Arash Farboud, the man who created the car that spawned the Farbio GTS, has today announced details of his latest supercar venture, the AF-8.
Priced at £120,000, the AF-8 is the baby brother to the AF-10 – a smaller, more user-friendly car than the hardcore hypercar. Though both cars will use the same GM-sourced 7.0-litre V8, the AF-10 will use a tweaked version with 550bhp, while the AF-8 will use the unit in standard Corvette Z06 tune. And while the AF-10 will weigh 1100kg, expect the AF-8 to come in at 1200-1300kg.
This extra weight will come from extra creature comforts. Expect a more luxurious interior with airbags, air-con, and touchscreen sat-nav. As befits the AF-8’s comfier role, the car will be equipped with ABS and traction control.
AF-8’s lightweight secrets
The chassis is a mix of carbonfibre and steel, the body is all carbonfibre and carbon ceramic brakes are on the options list. Wheels will be 19-inchers, the doors will open conventionally and the AF-8 should sprint to 60mph in 3.4 seconds before topping out at 204mph.
The AF-8 will look similar to the AF-10, with the ‘reverse NACA duct’ vents behind the front wheels, and the front wing mounted between the headlights. The AF-10 will remain more extreme though, and its performance should keep it separate from the AF-8. Arash Cars is aiming to start producing the AF-8 in 2010.
AF-10: the supercharged one
In the meantime, work continues on the AF-10, with a launch planned for the end of 2008. The standard car will cost £173,000 but nine months later there will be a supercharged version. Using the forced-induction 6.2-litre V8 from the recently launched Corvette ZR-1, performance should be stunning, and remove the need for Arash Cars to undergo its own complicated and expensive tuning of the 7.0-litre V8. Who said the British sports car industry was dead?