This lightweight racer is the ATS Corsa RR Turbo and it is the “affordable” way to take part in GT4 racing.
It certainly looks the part, doesn’t it? All of the racecar essentials are there – vents, ducts, splitter, wing, colossal rear diffuser. You name it, the RR Turbo has got it. It looks great and I have to say I’m a big fan of the livery it’s been presented in.
Peek underneath the body work and you’ll find a Honda-sourced, mid-mounted 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The Italians have worked their magic on it, though, and it’s putting out an impressive 600bhp and 391lb ft of torque.
As if that wasn’t already staggering, consider the fact that the car only weighs 865kg… That’s over 690bhp per tonne! Opt for the Serie Carbonio, which weighs only 825kg, and that figure tops 725bhp per tonne. Mental numbers.
All of that power is put down through the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential racing gearbox. The suspension uses a pushrod setup at the front and a pullrod setup at the back and it’s all completely adjustable.
ATS Corsa claim the RR Turbo will do 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds and max out at a top speed of around 180mph.
Optional extras for the standard Clubsport model include carbon ceramic brakes, forged wheels and a paddleshift conversion for the sequential gearbox. You can even opt for a full carbon body which shaves 14kg off the weight of the car.
If you can’t be bothered to go through all the effort of picking and choosing what extras to put on your Clubsport, you can just go for the Serie Carbonio I mentioned earlier – it’s obviously more expensive but it comes with everything fitted as standard.
Regardless of which spec you choose, your RR Turbo is eligible for a whole host of racing disciplines. It can be entered in 24hr series and Internationl Endurance series as well as the Nurburgring’s VLN, Hill Climb events and Time Attack events.
That brings me on to my next point – the cost. ATS Corsa claim it’s an affordable route into GT4 racing, but just how affordable is it?
First, let’s look at the cost of buying the car. For the Clubsport model as it comes, it’s £119,000 plus tax. The Serie Carbonio will cost you £149,000 plus tax but remember it comes with every optional extra available. That’s not at all bad for over 700bhp per tonne.
Then there’s the cost of it’s maintenance. ATS Corsa reckon the miantenance costs for the RR Turbo work out at around €2.30 per kilometre. Don’t worry, it didn’t mean anything to me at first either. When you compare it to GT4’s average of €5.80 per kilometre, however, it quickly becomes very impressive.
The ATS Corsa RR Turbo is on sale now and the first deliveries will be made at the end of this summer.
What do you think of the Italian GT4 racer? Let us know in the comments section below or via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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