New, track-focused Vuhl 05 set to go on sale in the UK later this year
The Mexican-made Vuhl 05 sports car will go on sale in the UK later this year with a starting price of £59,995.
The company recently celebrated its completion of the first production version of the 05, with the car being sold to a customer in Mexico. Sales of the road-legal, track-focused Vuhl 05 are also due to get under way in the Middle East before the end of this year.
The Vuhl 05's price tag pitches it between other track-focused models such as the Ariel Atom, which costs around £30,000 in entry-level form, and the £75,750 Elemental RP1.
The Vuhl 05 is powered by a 285bhp version of Ford’s four-cylinder 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, and the car is claimed to be capable of reaching 60mph in 3.5sec. It has a top speed of over 150mph.
The Elemental RP1, by comparison, features a 320bhp version of the same 2.0-litre Ford engine. It is capable of reaching 62mph in an estimated 2.8sec and has a top speed of 165mph.
Vuhl says that thanks to its lightweight construction the production 05 weighs just 695kg. The car is based around an aluminium tub, with a steel subframe bolted to it. While the car’s standard bodywork is made from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), carbonfibre panels are optional. Carbonfibre bodywork also saves an extra 30kg.
The Vuhl 05 features 17-inch alloy wheels at the front, with 18-inch alloys at the rear, all shod with Michelin rubber. Double-wishbone suspension features at the front and rear. Around 40% of the car’s components are sourced from the UK.
The car’s styling has been led by Vühl’s Iker Echeverría and the Turin-based Esiete, which counts Lamborghini and Pininfarina as clients, and the car is packed with fine detailing. "Our customers like motorsport," said Echeverría. "But even though they don’t have a race car, they know what a kill switch and a towing tag are for.”
There are no doors to access the minimalist interior, something which Echeverría says contributes to a “race-car feel in a car you could use on the road every weekend”. Echeverria has previously said a one-make racing series for the car hasn’t been ruled out.
Vühl has the capacity to build 50 cars a year at its factory in Mexico City. The company was founded by Alberto Chapa and brothers Guillermo and Iker Echeverría. The Vuhl name is an acronym derived from "vehicles of light weight and high performance". The model 05 is named after the number Guillermo and Iker's father used throughout his racing career.
“It is naturally very rewarding to have a bank of orders for Mexico and the Middle-East,” said Echeverría. “But we fully recognise the importance of the UK market and have therefore worked especially hard to ready the car for sale in this territory.”
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