NEW British sportscar manufacturer Jetstream has broken into the lightweight sportscar market with its SC250.
The mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive road-legal two seater SC250 is now in production after completing an extensive testing program, following the unveiling of the prototype at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham's NEC in January.
Jetstream's Ricky Swan said the company is looking at having the new vehicle built in Australia under licence, but no firm arrangements had yet been made.
Lurking under the engine cover of the SC250 is the same 2-litre Ecotec Turbo Twin-Cam 16-valve powerplant and six-speed transmission that appears in the Vauxhall Astra VXR, producing 186kW (250bhp) as standard. The engine can be run on either unleaded or bio-ethanol, the latter fuel increasing performance by around 10 per cent.
With the SC250 weighing in at 700kg a power to weight ratio of an impressive 3.7kg/kW is achieved, propelling the car from 0-96km/h in under 4 seconds and to a maximum speed of 265km/h.
A quarter of a mile run from a standing start takes just 11.8 seconds. The car's torque is also impressive, with 320Nm @ 2400rpm. A combined unleaded fuel use of 7.5L/100km also reflects the car's light weight.
Computers played a massive role in the design of the Jetstream. There was extensive use of advanced CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAS (Computer Aided Simulation) software.
Then 3D modelling was used within the SolidWorks package and this was then stress analysed using the Cosmos software program. Simulation software was then used to create any driving situation Jetstream wanted and crucially was used to compare the SC250's performance against rival cars.
The resulting data meant Jetstream could predict accurate reactions when the prototype was built.
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At the beginning of 2008, the SC250 began extensive physical testing – at venues including Donington Park and Dunsfold Park circuits – to ensure the dynamics, handling and reliability of the car were as predicted. The testing was successful and ensured the car would be ready for production.
The extreme styling of the SC250 was penned originally by Brian Rossi, formerly of Ford, who was responsible for designs such as the Retro Ford Thunderbird launched in 2002. The revolutionary and functional look was created to be as aerodynamic as possible to balance grip, traction and straight-line speed. The radical hard edges and flat surfaces make the SC250 stand out strongly against its rivals.
The lightweight, hand produced composite body is coupled to an aluminium monocoque chassis with steel sub-frames front and rear.
Side impact safety is aided by the honeycomb monocoque side panels that also benefit the cars rigidity by eliminating any flexing of the structure.
Both front and rear suspension consist of unequal length wishbones with fixed coil over shocks supplied by Netherlands-based Intrax, the company owned by Henk Thuis who was formerly Michael Schumacher's suspension guru at Benetton F1.
Stopping power comes from a Tilton twin brake system featuring balance bar bias adjustment and ventilated 285mm front discs, with 278mm rear discs and standard General Motors calipers. An optional upgrade is available to a four-pot caliper brake package from AP Racing.
Lightweight 16 inch alloy wheels on the front and 17 inch on the rear from Team Dynamics are coupled with Toyo Proxes tyres. Road legal track tyres available as an option.
The engine management system is controlled by an Emerald ECU and includes two settings Standard (general road use) and Sports (track).
The 12 paint colours available, ranging from Cornish Gold to Rossi Red, are exclusive to Jetstream and are produced at MIPA's laboratory in Germany.
Cars are now being built at Jetstream Sportscars' production headquarters in Cornwall and take six to eight weeks to build, with timing depending on each customer's specifications.
Jetstream plan to manufacture 50 cars over the next year, with an uprated 225kW version planned for early 2009.
Price is £29,495 (about $62,000) on the road and includes among its options a gull wing style door hard top.
source:news
