The legendary F1 engineer Steve Nichols became famous for his work in the premier class of automobile competition during the 1980s and 1990s, but he always showed interest in sports cars from previous decades. This led him, a few years ago, to abandon his retirement to create his own brand, called Nichols Cars, to create a truly impressive vehicle.
It is a roadster named Nichols N1A, inspired by competition and designed as a modern version of the great racing cars of the 1960s. In fact, more specifically, it pays homage to the first vehicle manufactured by the McLaren team. The spectacular curves of its body, the sharp edges and the components used in this creation have sought to go back to that time.
And, after a long history of experience in the development of F1 racing cars, Steve Nichols set out in 2017 to develop a street-legal supercar. It should not be forgotten that the engineer was best known for his time as chief designer of the McLaren team in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he led the development of the MP4/3 and MP4/4 cars.
Especially successful and historic was the second of them, capable of achieving 15 victories in 16 races during the 1988 season with the legendary drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the wheel. Instead of creating a tribute to his own triumphs, Nichols set out to travel further into the past and relive the magic of the '60s, when racing cars shared DNA with high-performance road cars.
Nichols used the 1964 McLaren M1A as inspiration for his project, seeking to recapture the spirit of the classic racing car and also update it into a sophisticated contemporary British roadster. The very name of the new vehicle, therefore, already makes it clear who it is the heir to. The N1A has a length of 4.30 m, 1.76 m wide and only 0.99 m high.
The body, built from carbon fiber, is supported by a carbon and aluminum chassis, a combination that allows the two-seater to reach a weight of only 900 kg. The heart of the beast is housed in the central area, a 7.0 naturally aspirated V8 block of American origin that delivers 650 HP of power and returns to the essence of the high-performance sports cars of yesteryear.
As is evident, such a light vehicle combined with such horsepower has given rise to an impressive weight-power ratio, which is 1.38 kg/CV. The firm has not yet reported the price of its new sports car, but what we do know is that only 100 units will be manufactured.
To introduce even more exclusivity, Nichols Cars has highlighted that the launch edition, which will have the best features, will be even smaller and will be limited to only 15 examples. This number is not a coincidence, as each unit will commemorate each of the MP4/4's individual victories in 1988.
