Luxury takes a back seat in VŪHL’s 05 production-bound track car

By Stephen Edelstein August 23, 2013

VŪHL 05 doesn’t really sound like the name of a car, but soon it just might be. The decidedly minimalist VŪHL (pronounced “vool”) debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month and could be heading to production soon.

The VŪHL 05 is a track day car, similar to the KTM X-Bow and BAC Mono. That’s why it looks like half a car: it’s designed for performance driving first; practicality is a distant second.

The open top VŪHL is 146 inches long, 73 inches wide, and 44 inches tall (the same as a Ford GT). It has an aluminum chassis with a steel subframe for the engine and rear suspension. The body, or what little there is of it, is made of plastic.

The lightweight chassis and lack of bodywork make the 05 extremely light; it weighs just 1,532 pounds. Buyers looking to shed even more weight can specify a carbon fiber body.

Powering the 05 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. It produces 240 horsepower and is connected to a six-speed manual transmission. VŪHL says the 05 will do 0 to 60 mph in just over four seconds.

VŪHL will also offer a 285 hp version with a 3.7-second 0 to 60 mph time.

People often refer to car interiors as “cockpits,” but even an F16 is more luxurious than the 05. Drivers sit in carbon fiber bucket seats. Luxuries are limited to a data acquisition system, integrated GoPro camera, and a fire extinguisher.

The VŪHL 05 is on sale now in the United States and United Kingdom for a base price of $89,000; the 285 hp version adds $3,700 to the sticker. It’s being built in Mexico City and deliveries are expected to start before the end of the year.

Track day cars are becoming more popular, with new models like the 05 continually crawling out of the proverbial woodwork. Can such a small niche support so many cars? Hopefully, the answer is yes.

Is a track day car like the VŪHL 05 worth it? Tell us in the comments.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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