The Donto P1 is a track-focused sports car which was developed
in secret for 18 months before being officially revealed on
the 25th August 2010.
Donto Motor Company, based in Argentina, has conceived the car
as a lightweight roadster to compete against the likes of the
Ariel Atom and KTM
X-Bow. Weighing in at around 700 kgs (1543 lbs), the P1
is heavier than the Atom, but lighter than the X-Bow - which
should make for an interesting battle if the trio ever meet
on the track.
Donto Motor Company was founded by businessman and racing driver
Laureano Campanera. Campanera drafted in Hector "Tito"
Perez to develop the car's FIA approved chassis - and with over
400 race car designs to his name, Perez's chassis should be
pretty outstanding.
The Donto P1 is still technically in the prototype stage, and
as such the final drivetrain setup is yet to be confirmed. However
the test cars have been using a VW/Audi sourced, 1.8 litre turbocharged
engine which produces 180 horsepower. Chances are a similar
unit will find its way into the production car.
The Donto P1 has been designed primarily for export - Europe
and the US in particular. However the car will also be available
in its home country and other areas of the world. Depending
on the individual laws of the various countries in which it
is marketed, the Donto P1 will be sold as either a track-only
vehicle, or something you can take on the public roads.
Lucas Lopez, the man who designed the P1's bodywork said of
the car (translated from Spanish): "It's always easy
to pull ideas out of the air, drawing a Ferrari, Porsche or
Lamborghini, and then make a number of changes to make it different.
And that is what we wanted to keep away from. Putting aside
personal preferences, and design with the mind as a blank sheet
is not at all easy, in fact, it is extremely difficult."
The resulting car is a good looking piece of machinery. The
P1 has a split construction with the upper section of the bodywork
designed to appear as if it is floating. Up front is a seriously
mean looking face with two large grilles located below the slit-like
headlights.
With a projected price of $55,000 (£35,000 at a direct
exchange rate) the Donto P1 isn't the cheapest way to get onto
the racetrack. But considering Ferrari does track-only specials
which top $1M, its also far from the most expensive!
Similar and related vehicles:
Ariel Atom 2
Ariel Atom 500 V8
KTM X-Bow
KTM X-Bow Superlight
Source: Autoblog.com.ar
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