The Vuhl 05 has been revealed to the media in London, making its world premier at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall. Designed to take on the likes of the KTM X-Bow and Ariel Atom as a road and track toy, the 05 is the work of two Mexican brothers who have backing from the Mexican government. It’ll be on sale in Europe, expected to be its biggest market, from early 2014.
So what’s the Vuhl all about?
‘Vuhl’ stands for ‘Vehicles of Ultra High Performance’ and that’s its remit: it’s all about speed and driver involvement, a raw, unadulterated experience like that in a Caterham or Lotus Elise. To achieve this, there’s a bonded aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis, with its front and rear suspension mounted in chrome-moly subframes to save weight and ensure stiffness. The body is made of RTM reinforced plastic, while there’s a 285bhp Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission feeding the rear wheels. The package has a dry weight of 695kg, so it sits between the heavier X-Bow and the lighter Atom in terms of weight. A carbon body is optional, and sheds another 25kg from the dry weight. 0-62mph? A claimed 3.7 seconds.
What makes it involving to drive?
We haven’t tested it yet, so we’ll have to look at the fact that the 05 has no ABS, no stability control or other driver aids, meaning that there will be no ‘hand of God’ to correct slides or save you when you’re out of your depth. Even the steering is a simple rack-and-pinion set-up with no power assistance. Like a Caterham, one of the most agile and exciting devices to carve up blacktop, it’s just you and the road (and the weather…). If it’s tightly set up and responsive (with the steering, for instance, tuned in the UK), this beast could be a surprise package.
What does it cost and when can I get one?
The Vuhl will cost £55,000 plus taxes, so it should be around £60,000 once it reaches UK showrooms next spring. It will also be running up the hill at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12-14.
>>What do you think of the Vuhl 05? A hit, or another financial mess waiting to happen?>>