwide volume is projected to be 300-400 cars over the estimated three-year production run.

Barabus has not responded to requests for more detailed specifications.

(Note: we apologize for the low-resolution images — Barabus has been very slow to release press material for the car).

LLN

I would love to see the TVR Phoenix project face off against the TKR.

 

[Alex.]

IT LOOKS like a photoshopped-squashed saleen, and nothing else.
have a 1:18 saleen s7, and the differences are:
saleen has outer front grill dividers,wing mirrors, exact same hood and roof scoop, but has unique doors, exact same side air intakes,, the saleen has no vents behind front wheels.

AND IT HAS SALEEN BADGES ON THE SEATS!

 

[McLaren]

Saleen doesn't have badges on the seat. Those are Barabus badges. As far as I know, Saleen just have their name written on them.

 

[Law93]

I fail to see the ugly.

ya......i'm with you. i like cars with rear mounted engines better than the ones with front ones

 

[YSSMAN]

It isn't that the car is horrible to look at, the problem is that it just looks like it has all been done before.

 

[niky]

And better done, at that.

 

[McLaren]

It isn't that the car is horrible to look at, the problem is that it just looks like it has all been done before.

Exactly!
The body, the designs, the engine, the speeds, hell if those wheels have been done before, but without the Barabus logo.

Though I have a feeling 20 years from now, this will be one of those cars that will be worth a good amount of money.

 

[Wolfe]

Never before has a car so fast been soo boring...

They never mention anything about cornering or laptimes -- I bet this car has all the handling "finesse" of a 90's Mustang that's had its engine moved to the trunk. It's probably about as safe to drive as a hacked-up Mustang like that, too.

 

[Danny]

Looks like an NSX and a Saleen got drunk at a party one time.

Fooled around.

Woke up next to each other.

Both left quickly, avoiding headlamp contact.

 

[harrytuttle]

Nope, at thoes speeds the weight of the cars is almost irrelevent, the pressure on the car created by the air is much, much greater than the extra 4, 5 or 600kg's the Veyron will weigh over this. There will be an effect due to the lighter weight but it will be minimal.

For some reason I thought the Veyron was much heavier. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. It should be everyday travel that would show a difference in tire stress, right?

And I don't think that the car is ugly in the traditional sense or Korean concept car sense. It's ugly in the Sandra Bullock sense: all the individual components are okay, just don't put them all together.

 

[Dave A]

Yep, driving at lower speeds, a lighter car will stress the tyres less, thats assuming the compounds and sizes would be the same.

 

[Appie]

The car looks quite good, but it really looks like the Saleen S7

 

[stumpydino]

how original looks like a saleen coming atcha then a zonda going lol