Aussie-made Spartan a track day tempter

AFTER a long gestation period, the locally built Spartan light-weight two-seater has arrived on the scene offering track addicts with fat wallets the promise of getting open top supercar performance behind the wheel of something really different.

Coming out of a Sydney factory, the all-carbon-fibre Spartan weighs just 700kg, clocks a 0-100km/h sprint in a claimed 2.3 seconds and costs $300,000 excluding on-road costs.

It made an appearance with order books open at the recent Canberra Festival of Speed.

The model is limited to 300 units for global consumption and is already available in the UK where it can be registered due to lenient compliance requirements unlike Australia where road rego’ would be challenging apart from limited applications such as driving to and from an event.

For context, Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS that the Spartan allegedly outpunches in acceleration, costs $537,600 +ORC while the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale, also allegedly slower than the Spartan according to its manufacturer costs $1.5 million.

Spartan has adopted a “bare bones” route compared to the tech heavy models above that are relatively weighty one with additional hybrid assistance to its ICE powertrain.

The low-slung Spartan was designed and developed by twin brothers Nick and Peter Pap from Sydney and is pitched as a “rare automotive masterpiece” targeting collectors and “Australian supercar enthusiasts”.

Apart from the enormous rear wing, the curvaceous roofless body reminiscent of 1960s race car exhibits a minimalist aesthetic needed to assist aerodynamics and keep weight to a minimum.

Power to the rear wheels comes from a supercharged 2.4-litre Honda four-cylinder VTEC engine kicking out some 300kW (customisable) sufficient to enable that withering 2.3 second 0 to 100 km/h pass. Top speed is said to exceed 250km/h.

Coupled with its light weight is a low centre of gravity for optimised stability as there is a complete absence of driver aids. This is to make the two-seater “an adrenaline-fueled, engaging driving experience unparalleled in the automotive landscape.”

Aiding dynamics is the car’s electronically controlled suspension, reinforced Honda short shift gearbox and large format AP Racing brakes with semi-slick tyres on forged alloys.

According to Nick Pap, co-founder of Spartan Motor Company, the car “provides exhilaration through a pure driving experience designed to deliver uncompromising performance”.

“The Spartan is faster than the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale and is designed to allow the driver to test the limits of racing performance (and their level of skill),” he detailed.

“It represents the pinnacle of exclusivity and craftsmanship as each vehicle is meticulously crafted to the highest standards, utilising the finest quality components and innovative engineering techniques.”

Spartan Motor Company has invested 15 years in research and development working through various configurations and powertrains with the current offering emerging as “the epitome of perfection to the Australian market”.

“We aimed to create a race car that is not only exhilarating to drive but also accessible, lightweight, and easily maintainable,” said co-founder Peter Pap.

“The Spartan is built to transcend the ordinary, it’s the ultimate driving machine and it looks great.”