Keating SKR

THE SKR is certainly a jaw-dropping machine. With its huge spoilers, wings and ground-hugging stance, it looks as though it’s taken a wrong turn off a race track! Its performance is no less impressive: thanks to its huge V8 and lightweight body, the experience is both frantic and raucous. But while it promises exceptional exclusivity, first impressions are the SKR won’t deliver on Keating’s boasts about quality and reliability – especially when you factor in that epic price tag.

The launch of a supercar is always an exciting event – and when the maker is a fledgling British firm promising Ferrari-rivalling performance, it’s not to be missed. Step forward the new Keating SKR, designed to take on the top Italian exotica.

The drive behind the Manchester company is businessman Anthony Keating, who designed the model and spent eight years developing it.

Supercar aficionados will think it looks familiar – there are certainly hints of Farbio and Pagani in the styling. But it may also be because the SKR was on display at the 2006 British Motor Show, albeit under the assumed name of Barabus.

So the two-seater coupé’s design credentials are strong – and it’s not short on power, either. It’s propelled by either a 6.0 or 7.0-litre V8 borrowed from the Chevrolet Corvette.

Tweaked by Keating, these units can be specified in either normally aspirated 400bhp or 500bhp form, or with supercharged 520bhp and 650bhp outputs. All are mated to a Porsche-sourced five-speed manual gearbox. If you require more power, two twin-turbos are available with a Bugatti Veyron-rivalling 1,000bhp or 1,500bhp. Engine and transmission aside, Keating has acquired as little as possible from outside suppliers, instead engineering the parts itself.

A steel spaceframe and fibreglass panels keep the weight down, while a carbon fibre tub and bodyshell is optional. The company will customise models to owners’ requirements. And despite being a supercar, the SKR is said to be easy to own and reliable, with long service intervals.

We sampled the ‘base’ 400bhp model. The V8 filled the snug cabin with a raucous rumble, and combined with neck-snapping acceleration to give an intoxicating experience.

Things were cut short when the one car available suffered gearbox problems. Admittedly, it was a pre-production variant, hence the less-than-perfect finish. But considering the hype this was still disappointing.

Two models are actually available - the SKR and TKR – the latter meant for dedicated track use. Prices for the SKR start from £90,000, and rise to £125,000 for the 650bhp version – which puts it up against far superior competition. The company hopes to sell 10 a year at its peak, ensuring the car remains ultra-rare.

Yet on initial impressions, Keating has a long way to go to be considered alongside Porsche and Ferrari. It’s great to see a UK firm attempting something different, but on this showing it’s hard to see how it can compete with established players.