Friday 30th March 2007

Connaught on the move

Massive investment means more cars and jobs

---

Green and mean?

The Connaught Motor company has chosen a new home in Wales. It’s a £12 million investment that will create 200 skilled new jobs over the next three years.

The Connaught technical centre will be a purpose-designed 60,000 sq ft unit costing £3.5 million and will be built at Llanelli Gate for completion in 2009. Until then, the firm will lease manufacturing space nearby. Production of the Type D coupé is due to start later this year, with customer cars being built in early 2008.

The brand was revived in 2002 after lying dormant for 40 years. The first model down the line will be the limited edition, four-seat Connaught Type D GT Syracuse with a Connaught designed V10 2-litre supercharged 300bhp engine, to be followed by the hybrid version – the Connaught Type-D V10 sports coupé.

300bhp supercharged V10 for GT

This hybrid car has been designed in-house, is patent protected and Connaught believes it delivers a 30 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions when compared to vehicles in its class. It will have a V10 petrol electric engine making the car capable of 42mpg, 0-60 in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 150mph.

Connaught anticipates building 100 cars in the first year, 250 in the second year, rising to 1000 in year five, targeting the UK and European markets.

[fwdracer]

.....and another one just for good measure

[mr_tony]

I happen to rather like it.
I'm on the list for a hybrid - no word on when they will be rolling off the line yet though...

[apache]

Saw this at Goodwood, looked really odd

[sanguinary]

From the front it looks to me a little like what the Capri would look like now if it was still being produced....

I'm not convinced yet with the so called Eco Friendly sports cars.
I'm here to be proved wrong though... Good Luck to them.

[_Deejay_]

Saw the back and thought 'not bad, but needs more work'. Then saw the front and decided it probably wasn't worth it.
The technology sounds interesting though!


Anyone else see T350c cross Austin Allegro?

Edited by _Deejay_ on Friday 30th March 12:14

[LoftyD]

Well, as an alternative to a Prius of a G-Wizz....

It did look a bit odd at Goodwood, but at the same time strangely appealing. Not sure of the reasons behind developing a 2 litre V10 though? Anyone know why they didn't choose a straight 6 for example?

[domestos]

Where are those front lights from? They look so familiar

[timu23]

mr_tony said:

I happen to rather like it.
I'm on the list for a hybrid - no word on when they will be rolling off the line yet though...

That is a surprise.

Hybrid systems employ some very complex and clever enginering.

If the world's automakers are teaming up to try and develop hybrid systems, which should these guys be able to do it?

[wab172uk]

Green, Mean, and Bloody Ugly.

[apache]

_Deejay_ said:

Saw the back and thought 'not bad, but needs more work'. Then saw the front and decided it probably wasn't worth it.
The technology sounds interesting though!


Anyone else see T350c cross Austin Allegro?

Edited by _Deejay_ on Friday 30th March 12:14

Mmmmn, more like a 350Z ran into the back of a Subaru

[alster]

Can someone explain the goal of using so many cylinders with such a little capacity ?
and to add a bit more complications, a supercharger...
I'm a bit perplex...
as LoftyD said, why not a straight six (if it's to deliver only 300 bhp) ?

Edited by alster on Friday 30th March 12:44

[Billy7766]

There's poetntially huge torque here, I remember a few years back when Panoz was testing it's brake energy re coup system for thier Le Mans car they put racing slicks on it and the torque sheared the drive shaft first time out of the traps. I say good luck to them, I'd love to sit outside Mayor Kens office gunning the engine, having paid no congestion charge (it's a hybrid).....

[oagent]

I quite like it as a concept, and the fact that it will give the BMW 3 series a small volume competitor. Im less convinced about the 2 litre v10. With each cylinder getting a 200cc blown capacity, and im guessing an over square bore, then its going to be just a fraction revvy with too little torque for everyday road use surely? The choice of engine layout sounds to me like a technical wishlist, not a practical solution to a problem. As for the petrol/electric hybrid version I can perhaps see the logic. With somekind of variomatic DAF style transmission between the engine and generator it would be possible to keep the V10 in its narrow powerband and the generator in its maximum efficiency band as the electrical load varies, but even so, I would have thought a blown 3 litre diesel with different gearing would be more effiecient.
I would not be at all suprised to see the production version shipping with a 3rd party 4pot / v6 lump.

[timu23]

The whole project is simply ludicrous.

The car is sinfully ugly, they are talking about hybrid technolgy and the most pointlessly complex engine configuration imaginable.

Anyone who gives them money, either as investment funds, or on a deposit for car is a mentalist.

[justinbaker]

Well chaps, I love it! I am in touch with Mr. Tim Bishop there. The engineering on this car is delicate, attention to detail is incredible. I was show engine components chassis development models, even the engineering drawings. It’s a nice looking car in the flesh, and that body is wheeled out, not stamped on some euro-cloner in Poland!

Good luck to them, I would have one for sure, but a mortgage scuppered that!

[dula]

350z and a Golf...oh dear.

[bencollins]

timu23 said:

The whole project is simply ludicrous.

The car is sinfully ugly, they are talking about hybrid technolgy and the most pointlessly complex engine configuration imaginable.

Anyone who gives them money, either as investment funds, or on a deposit for car is a mentalist.

Wholeheartedly agree. What exactly is the point of this project? 2.0l V10 super high friction engine plus a hybrid. DUH!

[threespires]

I love the idea, as IMHO engines over 2.5 litres should now be considered dinosaurs and taxed off the planet. [ That should create some reaction on Pistonheads forum ]

But a 2 litre V10 hybrid might be a problem for a small company to engineer, and as mentioned above, what abut the internal frictional losses caused.

Good luck to em........

But as posted elsewhere on PH :-

[bencollins]

Re awesomely funny brit supercar form, highly applicable, at least on the form they are realistic enough not to try and develop a new engine.

[toys]

£12M is a very risky investment considering that they haven't produced or sold a single car yet.

What is wrong with the old adage of starting small and then building up? Look where Porsche, Lotus etc started out.

I would love to see a 'new' British sportcar manufacturer, but I have to say that I don't fancy the chances of these guys. Aiming for a market that simply does not exist IMHO.