Automotive

Gorgeous roadster breathes '60s motorsport cachet into supercar market

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Nichols reveals the sub-2,000-lb 650-hp N1A
Nichols Cars
Nichols updates the McLaren M1A race car into a modern super-roadster
Nichols Cars
The all-new Nichols N1A poses with the McLaren MP4/4
Nichols Cars
The curves are inspired by the original M1A, and Nichols spent much time massaging them in the air tunnel for improved aero performance
Nichols Cars
Ready to strap in on road or track
Nichols Cars
Tiny bubble-like windscreen, classic analog instruments and serious fender-top side-view mirrors
Nichols Cars
Nichols looks to blend classic road and racing style with modern performance
Nichols Cars
Steve Nichols, left, and Nichols Cars CEO John Minett pose with their production-ready creation
Nichols Cars
A different style of modern supercar
Nichols Cars
In developing its 7.0-liter all-alloy V8 engine, Nichols started off with a GM LS3 block
Nichols Cars
Nichols reveals the sub-2,000-lb 650-hp N1A
Nichols Cars
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Legendary F1 engineer Steve Nichols made his mark during the 1980s and '90s, but at least a small part of him wondered what it would have been like to be in the game a quarter-century earlier. That spark grew into a blaze, pushing Nichols out of retirement to create his own company and street car project. The Nichols N1A race-inspired roadster has a pedigree like nothing else before it, designed as a modern take on the great race cars of the 1960s, specifically the very first car built by the McLaren team. The N1A's dramatic curves, razor-sharp edges and polished components definitely hark back to a prettier time in race and road history.

After decades of experience developing F1 race cars, Steve Nichols set out in 2017 to develop a street-legal supercar. Nichols is perhaps best known for his time as lead designer at McLaren in the late '80s and early 90s, when he headed development of the MP4/3 and MP4/4 cars, the latter immortalized as a brutally dominant racing force that took home 15 victories out of 16 races during the 1988 season, driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Rather than creating an homage to his own triumphs, Nichols set out to revive a little of the magic of the 1960s, back when race cars shared DNA with the high-performance road cars of their times. Defining himself as a McLaren man through and through, Nichols used the McLaren M1A as a loose mold for his project, seeking to recapture the classic racer's spirit while updating it into a sophisticated British roadster of the 2020s and beyond.

Steve Nichols, left, and Nichols Cars CEO John Minett pose with their production-ready creation
Nichols Cars

One doesn't have to look far to spot the heavy M1A influence, even ignoring the "N1A" name. The 169-in (430-cm) N1A's combination of rollercoaster-like curves, ground-kissing nose and saddle-like transition between high-arched fenders are all quite reminiscent of the M1A itself. The barely visible grille hiding below the hood crease and the sunken headlamps glowing from within the downward slope of the fenders are also nods to the original McLaren.

Nichols' legacy in racing includes working on some of F1's first carbon fiber construction, now an indelible part of motorsport, in the '70s and 80s, so his take on the M1A naturally features loads of woven carbon. The swoopy body is built from a graphene-infused carbon fiber draped delicately on a carbon and aluminum chassis, a combination that allows the two-seater to scale in at a feathery 1,985 pounds (900-kg).

That low weight clears the way for 700 bhp per tonne (2,200 lb) when the 7.0-liter LS3-block V8 fires all 650 hp to the rear wheels though the six-speed manual Graziano transmission. Hand-fabricated front and rear double wishbones keep the car glued to the road, while multi-piston brakes ensure it stops on demand.

Tiny bubble-like windscreen, classic analog instruments and serious fender-top side-view mirrors
Nichols Cars

"Having experienced amazing racing cars over the decades, I’ve never been able to implement those quirky qualities into a road car, until now," said Nichols. "The process from pencil to production model has been extremely gratifying – this should be a reminder to the entire automotive industry that combining the past, present and looking to the future is the way forward for this entire community."

Nichols didn't provide a price in Wednesday's announcement, but given that it plans to build no more than 100 examples, the car will be well out of reach for the masses one way or the other – undoubtedly both. The top-spec launch edition will be more exclusive yet, limited to just 15 examples, each commemorating an individual MP4/4 victory.

Source: Nichols Cars

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8 comments
riczero-b
Lovely car, lose the mirrors.
Venetian
you find this "gorgeous"? Each to their own I suppose. Looks like a poor man's Cobra made in someone's garage from left over parts. And those mirrors......absolutely hideous.
jayedwin98020
The one thing that detracts from the looks of this vehicle is the stick-on look of the mirrors.
They appear to have been a complete after-thought.

When designing a beautiful car like this, at least make sure every aspect of that design is congruent.
spyinthesky
Despite Venetian’s negativity the M1A is considered one of the most beautiful racing cars ever the perfect form a function in sports car design mirroring Chapmans Lotus F1 philosophy. I love the Cobra or to be precise the Ace in terms of 90% of its looks, but that was just brute force compared to this future defining thoroughbred that won on both sides of the Pond in what became famous as the Bruce and Denny show right out of the box. One query though a few years back McLaren itself produced a modern re imagination of the M1A as a celebration of its success, I know because it inspired me to illustrate both cars. Is this a separate development or an extension of that I wonder which has been passed on to Nichols to sell under his own brand.
Nelson Hyde Chick
Just another overcompensation device for the lesser endowed rich guy.
Martin Hone
Pretty impressive power to weight ratio, though I would have thought that given the extensive use of lightweight exotic materials, it would have been significantly lighter than the iron- engined, steel chassis of the original AC Cobra.
Ancliff
Those mirrors are going to make a lot of noise at high speeds.
srskypuppy
Love the power to weight ratio, 0 to 60 in OMG! Low and light weight to flick through the curves, but those mirrors are an abomination! WTF were they thinking.