Ex-McLaren designer working on Lotus Exige competitor

Ex-McLaren designer, Jim Dowle, is working on a new British sports car with hopes of having a running prototype within the next 18 months. Jim Dowle previously worked under Gordon Murray in the design and development of both the F1 road car and the SLR.

The car, which is being described as a competitor to the Lotus Exige, will have a number of engine options including a mid-mounted 200 horsepower motor and will weigh 870kg (1914 pounds). Dowle says he is more focused on making the car fun to drive rather than producing a car that’s built for outright line speed.

His design firm JJAD is currently working on a quarter scale clay model. Construction of the chassis will be mostly aluminum and carob fiber with pricing expected to fall around £35k.

Source: PistonHeads

[tags]Cars, Car, Auto, Automobile, Vehicles, Technology, Auto News, News, Automotive, Lotus[/tags]