First Drive: 2007 Caparo T1

I nearly jumped when he started it.
 
$380,000 is expensive, but when you compare it to an Enzo or an actual indy car, it's downright affordable. I'd still want an Ariel, though.

Be nice if they could get the cost of carbon fiber down to the point where they could put it on cars for use regular people. I'd love it if I didn't have to worry about paint damage from leaky dump trucks anymore.
 
And the increased gas mileage would be killer too.

Fiberglass weighs roughly the same as carbon fiber and it IS cheap. It's cheaper than metal in fact. It's beyond me why automakers don't use it.

estreka,
 
Does it have to do with the strength of fiberglass? I understood it that fiberglass weighs much less than steel but actually offers better strength and resistance in a crash. Its also highly heat resistant. Tons of stuff on a car could be made from carbon fiber, literally tons.
 
I don't know anything about how strong fiber glass is though. Could the car's frame be made from fiberglass without sacrificing rigidity and structural integrity? Can color be impregnated into a fiberglass body panel so that it doesn't require coats of paint on top if it?
 
Sheesh, I need to go google this stuff.

Crowb -
Fiberglass has similar properties to carbon fiber, except cost. Neither hold paint that well, but you can coat it. A major advantage of sheetmetal is that, in a wreck, it wont splinter off and leave shards all over the road. Not that it really matters, because windows will.
 
Body panels don't need to be strong. As long as they can hold up to wind, which they obviously can (see any racing vehicle). Fiberglass is better in a parking lot too. It's got a lot more give (albeit not as much as carbon fiber). The best part of nonmetals is the fact that they don't rust, discolor, pit, or get consumed by salt.
 
It is possible to have a fiberglass frame, but you're starting to challenge the safety of the vehicle. Plus, the complexity would far outweigh the benefit.

Story and photos of Jason Plato's incident:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/car_page_content/36853.html

The offset seating position is pretty neat.

o shit subytrojan!!this will bring really bad image for this new concept!
i now steel a test car ,but burn into flames whith a tv presenter inside whith the cameras working on!!
bad look !
bad look !
danm bad look!!
well in the other hand ...was just jason plato!!rssss...
put tiff nedlell or ever other folk of the top gear presenter staff on this picture and the caparos future would be doomed!!rssss!!

It didn't stop Audi R8 sales.