British ‘Ferrari’ muscles in

By Jack Rix

23rd October 2008

Anything Ferrari can do, we can do better – because this is the Arash AF-10. And it’s Britain’s answer to the Enzo.

The Cambridge firm has released these pictures of its new supercar, and with its sharp-edged design and race car aerodynamics, there’s more than a passing resemblance to the Ferrari flagship.

It should be as good to drive as it is to look at, too. The AF-10 uses the 7.0-litre V8 from the Corvette, and it produces 550bhp. The body is sculpted from lightweight carbon fibre which is mated to a carbon and steel chassis. This keeps weight down to around 1,200kg, and Arash claims a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds plus a top speed of 204mph for the car.

But the AF-10’s party piece is its active spoilers, which are designed to give extra grip in slow corners and stability at speed. Deliveries of the £172,000 AF-10 start next year, and Arash plans to build 25 annually. A small percentage of these are to be LHD for the US market.

And if 550bhp sounds a little tame for you, an 850bhp AF10-S is planned for 2010. This uses the supercharged V8 from the Corvette ZR1.