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Like a Ducati it features a trellis frame but it has two Sparco racing seats and a traditional chrome gear stick with a big round knob on the top.
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AN Australian-made 260km/h sports car with an Italian motorcycle engine will be a highlight of the Sydney bike show this month.
The $90,000 Spartan V is built in Sydney by the Spartan Motor Company in a limited edition of 300 vehicles for track use only.
It is powered by a Ducati 1198cc V-twin engine, features a lightweight carbonfibre body and frame and the company claims it will hit 100km/h in less than three seconds which is faster than a Ferrari Enzo (3.1s).
The car is the culminatioon of a long-time dream of brothers Peter and Nick Pap. ``We've been working around motors since we were kids; our father was an engineer,'' says Peter Pap. Their background also includes graphic design, electronics and motorcycle magazines.
``It's just been one of those things we wanted to do for a long time,'' he says ``We decided on a Ducati engine because it's like a Ferrari; the feel, the noise. ``When you ride a Ducati it's more of an emotional thing than anything else.
``We could have gone with a Hyabusa (Suzuki 1300cc four-cylinder engine) but wanted some feel. ``It sounds amazing. I drove it last week for the first time. We'll be out again flogging it around the track to see if it breaks.''
Pap says the project has been ``a hard slog'' for the past five ears, but only the start of their boutique car-building business. ``We'll only make about 300 of them and then do something else, something different,'' he says. ``We want to keep it exclusive. We won't make more than 300, no way.''
The very spartan two-seater roadster has no roof or doors, only a small windscreen and weighs about 350kg, which is less than the weight of two Ducati superbikes. Like a Ducati, it features a trellis frame, but unlike a superbike, it has two Sparco racing seats and a traditional chrome gear stick with a big round knob on the top.
The pedal box and steering can be adjusted to fit any size driver. At the rear, the exhaust exits through a carbonfibre diffuser below a see-through mesh panel that allows a view of the engine, chassis and suspension.
Spartan V will be unveiled on the opening day of the Sydney Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 25. Motorcycle engines have been used in track-day cars for many years.
Morgan made three-wheelers in the 1920s and '30s with Matchless and JAP V-twin engines, the Cooper Car Company used 500cc JAP engines in their 1940s race car and BMW used their motorcycle engines in the 1950s Isetta which has one door in the front.
Bike engines also power the current Aussie Racing Cars series. But Austrian motorcycle company KTM makes a track-day car called the X-Bow powered by a car engine. The VW turbocharged racer has 177kW of power and 310Nm of torque. It's not as fast as the Spartan V with a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 217km/h.
Spartan V
Price: $90,000
Engine: Ducati 1198S, 127kW
Weight: about 350kg
Brakes: Wilwood lightweight 300mm ventilated rotors, Wilwood 4-piston/2-piston billet calipers and Wilwood rotor hats
Pedals: Tilton racing pedal assembly with remote brake bias
Wheels: 17 x 7 inch Advan lightweight race wheels
Tyres: Yokohama
Transmission: 6-speed sequential
Suspension: Fully adjustable double wishbone front and rear with Ohlins suspension
Steering: Woodward Racing quick ratio steering rack and collapsible steering column, Sparco quick release steering hub, Sparco Formula steering wheel
Instruments: Ducati 1198 Digitek LCD dash
Seats: Tilton B5 carbon racing seats, Sparco Racing FIA-approved 5 or 6 point harnesses
Final Drive: Drexler Motorsport Formula chain drive LSD
Chassis: Trellis design spaceframe - 350Mpa DOM mild steel tubing with roll-over protection. FIA-approved roll bar optional
Body: Carbonfibre
Performance: 0-100km/h: 3 seconds
Top Speed: 260km/h
Sydney Motorcycle & Scooter Show
Where: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre
How Much: Adults $20, seniors $14, 5-15 years $14, under 5 free, family (2 adults, 2 children) $48
When: Friday Nov 25, 2011. 10am-8pm; Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 9am-5pm
