Auto Express Greatest Drives

	It looks and feels like a Sixties grand prix racer and has the same 260bhp Ford unit as a Caterham, yet weighs even less.

However, the Devon firm has still to put the finishing touches to this prototype, such as dropping the engine by 40mm to reduce the centre of gravity and lowering the seats by 50mm.

That’s good, because driver discomfort is one of our major criticisms of the Double R in its current form. Not only did we feel very vulnerable in the less-than-weatherproof cabin, but there wasn’t enough knee clearance around the steering wheel for us to drive properly.

Still, what everyone wanted to know was how it compared with Caterham’s CSR 260. The answer is very well indeed. Thanks to its mid-engined layout, the Brooke has better traction and weight distribution, giving it an edge out of slow corners and less understeer at higher speeds. It was trickier to catch when the back end did break away, although Brooke says it has yet to finalise the suspension settings.

The weak link is the five-speed box, which had an imprecise shift, limiting our acceleration times, particularly from 30-70mph. Nevertheless, if you fancy reliving the days when F1 machines were wingless and real racing drivers wore open-face helmets, this is the car for you.

Text AUTO 192271 to 88833 to download the Brooke 260 engine ringtone to your mobile.

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