Clearly, the world really needs another sports car, an electric sports car to be precise.
Making a go in the car industry is notoriously difficult, but who are we to sneer at yet another way to have fun behind the wheel?
Newcomer Zenos Cars plans to have some fun behind the wheel indeed with its Project E10, a minimalist sports car Zenos hopes to put into production soon.
Zenos was started by Caterham alumni Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, and their former employer seems to have influenced the E10’s design.
Like the Caterham (nee-Lotus) Seven, the E10 is a small, roof-less car with just enough bodywork to enclose the driver’s arms and legs.
The E10 will also follow Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s maxim “simplify, and add lightness.” Its chassis will consist of an aluminum backbone and carbon fiber tub. The result should be a car that weighs around 1,433 pounds.
That carbon will reportedly be recycled. Zenos will also take scrap pieces and bond them together with a plastic honeycomb material between sheets for added rigidity.
There will also be a pair of steel roll hoops behind the seats for added passenger protection. What little bodywork there is will reportedly be removable for ease of maintenance.
The E10 will be powered by a Ford 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, with 200 horsepower and 154 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mounted in the middle of the chassis and drives the rear wheels.
Zenos estimates a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 135 mph.
Like other track-focused cars, the E10 doesn’t know the meaning of the word luxury. The interior will be barren except for a multi-function LCD display and composite bucket seats.
If it ever makes it to production, the E10 will have plenty of competition in the form of the KTM X-Bow, BAC Mono, VŪHL 05, and Caterham’s Seven variants.
Zenos hopes to have the E10 ready by next year, although it’s unclear whether any examples will make it to the United States. After that, the company has plans for a more traditional roadster and coupe, Autocar reports.
