VUHL 05 track car confirmed for UK sales
Mexican-built VUHL 05 is set for UK deliveries at the end of the year, priced from £59,995 and taking on the KTM X-Bow
Small-time Mexican firm VUHL has announced its '05' track car will go on sale in the UK before the end of this year. Priced from £59,995, the highly exclusive racer aims to beat the KTM X-Bow and Ariel Atom at their own game.
Previously revealed to us in 2013 at a private event, and then shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the VUHL 05 was originally only destined for the Middle-East, but it will now be available in limited numbers on our shores. The first customer car has been delivered in Mexico, and the company is ready to ramp up production elsewhere.
Managing Director Guillermo Echeverria said “It is naturally very rewarding to have a bank of orders for Mexico and the Middle-East, but we fully recognise the importance of the UK market and have therefore worked especially hard to ready the car for sale in this territory".
Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine from Ford that produces 285bhp and 420Nm of torque, the VUHL (which stands for Vehicles of Ultra High performance and Lightweight) is capable of reaching 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and a 152mph top speed.
The monocoque chassis is made from bonded aluminium and the basic design and stripped out cockpit means that it tips the scales at just 695kg, with a power-to-weight ratio of 400bhp-per-tonne. Conceived and designed by brothers Guillermo and Iker Echeverria, the VUHL is supposed to offer pure driving thrills so it comes without power steering and a simple six-speed manual gearbox, shunning the sequential gearboxes of rivals.
The tyres have been designed in partnership with Michelin and several British engineering firms have lent a hand helping to decide the final set-up, with 40 per cent of the components in the car designed or built here.
Like the BAC Mono single-seater the VUHL should be exclusive - at full capacity the factory can produce just 50 models a year. The first cars to arrive will be a special "edition one" model which will be available with a remapped ECU for around 300bhp, bigger wheels and a unique finish for the interior and exterior.
