2 days ago
Why the Garagisti GP1 is a driver's car for the digital age
Garagisti & Co is a British marque crafting ultra-low-volume analogue hypercars engineered for the future.
On Friday the company unveiled the GP1, a fully analogue hypercar designed for road and track, though in rendered form. It is built using a lightweight carbon monocoque chassis for a 1,000kg dry weight. It is powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine in an era dominated by electric and hybrid systems.
The company said the GP1 stands as a purist's machine that exists for no other reason than to make the act of driving an unfiltered joy, with an engine developed by Italtecnica Srl, the Italian engineering firm responsible for building the 2.1 turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the Kimera EVO37, the modern reinterpretation of the legendary Lancia 037 rally car from the 1980s.
The motor delivers 597kW at 9,000rpm and more than 700Nm of torque, and is designed not only to perform but to delight with a mechanical soundtrack reminiscent of motorsports engines from a bygone era. It is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox by Xtrac and the underside accommodates large rear diffusers to deliver ground effect performance.
Renowned motorsport grade component suppliers include Brembo and Öhlins, and comfort, measured cabin noise and luggage space for grand touring form part of the targets. The GP1 figure blends cues from the age wedge designs, and is styled by former Bugatti and Rimac employee Angel Guerra.
The interior is sculpted for driving purity and little distraction. Ventilation is integrated into the design, eliminating ducts and clutter with no oversized screens or unnecessary gimmicks.
Garagisti & Co GP1 said only 25 road cars will be built, each hand-finished to its commissioner's specification at a cost starting from R58.3m plus local taxes.
'What if the golden age of analogue supercars never ended? What if icons such as the Countach Evoluzione had sparked a lineage rather than a dead-end? What would the great cars of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s look like today if they'd evolved with new technology but kept their analogue soul," asked Mario Escudero, co-founder of Garagisti & Co?
'We brought together some of the best minds in the world and answered theuestion with our hands, our hearts and our passion. The GP1 is our answer.'
