2025 GBS Zero | PH Review

There are still stripped out sports cars beyond the Seven - and the Zero is a brilliant alternative

It isn’t the best time to be in the market for a bare bones sports car. Obviously the Lotus Elise is no more, it’s been many years since Zenos disappeared, and Westfield is only now reemerging after it was plunged into administration three years ago. Caterham continues to soldier on, but what if you don’t want one of those? What if the idea of paying £35k for a factory built Seven using a 660cc engine doesn’t really appeal? Well, you could do a whole lot worse than pay a visit to Great British Sportscars in Ollerton.

That GBS and its Zero can continue in such challenging market conditions has to be a good sign. And in a world obsessed with tech and features and complexity, no car can be more deserving of attention on PH than a 600kg, naturally aspirated, manual rear-drive sports car. If driving thrills are high on the agenda, look no further.

The GBS operation is notable for so much being done in house; this isn’t merely a case of assembling third party bits into something that looks like a Seven. They make their own composites, fabricate the Zero chassis, build their own throttle bodies and dampers as part of the ATR sub-brand. “They’re like AMG to our Mercedes”, says director Richard Hall, tongue maybe slightly in cheek. But they’re doing something right: the ITBs are used by BBR, and GBS is working with Polaris right now to homologate its RZR buggies for road use. In case a Zero isn’t quite mad enough…

Indeed there’s plenty going on at GBS that isn’t building new cars, the diversification probably key to its survival. When we visit, projects include the restoration of a Lamborghini-engined F1 car, getting a homebuilt Ultima through its IVA, and developing a Zero with a 58kWh battery pack (which isn’t far off being ready). It’s a busy, bustling operation for sure, and heartening to see; where traditional methods still suit best, they’re the ones employed, but technology is wholeheartedly embraced where appropriate. Richard reckons there are enough power units for a couple more years, though with Duratec production winding up that’s looking like the next challenge…

The engine in this Zero, a special edition built with Motul a couple of years back and with some input from Neil Brown Engineering, is notable for not being the normal Ford motor. It’s a Duratec, but the larger 2.5, as found in something like a Frontline MG B rather than the 2.0-litre Caterhams. Despite the increased cubic capacity, weight distribution is still said to be 50:50, and it certainly makes for quite the underbonnet sight with that enormous carbon airbox.

Indeed the entire Zero is quite smart; while nobody will mistake it for anything other than a twist on that iconic Lotus silhouette, details like the LEDs, the anodised calipers and hubs (built in house, of course) plus the chunky wheel/tyre setup do ensure its own identity. Well, to those of us who know an S3 from an SV Seven, perhaps. Everyone else, those well meaning passersby you always meet in a car like this, will keep calling it a Caterham.

As is typical in something very light and very powerful, the engine dominates the opening exchanges with a Zero. But perhaps not in the way you might expect; the torque of the extra capacity makes it feel really muscular at low revs in a way that little else comparable does. That highly strung, intimidating nature of really fierce sports car engines isn’t here; the GBS is approachable, easygoing, tame even given the aesthetic. It’ll even pull away in third if there’s someone really clumsy behind the wheel.

‘Accommodating’ isn’t usually a word associated with cars where doors and a roof are optional, but that’s what the Zero feels like. Both in a literal sense, the standard chassis option neatly slotting between a narrow and a wide Seven for more space without the strange look, and a figurative one: independent suspension all round and those bespoke dampers make it pliant, the powertrain doesn’t thrash, and so on. Small differences like having space in the pedal box for adult feet, somewhere proper to rest your arm and a less cluttered dash than a Seven make a Zero feel that useful bit more mature. Handy when there are hours behind the (slightly too large) wheel to do. Squeaks and rattles mostly seem to emanate from the driver.

If the GBS seems borderline docile to begin with, it doesn’t take long to find the excitement in more than 200hp and just a few hundred kilos. Extend the throttle’s travel and the Zero accelerates vividly to say the absolute least, skimming along the road like a pebble on a lake - faster and faster until it’s out of sight. There’s a good gurgle from the throttle bodies at low revs, and the 2.5 will willingly get to 7,000, though it inevitably lacks the final bit of fizz that comes with the smaller capacity or those similar engines with spicier internals. No doubt GBS could help on that score. But you won’t want for speed, with 62mph coming up in less than four seconds; the six-speed Mazda manual is as brilliant here as anywhere else.

Those sensations unique to this type of car are in abundance when pushing on in the Zero a little more. It’s so immediate, so alert, so authentic in its feedback that it’s hard not to get totally and utterly immersed in the experience. (I’ll talk about running out of petrol another time.) The brakes feel great, the relationship between throttle and limited-slip diff feels great, the way that there’s give in the chassis as well as ample control feels great. It’s a reminder of how much fun driving can be without fiddling or faffing about. Everything feels really nicely in sync, too, not one element dominating the experience; there’s just the right amount of power for the grip and traction, excellent pedal feel, and a good set of ratios for the engine.

The steering isn’t quite as nice as a Caterham’s, that should be said. The wheel won’t help that impression, but there’s just isn’t quite the same sense of perfect connection as found in a Seven. The initial movement off centre doesn’t inspire the same confidence, and the resistance doesn’t build up in quite such a natural way. By any other measure, the Zero’s is very good steering, however it’s one area where a Caterham has an advantage. On the other hand, the GBS setup does mean a much better turning circle…

Indeed, that relative usability for something so raw is probably the Zero’s greatest attraction. A day in the saddle isn’t quite as exhausting as in you know what, while being damn near as exhilarating to drive. It’s as fast as pretty senior Sevens without needing every last rev; heated seats are standard and so on. It seems unlikely that you'd spend quite as much on extras with GBS than Caterham, basically; even with the LSD, anodised bits and extra carbon costing more here, it’s £48,000 from a £41,860 starting price.

The flipside of this argument is that a Zero can’t quite offer up those final few bits of delirious, manic joy that make a Seven so unforgettable. When considering a choice of weekend warrior, that surely has more sway on a decision than usual, because these aren’t going to be everyday machines; for an occasional blast, it’s easy to understand why you’d plump for the ultimate thrill. But these things are all relative; a Zero remains captivating company, whatever the scenario, in a way that so many heavier, pricier, more complex machines can’t be. Just as the very best Great British sports cars, whichever badge is on the front, always have been. Long may they continue.

SPECIFICATION | GBS ZERO

Engine: 2,521cc, four-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): c. 240@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): N/A
0-62mph: sub-4.0 sec
Top speed: c. 130mph
Weight: c. 600kg
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Price: from £41,860 (factory built, including VAT)

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nismo48

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